Line #142 Anime/Kuromukuro


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuromukuro.png]]
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3	In the 60s, [[AlternateHistory an amazing find was discovered during the construction]] of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurobe_Dam Kurobe Dam]] - a metallic titan, or for the lack of better words - an ancient robot. This find sends shock waves around the scientific community. Intellectuals from all over the world gathered to study the object, codenamed "The Giant", and soon the United Nations Kurobe Research Institute was established. By the year 2016, their efforts gave birth to HumongousMecha known as GAUS, though they are still very much prototypes.
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5	All of this doesn't really matter to Yukina Shirahane, even though her mother is the head of the Institute. Something of a underachiever, she could spend entire days just being amazed [[SceneryPorn by the hills and rivers around Kurobe]]. One day, when she goes to the Institute to return her mom's cellphone, she stumbles on researchers fruitlessly trying to crack the mystery of a huge cube. This is another artifact found around Kurobe Dam just recently, and most likely of the same origin as the Giant. Soon after, several meteorites fall towards Earth, one of them crashing near the dam - or should we say, ''landing'', as the meteors turn out to be giant robots accompanied by small armies of MiniMecha. They immediately start to attack, proving to be a real threat thanks to invisible barriers that render conventional weaponry moot. In the ensuing chaos, Yukina notices a red panel light up on the cube. After instinctively pressing it, the cube opens, releasing a river of green goo and a naked man.
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7	This man, Ouma Kennnosuke Tokisada, is a samurai who fought the invaders, referring to them as Oni or "demons", during the feudal era. He kidnaps Yukina, mistaking her for Yukihime or the "Princess" he was tasked with guarding in his times. After coming into conflict with the personnel around the Institute, the cube reveals itself to be the cockpit of the Giant, and Kennosuke as it's master. The samurai, with an unwilling Yukina in tow, descend into the bottom of the facility where the object is hidden. The cube attaches itself to the Giant, revealing its true colors as Kennosuke's personal black Artifact - his Kuromukuro.
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9	''Kuromukuro'' (クロムクロ, lit. Black Artifact) is a original {{mecha}} anime series produced by Creator/PAWorks, to celebrate the studio's [[MilestoneCelebration 15th anniversary]]. It was directed by Tensai Okamura (''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', ''Anime/ProjectBlueEarthSOS''), written by Ryou Higaki (''Literature/{{Another}}''), character designs by Yuriko Ishii (''Anime/NagiAsuALullInTheSea'') and music by Hiroaki Tsutsumi (''Manga/MonsterMusume''). It premiered in April 2016. The series was simulcast on Creator/{{Netflix}} in Japan, with a worldwide release of its first season (eps 1-13) on July 4, 2016 and its second season (eps 14-26) following on October 10, 2016.
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11	!!This series provides the examples of:
12	* AcroFatic: Sebastian, if not actually fat, is nevertheless quite pudgy. It doesn't stop him from being among the best hand-to-hand fighters in the series, being easily able to go toe-to-toe with the {{Power Armor}}ed Efidolg.
13	* AlienBlood: The invading robots spew purple "blood". [[spoiler:GAUS units, on the other hand, 'bleed' orange.]]
14	* AliensInCardiff: The action takes place in the back-country Hokuriku region, roughly around Kurobe Dam in Toyama prefecture, neatly averting TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse.
15	* AlienInvasion: [[spoiler:In episode 21 Efidolg land in force around the research institute at Kurobe Dam.]]
16	* AlternateHistory: Where a giant robot was discovered during the Kurobe Dam construction. Oh, and there were aliens using giant robots to wage war on Earth during the feudal era.
17	* AndThenWhat: Episode 7 has Yukina ask what Ken planned on doing after he killed all of the Efidolg. At the end of it, he says that he doesn't have anything much left to live for in this era, so all he can do at that point is [[NothingLeftToDoButDie rejoin the princess]].
