Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova

Before deciding if you should watch Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova, you should probably ask yourself if military science fiction is your type of anime. Military science fiction often takes the idea of military but also fuses it with supernatural themes with flavors of science and artificial warfare. There are a lot of ideas that plays around with military sci-fi including alien invasions, mecha, or space wars. So what happens when you take a bunch of mental models that resembles the characteristics of female characters and puts them into total warfare? Simple. You get Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Arsa Nova.

The series itself is based ... off of the manga of the same name written by Ark Performance. The premise sets takes place in a setting of an alternate history although there are many similar paths crossed. For one, that path involves the Japanese attempting to recover their nation through engaging trades. Unfortunately, its enemy forces have powerful weapons of war known as the “Fleet of the Flog”. These are essentially weapons that has turned the tides in battle and pushed back its adversaries to the brink of despair. Luckily, there is some hope because of a certain naval group that is capable of dealing with this threat. They are called the Blue Steel and this series chronicles their journey.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel might be a series that people would sway their heads away at first. The idea is hardly original as demonstrated in previous sci-fi war theme series such as Strike Witches, Tactical Roar, Blue Submarine No. 6, and Full Metal Panic. Potential viewers for the series might also sway their heads away as lead director Seiji Kishi is in charge of this adaptation. His mediocre direction of recent anime series based on adaptations such as Devil Survivor 2: The Animation and Persona 4 had numerous problems. Therefore, this show might initially be met with some controversy. For me, the series has its ups and downs. To call it a scientific masterpiece would be over exaggerating but it’s also not a waste of time to watch either. Because of its premise, this show itself does set itself differently with its cast of characters and brings the military science fiction theme in a different light.

Taking place in the future of 2056, technology has far advanced than our modern world. Just imagine in over 40 years what our world would be like. For the characters in this series, they’re not living at home relaxing but are on the war zone to carry out an important mission. That mission is no walk in the park because of the obstacles ahead. Taken from an objective standards, the obstacles comes into two forms. The most obvious involves the ‘Fleet of Fog’, fictional avatars named after non-fictional battleships. The other obstacle involves also dealing with humans and corrupt governments that wants to achieve various goals with their own deeds. It’s a bloody revolution and no one wants to play nice.

The main characters from this series includes the captain of the Blue Steel, Chihaya Gonzou. He can be described as a serious man with tactical mind of a leader with the ability to lead his crew through obstacles. However, he can’t do this alone without the help of his crew members. Among this group is a prominent avatar with code name 104 that also goes by the name “Iona”. Throughout the series, she describes herself as a weapon born to fight with no other purpose. Ever since she joined the human side, the government and various factions has their eyes set on her. Iona can be easily described as a giant killer. She may be have a small body structure but Iona’s abilities shines in battle many times thanks to her initiate ability to eradicate emotions and fight. This is proven early on when the crew takes on Takao, another human avatar of a Fog cruiser. Unfortunately, there’s hardly anything we can bring out from Iona. She’s a character that is surrounded in mystery with her stoic behavior. Her relationship with Gonzou and the crew can be described as professional although throughout the series, she questions herself exactly who or what she is.

And that also brings another point. The concept of more human behaviors.

Later on in the series, other Fog Ships are introduced that becomes a threatening factor to Blue Steel. Their purpose is set on destroying the privateers. However, it’s noticeable that they later on question their own purpose. This doesn’t just include Iona but also other Fog ships especially after they encounter a human girl. The encounter brings out a variety of human behavior including responsibility, guardianship, and even friendship. It’s questionable whether the characters in this series can truly establish a bond between Fog Ships and humans. Humans seems to fear Fog Battleships while the latter seems to despise humans for weaknesses. On the other hand, some of them clearly demonstrates human behavior ranging from love, care, jealousy, and even betrayal.

The plot itself follows the premise well with its journey but does derive from the manga quite a bit with certain omitted scenes. It cuts out parts with this adaptation involving some of the comedic dialogues/scenes. Most importantly though is perhaps character development during the journey that is minimized in this series. Being a one-cour show, this anime suffers problems with rushing. Therefore, expect certain factors that might not match up in the end. There’s also a lack of exploration in terms of characters’ backgrounds. Most of them are vaguely expressed by whom they are presently. The lack of background histories can become a problem as viewers might have more questions with no concrete answers. The main protagonists (crews of the Blue Steel) are also difficult to get attached because they hardly get any development. In fact, most of the Fog ships gets more development than Gonzou and his crew which is a down factor for Blue Steel. However, one certain main character also has a highlight purpose because of who she is. In fact, it brings out the human vs Fog ships’ personality that tests new boundaries of these artificial weapons of war. For the Fog ships, some of them learns from these behaviors and demonstrates their own ideologies.

Action wise, the series makes sense although the CGI might take awhile to get used to. As the series takes mostly in a naval environment, most of the battle takes place at sea. The battleships themselves are modeled after real life naval ships. Hence, they are designed with devastating firepower that proves itself in battle. Most of the Fog ships possesses different personalities that reflects their designs. The weapons used throughout the series often includes missiles, force shields and wave motion cannons that clearly outshines our modern world’s technology. The spectacular results of these weapons bring can be pleasing to the eye especially when the Fog ships themselves becomes what they are designed for - annihilation.

On the other hand, there is also comedy present throughout the series whether it’s obsessive love, yuri-like fantasies, or the awkwardness in the form of a stuffed animal. Some dialogues are also mixed with words that can bring out laughter with its implications of suggestive factors involving “engines” and little misunderstandings.

What isn’t pleasing though should again be addressed to the overall adaptation. The way it is constructed omits very important details involving Gonzou. The lack of exploration involving his parents or past is a serious drawback that is hard to redeem itself. Most characters from the original Blue Steel barely get any of their own spotlights. It turns out that Iona would be the ace despite her soulless personality. But without a clear background or exploration of her past, Iona also becomes a poorly constructed character. It’s a shame that our main characters just doesn’t shine as much as one would hope...

Judging by art standards, Arpeggio of Blue Steel matches well by science fiction means. The way most of the characters are designed given them an impression that they are weapons of war (Fog Ships) or humans whom stands up against what comes at them. (Blue Steel) The animation studio SANZIGEN is not well known though in the anime industry. They are known for only a few science fiction theme series including 009: RE: Cyborg and Black Rock Shooter; the latter that received very mixed reactions. Fortunately, the background of the series redeems itself with glorious naval features, explosive battles, and science fiction aesthetics. The drawback would be the CGI that makes the show itself less powerful with its computer generated graphics. There’s also some fan service usually featuring the Fog Ships that might generate some reactions of eye rolling especially with the way camera angles are pointed at.

The soundtrack is pretty well done by OST standards. Most battle scenes are accompanied with a dynamic beat and dominant intensity. It brings out the intense environment that exists in this alternate historical world. The OP song “Savior of Song” is well performed by Nano (Btooom!, Phi Brain: Puzzle of God 2, Ark IX) with vibrations of energy. The ED song on the other hand provides feedback of a more calm atmosphere similar to some of the comedic scenes in the series.

All in all, this show can be a mixed bag depending on your experience with science fiction anime. The idea of a scientific mission sounds engaging but the plot itself is unimpressive as result of its poor adaptation. This is mentioned before because the way it cuts itself out that omits several important factors. It destroys the development of our main characters and where they came from. However, there are themes that are explored that can be interesting to take note of. The problem might be that the answer is for viewers to decide in the end with its ambiguous nature. Luckily, the action, powerful OST, and comedy will definitely leave you with impressions. Some characters (especially the Fog ships) do get development so expect moments where you’ll get to like them more. The fact remains ultimately is that military science fiction anime can take different turns and angles. For Arppegio of Blue Steel, it steered in a path that defines warfare in its own way.

In the year 2039, the combined naval forces of humanity suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of a military force with weapons technology that far surpasses their own. The fearsome assailants? A group of heavy warships, termed “The Fleet of Fog,” who are commanded by “mental models,” robot-like representations of the minds of the battleships that take the physical form of little girls dressed in frilly clothing. Fast-forward seventeen years, and one of these mental models, named Iona, approaches a human naval cadet named Gunzou out of the blue, offering herself (and, by extension, the advanced Fog submarine she represents) to Gunzou to command. ... Gunzou accepts the offer, and embarks on a mission, piloting the Fog submarine to defend humanity using the very weapons that almost brought about its end. Meanwhile, Iona and several of the other Fog mental models appear to be warming up to Gunzou and developing emotions, which mental models are not supposed to possess. It's almost impossible to not note that this entire premise seems like a very elaborate way of creating a scenario in which scantily-clad girls say things along the lines of “you're my captain, please pilot me.” Judging a book by its cover is, of course, wrong, but having thought about Arpeggio of Blue Steel for longer than I ever really wanted to, I don't feel too bad about saying that that initial impression was ultimately pretty close to the money.

