Coffin Princess Chaika (Anime + LN)

Good writing?

Deus Exit Machina is pretty good term. And It's by no means Good Writing. If you use it sparely it's fairly neutral trope, when it became habbit (as in case of Frederrica) it is Bad Writing in it's prime.

If you can't make use of character, you shouldn't write him in first place.

edited 12th Jun '14 12:45:26 PM by Tenzen12

It's sort of like worfing, but without having a villain strong enough to pose a real threat to her.

I agree, if she isn't gonna be around why bother having her come with them at all. Other than convenient rescues, not that best writing for her.

Does everyone have a Chaika? I can't blame them for following her considering they were told women are forced into the castle, why wouldn't they believe she was someone who wanted to escape?

I'm super excited for a flying fortress battle

Yep, new week, new episode.

Cripes, I think this episode underscores just how hopelessly naive and trusting Chaika is. Also we get a glimpse, through Layla, of how each "Chaika" possibly awakens. Less clones, more sleeper agents who get "activated" through certain stimuli.

I had to groan at the solution to the Fredrica "problem" though. Seriously Sasaki?

Looks like we're definitely getting the Gilette corps team-up next episode though, providing Soara isn't blown from the sky before Gilette gets to do anything.

edited 18th Jun '14 8:31:38 PM by MyssaRei

The Fredrica thing was so blatant I just had to laugh. It's only really gotten bad in this flying fortress arc. I'm wondering if in the original novel she just stayed outside but they had to work her actor in for like contract reasons or something. It kinda felt like that to me.

Didn't Layla say she didn't remember how she woke up either? Did I miss something? She didn't really say anything we didn't already know it seemed like

Hopefully there will be a reason Layla is helping Garvani. He seems like a Complete Monster. You gotta wonder why Gaz programmed the Chaika's not to work together. Seems like a flaw in his plan.

At least that had a solution to the whole Air ducts big enough to crawl walk through thing. They are actually a trap.

It's sorta weird they made a flying citadel without anyway off. Shouldn't they have boats for troop deployment or shuttles or escape pods or parachutes or something? Seems kinda odd. You would expect the duke to have a way off at least.

edited 18th Jun '14 8:20:18 PM by kiukiuclk

The Acura fight was pretty sweet.

So Ricardo and Grad aren't that different from Toru, they are purposeless without war.

That was seriously fucked up. I really hope Ricardo gets cut up into pieces.

The truth about Chaika(s) is revealed...sorta. The 'real' Chaika seems to have been beheaded by the 'heroes.' Just how many pieces was the Emperor cut into that they need so many to retrieve them?

Uh yeah the Fredrica thing was stupid. Again why bother having her follow them if she is only gonna be a plot convenience or not around. or dead?

Why does Toru have Vivi's little arm guard thing? Gillette is bout to bring the pain. And I have to wait another week for the flying fortress battle. I swear if they stop before it happens...

I took from it that the 'Chaikas' were just people living their lives until some spell post Gaz death awakened them, as opposed to just a stockpile of clones sent out as it kinda seemed before.

Layla just wants to use up remains and screw with the Emperor's plan, Garvani was probably just the easiest and closest for her.

It seems like the fortress just has that one giant platform, there might be several smaller ones elsewhere.

edited 18th Jun '14 8:35:28 PM by jedi1113

Given how Viivi is also a Chaika, the change in personality and purpose likely only happens under specific triggers. This kind of also explains why each Chaika is also physically different from each other — see how Layla was as tall as Chaika despite the latter wearing platforms, or how buxom Bohdan was — because they were literally different girls, but got turned into a Chaika.

Also, notice a trend with each Chaika being a specialist in a different field, which more or less forces them to work with other people to succeed.

edited 18th Jun '14 8:41:25 PM by MyssaRei

So then the awakening physically changes them as I was assuming. I shouldn't have checked your spoiler cuz now I'm really curious and it is gonna be a long time before I get answers.

Argh.

I'd appreciate it if you warned us before you gave a LN spoiler, Myssa.

I did spoiler it though. ^^;

By the way, the adaptation rate seems to be something like 2-3 episodes per volume, and Sasaki has already tweeted his intent on ending the LN series at the same time as the anime, so I'm assuming that Bones already has the draft at least of the last book in hand. Might still end up differently though (see how Scrapped Princess went compared to the anime, where there was apparently a "See, those alien guys Mauser mentioned? They're back." moment in the LN).

edited 18th Jun '14 8:53:35 PM by MyssaRei

So this ongoing season will be complete as is, no need to end prematurely for an S2? That's actually pretty neat.

Also man, that CHOMP, feels like Marimo or Mami all over again...

Err, you do know that this series is split-cour? All it means is that the series will end at the same the the books will end, is all.