18	* ArmoredCoffins: Efidolg robots, aside from ''Kuromukuro/Black Grongur''[[note]]Which mounts the peculiar "horse"[=/=]ejectable cockpit contraption[[/note]], don't have ejection systems. Being prototypes, GAUS 1 and 2 don't equip ejection systems either. Subverted by GAUS 3 as it is a military grade production type and has an ejection seat, and Lefil's commander unit, which features basically the same cockpit system as Kuromukuro, suggesting that it is also a commander-type mecha.[[note]][[spoiler:Probably, [[HeelFaceTurn Zeringer's]] own, as he appears to be a former Efidolg commander himself.]][[/note]]
19	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Koharu at times, as she just ''loves'' to tease her sister.
20	* BlandNameProduct: Episode 10 had an ''[[Franchise/StreetFighter Ecchu Fighter X]]'' machine in an arcade.
21	** Doubles as CreatorProvincialism, as Ecchu province is a historical name of the region currently known as [[UsefulNotes/TheFortySevenPrefectures Toyama prefecture]].
22	* BittersweetEnding: Big time. The Border Control Team [[spoiler: is totally defeated and [[PortalNetwork the Hinge]] is taken out; but it turns out that they were only an advance party for a much larger invasion force that will still arrive on Earth 250 years from now. The UN Director-General openly predicts an ArmsRace amongst the nations of Earth as they prepare for this invasion.]] And Kennosuke, [[spoiler: Muetta and Zel]], figuring that as objects of suspicion their freedom on Earth with be severely limited, [[spoiler: leave Earth for Zel's homeworld, hoping to help LaResistance there - and leaving Yukina behind, despite her best efforts.]] Though she is clearly [[IWillFindYou not going to settle for that.]]
23	* BreatherEpisode: Episode 12, which is basically about Yukina (and everyone else on the GAUS team) being put into a Boot Camp-slash-refresher course.
24	* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:Teased with Shirahane-papa (or, rather, a MysteriousBenefactor figure heavily hinted to be him) apparently returning in Episode 9 just in time to save his daughter from being kidnapped by the aliens]]. And then the few days later [[spoiler:the secret base Yukina remembers [[CommutingOnABus turns into a hole in the ground]].]] In Episode 12 and 13 [[spoiler: Yukihime]] apparently returns, as [[spoiler: a pilot of Efidolg]]. And then it turns out that [[spoiler:Dr. Shirahane is probably indeed dead, the MysteriousBenefactor being just his alien friend, and "Yukihime" is just a clone, and a different person altogether]].
25	* BuffySpeak: When Yukina starts giving out [[TheStrategist strategic and tactical advice]] it's usually formulated like this.
26	* ButNotTooForeign: Actually quite common, especially among the Tateyama International School students, given that this is an international effort that goes for more than half a century. A posterboy for this would be Carlos Takasuka, who, when told to evacuate to his grandparents in Spain after the shit got real around the institute, despaired that he doesn't even know Spanish!
27	* ButtMonkey:
28	** Jose Carlos Takasuka, whose whole point in the story seems to be failing amusingly.
29	** Tom Borden is actually fine as soldiers do, but being an Type 2 {{Eagle Land}}er JerkAss, he's ''not'' an authors' darling, and they let us know.
30	** Ryoto Akagi slides into this role more and more as the series progresses.
31	* CannotSpitItOut: Averted by [[spoiler:Kennosuke]] who, when asked what he wants to do with his life, simply and confidently states "I will make Yukina my wife!"
32	* CombiningMecha: Zeru's geoframe can attach itself to Black Grongur or GAUS units, allowing them to fly. [[spoiler:The Efidolg commander's geoframe can combine with Imusa's, drastically increasing its combat capabilities]].
33	* CoveredInScars: Kennosuke, who is actually a seasoned veteran despite being only 17[[note]]Kennosuke states he's 18 under ''kazoedoshi'', as noted by Yukina's uncle, which starts its count at one instead of zero[[/note]].
34	* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:Gezon-Reco squad landing their ship on the KRI. Despite being down to only three active pilots (with Hedo and Fusnarnie dead and Muetta defecting), they simply overwhelm the UN defences with dozens of Headless and literally ''hundreds'' of Cacti; even [[TakingYouWithMe Sebastian's]] HeroicSacrifice did not destroy Mirasa's geoframe]]. [[spoiler:Sebastian survived too]]. That said, GAUS team was stomping Headless right and left, but there were [[ZergRush just too many of them]].
35	* DamselInDistress: Yukina at times, due to being an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent. She's usually saved by either Kennosuke or "The Demon", a mysterious hulking figure in a demon-like armor that is heavily hinted to be her DisappearedDad.