Perhaps fitting for a story that's partially about machines coming to terms with life, the world of Arpeggio seems to be constructed from the ground up using pure CGI. Everything about it, from characters to ships, bears the obvious stamp of computer generation, and this, unfortunately, is CG of a cheap-looking and ugly breed. If there's one thing the show consistently gets right, it's light—explosions, lasers, computer displays and the like look good more often than not, but that's about the only visual aspect that I can genuinely compliment, and I'm reaching pretty far for that one. Backgrounds and other such niceties don't look so nice, with the ocean in particular often being rendered as a noxious purple-black cloud which bears shockingly little resemblance to a body of water. The design and color choices are poor—the characters all have the same pale, waxy complexion and widely spaced eyes. Add some otherworldly hair and wardrobe malfunctions, and everyone starts to look pretty ridiculous. Add some extraordinarily stiff animation (all characters move with an awkward, jerking hobble, all ships move at a stuttering crawl), and, frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to tell who is supposed to be a human and who is supposed to be a member of the more robotic Fog; they all look equally like paste-colored marionettes. This condition is only worsened by the show's repeated attempts to force its decidedly mechanical characters to do something sexy; it's like watching aliens awkwardly attempt to imitate aspects of human sex appeal, and something about it is strangely disquieting. The core of the show's aesthetic is thoroughly repulsive to no real artistic or thematic end.

The music, mostly a mix of cheesy techno and uninspired string/horn compositions that seem tailored to fit the seafaring nature of the series, soars to mediocre heights. Okay, cheesy techno aside, some of it actually isn't too bad, but variety is an issue; this is one of those shows that have two or three songs for battle, two or three songs for dramatic moments, and a few minutes' worth of atmospheric noises that get recycled over and over again. The music direction is sub-par, with tracks often starting too late to have any impact on a given scene, or starting too early and overriding dialogue. Sound certainly isn't the show's worst department—actually, by simple process of elimination, it might be the best—but suffice to say it doesn't excel or help cover the show's weaknesses, as good music sometimes can.

Looking at Arpeggio's story in a “big picture” light reveals interesting results in that, at the end of the day, there's really no detail to it whatsoever. The world-building is virtually nonexistent, to the point where I'd venture to say there's little that you couldn't learn about the world of Arpeggio from reading a three-sentence plot synopsis. The show proffers a fairly elaborate premise, but it stubbornly refuses to answer any questions about its overarching plot or setting—not the ones that will naturally occur to you, and, perhaps worse, not even the ones that it explicitly raises. Among the former will be perfectly logical ponderings, the answers to which would be required to achieve a minimum amount of richness in the setting, like: In a war where both sides have advanced futuristic technology, why aren't there any airplanes? If the Fog mental models are nearly indestructible and visually indistinguishable from human beings, why don't the Fog just send them ashore to covertly destroy vital targets? And so on. Among the latter will be vital, should-really-be-answered queries along the lines of “what are the Fog?”

No, seriously, they never even attempt to address that. The Fog battleships repeatedly refer to themselves as “just weapons” that are “programmed to obey the Admirality Code” (the Admirality Code being an ill-defined set of rules, first mentioned three-quarters of the way into the show, that governs the actions of the battleships). This leads to the assumption that the Fleet of Fog are just tools, and the true masterminds behind the Fog invasion lie elsewhere; weapons require weapons designers, and programs require programmers. The show hints at human interactions with the Fog—it's suggested that the main character's father defected to the side of the Fog—but the idea lies abandoned and utterly unexplored. The mysteries are never solved. Much of the show is spent fighting a shadow enemy whose nature, origin, and motivations remain completely veiled. Several episodes of the series even have the audacity to end with a taunting overlay of text which reads (presumably referring to the Fog): “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” Even after the credits rolled at the end of the final episode, I could still only answer all three with “I don't know,” which spells trouble.

All of that might be forgivable if the setting and war were only a backdrop used to stimulate some excellent characterization—such tactics have been known to work. And, honestly, that might be what the series is going for. Whatever else might be wrong with it, it does expend a fair bit of effort (largely wasted effort, but genuine effort nonetheless) trying to explore its characters. Sometimes it comes within arm's reach of the right notes. Like Haruna, an especially cold and vicious Fog mental model, forming a bond with a perceptive young girl who emotionally disarms her, or Iona's struggle to obey Gunzou's orders while knowing that obeying could potentially cause his death. Those aren't bad ideas at all. The show wants, desperately, to have characters who change, and change they do. It's telegraphed at us, and not very subtle, but it's there.

The problem is that the impetus for change is missing. The series has flawed internal logic—it presents the Fog mental models as thoughtless machines, explicitly stating that they are governed by programs that cannot learn from past mistakes, adapt, or feel. There is never a convincing reason given regarding why they suddenly adopt emotions and human values. And that's kind of a big deal. I don't care how heartwarming the story of a little girl is, or how charismatic a sailor is—if you put robots who have no capacity for emotion next to them, the robots will not suddenly be moved to tears and love. No amount of emotion can overwhelm something that is literally incapable of feeling emotion. Talk to a wall for a little while and you're likely to notice that, no matter how much and how loud you talk, the wall does not respond. This is because your voice's volume does not alter the complete and utter inability of the wall to comprehend and reproduce your language of choice. Same difference here; the presence of emotion in the outside world can't simply inspire emotion in the void of a computer. That's deeply flawed thinking which would require a workaround within the context of the series. If there were some sort of external explanation provided, even a cheap one like “turns out there was a hidden emotion switch in the Fog after all,” some sense might be made of the situation, but, predictably, there's nothing. Which sucks, because that means that half of the equation is missing. If a character changes, I'd like to know why it's happening, or it's just as bad as having a character who is static and unmoving. If you present characters as machines, and then they suddenly sprout the mindset of normal human beings for no real reason, it defeats the entire narrative purpose of presenting them as machines in the first place. It essentially strips the characters of their distinguishing features, and adds a big tint of insincerity to everything that they go through.

The last thing that might have saved Arpeggio would be the battles. It sounds next to impossible to screw up “giant sentient battleships blow each other to hell,” and while good execution of that concept would not necessarily result in a good series, it would at least provide an audience with one reason, lacking any others, to watch it. But even this somehow manages to go awry. Never has large-scale warfare been so boring. The battles, though sometimes as long as ten or fifteen minutes, are dreadfully uneventful, usually consisting of a lot of technobabble about force fields and gravitron cannons and the like. The more strategy-focused crowd will be glad to know that our fearless captain, Gunzou, is the proud creator of such novel naval warfare tactics as “wait for the enemy to fire a bunch of torpedoes at us, then dodge them, then fire back and hope it works.” Battles are regularly concluded with routine and anticlimactic solutions, such as the above, or solutions that appear out of nowhere, such as Gunzou realizing that he can just use some weapon or defensive feature of the submarine that the audience didn't even know existed. Even when things do get dire for all of those aboard, the lack of emotional resonance in the writing assures that the tension level remains at zero.

What I'm getting at is that this show consists of misstep after misstep, and they often work together to form seamless spans of pointlessness which would be a waste of time for anyone to endure of their own free will. The lack of world-building and knowledge about the Fog coincides nicely with the characterization issues to form a gaping hole where the compelling internals should be. The dreadful animation and boring battles sync up all too well, affording the audience a chance to stare at a low-stakes game of chicken that isn't even produced well enough to serve as an eye-candy distraction. When all was said and done, I came away with the impression that I had basically watched a show about things who look like girls that do stuff for some reason. And I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone.

On the surface Arpeggio has a few detractors but if you allow people to finish airing their subjective complaints about how CG never blends well with anime, the harem genre is overused and how they don’t want to be made to remember complicated words like Super gravity Cannon and Klein’s field, you’ll find that Arpeggio has a decent story, a setting with rich possibilities heavily untapped by the anime world, interesting characters and an all but obvious moral lesson at the end.

For 7 years the Fleet of Fog, an armada of highly advance naval vessels have taken over earthly waters, with every attempt to reclaim ... back the waters by humanity crushed. Chihaya Gunzou is a student at a naval academy who one day is approached by a girl named Iona who introduces herself as a member of the Fog. The first episode isn’t kind to those looking for a subtle introduction as it is packed full of content, the series sense of immediacy may overwhelm some as in only the first episode it entails storyline, introductions, info dumps and even flash backs, all this equals to the series greatest weakness, its length, which I’ll talk about later. Chihaya Gunzou’s fleet is tasked with delivering a new weapon to America soon after with the Fog in his path leading to naval confrontations. The series can also be praised for its sound sense of tactical warfare as the battles take a balanced approach between stratagem and action orientation, the chemistry of Gunzo and his crewmates also deserve praise as everybody is well aware of their objectives and every line a character speaks out deserves just cause and not just for the sake of a seiyuu getting lines, however this is only in combat.

