Moretsu Pirates: Bodacious Space Pirates

[Ryllharu]

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/8031/mainxd.jpg

Alternate titles: Mouretsu Uchuu Kaizoku, Bodacious Space Pirates, Miniskirt Space Pirates

Description: Marika is a first year high school student living on a frontier planet that gained its independence from the Stellar Alliance with the aid of pirates carrying Letters of Marque. She is a skilled member of the yachting club, which practices spaceflight in simulators and occasional go to help out at the space station. One day she finds out that her recently deceased father was once the captain of one such "legal" space pirate ship called the Bentenmaru. There's a catch, the only one who can inherit the captain's title has to be a direct descendant.

Genres: Space, Action/Adventure, Space Pirates!, Coming of Age

Links: AniDB (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=7443), ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11399), Official Page (http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mo-retsu/top.html)

HorribleSubs: 720p (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=274715)


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I like it. It's very neo-classic space opera anime. Modernized, but there's a definite Outlaw Star or even Captain Harlock feel to the whole thing. Little bit of a Vandread feel too, without the ecchi. It feels like a 80s space adventure anime with updated visuals. Coming of age, Marika finds out about her legacy in a very laid back way ("I forgot," her mother says, who was without a doubt the captain for a time herself)...and then everything spirals out of control quickly as interested parties keep showing up.

Definite Kuroneko clone with the character who will no doubt become Marika's first officer and friend/rival Chiaki Kurihara. Looks like her, same VA, and using the same tones and attitude. Marika herself gives off a refreshing feel. She's not unwilling, but she's obviously unsure about the whole thing, or how serious it is turning out to be. The rest of the cast is good too. Again, no, it is not an all-girls cast. Just predominantly.

Meanwhile, we've got the old pirate crew scheming behind her back, making sure they are filling her crew with people she knows.

The lack of ecchi is interesting given the title and variants of the title. It's a nice change of pace honestly. This furthers the comparison with classic space opera anime.

[Archangel]

K-ON in space, dropped.

[Ryllharu]

K-ON in space, dropped.
Is "K-ON in _____" supposed to be an insult these days?

I'm reasonably sure you didn't watch the episode at all, because the comparison makes you look like a moron.

edit:
It's a slow day, and I'm bored, so let me think up what "K-ON in space" would be like...

You've got the klutzy cute one, the brash one, the idol-esque one, the rich refined one, and the reserved shy one that all the fans make a big deal out of. They all have spaceships but they never fly them beyond a montage of them getting into and out of them. They are usually goofing around, doing their own things on their space station. Occasionally they go on trips, but still never really achieve their objectives.

Oh, wait a second...that premise sounds familiar. Right, they made it into an anime 6 years before the K-ON manga even started (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=108).

Hmm, Morestu Pirates seems to share none of these qualities.

[Kraco]

An interesting space opera every now and then is always welcome. I miss the days when I could watch shows like Vandread for the first time. This seemed somewhat heavily biased on the girls-boys ratio, which isn't an aspect welcomed by me, but otherwise it looked more promising even story wise than I expected.

[Buffalobiian]

Space opera's always cool. I was going to watch Galaxy Railways I soon, but that can take a backseat in the meanwhile.

I don't get how everyone was saying that the new chick was "cute". She was giving off something best described as a death stare the entire time.

[Xelbair]

1st episode shows promise for decent, if not good space opera series.
Buff - i agree about the stare, but well.. it is Kuroneko clone, as stated by Kraco on irc.

[Kraco]

Yeah, cool would have been more like it, instead of cute. She might turn cute once she's thawed, though. Or maybe they were all already so used to icy people they thought nothing of it.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 02 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=276516)

[Ryllharu]

I like the punch of the weapons. Ririka made a good argument that, for pirates anyway, the threat is more important than actually using it. If the other party knows you can punch a hole through their hull and hop back aboard your own ship leaving them to breathe vacuum, they might be more...receptive.

Another nice touch was the dockside power of the Odette II. No ship wastes reactor fuel when they can get electricity from their dock. Booting all the systems up was very methodical, and I hope they have the same approach to the electronic warfare.

Anyone else think that the Lightning 11 is really the Bentenmaru (or at least her crew)?

Either way, I'm glad they are taking the nice and slow approach to getting Marika aboard the Bentenmaru. Like Outlaw Star did.

I like the roughness of the OP song too. I doubt I'd listen to it out of this context, but it makes me smile. It's just one more of those things that makes Moretsu Pirates remind me of old space opera anime. It's unconventional nowadays.

edit: Totally forgot about it. Kurihara hanging onto her parfait the entire fight & flight. Everyone has a weakness.

[Buffalobiian]

Anyone else think that the Lightning 11 is really the Bentenmaru (or at least her crew)?

Yeah. It felt like a test.

Kurihara in the ED has me confused. She's dressed like a mechanic, which isn't exactly a role I'd imagine her to fit.

[Kraco]

Anyone else think that the Lightning 11 is really the Bentenmaru (or at least her crew)?