36	* DefectorFromDecadence: Some Efidolg warriors get disillusioned with their goals and defect to the Earthlings, [[spoiler: such as Muetta and, apparently, Zeringer 450 years before, as the current Gezon-Reco commander, Lefil, is from the same "Demon" race, and he uses pretty much the same (if a bit archaic) Efidolg technology.]]
37	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Played with in the character of Sophie, an OccidentalOtaku and a great fan of ''Literature/TheHagakure'', the eighteenth-century moralistic tract often said to be the "Bible of Bushido". She's greatly perplexed why Kennosuke (who is from ''the sixteenth century'', and who was born at least 200 years before it was written) doesn't care for its values '''at all'''. To wit: ''The Hagakure'' was written in the entirely peaceful period as a moralistic reminder that WeHaveBecomeComplacent, and displayed a heavily idealized version of what its author ''believed'' the true ''bushi'' should be. It had very little to do with the real samurai both from the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku Jidai]] era and the times it was written, and was promptly forgotten, only being dug out during the "Kurai Tanima"[[note]]"Dark Valley"[[/note]] period of militaristic frenzy of Taisho and early Showa eras.
38	* DisappearedDad: Yukina and Koharu's, who went missing trying to contact the aliens to confirm his theories.
39	* DisproportionateRetribution: Mirasa and Muetta were punished for their failure by subjecting them to their greatest fears.
40	* DrillSergeantNasty: Deconstructed with [[JerkAss Tom Borden]] during the training camp in the Episode 12, when he was doing his best [[Film/FullMetalJacket Sergeant Hartman]] imitation. Which only ended by him shocking ''everyone'' (including himself) when he went too liberal with Kennosuke's shock collar during wading training. The people even started to cite it as the example why you don't assign commissioned officers to conduct the basic training.
41	* {{Eagleland}}: Tom Borden, the pilot of GAUS 1, exemplifies Type 2, being a walking ClusterFBomb JerkAss BloodKnight, whome everyone else [[WithFriendsLikeThese just barely tolerates]] only because he's quite good at what he does. The authors seem to delight [[ButtMonkey in regularly embarrassing him for his shortcomings]]. That said, he strongly believes in NoOneGetsLeftBehind and is the most vocal of the four GAUS pilots about launching a mission to [[spoiler:rescue Yukina from Efidolg]].
42	* EvilUncle: Completely averted. [[WhenYouComingHomeDad Hiromi Shirahane's]] older brother Osho Yakushi is a [[NobleProfession wise and kind Buddhist priest]] who basically [[{{Nephewism}} raised his nieces]].
43	* {{Expy}}: The UN agents in Episodes 10&11 are pretty much [[Series/TheXFiles Mulder and Scully]].
44	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Kennosuke, a samurai hailing from feudal Japan, awakens in the present day([[AlternateHistory with robots]]). He is astounded when he sees [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyama,_Toyama a modern city]], describing it as a field of giant tombstones.[[note]]Note that Toyama is a rather provincial city that cannot boast much of a skyline. It's still enough to completely overwhelm Kennosuke.[[/note]]
45	* ForeignCultureFetish:
46	** Toshiyuki Mozumi, GAUS 2's navigator, calls himself Sebastian and likes to present himself as the French Sophie Noelle's butler, despite being fully Japanese JGSDF Special Forces Captain (and a [[RenaissanceMan qualified high school teacher in most of the subjects]]).
47	** The reverse is true for [[OccidentalOtaku his charge]], who is a diehard samurai buff and has basically raised herself on ''Literature/TheHagakure'''s values.
48	* GalacticConqueror: What Efidolg actually are.
49	* GiantMook: The ''Dullahan''/''[[ReportingNames Headless]]'' alien mechas. Pilotless, but well-armed and equipped with DeflectorShields, thus being quite dangerous to the heroes.
50	* GivingRadioToTheRomans: Kennosuke somehow got his titular Kuromukuro from [[spoiler:Efidolg]].
51	* GoodThingYouCanHeal: In Episode 13 Kennosuke had to fight [[spoiler: minutes after being ran through with a sword]], and was able to only thanks to this trope.