The fleet of the Fog being all AIs have a set of logical reasoning they follow called the Admiralty code, which a few of the fog members later on start to question, the series takes a very nice new dimension when this new plot element comes into play that suddenly give these formerly one dimensional characters a lot of depth, all of a sudden characters who one might think were nothing more than opponents the main cast might hurdle over, suddenly are given meaning and purpose, and the storyline sees a vast change mostly for the better. Although some people might complain about the existence of the mental models, the way the battleships take human form, keep in mind that without this the members of the fog would be nothing more than your casual unknown evil group trying to take over the world, their presentation to the physical gives Arpeggio much room to express itself as something much more than a simple war story, the mental model may seem to translate to a light hearted and subtle theme but Arpeggio is quite serious and even takes darker routes towards its conclusion, but as to why the fog members decided to all pick up female archetypes is still something up for debate.

A lot of Arpeggio’s issues can be traced back to its length, 12 episodes was not enough for it to truly present itself, the result of this is several holes in explanations and lack of enough back story to keep the series standing firm. A very obvious element that the series should definitely have covered was the origins of the fog, because as it stands “sudden appearance” is not enough a reason to justify their existence, but as its source material is still ongoing, this might be something we can willingly forgive. The presentation of the fog can also be considered underwhelming, a regiment vast enough to conquer all of earth’s waters should at least number in the ten thousands’, the anime does very little to reflect the fog as the dominant force it should be and unfortunately only concentrates on 9 members, larger numbers would have gone a long way in stating the anime’s intent as something to be taken very seriously.

The only thing to say about the art style is, CG and cute girls were made for each other, haters be damned. As opposed to most CG you see in anime these days, Arpeggio boasts some extremely high quality rendering, the coloring blends well and they hit the brightness level just perfectly and that’s not even counting in the outstanding character designs. The CG actually compliments the world of Arpeggio so well that it’s honestly hard to imagine the series without it. Also given the ease CG gives animators they rightfully ‘flexed their muscles’, colorful sceneries, radical movements and flamboyant naval combats are all present and executed fluidly. The opening theme ‘Savior of Song’ by Nano is nothing short of sublime, an absolutely riveting and exciting high beat Pop-rock that highly deserves more than one viewing an episode, the part with character montages striking the most interest. The ending ‘Blue Field’ by Trident is an ever so alluring slow and somber beat that melded well with the slow animation of its sequence.

The approach the author did in characterization here was actually presenting characters with several diverse personalities, enough personalities that viewers would undoubtedly find a favorite quite easily. The MC Chihaya Gunzou really impresses when in his Command Center, even though you hold no military knowledge watching the way he assesses situations and gives out orders accordingly with commanding presence makes the naval battles so much more interesting, his leadership skills and tactical know how are one of Arpeggio’s brightest aspects, however outside of his CC he’s kind of a dud. Iona on the other hand has very little to give to the viewer, from start to finish all she does is receive, process and carry out her captain’s orders, her apathic nature although going perfectly with the nature of the series still made her hard to like and the show of ‘will’ she performs at the end did very little to refute her. The real joy however you’ll find are with the different Girls of the Fog, AI or not, how they chose to present themselves was both alluring and dazzling and their interactions are a joy to watch, most of this will stem from your initial knowledge of how strict the workings of the fog is but seeing how their characters change really brings a great sense of joy for them.

The vast possibilities Arpeggio could have produced or explored if it wasn’t rushed are nearly endless, however Arpeggio should not be viewed as a simple tale of Man Vs. Machine as it incorporates so much more, it is a battle to find out and discovers one true self and meaning of existence, searching for answers to the all-important questions, how coexistence is an important value and Sentient is more than enough of a reason for us all to live together in peace.

Story 8
This anime is about 20 to 30 years into the future where the oceans and seas are impassable because of the ghost fleet that are terrorizing it which consist of pretty girls that controls there each is her own ship that are in a fleet that have access to unparallelled technology which consist of very gigantic guns, array of missiles, powerful laser turrets. and one of the previous captains son got on hold a very powerful sub which originated from the ghost fleet.

art 9
the art is fantastic for under/above water naval battles, it sometimes in cg, specially the pretty battleships and u-boats

sound 8
what ... comes next to great battles is great battle effects, those metallic explosions... gunpowder smells.. lol

character 8
your MC is your typical hero, where if the conflict arises he answered the call. but what makes it interesting is your girlships, different types of ships/subs , tsundereship, loliship/sub, emoship, moeship/sub, orientalship, germanship, europeanship, bossship, cosplayership, maidship, sistership, twinship, cloneship, ghostship, sunkenship, which have each own female avatar. you got a fleet of girls.. ehem ship.

enjoyment 9
I enjoyed this anime honestly because of the different personality of each ship on how they discover their self. it is you to find out.

overall 9
I picked up this anime first because I planned watching all anime this fall 2013. Im kinda surprised at first because the enemies are pretty ladies with different cloths different styles and different personalities. there are also unanswered questions on each individual characters also. It also got me interested what if the mc captured all of the enemy ships, he would have a harem party of pretty lady ships lololol.


you could try the manga also because they give a quite different PLOT but after watching the episode then stop where the episode stopped so you wont spoil the fun. =D

Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova Full Review

I would say that Aoki Hagane is one of those dark horse anime this season. Not many people watched it, maybe because they didn’t like the art style or maybe just the idea behind battleships. So, is this a worthy investment of your time? Let’s take a look!

Note: There will be minor spoilers.

Story (9/10):

The story of Aoki Hagane is broken up into two parts. First, is the battle between humans and the forces of the Fog. This is basically the universe it is set in, and our hero, Chihaya Gunzou, somehow manages to obtain the power ... of one of the Fog’s submarine, Iona 401, which turns the tide of the battle. What’s great about this is that it Gunzou and Iona are sort of the neutral party. Yes, they are fighting against the Fog, but the army is also hostile towards them because they are afraid Gunzou would use Iona’s power against them, or that Iona might go berserk and attack them instead. This brings about a much more interesting storyline and more tension. Imagine the whole world is against you, and just how intense that would be?

Second part of the story is how members of the Fog with Mental Models develop human characteristics such as emotions, logical thinking and relationships, and these lead to them questioning the basis of their actions. It’s this internal struggle between to do what you’re made to do (as weapons), or to follow your heart’s desire. While the development in this aspect is a little cliche, it’s still an awesome story device that makes the story filled with so much more depth, rather than just battles between ships.

Let me discuss a little about the battles. These battles are one of the most intense and well made scenes I’ve ever seen, and it thoroughly reminds me of Code Geass, such that battles are not won with sheer power and might, but with logic and strategic thinking to outsmart the enemy. Aoki Hagane does this extremely well, immersing the viewers in that amazing experience. If you liked the battles in Code Geass, expect to find the same epicness here.

Characters (8/10)

Aoki Hagane is weird such that its supporting characters (with the exception of Iona) get plenty of development. In which case, we see the Mental Models of the fog undergo character developments as they are more exposed to humans. No longer are they just weapons, but more... Human. It is interesting to see how each of them transforms based on different reasons and experiences. The issue here is that some of their transformations, or rather, developments, are not as justified or too sudden.Though, it was really interesting to see these characters interact, because they are not your typical stereotypes such as Tsundere or Kuudere or whatever other deres, as such, their personalities were different.What I would’ve liked to see was perhaps even more development for them. While they did have developments, it felt a little lacking when the story was centered on them.

Chihaya Gunzou pretty much remains the same throughout the show. That doesn’t make him bad in anyway, though. He’s an extremely interesting character with the wit of Lelouch and the nobility of the other characters such as Kamijou Touma(putting others before himself). In other words, you get a character that is smart, witty and puts others before him. What more can you want?

The only problem I have with the characters is perhaps of the other crew members. They have so little screentime and development that I can’t even remember what their names are. What is their purpose of joining Gunzou, or what is their personality like, it’s really hard to tell. It’s as if they were there for the sole purpose of operating Iona 401. However, this is not that big of an issue because it doesn’t really hurt the story that much.

Sound (9/10)

The soundtrack for this anime is amazing. Special credits to nano’s Saviour of Song, the opening for this anime. Not only is it catchy, but every time you listen to it, it is as if you’re ready for a naval battle. The instrumental just fits the anime so well. The ending song, Blue Field, also has that “sea feel” if you get what I’m going at.

