Alternative was one for Japanese fans at the time of its release, partly due to the three-year Schedule Slip and the fans building up expectations. People who were expecting a light, multi-heroine ending dating sim in the vein of Sakura Wars ended up getting a dark, powerfully-written linear Utsuge with a death count on par with Victory Gundam. The unexpected Gorn and Naughty Tentacles caused an outcry, and there were reports of fans dropping the game after Marimo's grisly death. Eventually however Alternative became the most well-regarded installment of the trilogy, ranking consistently either at the top (or just below it) of both Japanese and Western Visual Novel ratings.
Deny all you want âge, that bit at the end of Alternative certainly looked like it connected to Altered Fable. If Yashiro didn't know, why would she she just spontaneously start crying, and recognizing people she didn't remember? This ultimately got subverted with the official English photonmelodies release that freely advertises Altered Fable as the official sequel to Alternative.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Haruko Kashiwagi, the sixth player in Chizuru's lacrosse team in Extra, appears to be one, considering that âge released the fandisk Haruko Maniax with her taking center-stage.note She also has the most H-scenes out of any Muv-Luv heroine, whether main or supporting.
The anime made Captain Abe, the captain of the Shinano, one. Pulling in a battleship into the bay, opening fire on every laser-class, and surviving is certainly an awesome way to make an impression.
Total Eclipse is sometimes jokingly known as Tortilla Chips.
The 00 unit is sometimes called S00mika.
God-Empress for Kasumi, in reference to her assuming the mantle of Superintendent of the Union of Mankind in the distant future of Alternative, and seemingly not aging past seventeen despite the passage of 40-odd years.
Genius Bonus: Too many to count. One particular example: history-savvy readers will recall that Operation Cherry Blossom (Operation Ouka) shares its name with the Japanese purpose-built kamikaze aircraft Ouka - apt name for a suicide mission in the Original Hive.
Heartwarming Moments: Each of the heroines' routes in Extra and Unlimited has at least one. In Alternative, Yuuhi (the Grand Shogun) consoling Chizuru, who had just lost her father the Prime Minister in the coup d'etat.
Hilarious in Hindsight: Kaori Mizuhashi plays Akane Suzumiya, a girl who has her teacher and older sister being decapitated, the former becoming a meme because of that scene. She later went on to voice Tomoe Mami, who is the older sister/ teacher role who gets decapitated and has memes off that scene.
It Was His Sled: There are multiple timelines and that the 2nd and third stories are a genre shift from a Slice of Life Romance to a Darker and EdgierAlien InvasionHumongous Mecha utsuge. Even people who barely heard of Muv-Luv knows this twist, and future spinoffs outright spoil it.
"Is Alternative here yet?"note "Oruta mada~?" in Japanese A common cry by Japanese fans during the three year wait between Unlimited and Alternative. Shortly after its release, this was followed by "Is the fandisc here yet?"note FD mada~?" in Japanese
Another variant is Jinguuji-sensei was seen eating with another man.note The Wham Line when Extra Marimo dies from Takeru's Casualty information affecting the Extra Verse.
The successive Gut Punches, especially in the latter half of Alternative, has led to the saying "You can't spell RAGE without AGE!"
Noble Confidant, to mock the "Just Friends" treatment of Meiya in Alternative.
X has been shipped off to Extra.note Unusual Euphemism for someone dying in the world of Alternative, originating from Takeru and the dead heroines "showing up" in the happy, fun world of Final Extra and Altered Fable. The cast of TDA's prologue, except Lilia later show up too, in their own Extra-setting game.
In the grim darkness of Muv-Luv, there is only waifus. note Riffing on Warhammer 40,000's slogan, and the series' harem elements
English can eat shit. I repeat, English can eat shit.note Used to refer to the numerous instances of glaring Engrish dialogue present in the visual novels, particularly Muv-Luv Alternative, including the scene where the aforementioned line is uttered. Notably, it became an Ascended Meme in the anime, as the producers used the scene to advertise the jump in animation quality.
Lacrosse.note Often used to make fun of the Lacrosse Arc in Extra, which is universally considered the worst part of the Trilogy and is often joked to be even more traumatic than Chomp or Sumika's tentacle scene
WOAH Budget. note Said abut the Muv-Luv Alternative anime's combat scenes, where the animation quality jumps tremendously to Visual Effects of Awesome levels
JAM Project Budget note The improved quality of season 2, as well as the return of JAM Project doing the music, including a new opening with Minami Kuribayashi AND giving the rights to use Wings, has a lot of fans hyped, calling the increased quality the JAM Project Budget.
More Popular Spin-Off: while age's previous works were popular, Muv-Luv definitely overshadows both of age's previous works, and every title age worked on afterwards use the Muv-Luv brand to exapand forwards.
In Total Eclipse we get to see two young pilots ripped to pieces and eaten in rather grim detail.
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Sumika was a rather divisive character in Muv-Luv Extra, seen by fans as a generic childhood love interest tsundere who is so stereotypical that she brings nothing new to the table. It also doesn't help that her love rival is Meiya, who is a fan-favorite character, to the point where fans, even the ones that like Sumika in Alternative, felt sorry for Meiya when she does get friendzoned. (Major spoilers) However, she does recieve this in Muv-Luv Alternative due to getting much more characterization and several tragic moments, such as the PTSD Arc and the 00 Unit Arc, to the point where fans that used to REALLY hate her in Extra really think of her better in Alternative, or at least hate her a lot less.
Ship-to-Ship Combat: Please don't ask whether Meiya or Sumika is the best love interest for Takeru. Really, don't do it. It's for your own sake.
Signature Scene: Marimo getting headchomped., due to the shock value and how it changes the story to a darker tone.
The "English Can Eat Shit" scene, so much so that the animators used the scene to advertise the animation budget bump during the fight scenes.
The "Wings" scene, to the point where the Alternative Anime bought the licensing rights to play the song back in the anime.
The Sadogashima Invasion. The animation team knew this would be one of the most hyped scenes in the anime, so they spent all their budget advertising the arc.
Slow-Paced Beginning: Alternative is widely considered by many to be a great Visual Novel. However, one of the major complaints of people who play it are that it is necessary to play through the first two installments of the series and that Alternative, even after it starts, is little more than a rehash of Unlimited until 7 hours in. Notably, the anime adaptation's decision to skip most of the setup and ramp up the pacing was incredibly controversial among the fandom, resulting in the contested reception of the earlier episodes.
Suspiciously Similar Song: Conspiracy sounds nearly identical to Livin' La Vida Loca. So similar in fact that it was cut from the global release, presumably for sounding a tad too similar.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: A small example, but part of the worldbuilding includes the Type-87 Feedback Interface as part of the TSF's, a kind of exoskeleton meant for pilots to use when they have to eject from their machines. The visual novels include a pretty lengthy lecture about these and their use, and yet despite this they never show up across any medium and as such are limited to simple background fluff. The only reason fans even know what they look like when active is thanks to the Integral Works artbooks.
Whether you like or dislike the anime adaptation of Muv-Luv Alternative, everyone universally agrees that the animation for the fight scenes are really good, including showing recoil when the mechs fire, changes to the engines depending on how fast they are going, and even having detailed lights on the closeups.
The Sadogashima Arc has been universally praised for its awesome visuals, including showing multiple points of view from battleships firing their guns, to the Orbital Drop Sequence, and even a mecha first-person view.
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