She has control…
Sora no Woto has made my Mondays so much more enjoyable and after this it has earned a special place in my cold dead heart. I am glad they put Noel next up for some background since I was worried that she would remain the waif character for the duration. Fortunately that isn’t the case as Noel has a decent enough excuse for dozing off. I commend her dedication in working on Takemikazuchi all night, but really she shouldn’t have been driving the Kubelwagon without a full night’s rest. While it is part of best practices to let the E-4s and above be drivers instead of excitable E-3s and below Kanata should have taken the wheel though I guess Kanata hasn’t gotten her OF-346 equivalent yet for driving. As for Rio’s prank I have never seen that one before, but that was a good one, I have to try that one sometime. I am not sure about the Crunchyroll translation but if they do Have MREs it was pretty cruel to have them eat rations instead of giving them an allowance for meals and incidentals. Kanata continues her streak of wide-eyed wonder at her new surroundings, and despite her culture shock it’s nice to see the setting through her eyes since we are new comers ourselves. Though, in a way, Kanata’s parade of new discoveries does cast serious doubt on whatever education she had, though as long as she can read I guess that is already a feat in a post war world.
Kanata maybe greener than her uniform but Noel seems to be quite knowledgeable about the place. Whatever caused the massive down grade in the tech level and loss of population it had to have been big enough to wipe out most if not all life in the oceans. I am hopeful that there is some life out in the seas they can’t see but if all that algae were gone then that would be a significant loss of oxygen though I guess carbon emissions aren’t much of a problem in this period. Still wiping out all life in the oceans is some feat though it could have been a domino effect of losing one to many crucial species. I am not sure if education is simply uneven or if Noel has access to more info as the resident gearhead but even the older folks don’t have a complete picture of what the world was like before. Whether or not Carl was making his dolphin glass works from memory or from books would probably give us a better idea of when the final cataclysm came. If it came well before the armistice then it would indicate that both sides fought until utter exhaustion, and for now there seems to be no real desire on the Helvetia side to resume hostilites. Given how Helevetia is run by Archdukes and seeing as how it is a blend of cultures we might be in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire
It was nice to see that even if they weren’t supplied regularly they had an imprest fund to buy supplies outside of the stock system though I suppose in this sort of environment it’s easier to hand out cash than crates. It happens mostly in the field and in garrison units that are further afield than most units and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief that they weren’t going clothes shopping or something similar to that effect. Having had to work with Milstrip I can tell you first hand that for certain things it can take forever and across fiscal years for somethings, Harris was the worst offender and they could get away with it since they seem to have a strangle hold on the secured comms business. As for the run in with that snot nosed war orphan while it was sad that he lost his parents but unlike Noel I probably ruffed up the little Kaifun kid if I thought I could get away with it. I have to say though the ignorance of Kid Kaifun is by no means an exception since every service member gets lumped in with the infantry since most of them are too dumb to know how many poor bastards have to supply the foot sloggers.
I don’t think Noel has ever killed anyone and if she’s lucky she’ll never have to shoot some that didn’t deserve to die. Still Noel’s reaction was understandable since not every kid who signs that dotted line has a clear cut idea about what it means to serve. In this day in age what Patton (IIRC) said about “no one ever won a war by dying for his/her country…They won it by making the other poor bastard die for his” holds true. I am not sure if Noel will find an answer soon but if shit hits the fan I hope she remembers that there is no reward for second place in war. Having seen Kid Kaifun I can see why Rio has a dislike for those church kids. The 1121st hasn’t seen combat and yet they get lumped in with the soldiers who misbehave, hell I’d be rather indignant, though my gut reaction would be to feed their misconceptions so that I can become their personal monster. Still it was good to see that Noel was aware of the old military industrial complex even if I think of it as a sad reality that isn’t going away anytime soon.