The crew, maybe. That was my first thought as well, but the ship didn't look cool or big enough to be Bentenmaru itself. Maybe they dragged some old hull from somewhere and use it as a base of operations. But it could also be the first contact with an actual enemy. The pace of the show is pleasantly unhurried otherwise, but it's not impossible they'd get down to the business in the background nonetheless.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 03 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=278393)

[Kraco]

Episode 4 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=281166)





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Who could have known this show that was supposed to be only about pirates in miniskirts could turn out interesting story wise. While I enjoy greatly the unhurried and surprisingly intelligent approach this is taking instead of being all about action, comedy, and pantsu like I expected, I also feel they are taking it a bit far right now. As a viewer I'm not anymore sure just what they are facing here. They treat it like another part of club activities, yet we know there are people who could be after Marika's very life.

Nevertheless I liked the fact the president already knew about Marika's unusual opportunity. Much better than a cliched host of background characters who are always surprised by everything.

[Buffalobiian]

I keep forgetting that pirates here don't really hold the same feared, criminal scum/bandit impression that they do in real life.

It's funny how an encrypted line could still be hacked if you know the ID of the ship at the other end. Security is pretty funny in this show.

My favourite track is the woodwind adventure tune that plays during the recap and preview segments.. but it greatly misleads the show. Hearing it makes me think of a Space Battleship Yamato type of thing.. not a Girls-on-a-club-activity-type-of-run.

[Kraco]

It's funny how an encrypted line could still be hacked if you know the ID of the ship at the other end. Security is pretty funny in this show.

I'm not so sure of that. When the president appeared, surprising those two eavesdroppers, she accused them of bugging the captain's room to listen to the teachers' talks. At least according to Horriblesubs. So, they might have just been listening to the room, not the actual communication line specifically.

[Animeniac77]

agree with the space-drama type scenario, it sorta makes ya miss shows like cowboy bebop

[Ryllharu]

[WhyNot] Mouretsu Space Pirates - 05 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=284036)



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I'm a big fan of the Yachting Club President being as utterly 90s cliché anime as possible. She's got the high-ponytail, blond, Anglic name, a very haughty attitude, and an oujo voice to match it. It's one of those details that makes this series very nostalgic, despite being new. Based on my impressions from the OP, the Bentenmaru's crew all carry the same kind of feeling, only they're lovable eccentric personalities.

People have been complaining for a while around the web that nothing happens during these episodes. I can't help but feel they're not even watching the same series. It's a slow approach, but one that gives it a feeling of sincerity and realism. Sure, they've got beam weapons, but the goal isn't to scrap another starship, it's to rob it, or kidnap the crew and ransom them off. Hence, electronic warfare and taking over another ship's systems is more important. The mention that opening up an FTL line to fake a distress call (and thus convince the Lightning 11 that they had the Odette II) would only open them up to real-time attack was a nice one. Same with Jenny's dismay that someone would even dare to fire weapons optically. For all the girl's planning, turning off a vital computer wasn't something they had considered would happen. Luckily, they had their own strategist aboard.

Marika's quick thinking of using the solar arrays to blind the enemy was nice as well, but revealed an interesting tidbit. The girls mentioned that the Lightning 11's thermal signature started to rise, as in considerably so. Combine this with the creaking of the Odette II as the beam weapons missed it meant something pretty important. Ships are annihilated in this series the same way they were taken out in Starship Operators (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2745), my favorite strategic space warfare series. The crews inside are roasted alive as the hulls get superheated. That's why Marika was quick to state that they didn't need to burn them up, only blind them. A nice sense of judgment and compassion for a legal pirate captain.

Chiaki being yet another Pirate Captain daughter caught me by surprise. It was obvious that she had led a life in space rather than on planets, but I expected her to be a rebel or a homesteader colonist or something like that, not in a similar position as Marika.

[Buffalobiian]

The biggest break in my expectations was that the big scary armoured fellow isn't an archenemy. Looks like he's either crew or Chhiaki's dad.

I'm also slightly disappointed that the teacher wasn't really married. It would have been a lot more fun to see I reckon.

The physics is a little weird in this show, but well within usual anime fare. It was definitely strange for the Bentenmaru and the other pirate ship to jump in. I was under the impression that they didn't care too much unless their captains/crew were in danger. And it seems being legal means they can steal a ship right in front of the military, lol.

[David75]

Having watched the Mysterious Cities of Gold and the Solaris eps, the Light reflecting (and concentration) idea Marika had was obvious the very same instant she got the flash.
The whole ep felt like textbook rookie crew training.

Thanks for reminding me that ligthning 11 goal wasn't to scrape the Odette, but stealing it for its value.
So the laser aim was at the sails/masts rather than the ship itself. Destroying it would only waste its value.

Overall, one good point in the ep was that the girls realized there are more than computers and computer assisted weapons to space combat... and that even when all your systems are down, when you have power, you can still manually shoot. Even if the error margins are high, you might eventually hit your target.
Just remembered writing it that to help your eyes and arms, you can have basic assistance for targetting in the form of relatively low tech electronics you can't hack at all. These systems would only be down with powerful EM waves, so powerful in fact you'd kill any living thing in the ship before affecting those parts...
So yes, the old ways of doing it are not to be forgotten.

[Kraco]

Quite a nice arc all in all. While the show certainly takes some freedom from physics and other matters for the sake of entertainment, I feel having this kind of introduction was better than throwing Marika immediately into the captain's chair of Bentenmaru and real, heated fights of split second decisions.