Man that sucks...

Still, split cours over two season any time of the day. When's the second cour, fall 2014? Guess that means I have more to look forward to...

x7 White Chaika doesn't seem to have any other talents though, unless the magic counts. Not sure if Layla has a coffin and gundo. They all seem to be good at finding allies however.

x4 Yeah, that one got me. I was wondering why Vivi looked like Chaika, but I'd put it down to Only Six Faces. So I'd guess the physical changes are minimal. I wonder if the Chaika's are all his daughters by different mothers or clones who were activated into "find remains" mode by something. Maybe Yellow was an actual Chaika that didn't trigger yet.

Split cour would make sense. Seems hard to wrap this up in one episode.

edited 18th Jun '14 10:35:18 PM by kiukiuclk

Unless physical changes mean "hair turns white, eyes turn purple, and gain thick eyebrows" count. XD

How do we know she didn't always look like that? Vivi has already got purple eyes and thick eyebrows, and Power Dyes Your Hair is pretty common. Actually, pretty much everyone has giant eyebrows. I think it's an artist thing.

Episode 11:

• So Layla's Chaika Blue. Except she hates doing the Chaika routine. And some Chaika mysteries have been unveiled. Our Chaika's not taking it well...
• So that's what happened to all the women. Man, that's awful! Ricardo...!
• DAMN IT! I didn't expect Fredrica to see her own blood! DAMN IT!!
• No nitpicking, Vivi. On this Flying Fortress of Horrors, it's either cooperation or death.

"How you could beyatray Chaika?" Is that realy question you should asking Touru? I know he is appearently obssesed with fragile loli, but I can't belive that after all these years he doesn't even realise who she actualy care about.

Frederica getting promptly removed again, makes clear that author doesn't have clue what he should do with her.

Once again another not quite good episode. I have hard time belive it's written by same author as Scrapped Princess and Polyphonica (though It indeed looks like something written by author of Outbreak Company)

PS: I did not meant say that OC was bad, as it wasn't.

I think you're missing the point of that scene. And arguably the point of the entire series. Seems like a pretty fundamental misunderstanding anyway.

From Toru's point of view, it doesn't matter who she cares about, or even who he cares about. Because they're saboteurs, and saboteurs act without letting emotions get in the way. This is why everyone hates their guts, even assassins look down on them. Because they're low-life mercenaries who kill without believing in a cause or a nation. Scum who do whatever it takes to win without consideration for why. Mindless dogs of their masters. Weapons who gave up their very humanity to fight (note their battle chant).

And Toru wouldn't deny any of that. But there's one thing that he takes pride in, that lets him cope with himself. A saboteur does not betray their master. This is the one tenant that lets him sleep at night, that lets him believe in himself, that lets him be proud of being raised a saboteur. Note that this is a pragmatic tenant more than an ideological one: no one would trust a mercenary who betrays their employer at the slightest hint of coin. But it's something Toru can take pride in, and why he is initially so attached to Chaika. She literally gives meaning to his life.

Anyway, so the point is that he thinks Akari's feelings should not matter in the slightest. She hates Chaika, she loves him, whatever. None of those things matter. She should be perfectly willing to kill him despite her love, or to protect Chaika despite her hate. And conversely he should be willing to kill her, if his employer requires it. That's just what life means for a saboteur: if they end up on opposite sides of the battlefield they should be willing to kill each other without hesitation (of course, Toru is much too soft-hearted for this job, as they've pointed out repeatedly). So the only thing he's outraged about is Akari apparently abandoning a contract mid-mission, betraying her employer. Because that undermines everything he believes. It spits in the face of his self-image and the meaning he gives to his own life. If it's that easy for a saboteur to switch sides, what does that mean about him? Why does he fight, why does he live?

In short, he considers it the worst thing. This has nothing to do with anyone's romantic feelings for anyone. The fact that he's conflating his own feelings of affection for loyalty is a separate issue that he would never admit in words (yet).

edited 19th Jun '14 9:17:56 AM by Clarste

I don't think it was quite THAT deep, but yeah, something among the lines of Saboteur pride and code of honor.

I did take it in consideration beforehand. I still think he should know, Akari better than that and that Akari has different priorities than normal saboteurs ie Touru.

Does she? She's never endangered a mission because of that. There's no evidence that she would put her feelings over her duties. He has faith in her as a fellow saboteur. That's the shape of his trust in her. That represents how close he is to her.

She never "endangered" it becuase she follow Touru orders with absulute faith when it come to mission. Actualy Touru is one who endangering it by following Chaikas every whim and his sister never even questioned it despite being far more pragmatic that Touru himself.

edited 19th Jun '14 10:11:59 AM by Tenzen12