Additionally, the instruments played especially during the battle scenes fits it so well. Adding so much more tension that really makes you feel as if you’re in that battle itself.

Animation (9/10)

The animation for this anime is interesting such that it’s done with CGI. As such, you would notice that the characters movements look a bit as though it’s a game. It’s the first time an anime has applied this technique, and I must say it was done quite well. It might put you off at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll notice just how good it actually looks.

The animations for the battle scenes are especially well done. Throughout the entire scene, the battles flow smoothly. The explosions are especially well done. It can be split into two parts, Corrosion Impact and High Explosive. Both look just as beautiful when they impact the target.

Enjoyment (9.5/10)

Initially I dropped this anime because of the art style, but I’m very glad I picked it up again. I absolutely loved Code Geass, as an anime that is not just about battles. Aoki Hagane manages to do the same thing, though not as well as Code Geass (due to lack of episodes) but I’m able to feel that same type of enjoyment. I think I could’ve found a new love for battleships because of this anime... Anyway, every episode is interesting because of the battles and the characters.

I especially enjoyed the opening theme, having always listen to it and sing along just because its that catchy.

Overall (8.5/10)

As much as I like Aoki Hagane, from a reviewer’s standpoint, I would have to give it an 8.5/10. Characters could definitely been developed a little bit more. If that was the case, I would defintely give it a 9/10 or even a 10/10. That being said, I still highly recommend Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio; you will not be disappointed.

Note: this review of Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: ARS Nova contains minor spoilers.

So, how did I like the series? Well, let me take it by parts:

Story: 8/10

There were both positives and negatives to the story.

On the positive side, I felt the story was very entertaining and brought back memories of Space Opera. Space Opera is one of the genres of anime that I have lamented seeing very little of over the last few years. It was a staple of the early years of anime, but is almost gone now. ARS Nova isn’t space ... opera, as it takes place at sea, but it has a similar feel to it (i.e. Outlaw Star).

The human race has been isolated due to the ‘Fleet of Fog’, an enigmatic fleet of battleships with awesome weapons that wiped out the human naval forces seven years ago and then… nothing. So, who are the crew of the Fleet of Fog? What type of eerie alien creatures inhabit the ships? Or, since this is an anime, what type of uber-beautiful humanoids females crew the ships? As it turns out, there are no crew, as the ships are sentient. Aww, so no pretty girls . Not to worry, the ships sentience can manifest themselves into ‘Mental Models’ that, of course, are uber-beautiful females.

Another thing I liked is how the story slowly morphed into a Harem without it really affecting the base story. Yes, there was the ubiquitous beach scene, and yes, there were several girls liking the main character. But at least he’s a cool main character.

There were a few negatives to the story, however. First, the idea of alien beings taking the form of humans and then essentially being reprogrammed by those pesky human emotions is not an original idea. While I won’t state that it is a rip-off of the underlying theme of Robotech, it is still the exact same premise. The second issue I had with the story is the lack of a back-story. I think there was about 5 minutes of the was seven years prior. Where did the Fog come from, how did the rest of the crew get onboard 401, and what actually happened after Hyuuga was sank, just to name a few.

Art/Visuals – 10/10

For me, the art and visuals is one of the best things about the whole series. Yes, yes, I know all the naysayers out there who’ve complained about the CG aspect of the ships. I do not agree. The CG, as it was used only for the ships, was a major enhancer to the series, rather than a detractor.

Sound – 7/10

Quite possibly the least favorable part of the series was the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the opening, “Savior of Song", is performed by Nano and is quite good. The endings, as well as the score during the battles scenes are also are also good. However, the remainder of the series had very minimal sound accompaniment, which is quite possibly the only detractor in the series for me.

Characters – 9/10

With a few exception, the character development was quite good for the series. The main character and the fog girls were detailed pretty meticulously, which is something that I appreciate.

I like strong, unpredictable main characters. Gunzou Chihaya was the perfect captain for the 401. He’s unpredictable, doesn’t say much, but is always is one step ahead of the enemy. While he is no Marko Ramius (Hunt For Red October) when it comes to submarine battles, he was able to use unpredictable tactics, like the remote launchers to keep defeating the Fog ships. His style and his composure brought me glimpses of David Weber’s Honor Harrington.

I had an issue with some of his crew, however. What’s the deal with mask-man? If they’re going to do a mask, at least make it aesthetically pleasing. He looked like Abe the fish-man from Hellboy. I did hear one subtle mention about allergies, but I don’t buy it. The rest of the crew were OK (the engine room girl (don’t know her name) is quite possibly the cutest girl in the whole series) and the black guy with the pony-tail was also really cool.

I did like the Fog girls. Iona is just so darn cute. I personally like small girls, and she fit the bill nicely. None of the girls had big knockers, which would have been a real detractor in my mind. Takeo is funny and cute, but Kirishima seemed to be cut from the same cloth as her, which is most likely why they kept her as a teddy bear. However, the true jewel, of course, was Haruna. While not the prettiest face, and her coat is a sick joke, but outside of the coat, she is hot. Maya was adorable, and I actually liked Kongou – brought back memories of another alien who nearly went insane from emotions: Khyron. Somewhat ambivalent about Hyuuga, then again, I personally don’t really see a need for a yuri aspect.

Enjoyment – 10/10

I really enjoyed the series, and it is currently the best series of the season for me. Of course I still have a few more to go. The battle scenes were good, almost reminiscent of Hunt for Red October mixed with an Outlaw Star type of Space Opera, and the non battle scenes were not filler. They were actually useful to move the series along.

Overall – 9/10

Overall I give this a 9/10, and I definitely hope that there will be a second season.

Can some shitty CGI truly ruin an anime series? Probably, but that's not the case with Ars Nova because it sucks for its other merits.

The story is simple. We have bunch of lolis who are secretly battleships, yellow submarines and nice boats. Then there is something about warstuff and tactics and politics and other wise stuff which is presented pseudo. There is apparently a plot in this series too, but I have no idea what it is about so I can't really tell if it is bad or not, but I don't think it matters either.

I would say something about the characters, but I ... have nothing to add past overwhelming female to male ration.

The art is terribad and the animation is about some CGI protocol powered by a b class pu process. Whatever that means.

I don't know much about the sounds since I've been watching this series with 4 times speed after episode 3 happened. I remember some loli making computer noises, so I can't complain.

Ars Nova is a pathetic, delusional, self-insert fantasy written by and for people who would be much better off aiming low. Here's the story line from a similar series: an ugly, boring, stinking gamer finds himself no longer having to concern himself with the tedious things in life (such as bathing) and is forced to spend every second of every day playing a computer game. In so doing he becomes everyone's hero and gets all the chicks. Like that series, whilst watching Ars Nova you are expected to supplant your own boring and probably depressing existence with the lead character's. Gunzou Chihaya is a skinny ... and completely uninteresting teenage boy who finds himself as the only human being able to control an alien battleship that for some reason is also a (barely pubescent) hot chick. This gives him the power to defy all authority and basically do whatever he wants. What he wishes to do is become a hero of all the girls who dry-wretched at his odour back in highschool, so he goes off to fight the armada of alien battleships that is currently attacking Earth. It is of no surprise that each of these ships is also a hot chick, some being unable to resist him.

There is little point discussing details such as animation quality and sound because the basic premise of someone like that being given that kind of power and acting in that sort of way is so absurd that it is hard to watch without wanting to defenestrate your TV. And everything is geared towards selling this fap. The alien ships have artificial intelligence and are designed to function on their own, yet they want him as their captain to order them around. And there's even a crew added to his ship whose only purpose is to gasp at his courage, be awed by his tactical genius, and basically boost him up to being some kind of Captain fucking Stupendous. And this is all done without him doing a single thing even remotely interesting or likeable, let alone endearing to the point of obsession.

Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova seems to be nothing more than a loser's desperate wish to gain admiration and respect. Rather than shows like this, maybe you should try starting with soap.

If you're expecting any fan services, harem, cliche joke or mainstream presentation from this series, You won't find any of these in this series. Not so many Action, Sci-Fi anime can be good without using those things but this anime just made it possible. However, this anime is too underrated than it actually is.

Story: 8/10
Story of the world in 2039 where all the sea transportation has been blocked out by a group of mysterious warships called "Fleet of Fog" which has more advanced technology than mankind's and ended mankind's long last history of involvement with the seas.
The story seems a bit too much of fantasy ... and too unreasonable. However, there is only a few flaws other than this one. The way the story takes it's pace is very good. And Filled with warm-heart scenes which presents moral.