52	* GunsAreUseless: Taken to ridiculous extremes, the larger mechas are capable of halting the progress of gunfire and rockets, as well as redirecting them. Melee attacks, [[RuleOfCool swords especially]], are unaffected by this force field.
53	** Justified at least against normal bullets, because inert projectiles are essentially comparable to space debris, which would be a constant threat to anything that travels through space.
54	** That said, firing at point blank or using contact explosives such as mines will do the trick.
55	* HealingFactor: Had he had it more pronounced, Kennosuke could actually give Wolverine a run for his money. After [[spoiler: being run through with Muetta's sword]] Ken's innards begun to heal in mere minutes. Even after all the bumps and shakes of the subsequent fight, he gets up and running in barely a day. [[HerrDoktor Dr. Hausen]] was very disappointed that he hadn't a chance [[TheyWouldCutYouUp to study him better]].
56	* HeroicBSOD: Yukina has one after the suicide of an enemy pilot and disappearance of her classmates that were filming the fight and got caught in the explosion.
57	* HerrDoktor: Dr. Hausen, the Kurobe Research Institute chief biologist, is a stereotyopical German scientist [[PhenotypeStereotype with blonde hair, grey eyes]], a cane, and ''heavy'' MadScientist bend.
58	* HolographicTerminal: Main feature of the Efidolg technology.
59	* HonorBeforeReason:
60	** Efidolg characters spend more of their screentime talking about honor and chivalry than actually fighting. Sometimes even ''[[TalkingIsAFreeAction during]]'' the battle. It's no surprise that they're usually beaten despite their technical superiority.
61	** Sophie Noelle was raised on ''Literature/TheHagakure'' and is all about ''Japanese'' chivalry as advanced there as well. Kennosuke, a real-life (well, if he [[TomatoInTheMirror really is]]) {{samurai}} from the war-ravaged 16th century thinks it's [[CombatPragmatist more or less dumb]].
62	** Tom Borden, for all of his many shortcomings, will never abandon a comrade and is willing to go great lengths to [[spoiler:rescue Yukina from Efidold]].
63	* HotBlade: The blades used by Efidolg [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum and Kennosuke]].
64	* HumanAliens: [[spoiler:The pilots of Efidolg have the same biological makeup as humans.]] Exaggerated to body horror level, as [[spoiler: Kennosuke recognizes Fusnarnie as his old comrade, and Yukihime returns as a pilot of Efidolg. Either they are captured and brainwashed, or Kennosuke himself is an alien with fake memories all along. In Episodes 20/21 it is confirmed that Efidolg pilots are clones, and that Yukihime was used for one of the standard patterns of their mass-produced warriors.]]
65	* HypocriticalHumor: "Those bathing suits are very revealing!" claims Ken, who comes into class wearing a fundoshi with his bare bottom sticking out.
66	* IconicItem: Dr. Shirahane's watch, which is a centerpiece of Yukina's memories of her dad. [[spoiler:[[MysteriousBenefactor A someone]] who [[TheCavalry saved her from being captured]] by a ''Cactus'' in Episode 9 was wearing the very same watch. In Episode 21 Zeringer says that Takehito Shirahane was his friend, thus implying that it is his memento of him]]
67	* ImmediateSelfContradiction: When Yukina calls Kennosuke out on basically kidnapping her in episode 2, he has this to say:
68	-->'''Kennosuke''': I have no regrets. Although I do feel bad.
69	* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Averted. When [[spoiler: Muetta]] try to escape, Sophie and UN troops managed to shot her several times, but she wears bullet-proof armor.
70	* ImpossiblyGracefulGiant: All larger mechas in the show are of this variety, dishing it out with their limbs and swords as if in a JidaiGeki movie, despite [[HumongousMecha being about 20 meters tall and weighing in at the upwards of 300 tons]].
71	** [[spoiler:GAUS-3 is notably more agile than the first two and moves as well as Efidolg geoframes.]]
72	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Fusnarnie on Kennosuke's katana in Episode 11, Kennosuke on Muetta's sword in Episode 12, Zeringer runs Lefil through with his sword while the latter's busy activating [[PortalNetwork the Hinge]] in Episode 24.]]