Kid Kaifun growing up to be a sorry excuse for a man aside, even if the population is no longer book smart they do have memories of the old days and have some understanding of the underlying science behind the magical technology of their ancestors. While mass production has all but died out the guilds they got going were able to preserve some of the manufacturing processes albeit at a smaller level. I like how Carl was espousing the need for people to have a craft. Though I do think that there can be limitations of talent and imagination, what matters most is passion for one’s craft. I have mixed feelings about the loss of industry and the resurrection of guilds, certainly in this series there is more sympathy for having a master teach his craft to apprentices and journeymen, but it is still juxtaposed to a place that looks like that it is in decline and certainly the factory has seen better days.
Noel loves her machines plenty but I agree with Kanata in that guns don’t kill people, people kill people and honestly a tank with no crew is not much of a danger unless you try and cook off the ammo inside it. One thing I liked was how they went into the importance of optics to military equipment, it was nice to see that they didn’t make Sieze the capital of glasswork simply for pretty trinkets. The whole getting the perfect lens thing really hit a soft spot for me since as an avid treadhead with particular love for WWII and German over-engineering I can say that one of the often overlooked advantages that the Germans possessed when it came to tanks was that they had better optics than the Allies, after all Zeiss lenses are still associated with quality. Certainly while the Panthers and Tigers had longer ranges than most Allied tanks they wouldn’t have been much with out good optics that could sight a 88 long or 75 long to really reach out and touch someone. It was rather touching to see Noel and Kanata get along so well and certainly the repairs to Takemikazuchi bodes well for future mecha action, though if they have to repair a laser range finder they might have more trouble with that. All in all it was nice to see that they were able to do so much with something as mundane as a parts run.
I am not sure why they are keeping the next supply run a secret from Kanata, but it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I am guessing that the supply column is going to be manned by a bunch of assholes (possible though it’s usually a bunch of overworked sham shields who are too tired to cause trouble) or if we are about to go into GRIM DARK territory there be some black market activity going down. At least Kanata found her tune so that we might be spared her unique interpretation of music. Given how Kanata was a new addition that completed the roster and how they seem to put a lot more effort, and more importantly money (having a master make a bunch of failed lenses of complex manufacture can’t be cheap), into repairing Takemikazuchi there seems to be a big operation in the works. I wonder if we can figure it out before they tell us.
Her Call sign will be The Professor…
Avoid the Country Captain Chicken, and the Teriyaki…
We expecting trouble?
Well senior enlisted are often called mom by privates.
One thing that is very off the mark is the lack of military caps or berets…
Rio wants to be the dad.
I see that the nobles do inbreed…
I guess his dad was a fan of Akira and Skies of Arcadia…
And this has been your yuri moment of the day…
I smell a black market…
Well at least they stopped eating them…
Way to go Japan…I hope your whale meat was worth it.
Wow they still have hard currency…must mean inflation ain’t that bad then.
Well take your time, also I assure that it is not torture.
Well that went well…
If only Noel did a Bright Slap on that kid.
The feeling is mutual hippie!
Nah his parents just got sick of raising him.
Now that is a great attitude, very rare in E-2s, but ideal that is how you behave.
At least he takes more care in his work than those Gundam Meisters.
That is a lot of trial and error…
Hey they still have chemistry.
Well there is something magical about heavy weapons…
War is good for business.
Well war doesn’t ruin everyone equally…
Well it could have survived the war by being stuck in motorpool for the entire war…
No, I think it is cool…sorry.
That’s right weapons don’t kill people, people kill people!
Kanata seems tempted to make a move…
It might take you a while…it’s not like Roman engineering was matched during the Middle Ages.
I think she just wants to kiss.
Yep, heroes aren’t born they’re made.
I would have LOLed if his last name was Zeiss.
It’s like the Virgin Mary with Buddhist robes.
That is not natural rock formation…
Copping a feel eh?
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It is odd that Mary has yellow robes. In European art she typically wears blue.
Maybe it was because they no longer had color photos to work off of?