I didn't deem Bentenmaru and the other pirate ship appearing strange. All things considered they must have made the decision to interfere when the enemy started shooting. It's only that they appeared when the situation was already over, practically speaking. The navy appearing might be a bit more strange. Who told them to be ready to intercept?

Marika and Chiaki will be rivals, then. It's yet to be revealed just what licensed pirates can do and can't do, but one would assume they aren't bathing in gold coins. No matter how vital they were to the indepence of the planet in the past, they went around robbing every ship, no government would stand them, despite dusty old treaties. If they mainly attack foreign vessels, it's a different thing, but I at least hope in this show lone pirates aren't stronger than navies backed by whole worlds of industry, research, military academies and whatnot.

[Buffalobiian]

Who told them to be ready to intercept?

The energy beam attacks got their attention, I'd gather. Not sure about all the high-energy targeting radars they were dishing out.

Didn't they say a few episodes that the navy patrols around and stuff, and that's why Lightning11 did this all sneakily from a relatively invisible part of the Odeus's course?

[David75]

The navy appearing was probably already on hold, and the Bentenmaru sent the signal.
Why/how?
Well there's a little confusion around the differences beetween a Corsair and a Pirate.
I don't know for other nations, but in France what distinguishes Corsairs from Pirates is the Letter of Marque that gives them the righ to attack any ennemy ship anywhere around the globe to help their country.
Something like Mercenaries or local militias of the seas. When your navy isn't strong enough, or does not compare in number, you have to resort to sending alternate crews. In French history, it was mainly ships sent against english cargo ships to retrieve goods of value.
From England of course, Corsairs were only pirates.
From France, Corsairs were allies in the effort of war.
It's no wonder that there are some French culture references in the way Marika's familly lives.

Thing is for translators, in Japanese there probably isn't distinction for Kaizoku between the ones you hire for your war efforts, and the one working for themselves or another nation.

I guess that in their peace age, Corsairs would be needed against pillaging pirates, or undercover Corsairs from other nations.

I wonder if what I just wrote is correct in the context of that anime and if translator should pay attention to that detail.

[Kraco]

If the navy can normally appear that fast, it would have been better for the enemy to just turn around and sail away once it was evident the yacht club wouldn't surrender and the ship wasn't under their control. If the navy appears in minutes after the first beam discharge, they would never have enough time to board and loot/kidnap anyway. But perhaps the crew of Lightning 11 wasn't from the brightest stock, despite the name of the ship.

[David75]

If the navy can normally appear that fast, it would have been better for the enemy to just turn around and sail away once it was evident the yacht club wouldn't surrender and the ship wasn't under their control. If the navy appears in minutes after the first beam discharge, they would never have enough time to board and loot/kidnap anyway. But perhaps the crew of Lightning 11 wasn't from the brightest stock, despite the name of the ship.

My guess is that the Lightning 11 was already under the scope.
After all they already tried to sneak into the Odette's system when they were at the station.
It's safe to think logs were sent (by Marika's mother, considering her job...) to the navy and they had days to decide to send some ships and prepare a course of action where the bentenmaru would act as a front line. Corsair ships are also useful for that purpose.

[Kraco]

Corsair ships are also useful for that purpose.

We have yet to see if they are in any way the kind of Corsairs you guessed in your previous post. I guess they can't be all too horrible cutthroats or Marika's mom would never let her daughter anywhere near them, but I'd still say it'd be a stretch for the navy to automatically count them in unless from a purely tactical point of view (knowing they would defend the yacht club no matter what due to Marika and Chiaki being aboard). Even if they nominally are sanctioned by the government, they are still criminals with a criminal state of mind. They wouldn't be in such a business otherwise. A business of violent piracy.

Oh, well. At least I hope they are in such a business and aren't just some scifi born to be free space motorcyclists living on the edge but not being guilty of anything worse than vagrancy. That would be a letdown.

[David75]

Well, I guess sending the logs to the Navy would be sufficient for them to send ships and check the area.
Then, the Odette flashing its radar multiple times, the L11 using hiding and other ships appearing and disapearing from the radars and/or changing identity would be enough to have them under alert. These are all ideas explaining why/how they can be there so quickly when L11 starts firing their lasers.

[Ryllharu]

Marika and Chiaki will be rivals, then. It's yet to be revealed just what licensed pirates can do and can't do, but one would assume they aren't bathing in gold coins. No matter how vital they were to the indepence of the planet in the past, they went around robbing every ship, no government would stand them, despite dusty old treaties. If they mainly attack foreign vessels, it's a different thing, but I at least hope in this show lone pirates aren't stronger than navies backed by whole worlds of industry, research, military academies and whatnot.
I'm not so certain. While Chiaki was certainly sent to watch and observe Marika in action, it's not so clear if they will actually be rivals. I get the feeling that Chiaki will be forced to apprentice under Marika as her first mate. Chiaki's father is obviously alive and well, so she won't be inheriting the ship until he retires. What better place to train her for her own captaincy than under another novice captain with an experienced crew? It would be hard for her to distinguish herself on her own future vessel, but she may be able to get some varied experience on another, similar ship. The Barbalusa appears to be a similar model to the Bentenmaru.