73	* InSpiteOfANail: Despite the discovery of a highly advanced technology, with includes gravity manipulation, the world at large [[ReedRichardsIsUseless isn't that much different]].
74	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The main heroine, Yukina Shirahane, is, down to a haircut, absolutely identical to Kennosuke's original liege, Yukihime, and an Efidolg warrior Muetta.
75	** In the Episode 18 it leads to [[spoiler:[[MechaMook a Cactus]] mistaking Yukina for Muetta and taking her to the Efidolg station.]]
76	** Episode 20 implies that [[spoiler:their body is actually [[SendInTheClones a standard pattern of a mass-prodfuced warrior]]]].
77	** Episode 21 pretty much confirms that, [[spoiler: With Zeringer/Demon saying that Efidolg introduced the Yukihime genome into their base for clone production.]]
78	* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Apparently, Earth is pretty much in the ass end of the Galaxy, with the nearest Efidolg base no closer than 224 lightyears — [[spoiler:according to Lefil, once the activated Hinge fails to open, the invasion fleet launches anyway, but at sublight speeds, and it would take them ~224 years to reach Earth]].
79	* IWillFindYou: [[spoiler: Yukina's final declaration to Kennosuke before he leaves.]]
80	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Tom Borden is crude, loud, brash, and a practitioner of the Leroy Jenkins school of battle strategy. He is also brave, loyal, patriotic, and the most vocal proponent of the mission [[spoiler:[[NoOneGetsLeftBehind to rescue Yukina from Efidolg]]]].
81	* KlingonPromotion: Of a sort. Once an Efidolg Grongal is bonded with a pilot or "wearer", it cannot be bonded with another until the previous wearer dies. [[spoiler:There is an exception in the case of Muetta and Yukina, who can operate the Kuromukuro and Medusa interchangeably, having identical DNA.]]
82	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Muetta/[[spoiler:Yukihime's clone]] is unusual among the [[HonorBeforeReason Efidolg fighters]] in that she's actually quite a master of this tactic.
83	* MacGuffin: The Hinge Stones, mysterious objects that Efidolg try to collect. [[spoiler:It is later revealed that when assembled, they are used [[PortalNetwork to create a hypergate]] that opens a way for an Efidolg invasion fleet to reach Earth.]]
84	* MadeOfIndestructium: The Efidolg Geoframes. The Russians even tried to ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill nuke]]'' one — all it did was to slow it down until it regenerated. Admittedly, it was a ''small'' nuke,[[note]]A tactical warhead around couple of hundred tons of TNT equivalent.[[/note]] but still…
85	* MechaMook: ''Cactus'', a smaller alien mecha mainly used for abduction and infiltration, lacks the [[DeflectorShields protective force field]] of its larger brethren, and is thus entirely susceptible to everything the Humanity throws at them. They fall in droves even to the basic heavy machineguns.
86	** In fact, if equipped with the alien-made weapon, even just a competent swordsman, such as Kennosuke or "The Demon", usually makes a short work of them.
87	* MidSeasonUpgrade: Tom Borden eventually gets to operate Fusnarnie's ''Long Arm'' for the final battle.
88	* MindControlDevice: Efidolg utilize special miniature spider-like drones inserted into a person's ear to turn them into obedient slaves. [[spoiler:Zeringer, being apparently an Efidolg turncoat himself, uses one to interrogate wounded Lefil in the finale]].
89	* MiniMecha: ''Cactus'' again, which is barely three meters tall, as well as UN's ''Dwarves''.
90	* MonochromeCasting: Averted. Despite being a mecha anime set in Japan ''and'' draws upon Japanese culture as an influence, the cast is very diverse being that the UN is involved. In addition to Japanese characters, there is also French, a Brit, an American, a Chinese, an Italian, a German, a Polish, two Bridge Bunnies consisting of a Latina and a European, and one character who is [[ButNotTooForeign half-Japanese/half-Spanish]].