Art: 10/10
The first thing that impressed me when I first watched this anime is it's art. Superb graphic and animations. New-generation graphic of rendering character's animations was used in this anime which still imperfect but it's really shows the contrast of how better it is between old-generation and the new one. The background and the effects also very good, as well as how they adjust the light and flares effects. And I'm impressed by the camera angle and composition adjusting of this anime which be able to show the meanings and stories out of it. Not just the sound and the context shows the story but the camera angle and scenes compositioning as well.

Sound: 10/10
Yes, this anime got music composer from the DMC series. Made out perfect soundtracks. Made almost all the scenes more emotional. As well as the opening theme, ending theme and inserted songs by Nano which absolutely perfect. I really love the song "Silver Sky", the violin sounds really nice.

Character: 9/10
Very good characters design and planning. All of them looks nice and implementing with the new-generation graphics, it's perfect. Characters' personality and acting is good. Each characters has quiet a unique personality and decision which makes them unique as an individual.

Enjoyment: 9/10
This series way of presenting is really enjoyable. Filled with Action, conducted by Fantasy which based on Sci-Fi, a bit taste of Romance and presented in Seinen way. Nice combination. Moreover, this series presented lots of naval tactics which really made me enjoyed it.

Overall: 9/10
This is a great series. I pretty much understand why it is underrated by the community. Different of individual taste and enjoyment made it hard for this kind of best-of-nothing-but-good-at-everything anime for getting high scores. But for me, I really recommend this anime. I really enjoyed it and I hope you can enjoy it as well. :)

Loved the animation, loved the ships and character design. The opening song is good enough to listen to repeatedly. Another thing I loved is that this has the set up to be a harem (1 guy, tons of powerful, attractive girls) but doesn't turn into one. There's only 1 love triangle and all the other mental model girls have their own motivations. The mental model characters are fleshed out very well and think is one of the best female supporting casts I've seen. Iona is probably the best character, with all of the ship mental models following closely second.

On the downside, ... the actual human cast is rather one dimensional. I don't understand everyone's fascination with the MC Gunzo, except Iona. This is probably due to only having half a season, but that doesn't excuse it.

Also, you have to give this the 3 episode test, because it really doesn't hook until ep 3, IMO.

I know, I know, I fricking know... This review is WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY overdue but hey, as per the good 'ole saying, better late than never now, right? RIGHT!?

Alright so... Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova, or just Ars Nova for short is basically an "Annihilate the ultra-malicious sentient A.I while politicking and surviving at the same time" story revolving around a small group of naval cadets who came into contact with one of the 'sentient A.I', went A.W.O.L., sailed off into the horizon in their souped-up alien sub, torpedoing enemy ships into the deep depths and basically gathering more intel throughout their mission.

If that ... kinda story doesn't make you go "OH MAI GADD, that is SOOOO what-EVVAR", and that it excites you as you see things 'blow up', then this might just wanna make you shout out into the dark sky DEMANDING more.

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First off, the story's premise is actually pretty interesting to those who fancy these kinda stories, though I must admit that premises such as these are getting increasingly saturated in fictional media. Nevertheless, what manages to salvage this particular one from being "just another one a' those" stories is in the manner it actually keeps steady the element of mystery surrounding the sentient A.Is' origins and motives for their mass invasion of Earth. The steady introduction of plot elements that explore the nuances of the sentient nature of the A.Is, the political landscape of the remaining human survivors, as well as the goals of the primary protagonist allows depth in the storytelling, which would be lost if the story was just about BOOM-BOOM-KABOOM-BOOMs 24/7, ala. Michael Bay.

But, there are a few misconducts here and there, in particular the lack of exploration in the primary protagonist's back story (which was implied and stated to carry great significance in the plot), as well as the utilizing of some rather odd (read: 'tropey') directions in the development of the sentient A.I characters' personalities, and a very debatable Deus ex Machina scene as the series nears its end.

Story Rating: 8
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Artistically speaking, this series is a stunner. Buuuut, it might just not appeal to everyone due to its use of 3D-CGI graphics as its main animation style. The series bleeds with rich, vibrant and vivid coloring at almost all points throughout its run time and the 3D animation frame rate doesn't experience any considerable, or noticeable drops. Also, the sheer detail put into the backgrounds, the naval war vessels, the numerous action scenes, the opening and ending sequences, character design variety, ship transformation sequences and so on and so forth is astounding! But best of all, for an anime that greatly utilizes water as the primary background setting for much of its course, the depiction of water in this anime is a downright pleasure to look at, as it just leaves one in a state of awe and admiration at times.

And yes, very few to zero animation hick-ups or inconsistencies. So rest easy on that.

Art Rating: 10
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If the art and animation themselves are great enough, then the sound-based aspects of this show are equally as great, for they are nothing short of meticulous and very well-produced. The sound effects are truly a pleasure to listen to, highly nuanced, and very accurate to what actually happens -or might happen- when the conditions are right and the chances for occurrence are high.

Notwithstanding that, even the voice acting in this show is definitely up to par, especially with the show's main A.I antagonist, the primary protagonist, and several of the side characters. The VAs really bring forth the life and personality of each character and no scene felt stale, amateurish or over/under-acted. One particular standout scene appears as the series nears its end, though figuring out which scene that was is up to you to watch the show till its conclusion.

Sound Rating: 10
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Riiiight... Even though the VAs really breathe life and personality into their roles, unfortunately the characters themselves are rather lacking, as many of them -in particular the sentient A.I characters- are based off well-worn tropes in the Japanese anime/manga/gaming spectrum. The main A.I antagonist gets more complex character development later on, but the conclusion to that antagonist's character development is rather stale and standard, unfortunately. Despite all that though, there were several scenes that show the willingness of these characters to become more serious as the situation arises accordingly, even though their motives during such situations are still very tropey in nature. Overall, this is easily the weakest part of the series.

Character Rating: 6
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Frankly, I enjoyed the heck outta this series. Not only is it intellectually stimulating at times due to the addition of political and philosophical elements, it also excites the more militaristic and battle-oriented side of me as I just simply love to get to know more, or see anything related to the military get referenced in a piece of fiction. Action scenes are everywhere, but nowhere are they gratuitous, as the battles that take place in this story actually impact the story line and help steer it towards its conclusion.

And ah yes, THAT OPENING THEME! Easily ONE OF THE MOST EPIC ones that I've seen last year. Woah, just woah. Greatly excites me anytime of the day, save for when I'm really, really down in the dumps.

Enjoyment Rating: 9
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Hah, should I recommend you this? Why, OF COURSE! But, then again, it really does depend on whether you actually like these kinds of stories, and that yes, the tropeyness of some of the characters really does leave one with second thoughts on whether this thing is really something that one can dedicate time to.

And now, the final verdict:

[9 For Personal Rating]

And

[8 For Critical Rating]

I bid all of you farewell, till next time then.

Dystopian present mixed up with: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi!!!

Need more?

Human race (on the edge of distinction) fighting battle cruisers/u-boats personified as mainly "hot" chicks!

Need more? C'mon that's already enough!

Most characters are explored, even the personified battle ships while they gain some human feelings. Story is not flat and even mixed with politics and some conspiracy. Action is really going on. The logic holes are there but do not matter or are annoying.

If you want, the anime throws up some question about humanity and technologisation; The mist fleet (main antagonists) can be seen as the answer (source unknown) to keep the human race in their ... boundaries so no further violation of mother earth is possible!
If you want to think like that!!!

But you can also just enjoy the story without asking questions; Cause you already got stuffed with enough real sh*t that`s going on in the world or your everyday life!

DANGER: The ending of the anime is not proper and you will definitely get hooked on the manga!

PS: TAKAO rules!!!

How this show was pitched -

"Hey guys, we've got another cookie cutter, piece of shit, generic shounen straight off the assembly line, chock full of the same shitty, generic, character tropes that we're not going to even try to change from every other shounen. And of course they're all teenagers, because they aren't relatable to our target audience of 12 year olds if they're of a logical age to do this shit. This one also has a bunch of shitty, generic, loli tropes for all those closet pedophiles out there, who are the only ones who continue to consume our products. So what sticker ... are we going to slap on this to pretend it's different?"

"Submarines?"

"Great! stick them on fucking submarines, but that's not sugoi enough, this is a generic fucking shounen after all, make it future submarines with god damn laser cannons. Anything else?"

"Let's make it 3DCGI, to be cutting edge."

"Fan-fucking-tastic, but let's go out of our way to make it look like it's not 3D, and then absolutely fucking fail at it."

*Applause*

"Good meeting everyone"

I have just finished watching this anime, and for the first time I feel motivated to actually write down my thoughts on it.

Aoki Hagane is a good anime. It looks really nice (in my opinion, although I know that the CG style is not everyone's favourite, it's easy on the eyes and I personally enjoy the art quite a lot) and it has plenty of amazing moments (no spoilers, of course).