In French history, it was mainly ships sent against english cargo ships to retrieve goods of value.
From England of course, Corsairs were only pirates.
From France, Corsairs were allies in the effort of war.
It's no wonder that there are some French culture references in the way Marika's familly lives.
This seems like a bit of a slanted judgment due to an education by a particular country with no love for England. Francis Drake was a Privateer who operated under the orders of the Queen. The purpose, to harass without committing to all-out war. To the Spanish, he was a Pirate.

[David75]

I think I stated

I don't know for other nations,

Then I should have written French Corsairs in both sentences.

I was just caught in the Letter of Marque and french details to really broaden my ideas, my bad ;)

But I meant no harm.
To anyone offended, I deeply apologize.

[Ryllharu]

Actually, I thought it was pretty amusing. Rather, I took it as the perfect picture of exactly what you were (ultimately) trying to say.

[David75]

So tell me what you think I was ultimately trying to say? :D

[Ryllharu]

That depending on who's side one is on, Privateers/Corsairs/"Legal Pirates" are either Most Foul Vagrants or celebrity Heroes.

On Marika's planet, the Bentenmaru are heroes (or at least welcome). To the galactic commonwealth, they are evil opportunists.

[David75]

Thanks ;)
I don't know if this will be useful info later in the anime. But I guess that those with Letters of Marque probably did have pride in it and felt dishonored when compared to your average pirate.
I don't know if they'll get into that detail later in the show.

[Kraco]

But I guess that those with Letters of Marque probably did have pride in it and felt dishonored when compared to your average pirate.

They were average pirates before they received the legal status. Some of them could have been real monsters but were enlisted nonetheless, as long as they were efficient at waging war in space. If the planet was desperate enough to try to get pirates to fight for them, I don't think they could afford to select those with honour and good manners... In fact, if they acted like corsairs out there somewhere, remorseless killers could have been all the better.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 06 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=286171)

[Ryllharu]

I was greatly amused that Marika had to spend the entire day with Misa filling out paperwork. [Legal] Pirates may be tolerated, even enjoyed for their rarity by the galactic citizenry, but they still have to regulations to follow. I also enjoyed that the pirate operation counted more as theater. Of course insurance would cover it. I wasn't sure if Chiaki was troubled because Marika wasn't doing well, or if she was jealous that she hadn't tagged along.

But does that count as Marika's first pirate operation or not? The cruise liner certainly had fair warning they were coming.

There are two things I really want to know about. The first are the respective crews of the Bentenmaru and the Barbalusa, certainly the former far more than the latter. I hope they spend some time for Marika to get a feel for her bridge crew, and become close with them. They felt like...wallpaper in this episode. Not the way the yachting club had a strong camaraderie aboard the Odette II. Aside from Misa and Kane, they felt a little cold toward her. As the episode title stated, you're not really alone when you're in space. Marika doesn't have to do it all, she needs the faith of her crew.

I also really want to know is what exactly the major conflict will be. That's what keeps me watching. Will it be new outbreak of war, fighting off a new breed of space bandits, or an abrupt change in bureaucracy that attempts to invalidate their letters of marque?
edit: I love the metered pace so far, but the lack of even a hint at any major conflict so far has me curious as hell.

[Kraco]

fighting off a new breed of space bandits, or an abrupt change in bureaucracy that attempts to invalidate their letters of marque?

Those two could be one and the same. Like Misa said, due to having a legal status, they need to be professional. If new, illegal and unprofessional pirates appear, it may doom the legal ones as well. All the bureaucracy with the strict time limit suggested, at least to me, that the goverment only barely honours and tolerates the historical pirates anymore. So, they must follow the rules and also be active. If some scumbags appear to shake that rather precarious situation, it could be all over for everybody.

Still, I wouldn't count out a bigger war either. If they are all under the rule of a military empire, of all things, it alone bodes instability. The only thing missing is an autocrat ruler and we could be sure it's going to fall apart. Although the distinct lack of oppression and the happiness of populace tells another story. Who knows.

Hard to say what I expect from this show. This episode was a bit offputting with the skipped introductions.

[Buffalobiian]

Am I the only one who found it strange that the letter requires them to conduct a minimum number of raids within a given time frame? If anything, I would have expected a maximum limit instead. But then the raid turned out like an amusement park ride... so maybe the government and cruise companies find the attraction profitable..


Not the way the yachting club had a strong camaraderie aboard the Odette II. Aside from Misa and Kane, they felt a little cold toward her. As the episode title stated, you're not really alone when you're in space. Marika doesn't have to do it all, she needs the faith of her crew.

At first I thought that some of the working class didn't know she was going to be the new captain and was just any old trainee. But yeah, the lack of respect they had towards her was uncomfortably odd. The difference between this and the sailing ship too is the size of the crew. With the Yacht Club, everyone did the work and everyone sat on the bridge. There's clearly a hierarchy system on this ship with the highly individualised officers at one end and the uniformed mechanics at the other.

[Kraco]

At first I thought that some of the working class didn't know she was going to be the new captain and was just any old trainee. But yeah, the lack of respect they had towards her was uncomfortably odd.

She hadn't at that point done anything to deserve their respect. She's just a n00b who has inherited the position, which is, let's face it, the worst manner of acquiring a position of authority, especially in space where a minute wrong decision can doom the whole crew and there's no escape except during the port hours. Misa and Kane already have some respect for her, having witnessed her potential and skills firsthand.