91	* MysteriousBenefactor: "The Demon", a strange, hulking figure in a demonic-looking armor and riding what looks like the prototype of an Efidolg ''Cactus'' mecha, who frequently aids the heroes, as in saving Yukina numerous times, giving the crypric advice both to her and to Kennosuke, and even offering direct support during their fight with the "Blue Bird" geoframe in Episode 17. Originally [[TimeyWimeyBall it was implied]] that he's ''both'' the same person as Kennosuke's archnemesis during the Sengoku Jidai, ''and'' a Yukina's DisappearedDad, though in Episode 20 he contacts Sophie directly and claims [[spoiler:that he's a member of one of the races, conquered by Efidolg, and that he helps Earthlings to exact {{revenge}} for his fallen comrades]]. As usual in the series, [[UnreliableExpositor the veracity of his words]] is up to the viewer to believe, but Yukina later finds the proof [[spoiler:while accessing the Efidolg database on their ship]].
92	* NakedFirstImpression: Kuromukuro absorbs matter to repair itself when not active. Apparently, it decided to eat Kennosuke's clothes during his 450-year-nap, leaving him stark naked upon waking.
93	* {{Nephewism}}: Yukina and Koharu, who, due to their ParentalAbandonment, were raised by their uncle.
94	* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: The Efidolg robots possess force field barriers that stop missiles and bullets in their track. The only way to inflict damage on them is by either shooting them at point-blank range or using melee weaponry.
95	* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Gezon-Reco officers in their ship. They spend their time in the endless bickering about what's to do and who's to blame.
96	* NuclearWeaponsTaboo: Averted. The Russians nuked the Geoframe that landed near Novosibirsk — though it [[MadeOfIndestructium didn't help much]].
97	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Or rather, dissect. After Kennosuke showcased his HealingFactor after the events of episode 14, Dr. Hausen proclaimed to his face that no one else in the world will touch Ken with a scalpel but him.
98	* ParentalAbandonment: Yukina's father disappeared trying to contact the "demon"-aliens, and her mother is pretty much married to the job, leaving her and Koharu in the care of her older brother, a Buddhist priest.
99	* PortalNetwork: The way Efidolg conquerors move from planet to planet. [[spoiler:The loss of the means to open a new portal 450 years ago is a main driver of the whole plot.]]
100	* RammingAlwaysWorks: The best thing [[spoiler:the "demon" resistance fighters]] could think of to stop [[spoiler:the Efidolg [[PortalNetwork Hinge]]]] from activating is to ram it with their stolen ship. This is why its pieces get scattered all over the Earth.
101	* RealPlaceBackground: [[WriteWhatYouKnow P. A. Works is based in Nanto, Toyama]], and the team spares no effort in overwhelming the viewer with the tons of SceneryPorn [[CreatorProvincialism from all over the Toyama prefecture]]. The battle in the second episode happens right in front of the Toyama City Hall, and the tram Kennosuke smashes over his opponent is a real tram [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyama_Chihō_Railway that runs through the city's downtown]].
102	** In Episode 21 the ship United Nations send to [[spoiler:aid the evacuation of the Toyama prefecture from the imminent invasion by Efidolg]], is the ''Rus'', a real life Russian ferry that served the Toyama-Vladivostok route for decades, and was used by the series' team when they went location hunting for [[Anime/DarkerThanBlack their previous show]].[[note]]Though, since the Russian government imposed prohibitive duties on the used Japanese cars to protect their own automotive industry, the demand has dried up and the ferry was sold to the Baltic in 2010, where it serves the Stockholm-Helsinki-Saint-Petersburg line.[[/note]]
103	** In the same episode [[DeflectorShields one of the shield generators]] that Efidolg launch to cover their landing [[https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/54787/189408266.712/0_161e94_5e5c554_orig.jpg smashes right through]] the [[Creator/PAWorks PAW's]] [[https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--t_k-pMd4--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/vbbcyfwp7kedhuzrh3vl.jpg newly-built studio]], so that they even post them a bill of repairs in a [[https://twitter.com/nobukiku/status/769592061620137985/photo/1 recent humorous twit]].
104	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted with the Kuromukuro, which is a hero unit despite its coloration.
105	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Efidolg characters, most of whom look almost completely human, are only distinguishable by their red pupils.
106	* RedOniBlueOni: Tom Borden, the hot-blooded American Marine pilot is in direct contrast to his backseater: stoic, unflappable Chinese officer Shenmei Liu.
107	* RedShirtArmy: Averted. The UN forces are [[WithThisHerring often outgunned]], but [[SoldierVsWarrior never outsmarted and rarely outfought]].