I won't write a detailed summary of the story, but I will say that the story line of Aoki Hagane is not exactly new - mysterious non-human battleships overpowering all of mankind, except for Chihaya ... Gunzou and the rest of the crew of the Fog submarine I-401, Iona, who are attempting to cross the Pacific in one last attempt to save humanity. It's not a huge leap from, to name an anime at random, Strike Witches, especially with the common idea of certain individuals of the Fog joining the heroes.

The actual story itself is fairly simple, but generally remains sensible and within the bounds of its own rules (outside of a few plot holes which only arise in hindsight). Instead, the anime tends to focus more on the Fog and their interactions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the Fog (the 'mental models' of the enemy warships) are interesting enough characters by themselves. Even so, the ships are quite obviously the main characters of the anime, bar a handful of episodes which show the human politics which are going on in the background.

By and large, however, the humans - and most noticeably, Iona's crew - take a backseat to the other characters. We are barely given a few seconds in the first episode which hint that Gunzou may actually have a backstory, but not even the slightest attempt is made to explore this - and even less so for the other members of his crew, most of whom have less lines than a certain teddy bear. This is a shame, because initially I had the impression that Aoki Hagane was going to be an anime about Gunzou rebelling against the government as much as it was about fighting the Fog.

Putting aside the fact that Gunzou and his crew have badly (if at all) explained motivation for their part in the story, I feel that Aoki Hagane does a good job of building those characters which it chooses to build. The ships are distinctive and it's interesting to watch their characters grow over the course of their dialogues.

So, in summary: Aoki Hagane is a very good anime, that gives a new meaning to the phrase 'nice boat'. There are many things which it does well, as well as things that it does not do so well. Personally, I find this anime is very enjoyable in spite of the main drawback (which is the lack of character building for any of the human characters), but I can see how it would simply be far too irritating to have so many unanswered questions. So, I will give this anime a tentative 8, because I feel that what it does do is done very well.

Updating this review to reflect my current feelings.

While I definitely oversold this the first time around I feel as though it's still an anime deserving of a fair amount of praise. The story is very interesting and engaging. While it's not exactly a philosophical deep dive or an intense character study, I did still enjoy it a ton. So for that it gets an 8 from me, purely for being as engaging as it is.

The art is full 3D animation. Now though that turns off a lot of people I can confidently say that, once you push aside the gut reaction the visuals are very ... good. I think there's certainly room for improvement, but it still stands as one of the only examples of amazing 3D animation in anime.

The sound design, especially for the warships themselves is very well done. It's hard to ask for more, so it sits at a 9 for me.

Overall enjoyment... I really loved this anime and still do, however with some years of reflection and a bigger repertoire of media under my belt this score has dropped a little since then. It's still a very good overall anime, one that I enjoyed a lot at the time. Buuuuuuut I've enjoyed other forms of media a lot more so this has dropped to a 7 for me.

It's worth a shot.

WARNING: Watching this anime will cause most other anime looks pale in comparison. Do not watch this anime until you're ready to set a new rival on your top 10 best anime list.

Aoki Hagane, or sometimes just called as Arpeggio, is a whole new level of anime, simply because of the daring, unique concept. Even in hindsight, it set difference among many other anime, also because of that difference. And that difference itself... is from the heart of anime itself; on its animation. Hence, anime is an animation.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel choose a risky yet audacious decision to uses 3D instead of conventional 2D animation. ...

At first, you might ask... Why it's that good? The visual isn't even that smooth? Definitely not as smooth as some next-gen video games or more high budget Hollywood animation movie...

But right on the first episode, you'll get shocked. You wouldn't expect THIS level of visual when you watch an anime.

Aoki Hagane brings you a total jawdrop and mindblown by just showing off their visual effect alone. The visual effect of this anime is superior than pretty much 98% of anime that exist out there. And no, don't try to compare the visual to SAO and alike. The visual of Aoki Hagane are STRONG and deliver it in full force, like a powerful shockwave, more impactful than any other visual effect than what (most) 2D animation can bring.

With the sheer difference of dimension alone, Aoki Hagane set a whole new level of visual.

True that it's not as artistic as some other anime, as there's actually MANY anime with some gorgeous, majestic 2D visual.

...However, when you ask any 2D animator to makes missile explosion and laser cannon looks as epic as Aoki Hagane, they can't. This is where 3D really send you its impact... Because they looks real. The impact is real.

Now, not like I'm saying the 3D of Aoki Hagane is flawless. It's far from that.

It's great for sure, though there's many rough patches and stiff, awkward, weird 3D rendering that looks less smooth than the rest, and sometimes, the 3D kind of fails. However, overall, the visual of this anime still above what many other anime can achieve, and it will definitely going to blows you.

Now, to more specific points....

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STORY: 8/10

Alright... I praise this anime a lot, but I also very critical when it comes to plot, because I highly value plot of any stories....

And Aoki Hagane isn't the best when it comes to that.

Hold on the tomato, people. I'm not saying it's bad. It's still pretty good, but really lacking in development.

Aoki Hagane start out with simple premise.... Humanity is in brink of destruction when mysterious futuristic OP af ships known as Fleet of Fog attacks us. No one can stops them, and we're powerless. Not the most original of premise. We heard many that are similar to this.

Our protagonist, Chihaya Gunzou (you'll hear people calls him with his full name A LOT more later), lacks a proper backstory. The only backstory that he got is when he meets his ship, Iona. That's all.

The crew of his ship also.... well, they got no backstory at all. They do appear on the flashback of Chihaya Gunzou. So they're basically just exist for battle strategy purposes.

The real plot is all about the Fleet of Fog, because surprisingly, even themselves didn't know who they truly are and why they exist. Unlike trying to search for the actual plot such as the Admiralty Code, we spend most our time with character developments.

Now, I'm saying that the character developments of this anime is beyond excellent. It's really, really good, but we're talking about the plot here. And the plot is really that simple... Go to America, they said. It will be fun, they said.

The adventure and the battle really brings many enjoyment, hype and tension, and they mostly executed well done. However, the plot are mostly that simple. They just want to attacks or stop our protagonist.

So the strong point of this anime, is on it's character development... And this is where the plot gets twisted. Because when everything meant to go according to rules, but they get whacked with mysteries and new development, it means the plot thickens.

There's many "superstitious" aspect in the story in contrary that this is a total science fiction. The concept of Mental Mode developing human hearts, gaining ideology and free will? They're amazing.

But what makes the plot good? It's when all of this happens for reason.

And that reason stays as mystery, despite the fact that they cover up lots of screen time revolving around this plot. And they did it very well. Simple plot, but all the characters developments are what to bring the twist.

The real shocker is really not just from the plot, but how the story goes. You may summarized the plot in simple words, but the actual execution of the story is truly, truly epic. It's honestly an amazing experience.

So, despite the fact that this anime lacks more complex plot, the story still developed in some wonderfully unusual method.

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ART: 10/10

If you follows up from the beginning, you should know how this section would goes....

The art? Absolutely gorgeous.

No, not saying it's "gorgeous" in a way, like, Yuri on Ice or such anime.

Aoki Hagane did not practice artistic flattery such as those anime that pays so much attention to their visual. Instead, Aoki Hagane wins from its visual effect.

There's no additional "cosmetic" glittery or any filter or alike, unlike anime such as No Game No Life, which uses such cosmetic filter A LOT and in literally everywhere.

Instead, Aoki Hagane wins from raw visual effect. Very raw. It's like those that you'll expect when you see a totally brilliant colorful sci-fi energy blaster. It's nothing cosmetic. It's as vivid, sparkling colorful as it meant to actually shows if this happens in real life.

I already write about this a lot, but let me put this in emphasis....

In term of visual effect, Aoki Hagane wins easily against almost any anime, and can roughly win against 98% of anime that exist out there.

There's little of anime that can win from their visual effect. It's just so strong. The impact, the shockwave, everything felt so real. It's truly overwhelming, makes your jaw drop, and your mind melting, exploding into shards of nanomaterial.

And that's just from the special effect.

In character design, Aoki Hagane also did an excellent job. All the Mental Mode are uniquely designed. There's EVEN an update to the opening animation during the "Savior of Song" that shows that some of the characters actually got a new appearance!

But what makes their art truly outstanding? Of course, the battleship.

Not saying that those ships, which looks like a pacific naval battleship looks visually appealing, but with all the visual effect? They're glorious. What truly makes them looks good is how the animator turn these old overused ships into an original, epic futuristic battleship. It's hard to blend these old ships with a sci-fi visual, but they did great on this one.

And you'll see how truly great they are when they shows up their futuristic power. Oh, expect to be in total awe when you first seen a Super-Graviton Cannon. When the ships transform to some alternate forms, they also looks seriously dang spectacular.