She'll only gain the full respect of the crew by being a kickass pirate captain, make them note her extraordinary skills, make them earn nice money, make them fear the idea of getting in her way, and she even has the extra option of making them fall in love with her since she's a cute girl.

[Ryllharu]

Am I the only one who found it strange that the letter requires them to conduct a minimum number of raids within a given time frame? If anything, I would have expected a maximum limit instead. But then the raid turned out like an amusement park ride... so maybe the government and cruise companies find the attraction profitable..
It made perfect sense for me. They found a new captain, a position that must be inherited, and renewed their letter of marque. To make sure it isn't a scam, they were given a probational period. Only instead of a business making sure a new employee isn't incompetent at their job or stealing supplies, the government is making sure Marika isn't an incompetent pirate and is stealing.

I didn't take the language used as something she had to do every seven weeks. It was just that to make the letter of marque official, she had to actually be a pirate within seven weeks. I could be wrong, correct me if so.

[Buffalobiian]

It made perfect sense for me. They found a new captain, a position that must be inherited, and renewed their letter of marque. To make sure it isn't a scam, they were given a probational period. Only instead of a business making sure a new employee isn't incompetent at their job or stealing supplies, the government is making sure Marika isn't an incompetent pirate and is stealing.

I didn't take the language used as something she had to do every seven weeks. It was just that to make the letter of marque official, she had to actually be a pirate within seven weeks. I could be wrong, correct me if so.

I felt it could flow either way (probation, or requiring continual pirating). It sounded like the former at first since they specifically referred to it as being "new".

My reaction towards it is that the government wasn't tolerating pirates as much as encouraging them with this.


She hadn't at that point done anything to deserve their respect. She's just a n00b who has inherited the position, which is, let's face it, the worst manner of acquiring a position of authority, especially in space where a minute wrong decision can doom the whole crew and there's no escape except during the port hours.

That is true. I'm one for having someone earning respect vs expecting it too.

Their attitude ticked me the wrong way though since I'm also one who encourages growth and training of noobs at a workplace when the first start off fresh. If they're hugely incompetent or lack any will to learn/work, my attitude will turn from neutral or warmish/positive to negative. The guys looked like they chucked at her being a "kid", and defaulted to that until she somehow proves she's a pro. Perhaps I took that the wrong way and they were merely enjoying her struggle.

[Kraco]

Come on, they are pirates. She should be happy they aren't cutting her throat the first chance they get, when she's not wary enough to pay attention. They should all have their own reasons for being aboard that ship, and I'd be disappointed if that reason was to cheer a new captain. Their income obviously depends on continuous heists, yet now they have a captain who's more interested in finishing her high school...

[David75]

So now, who hires the Bentenmaru, benefits go where?

Is that their region of space that gets the money taken from the richer one? Some kind of tax, pirates being the ones to collect it?

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 07 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=288463)

[Kraco]

... Okay. So, the ordinary business of these so called pirates is that of a theater troupe. Earlier I at least thought they worked somewhat independently but within rules and limits and the government sanctified them and insurance companies compensated their hauls. Now, however, it was made clear they have clear customers who contract them to "attack" and they ever plan the raids beforehand with the customer.

I'm now hoping we will meet real pirates at some point. Especially with the kind of attitude Marika was showing in this episode. She wasn't taking anything seriously, beyond thinking the theater performance needs to be pulled off in the quickest way possible. Being quick in itself is only sensible, but not if it makes her careless and think nothing unexpected could happen.

Let those real pirates I'm wishing for be one of the original crews/ships who got the letter but rejected the idea of being dogs of the system!

[Ryllharu]

I'm not so negative about the whole thing the way Kraco is. I think that doing "piracy" more as theater and less as actual hijacking is a good thing, for all involved. The helmsman said it himself, guardian ships so rarely get to fire at anything these days. Everyone operates in a large galactic empire that is, curiously enough, peaceful. The customer gets a little excitement without the risk of their ship actually being compromised and everyone aboard breathing vacuum (which as Ririka showed, is alarmingly easy to do with handheld weaponry).

Nor do the pirates have to worry about much of a risk (in part due to the Bentenmaru's superiority) when attacking or boarding. The wealthy aristocrats think of it as a game and something to brag about to their equally frivolous and bored friends. They're not about to fight back, the cruise liners are insuring all their belongings. Perhaps it is more that the pirates are choosing their contracts very carefully. If they went after non-luxury liners, they might have to risk fighting with passengers or crew. People with something to lose.

It's win-win. As Ririka also mentioned, it's best when you only need to use the threat of violence. Pirate Theater accomplishes that nicely.

Marika's attitude is a problem. Chiaki and Mami recognized it, as did Misa and Kane. She's convinced she can do school and her two jobs, but it's becoming clear that Marika can't handle all three, or even pirating and school. There's something behind why she so badly wants to complete school, but trying to handle all three seems to have something to do with surpassing Ririka, as Mami also mentioned. I think that the next big hurdle for Marika is that she is going to be forced to give something up. Piracy isn't as simple as Marika wants it to be (neither is maintaining the faith of one's crew in their captain), and school requires equal effort.

[Buffalobiian]

For me, the theatre troupe approach actually makes sense considering the first mission Marika had to pull off. I wouldn't otherwise be able to imagine how "aggressive" pirates would have been hired to do a "peaceful" pirating demonstration.