They’re idiots, idiots I tell you. Both liberals and conservatives!
“People don’t kill people. Guns kill people.” Or:
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”
Both statements are wrong! It’s people WITH guns that kill people. A drug junkie with a kitchen knife isn’t going to kill anyone. But a drug junkie with a gun CAN.
Similarly, a heavy machine isn’t going to kill anyone unless someone is manning the weapon.
Yes, some people can kill others with their fists, or with a knife, but these people are rare. Normally it requires both a person AND a gun to kill someone. The NRA slogan is one of those stupid slogans that make no logical sense. Grrrrrrr.
http://www.insight-security.com/facts-knife-crime-stats.htm#Statistics%20-%20the%20numbers
Tell that to London after they banned guns.
In before it degenerates into a Second Amendment flamefest…
The best quote I have is this, points for guessing where it’s from…
“A gun is a tool; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.”
As long as there are two people in the world some one is going to want some on dead. it’s not like crime is absent in places with anti-gun laws. At the end of the day what a man can do is what a man will do, but believe what you want. Guns just make it easier than most other methods though if one plans on getting away there are more subtle means to do it…
Wait, the dolphins left the Earth? OMG, we are screwed!
“So long, and thanks for all the fish”.
Nah, the Elevens finally got their revenge for the nukings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki… Must have been before Kanata’s generation, she doesn’t know that they are sinister schemers and make for bland eating…
“WHEIRU AND DORUPHIN!!!”
Well maybe for once they decided to wage a war where the enemy couldn’t fight back. though with the high levels of mercury in their seafood maybe they had a bunch of deformed children as their just deserts to go with their whale sushi.
I’m pretty sure that druggies with knife are at least often painful.
And any lack of fatality is only thanks to medical technology and emergency response systems.
Quite a number of things make effective weapons….
Anyways, this show continues to blow me away. The nonchalant method it utilizes to flesh out and unveil bits of the setting–shocking things–without any sort of dramatic tone–as it should be, if it’s plain common sense–is really a breath of fresh air. The background, unemphasized ways they show how the cultures have been mixed is really great too.
And they manage all of it while maintaining an airs of it just being another regular day. None of these facts are amazing. It is reality.
And it continues to really sadden me when people hold just the art style and cast against it.
It is unfortunate that few can see beyond the aesthetics, but it may just as well be that only those who have served or still serve in a volunteer army can really enjoy it. Certainly the habits of the 1121st would seem strange to a civilian.
Hehehe, I was thinking exactly of the same thing… Carl… Zeiss???
I wouldn’t take any lip from any urchin as well… “Boo hoo cry me a river, doom on you too kid…” At least the cute Sister makes an appearance.
Post-apocalyptic mecha maintenence FTW!!! When mecha was handed down from lords to vassals and from father to son, and ancient targeting computers were replaced by crude wiring and vacuum tubes. Only handcrafted optics from a master could stand in for advanced manufacturing plants with cleanrooms. Makes me wonder if they have gunsmiths of that level of skill…
At the very least it seems that the 1121st would benefit from great optical sights though I don’t think they have a designated marksman let alone a sniper team.
At least they didn’t fall as far as they do in Warhammer 40k where they strike runes of actions and recite litanies of activation. Still it is surprising that they have kept Takemikazuchi in that good of a condition.
Kid Kaifun needs to be kicked int he balls. I can’t really fault Rio for hating children especially little cowardly hippie boys.
I’d give Noel credit for keeping Takemikazuchi running, seeing how her MOS is similar to mine.