Going back to the visual....

This anime already knock you right from the first episode with how the Corrosive Warhead Torpedo works.

Then the second episode with the Super Gravity Cannon.

And the fourth episode will outright break your jaws with... No spoiler, just see it by yourself.

I was in total awe-struck when I watched it long ago with my friend, who already finished the anime. He then said that "Oh, Kongou will going to be far worse..."

I stops watching the anime because I only watch it while borrowing his computer...

Years later, in 2017, I rewatched it, and this time I watched it until the end....

And that final episode successfully destroyed all my expectation. It exceed my my standard. It's like that you knows the final episode going to be epic, but oh boi that exceed my everything.

Being in complete honest, I just finished the final episode, and I write this immediately as I finished it. So all those epic battle is still fresh in my head.

All in all, Aoki Hagane is an art of itself, coming from how all the visual gets far beyond epic in compared to many, many more anime.

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SOUND: 9/10

Alright, this section will be shorter than the rest.

The music of Arpeggio (no pun intended) is good. The opening is really nice and fitting to represent the whole series, meanwhile all the other soundtrack are all epic in their own way.

Now, I'm actually being picky. Some of the soundtrack sounds ungodly epic to me, but some are mediocre or not that good. However it pretty much covered by some more superior, notable and epic soundtrack that really brings out the atmosphere alive.

The ending song by itself is not the best thing ever, but they exude much "mood" of the story. What this anime did, what we can compliment, is how there's TWO ending song, but they didn't uses it the way they meant to be. It's not the typical one-for-half-first-and-one-for-the-half-end of the anime. Instead, they're being really fluid (again, no pun intended) on using the music. They uses it depend on how the episode ends, because one portrays more happy, excited and hopeful theme, but the other one portrays something deeper, more emotional and sappy mood.

Really, this anime did a good job on utilizing their sound, and it's not just from the music. Even the sound effects are great.

Wait, why?

By themselves, they're not that nice. But by looking up again, this anime got one of the best visual effect that didn't only looks visually nice, but all the impact felt realistic. You can really feel the strong blows on them. This, paired with a good sound effect, will makes them insane. After all, sound effect IS a must to bring such epic impact comes alive.

And honestly, they did great on bringing all the battles alive with their music and sound effect.

Sure the music wouldn't be as emotional as "Glassy Sky" played in Tokyo Ghoul, but really, it's not everyday to see an anime did a great job at bringing a naval battlefield alive.

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CHARACTER: 10/10

If I didn't hold myself, this section would be the longest of all section. However I'm trying not to brings in any spoiler here.... Which is virtually impossible, because I need to tells you just how great some of the characters are, and they only get that great after the plot twist.

Still, I'll keep this spoiler free. Or at least, I wouldn't imply it directly.

Not every characters in Aoki Hagane are great. Most of the humans are less significant to the story and lacks any meaningful development, even for the main guy himself. There's definitely only few times when Chihaya Gunzou really gets a development.

However, for the non-human? I honestly didn't expect much, but then boom, this anime blast through that expectation barrier.

All the Mental Mode of the Fog are so unique, so colorfully diverse, that it's so ironic, coming from those who claim (and insist) themselves to only be weapons, no more and no less.

Really... At first, you'll only sees them as machine, as enemies, as target to beat. But halfway down the series, you'll gain such strong emotional attachment, that you don't want ANY of them to die.

And this coming from a person who watches lots of anime, and often not bothered by the dead of the characters. I mean, sure seeing an important characters died would be a shame, but hey, it's all for plot progression!

....Then Aoki Hagane hits you like a train, wrecking you whole. Even for me, it's really hard to ever sees them as weapons anymore. This anime did far better job at "humanizing" the non-human than many popular bestseller novels.

You see so many emotions, from those who suppose to be away from emotions. There's this SOMETHING that makes you felt happy about them. It's like seeing someone grows, opens up, and it just felt so real. It felt so meaningful. It felt so important.

It then goes to the point where you don't mind if they skewer the plot, as long as you can keeps on seeing these characters. And remember, I'm someone who always and always focus on the plot. To makes me able to reach this point... I don't think any anime ever successfully did.

And going back to characters development....

Honestly, I want to review each Mental Mode of the Fog because each got their own strong point in character development. But I'll keeps this spoiler free.

At first, you'll see the sudden changes of Takao to be forced. But after you sees more of her, you can't help but to support her feeling more than even the main girls. Her ultimate character development is truly eyes-bawling, as she brings you one of the most beautiful scene in the whole anime.

Kirishima and Haruna are those who you thought to be "dang their character development looks so nice, I wish they last for more than just one episode" and the grants that. They're the first to truly be human, truly be kind, which is a big thing to see on this anime.

Hyuuga is the first to appear in... well, different format than the other Mental Mode. It's not even about difference in her Mental Mode, but it based on her role and her... current ship's condition. Her personality makes us can't help but feel that she's those who actually truly understand human psychology and emotions worked, even to point of fully functional in her ego as well.

Maya... You wouldn't see it coming when they reveal her true role.

The twin "sister" of Iona also surprisingly get important near later end of the anime. At first we thought they'll be just a plain, ordinary spy ship, but even them shows character development as well.

Then Kongou.... I can't help but to speak this a lot; Kongou is great. She's among many characters that truly brings you attachment to this anime.

No spoiler, of course, but you really wouldn't expect Kongou to turned the way she is. You'll expect her to be just like those badass evil big bad guy character archetype, but nope, you're all wrong. This anime do MORE than humanizing her. This anime hits you with gigatons of feels train.

In my opinion, I think she got one of the best personality. This is mainly because I can relate with her so much, and it's VERY rare for me to ever relate to the villain. Really, I sympathize and empathize with her so quickly, it amaze me. This anime do it in no way ever to call it predictable. Her character development is like a sharp sword that hits from nowhere, but it felt just so natural and... you just care for it so much.

Okay but seriously, Kongou is great. You'll reached to a point where you'll feel bad for her more than to any other characters around.

Anyway, to our heroine... Iona got quite of development, and it begins from where she start to shows her free will, then her emotions develops too.

What makes her development rivals on Kongou because she originally so robotic, so much sounds not human. She sounds artificial. And to see this anime brings her "alive" felt like no other. Her development never forced, and she still sounds emotionless at many time, but if you think with your heart, you'll see many times when her heart begins to develops, and again, what amazing is that none of her development ever forced. It's subtle and really smooth.

All in all, anyway, the character development of the Mental Mode of Fog covers the failure of this anime to brings a prominent human character.

Normally we'll go with 9/10 since the crew of Chihaya Gunzou seriously lacks a development, but the greatness of many of the non-human adds one bonus point here, as it exceed our maximum expectation.

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ENJOYMENT: 10/10

I'll be brief here. Aoki Hagane is truly enjoyable.

If I can say, Aoki Hagane is an outstanding experience like no others. It's really eye opening, inspiring, changing. There's just some emotional hook that makes you really attached, that makes you really appreciate and love this anime, the characters, the battles, everything.

For those who loves shonen anime, Aoki Hagane wouldn't disappoint you. It's not like some boring realistic naval battles, but it also not goes to point of unrealistic shonen physic woosh woosh. It balance things nicely and still manage to makes it looks epic as heck.

Truly, the battle is amazing. The design also remarkable. The characters are outstanding and they really did excellent job at some of them. The plot is simple but you just really wouldn't expect many of the twist, as the main plot is so plain, but HOW to reached that destination brings you so much unexpected outcomes.

Aoki Hagane can be said as one of the greatest anime, and while it's definitely not the greatest, it still got so much quality in many aspect that you'll enjoy. It's really an entertainment that worth your time.

There's no slight regret after watching this anime. There's not even that "empty void" that happens after watching many great shows. Aoki Hagane somehow manage to keeps up your hype until the end, makes you demand a second season, but it didn't makes you felt down. It makes you attached but you didn't feel like losing something after you finished it.

And that's a big plus point on this anime, in factor of enjoyment.

Though of course, taste vary. Some of you might dislike those futuristic battleship, or the characters, or the actions. However generally, all of them got such high quality, so if you got some nice taste, you'll enjoy this anime.

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OVERALL: 10/10

Aoki Hagane is a masterpiece. A hidden masterpiece among anime. Its so underrated, that it really shouldn't happen. It really didn't makes sense how Kancolle can be more popular than this super epic anime. Aoki Hagane got way more quality in everything. It's so to see this anime get little attention. It's really an underrated gem.

If you think on watching Aoki Hagane, you should try to watch the first episode. You think it's epic enough? Go to the second episode. Get blown by that? Keeps on until the fourth episode. If the fourth episode completely melt your brain with awesomeness, then continue until the end.