It does feel funny at the same time though - especially when the crew is rather content with their missions as well (or at least aren't showing their discontent - Mami calling the missions small doesn't count). It's like a bunch of mercenaries are being hired to play a game of paintball.

I also echo the problem with Marika's attitude, and the pirate-play doesn't help. Hopefully this new irregularity does. (I was actually hoping the escort ships would actually try to shoot down the Bentenmaru, showing that not all transactions go according to plan.)

[EpyonNext]

I like the rather whimsical nature this show is starting with. It's far more believable to see your "average high school girl" basically preform(in the theatrical sense) as a pirate as opposed to actually being one. It'll also leave more room for character development later on in the series when the inevitable real pirating/saving the known universe begins.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 08 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=290768)

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 09 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=293143)

[EpyonNext]

Well we got "epic theme music" at the end of the episode so I assume shit is about to go down. I like this show more as every episode goes on.

[Kraco]

I'd assume things could get real now if some shadowy party has looked for willing people to remove all competition. The clip of a fight in the preview also looked more real and less theater than the fights we have seen Bentenmaru in. About the time as well. I wouldn't mind it if Chiaki and Marika fought it out in space. Chiaki still isn't a captain but maybe her dad would amuse himself by making them fight.

Although I complained about it earlier but in this episode I was very satisfied with Marika's performance and attitude. Interrupting the musings of the other crew members by making the table roll and telling them the time for talks is over and it's the time for action was 100% captain like.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm surprised at the lack of hostility/rivalry between Chiaki and Marika after hearing that they're competing against each other (with at least one other party ordered to take out opponents). Marika should have been able to join the dots together, and Chiaki doesn't seem like the type who wouldn't do a proper research on something.

[Ryllharu]

Jenny Doolittle <3

She's like a true aristocrat. She knows highly influential people, is skilled at obtaining information (and not just via gossip), and has multiple times now anticipated and acted on Marika's needs before she even gets a chance to ask about it. She's also got really strong leadership skills (asking for concurrence, but still making the decisions, often quickly), great tactical knowledge ("I thought so too," to a subordinate), and she's got class. A proper pairing of brains, and combat leadership skills.

It was amusing the see Chiaki go through an overly-elaborate bow (as if she was wearing a ball-gown), while Jenny mirrored Gruier's more subtle curtsy. Breaking Chiaki's stoicism and exposing her more typically girlish quirks is a well-executed part of the humor.

I agree with Kraco. Chiaki's father will probably give her provisional command over the Barbalusa as a way to train the two girls. I don't know how serious they are about supporting Gruier's opponent (whomever that may be, I'm thinking an elder princess or bureaucrat), but if Chiaki was leaking that info, they're probably not too happy about their client.

I'm still curious as to why Gruier seems so intent to find this ghost ship. They haven't told us what she wants out of it.

[David75]

Could Gruier be a passenger from the ghost ship?
It sometimes is show in SF, how a civilization creates a ship with no FTL ability go on a very long journey for centuries. But then said civilization, the ones remaining on the home planet eventually get access to FTL and colonize their region of the galaxy even before the initial ship arrives at it's first destination.

So if Gruier is from the ship, that could explain why she seems to know Chiaki's father. She underlined that fact in each episode from her first appearance.
She met Chiaki's father when the bentenmaru found the ghost ship, then she was put to sleep before she's taken out of her slumber again and even gets to be freed from it.
But it might be wrong. Why let people in that ship and not free them, why then extract some of those people and leave the ship be?
Why the strange route and why hasn't it be salvaged already?
I hope that ship isn't called Destiny (Stargate fans, don't hate me for that one :D )

[Kraco]

That theory seems a bit too highflying, David. My memory isn't the most reliable thing, but hasn't it been indicated Gruier is a proper princess from her home planet? If she was from some ancient slower than light ship, I don't see how that could fit in with anything else, the least of all belonging to the current royalty. However, obviously she's looking for the sleeper ship for reasons that could upset the current order, or otherwise her competition wouldn't be hiring unscrupulous undertakers. Maybe the real royals are sleeping on that ship, and her family is just luckier lesser nobles who seized the opportunity with FTL. Or it could be anything else worth acquiring.

Marika's dad will still alive a short while ago, so Gruier could have met him any time. Perhaps he was hired to kidnap her...

[Kraco]

Episode 10 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=294921)





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There is something shady about the royal family. The contradiction with the security code suggested something like that, in addition to the fact Serenity has been regularly looking for the ship. Of course it's still anybody's guess whether they ever found the ship. Is it something that could shake the power structure or is it something they need every now and then? Hopefully the next ep will shed some light on it.

Chiaki was definitely enjoying it. Not to mention Marika, who finally got rid of the theater performances and faced the real shit. Though I'd expect after this she will like the theater even less than before... Maybe she'll become an unruly pirate.

[Ryllharu]

Chiaki was definitely enjoying it. Not to mention Marika, who finally got rid of the theater performances and faced the real shit. Though I'd expect after this she will like the theater even less than before... Maybe she'll become an unruly pirate.She'll become a legendary rampaging pirate like her mother. I don't think they really mind the theater, they just get more and more fired up when they do it, it gets more natural.

This felt like a cheap episode where not much occurred. Perhaps a lot of that is the lazy animation with nothing to look at but purple dust, or orange ignited dust.