Having spent weeks rewiring tank turret harnesses and traverse/elevation cutoff switches gives you a real appreciation for people small and nimble enough to fit into the various nooks and crannies required for the job. Heck, I wouldn’t mind sharing the same turret with her, fairly quiet and better looking than most of the techs I know, plus I probably do enough talking for two people…
Lol, that would be a weird sight, post-modern industry manufacturing futuristic mecha… I am still waiting to see a computer or cellphone. You’d think considering the widespread of the medium, it must still exist somewhere…
Also, I find it surprising that after all this time, humanity still hasn’t completely rebuild itself. I mean its not like the knowledge was destroyed? There must still exist libraries, and large databases of information from which past discoveries could be discerned from once again. I mean both Noel and Carl seemed very informed about material science and chemistry, and there are probably others. And i can’t believe that all of the previous infrastructure was destroyed either.
I think I would quite enjoy living in a post-apocalyptic pseudo pre-Victorian era like this. Especially if you still knew stuff from the past. Imagine systematically taking over the world with this knowledge.
Seeing as how Kanata on bugle is their method of signals I doubt they have wireless. I think they are making progress the truce is only 6 months old. In a post apocalyptic world I think most of the computers stopped working and were broken up so that they could extract the gold…
I am guessing the defense budget sucked up all the funding for the most part and it seems that reading ideograms became an impossibility at some point. Even if it is there there is no guarantee that they could even read it.
As for systematically taking over the world with knowledge, the Book of Eli went into that in a way…
I continue to love this show and look forward to it every week, but I still don’t know exactly why..
In any case I love a good じ～, and Noel scored tons of favorite-character points in this ep.
Indeed it was nothing but Noel this time, almost.
Rio’s prank on Kanata was pretty funny because it reminded me of some pretty common pranks we pulled on the privates liked finding “a box of grid squares”, “getting batteries for the chem-lights”, and “checking for soft spots in the armor”.
I also think that the secret they’re withholding from Kanata has something to do with the legend because I think that Kanata’s arrival raises the number of “maidens” in the fortress to five matching the legend.
It doesn’t surprise me that modern manufacturing tech has dropped so low after the ecological decline/extended military conflict because modern manufacturing requires raw materials and components that come from all corners of the globe. So, as shortages occur, less Ipods and stuff, more military equipments, and after many decades I could see a large loss of tech abilities and engineering skills until they’re forgotten like a dream and become like magic.
Sending the E-3s and below for fool’s errands is common place thought I think every occupation specialty has their own book of practical jokes.
It would bring the show into the realm of fantasy if there is a resurrected demon, but there was a big fossil of something huge down there so time will tell.
Also it think the lack of machine tools would have put a dent in the supply chain. With mass production come s a loss in craft skills since workers are only doing a small part in a manufacturing process. Even if they had parts they probably wouldn’t understand how it works. Sort of how like any one can put together a computer, but few understand the intricacies of coding.
The only thing that wouldn’t decline as bad would probably be demolitions and camp construction, but even then you need to have a centralized system of training.
Another fantastic episode and judging by the preview it looks like the next one will be even better! I’ve stopped wasting time wondering whether this show can keep up it’s fantastic quality every week as this studio has proven to me without a doubt that they are committed to putting out a quality product.
This is the second time that the secret they’ve been keeping from not only Kanata but also Kureha has been brought up, the first time being in episode two. It seems like a big enough plot point that it will drive the story for the remainder of the show when it is revealed. As far as speculation goes, I would be very surprised if it didn’t have to do with the legend, seeing as how it played such a large role in the first episode.
It will be interesting to see how they will integrate the legend. So far at the 4th ep mark they haven’t erred as badly as they could have. Certainly there are too many coincidences for this all to have come together by a most fortuitous accident.
Nice review, I liked this episode well mostly cause Noel is one of my favorite characters. Finally seeing more of the inside of the tank was nice too guess the captain is next to have some of a back story or Kureha cant wait to see more!
Makes mental note to eat MOAR whale and bluefin tuna before they go completely extinct!
Ahahaha, great minds do think alike!
Much catching up to do wrt this series…
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[...] since not every kid who signs that dotted line has a clear cut idea about what it means to serveTHAT Anime BlogThis is something I also have to praise Sora no Woto for. Up until this episode, the threat of [...]