108	* ReedRichardsIsUseless: The world isn't much different from ours, despite all the new tech coming from research of The Giant, mainly because most of it is [[SuperPrototype still in the prototype stage]] and because the NewTechIsNotCheap.
109	* ReportingNames: UN assigns them for the alien mechas as a reference shorthand. The examples are ''Cactus'' for the [[MiniMecha smaller]], more [[AlienAbduction abduction oriented]] drone (named so for a lots of needle-like protrusions dotting its skin), and ''Headless'' for a larger and more combat oriented one (which, naturally, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnThetin lacks the head]]). ''Yellow Crab'' and ''Long Arm'' are the large, heavily armed, and, what's more important, ''pioted'' mecha, which makes them much more dangerous foes.
110	* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Kuromukuro is said to weigh about 300 tonnes, and the authors had ShownTheirWork going on the record in-universe to note that the only thing that makes it possible is the gravity manipulation and InertialDampening that makes it (and the corresponding alien mecha) an ImpossiblyGracefulGiant.
111	** This also allows them to transport it over the dinky bridge not able to hold more than 20 tons by the look of it, much less 300, in the Episode 5.
112	* RockBeatsLaser: Subverted. The best of human technology does very little to the Efidolg, but Ken's sword does the job just fine... because it's made of alien nanomachines.
113	* SayMyName: Kennosuke and Yukina on occasion, with the end of episode 18 being a perfect example.
114	* SceneryPorn: Wouldn't be a Creator/PAWorks anime without this. It's so good, Yukina's defining trait is being enamored by this!
115	* SelfHealingPhlebotinum: Efidolg mechas, ''Kuromukuro/Black Grongur'' included, and their [[HotBlade personal weapons]] will slowly repair themselves if damaged. Base materials that are necessary for the process are taken from immediate surroundings.
116	* SenseiChan: Marina Unami, the heroes' homeroom teacher and school counselor, who is barely five years older than her students and, [[OneOfTheKids being a shy and childish by nature]], ends up [[DudeWheresMyRespect constantly being manipulated by them]].
117	* SoldierVersusWarrior: The UN forces are definitely of the first type, while Efidolg apparently lean to the second one.
118	* StoutStrength Mozumi/Sebastian is actually one of the strongest characters in the series.
119	* SquareCubeLaw: The creators of the robots in this series avoid the issue in two ways:
120	** First, most of the mechas used by both sides are MiniMecha - not bigger than a car, which is the more realistic solution to this problem.
121	** Second, the actual HumongousMecha utilize gravity manipulation in order to reshift their weight, which allows them to move with the speed a several-stories tall titan made out of 300 ton metal has no right to be. One of the Efidolg robots even uses this to walk on water and doesn't even cause waves to appear. Obviously, this falls towards the AppliedPhlebotinum ways of explaining why they don't just fall under their own weight.
122	* SuperPrototype:
123	** GAUS mecha are a more realistic example, existing in minuscule numbers and not yet used at their full power because [[NewTechIsNotCheap they are expensive]] and a case of ImportedAlienPhlebotinum, being only incrementally tested.
124	** Kuromukuro itself, or, as Efidolg call it, Black Grongur, is apparently a prototype of units used by the aliens, because it uses a number of features archaic for them, like requiring two pilots, but still powerful enough to do a short work of most of them.
125	* TakingYouWithMe:
126	** After losing a fight to Kennosuke, [[spoiler:Hedo, the pilot of the "Yellow Crab" mecha,]] uses its self-destruct mechanism in a defiant attempt to kill his defeater.
127	** After [[spoiler: the "Long Arm" pilot, Fusnarnie's,]] escape from the UN custody and rampage though the Kurobe Research Institute, he finally was cornered by Kennosuke and UN security, and decided to at least kill Yukina for his troubles, but not before acquiring [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice a shiny new accessory through his chest]].
128	** Heavily wounded and in a barely functioning mecha, [[spoiler:Sebastian]] clinches the ''Spider'', and uses his unit's SelfDestructMechanism to take Mirasa with him. [[spoiler:Subverted in that he both fails to kill Mirasa and survives himself]], though he does buy his comrades enough time to evacuate.