[Buffalobiian]

I felt otherwise. The episode felt like shit finally picked up a notch.

Kraco: I believe it'd definitely a struggle for power within the family. The weird code also suggests that Gruir was engineered to follow a genetic pattern.

[David75]

So know instead of Gruyère (yes I prefer the cheesy name...) being put to sleep and back, it might be she's a clone and they are able to input memories into the clones. That's why she knows Marika's father and is so young at the same time.

Regarding the gold ship, for some reason it's like it creates these very difficult flight conditions by itself, as some kind of protection. Weird.

[Ryllharu]

So know instead of Gruyère (yes I prefer the cheesy name...) being put to sleep and back, it might be she's a clone and they are able to input memories into the clones. That's why she knows Marika's father and is so young at the same time.I still think you're reaching with this one. It's true she is very young, but she's a princess. The Bentenmaru is apparently the most famous pirate ship operating, by far. Is it so unlikely that someone as famous as Gruelle met someone as famous as Marika's father? He only died a few months ago, and he himself was captain for only as long as Marika has been alive. Ririka held the title for some time until they married (allowing him to take over) and she retired to give birth to Marika.

Jenny and Gruelle met at a party years ago and remembered each other. Gruelle is far more well traveled in social circles than you are giving her credit for, and many of the pirates are well known to the wealthy and nobility (since they are increasingly likely to be robbed aboard wealthy pleasure cruises than normal people).

[Buffalobiian]

Ririka was a famous female pirate, but I don't think they actually said she was a captain of any description.

[Ryllharu]

When Marika searched on the term "Bentenmaru" in the first episodes, mostly images of Ririka came up, wearing the captain's uniform that Marika now wears.

It's a rather reasonable conclusion.

[Buffalobiian]

When Marika searched on the term "Bentenmaru" in the first episodes, mostly images of Ririka came up, wearing the captain's uniform that Marika now wears.

It's a rather reasonable conclusion.

It's an easy conclusion to come to.. I may have done so myself as well if I wasn't looking a little more.

Disregarding that the uniform is slightly different (fashion over time), when Ririka was testing out weapons with Marika at the scapyard she said "They used to give it (the smaller gun) to me for work" (ep2, 8:27). Add in the casual tone that Misa and Kane use to talk with Ririka (without honourifics), and I'm not so confident that Ririka was a past captain of the Bentenmaru. I'm kinda on the fence.. since the hat and jacket seems to symbolise captaincy.

[Ryllharu]

when Ririka was testing out weapons with Marika at the scapyard she said "They used to give it (the smaller gun) to me for work" (ep2, 8:27). Add in the casual tone that Misa and Kane use to talk with Ririka (without honourifics)
The smaller gun comment was because Ririka had just used a weapon that could punch clear through two separate hulls in a row. Kinda impractical for boarding missions. Who says her superior officer gave her the smaller one? Marika uses what is given to her for boarding missions...

Kane, and especially Misa disrespect everyone. They also did not necessary serve under Ririka, so they may have always known her as, "the captain's wife," and a distinguished former crew member.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 11 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=296810)

[Kraco]

I hope we will soon learn why exactly the old junk of a ship is so important in their internal power struggle. You'd think Marika would be enough of a pirate, less of a soldier to ask why it's worth risking their lives and ship for. The pay better be royal if it's worth the silence as well.

The Bentenmaru crew is actually quite big, now that we saw more glimpses of it. It was some position for a high schooler to suddenly accept.

[Buffalobiian]

We saw Marika's atmospheric re-entry back in the first episode and got an impression that she's pretty good. And now we have Kane on a totally different level. That was pretty cool.

[Kraco]

We saw Marika's atmospheric re-entry back in the first episode and got an impression that she's pretty good. And now we have Kane on a totally different level. That was pretty cool.

He needed to be that good, at the very least. A pirate crew should be made out of eccentrics, and that is certainly true for the other people on the bridge, so Kane needs to belong to that group with stunts like that.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 12 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=298774)

[Kraco]

I feel like the conclusion to this arc failed to address one of the most important details: The amount of dough earned by Bentenmaru for all this trouble and danger. It's not like they are in charity business. The Golden ship was apparently looted many times during the history, so it's unknown whether they could find anything worthy aboard, while the princess was looking the other way.

Otherwise I have to say I quite liked the plot twist.

[Buffalobiian]

I don't quite get what the arc was all about.

The initial problem: What was it again? Power struggle amongst the Serenity royals was something that was rumoured but never confirmed by either party. We thought it was a race to find something on the ship that would end that power struggle somehow.

It turns out to be the birth place of the royal family. The older sister wanted to destroy it, while the younger one wanted to use it to..bring the royal family back to its former glory? How would that work? Produce more babies?

So with the above difference in opinion, the two parties face each other.

-blank-

..And now they ride the ship back to the Serenity system! The womb was no longer functioning.. so did Gruelle win? Why bring the ship back now?

More fundamentally.. what was the ship? They said it was an immigrant ship, but failed to say from where it was migrating. All the time I assumed that Serenity was the old planet that had sent out the golden ship to find a new place to live. As it stands now, it seems more like the current Serenity family and the planet/system/kingdom they rule over actually resulted from leaving this ship (and so perhaps migrated from elsewhere??).