All in all, Aoki Hagane is not flawlessly perfect. While I see that many people praise this anime with good review, it's not a perfect gem. There's many flaws, even on its strong points. However, the overall greatness, quality, and uniqueness keeps on making this anime stays on high rank, and makes it more special than hundreds other anime around.

For me myself, I honor this anime as one of the best anime ever. It definitely won't reach the top 5, but it's good enough to reach the top 10.

After watching Arpeggio of Blue Steel, arguably, ALMOST any anime becomes pale in comparison. The only anime that can surpass Aoki Hagane in level of epic-ness is of course Gurren Lagann. But not even Gurren Lagann can reach the visual quality of Aoki Hagane.

Still, Aoki Hagane wouldn't beat world top tier anime such as FMA Brotherhood that already hailed as one of the best anime. Still, Arpeggio got the epic awesomeness and super fantastic sci-fi battle that lacks in more serious anime such as FMA, so that's a strong point in different sector.

The visual of Aoki Hagane honestly can only be rivaled by few, such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica. However this is simply because Madoka Magica is such an artistic anime that really focus on vibrant visual. Meanwhile Aoki Hagane shows just how epic all the energy blast goes.

So, there does many anime that can go around or even surpassed Aoki Hagane, but I still stand on my opinion to nominate this anime as one of the best anime ever, and that's final.

What is Aoki Hagane No Arpeggio?
It's anime about ships, existential crisis, and how awesome naval combat is.
The story is is really unique,well, it might be a bit simillar to that of Strike Witches,but nontheless, the overall theme is different.
A really good point about the story is how the villains get just as much, or if not, more deep development than the MC.Hell, you could say that the villains of this anime are the main characters.
The art is honestly not that bad.It's more than acceptable, and it really works in it's favour when it comes to action scenes.
The character development is really good.Takao's special moment(that i ... will not spoil) was just bloody beautiful and will make you cry at least on the inside.
The music is pretty decent.Nothing to extravagant, but the sounds of the weapons and torpedoes are amazing.
The action is fun,thrilling, fun, bloody badass, fun, and most importantly, SICK TO WATCH AND ENJOYABLE.
The OP is really good, the music fits really well with the theme.
The fanservice is meh.The one thing that was just funny about it is how they justified the whole "all ships's mental models look like girls" thing (basically, because we refer to ships with the female pronouns,it only makes sense for them to look like girls).

All in all, it's a fun and enjoyable anime to watch.
Don't take my credit for it, tho.I am quite the silly when it comes to anime.I can enjoy practically anything as long as I just go along with it and don't tryhard just to find reasons to hate it.
My final score, 9/10, see ya, friends.

D@mn, this series was sweet! It has something for everyone:

- I cannot think of a subject matter better suited for CG than battle with large naval vessels (see "The Red Star" comic books for the parallel of this in print). And the naval tactics are very clever and entertaining. I was reminded of how I feel watching Hunt for Red October!

- Meanwhile, like the deft and crafty maneuvers of Captain Gunzou, this series effortlessly laces in some shameless and saucy fan service and sexual humor in a way that does not detract at all from the overall story. Some of the ... more sympathetic of fans might even say it is integral to the story, helping us feel the awakening of these new female warship AI's.

- The story itself isn't groundbreaking, but it all fits together and keeps moving well enough to propel the experience forward.

- They did not overdo the contemplative, existential stuff. Which is why when they threw it in it had some effect, bolstered by beautiful art in those scenes and great timing.

- And lastly, it is innocent, cute and funny enough that even the lady of the house (who does not get this otaku stuff at all) was into it. So props to the skills involved, when a show can appeal to two polar opposite tastes.

To me this show is a SOLID 9. Highly entertaining, with a level of execution sophisticated enough that I think even demanding viewers will appreciate it.

This series is a solid 9.5. As it is criminally under rated here on myanimelist, I decided to round up rather than down.

I'm going to cut the book report/essay style of reviewing and cut to the chase.

Arpeggio is a series that sneaks up on you. At first, you think you are watching a typical pew-pew style anime with naval ships taking the place of giant robots or spaceships. But then, when you least expect it, the series does a terrific job of exploring what it means to be human. As the characters evolve and develop they begin ... to grow on you and by the time you feel the series was too short and you don't want to say goodbye.

There are a couple of weak spots. The actual human characters are somewhat underdeveloped, largely because the series focuses on what most of its audience cares about, the ship-program girls. The male lead largely serves as a foil for the female lead. Considering the terrific job the writers did, however, this seems like more of a product of only having 12 episodes to work with and the need to keep the action and tensions up, so these are minor complaints.

Art is excellent. I don't get why so many people trash it because it implements some CGI. CGI, when done right as here, blends well with traditional styles. Why does everything have to become politicized?

So if you're looking for something cool to watch give this series a try. It's only 12 episodes so you won't waste much time if it turns out to not be for you.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- surprised me. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like it given its very apparent use of CGI which I’m generally not a fan of. However my worries were quickly cast aside as the show offers a lot beneath its exterior.

The series opens in the year 2039, in which humanity makes its last stand against the mysterious Fleet of Fog. The Fog demonstrates a tremendous advantage in naval warfare and dominates human forces on the sea. This ultimately leads to a severe restriction in communications and commerce by sea, effectively isolating nations on an international level. Some years ... later, the vessel I-401 and its crew embark on operations to change the tide of battle. The I-401 crew, referred to as Blue Steel, consists of captain Gunzou Chihaya and his friends, along with Fleet of Fog “Mental Model” Iona; basically, a Mental Model is the essence of a ship with human characteristics: think warships given human form. Iona is an anomaly among the Fog in that she takes the side of humanity, obeying Gunzou above all else.

While the premise of Arpeggio of Blue Steel isn’t entirely new, its execution of plot among other developments is where it really shines. Before diving into this anime I was interested in seeing how the battles and conflicts would play out, and boy did they deliver. The show puts a good amount of focus on the naval warfare aspect especially on a tactical angle. You’d be hard-pressed to find moments in which the main cast overpowers their adversaries through pure firepower and strength alone. Most often, they make use of minute calculations and carefully planned attacks to turn battles around. I found this to be a refreshing change of pace compared to other similar series.

When it comes to main characters, there is a lot of focus on the main duo of Gunzou and Iona. A young man with a checkered family history, Gunzou is calm and calculating but also has a compassionate side to him. Meanwhile, Iona starts off with little emotion and is more inclined to follow direct orders. The Blue Steel crew, other Mental Models, and some military personnel make up the bulk of the remaining cast. Alongside the tactical battles mentioned above, another major focus of the series is the character development of Iona and the other Mental Models present in the series, which is handled very well as the series progresses. All in all, I can’t say the entire cast is well-rounded: Gunzou’s friends from the naval academy are explored very minimally for instance. But the show does a good job where it truly counts in developing major characters. All the while, there is a focus on the Blue Steel crew’s overarching mission which ties in well to the other elements. As a side note, there are some fanservicey moments here and there which may be off-putting to some, but they personally didn’t bother me much. At any rate, they’re not common enough to really detract from the experience.

As far as soundtrack goes, the anime does a good job with the music and has a good number of fitting tunes. Tracks often consist of rock and electronic styles to accompany battles. There are also some orchestral tracks and related tones that show up occasionally. The series offers a good variety of genres to match the mood and intensity of the scenes in the moment; honestly the soundtrack is good enough that I’d like to listen to it on its own. Considering the opening, it is also rock and electronic focused, and it really does a great job at drumming up hype. The endings are much more lowkey but are suitable in their own right; I particularly enjoy the calmness of the second. I feel the voice acting work was of good quality all around, especially for those voicing the Mental Models who really captured the emotional developments of those characters. Also shoutout to Gunzou’s voice actor, his voice is so pleasant to listen to. It baffles me as to why he has so few leading roles even to this day!

Now here comes the main point of contention: the heavy use of CGI in the show. It may be a deterrent to some, but personally I didn’t find it to be much of an issue at all. In fact, I think it’s among the best use of CGI and 3D rendering I’ve seen in an anime series, both inside and outside of the action sequences. That aside, the visual effects make battles an absolute spectacle to watch. It impressed me a ton given the techniques that were used.

Overall, I enjoyed Arpeggio of Blue Steel immensely. The show isn’t one that has a single defining point at the expense of other aspects, rather it has many strong points: good action, engaging battle sequences, intriguing character developments, and a coherent and reasonable plot to name some. It also has some of the best final episodes I’ve seen in an anime, and a satisfying conclusion given it’s merely 12 episodes. With all that in mind, I consider this show to be a hidden gem that just isn’t watched enough. If one can simply look past the surface presentation and use of CGI there is a lot to appreciate about this series.