129	* TanksForNothing: Subverted — while they are indeed more or less useless, nothing is actually more useful against the aliens, except maybe [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum the GAUS]], whose record is also quite shoddy. Only the Kennosuke's Giant can fight them on an equal basis. This, however, refers only to the [[HumongousMecha larger alien mecha]], from the, arguably, ''Headless'' (which at least could be overwhelmed by mass attacks) and up. For the ''[[MechaMook Cacti]]'' anything goes.
130	* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler:Yukina's savior vehemently insists that [[DisappearedDad Dr. Takehito Shirahane]] is dead and he's a different person altogether. Whether this is true was initially left open, but eventually proven true. In Episode 20, he claims that he's a member of one of the races conquered by Efidolg, and in the next episode he says that Dr. Shirahane was his friend, again implying that he's dead, and his watch is just a memento — which was then confirmed in the next episode.]]
131	* TheyCalledMeMad: Yukina's father was pretty much laughed from the scientific community for his theories about the "demons" of the chronicles being aliens, and disappeared [[ForScience trying to contact them]].
132	* ThoseTwoGuys: Yukina and Kennosuke classmates, [[{{Paparazzi}} Jundai Kayahara]] and [[UnknownRival Ryoto Akagi]], who are inseparable and always tag along with the group.
133	* TimeSkip: [[DistantFinale The finale skips 5 years]].
134	* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Averted, the action takes place in Toyama.
135	* TomatoInTheMirror: A curiously extended one for Kennosuke, when [[spoiler: first the UN agents started to doubt his story, and then Fusnarnie pretty much plainly accused him of being an Efidolg turncoat with FakeMemories.]] Not helped by the fact that his memories of the time before his hybernation indeed being extremely hazy, [[spoiler:and a later confirmation that Efodolg ''do'' use clones with FakeMemories]].
136	* UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The whole Giant project is managed by the United Nations as [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar a sort of a compromise between the real superpowers]] in TheSixties.
137	* UnreliableNarrator: A definitive feature of the storytelling in the series. NO ONE is ever fully informed and/or fully truthful here, and everyone acts on a partial and unreliable information that floats around, just like in the real life.
138	* {{Vibroweapon}}: The Efidolg blades are these, which is what allows them to cut through solid metal with ease. It's also likely why the blades glow blue when active.
139	* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Most of the time, Efidolg characters cannot agree on most anything, which leads to them being picked one-by-one despite their crushing technical superiority. Exemplified by the whole SNAFU between Mirasa and Muetta [[spoiler:or, going by the name Kennosuke knew her under, Yukihime]], who spend most of the fight in Episode 12 squabbling over who should get the honor of the victory, which ended in their [[AHouseDivided eventual ignominious defeat]] by the UN team through the sheer teamwork on the latter's part, and [[KnowWhenToFoldEm beating a hasty retreat]].
140	* WhamEpisode: Ep. 21, where [[spoiler:Efidolg finally land in force, [[CurbStompBattle easily routing the UN defenses]], resulting in Sebastian's HeroicSacrifice, destroying the Institute, and subjecting the captured personnel to the MindControl]].
141	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The epilogue that takes place five years later. Yukina and Sophia are departing on a scout mission to where Kennosuke is, Mika has become a reporter and is on scene for the launch of the aforementioned scout mission, Ryoto's joined the military, Jun is shown to be on an expedition somewhere in the Arctic or Antartica, Jose is shown in Tokyo and may have become a filmmaker, Graham appears to have been promoted, Tom Borden is training new GAUS pilots, Shenmei has returned to China, and Rita and Elizabeth are living together, with Rita starting to show signs of recovering from her brainwashing. What Kennosuke is doing is unknown, but thanks to a device that Hausen gave to Yukina, it is known that he's still alive.
142	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Well, Mom — Hiromi Shirahane, being a director of the whole affair, has little time to raise her daughters, especially when her husband [[DisappearedDad disappeared to parts unknown]], so she's effectively offloaded them [[ParentalSubstitute onto her brother]].
143	* WhipSword: [[spoiler:Imusa's geoframe can be upgraded to wield '''four''' of those at once]].
144	* YoungerThanTheyLook: Yukina's surprised to discover that Kennosuke is merely a teenager, as he looks like early twenties at least.

Context Anime / Kuromukuro