While it's a pretty grand arc and all... it doesn't make much sense.

[Kraco]

I got the impression there was already a planet (or just a country?) called Serenity somewhere, which was possibly being enviromentally destroyed, so they set out to space, with the STL ship. However, as it happens in fiction most of the time, FTL was developed and thus later people arrived sooner than the first ones leaving. So, the later people searched and found the old ship and retrieved all the people to the new Serenity. It's anybody's guess why they didn't take the whole ship back then; maybe it simply would have been far too difficult, as it didn't possess an FTL drive.

As to why they took the ship back now. Aside from the fact they finally could, it no longer presented any practical political divider with the artificial womb running dry. So, it can't produce new royals anymore. All that remains is its symbolic meaning. If the royal family was struggling already, like Gruier suggested, all they have left are political theatrics. Or perhaps it's better as a conclusion to their affairs, so that the populace will finally see where their royals and crisis funds came from, historically. The preview suggested their royal life might be over anyway.

Perhaps the biggest question here is why didn't the royals breed like normal people do...

[Ryllharu]

Genetic purity most likely. Any royal born from that ship would be produced in a safe, artificial environment at the heart of the golden ship, shielded from radiation, parasites, or any other environmental malady the universe can produce. It also sounded like the current Serenity royal family is staggered significantly. Gruier and Hildegarde are close in age probably as a backup to one another, but we don't know how much older the siblings are than Gruier. Since they never tell or show us, I imagine they're at least 20 years older, probably more. I wouldn't be surprised if the family was spread over hundreds of years, "thawing out" a new set when the previous becomes elderly. The two sisters didn't go on the standard, "Let's get a new pair of royals," mission to the ship as had apparently happened so many times before. It is by luck that they did set out, since they were able to get the last baby before it was frozen forever.

As for how the Bentenmaru got paid? Probably very handsomely by the government. They were after all, filthy pirates working for both sides. I like that the legal pirates are used in situations where true legal means would be problematic (i.e. physically/chemically assaulting royalty). They're in a grey area where they don't have to play by the rules, allowing them to solve problems with no legal repercussions. Same as providing thrills to the effete wealthy. They're entertainers, the ultimate diplomats, and function as a crack team of salvage/investigator/mercenaries.

As for Serenity's political struggles, the flagging influence of the royalty was clear. Hildegarde naively thought she could revive it, but the older, wiser Gruier understood that her people no longer needed their guidance. The two girls were already past the figurehead stage. Their government was both self-sufficient and capable of maintaining the "spirit" of Serenity. By bringing the ship back, the two princesses actually further legitimize the non-royal government with the statement made that the royal line's immortality and "threat" has ended.

There is a lot of finite details they're leaving out, but with the other stuff said, you can make a fairly educated guess.

I'm very impressed with Marika. She's grown into a very confident and devious pirate. There's no better training than experience. When Misa made the prince and princess comment, I idly thought that Gruier was about to fall in love with Marika in a serious way. It could still happen.

[Xelbair]

Buff - take note that this show follows the pirates employed by royalty. you think that royalty will disclosure all their inner secrets(internal power struggles etc) to the pirates that they employ?

[Kraco]

Episode 13 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=300786)





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Looks like the political situation of Serenity wasn't as bad as it was suggested, even if it was worsening rapidly. Grueir and Grunhilde could even remain royals, albeit with reduced political power. So, in the end nobody really hated them personally that much, just the old system of government (can't blame them if it was a real monarchy).

Some other details were also revealed, but all in all this was surely a giant step back to the slowness of the beginning of the show.

It still bothers me Marika doesn't call Ririka mom (or equivalent).

[Ryllharu]

It still bothers me Marika doesn't call Ririka mom (or equivalent).
Marika has probably been ordered not to. At least that's how I rationalized the weirdness away.

Grunhilde was considerably more sheltered that Gruier apparently. But it seems everyone is happy with Marika's treatment of the two, and Marika seems to have long-term plans to make the two girls more comfortable with their changing galactic standings, and reduced influence and prominence. The more experience the two of them have, hopefully they will not be as easily manipulated as they were by their government factions.

I was a little taken aback by the comment by the Bentenmaru comm officer that the royal guard captain was hot. Then they showed her, and I agreed. I guess I never noticed her body shape during her previous appearances. I may have been thrown off by the hideous alpine buns in her hair. Her maid dress before looks a lot frumpier than her SP uniform.

edit:
Hmm, how many yacht club members are going to end up on the Bentenmaru's crew? I wouldn't mind seeing Jenny replace Misa when she retires. They both give off a similar All-Knowing "Ufufufu..." feel. Sadly, she has responsibilities to her own wealthy family. Some of them are a little more obvious, like the current club president and hacker (with a juvenile criminal record if I remember correctly), and the new 1st Year who is a highly skilled pilot.

[Buffalobiian]

Some other details were also revealed, but all in all this was surely a giant step back to the slowness of the beginning of the show.


This episode hit all the right notes for me. The breather episode of school life that comes after a breathtaking journey across the stars. I complained about the story missing information about the Serenity political situation, and they delivered it all right here. I have to say I'm pretty satisfied with everything so far.

I'm a little surprised Kane didn't like his stand-in job. He even went as far to say he was married to avoid the troubles. Wonder if he's gay or if he just likes someone on Bentenmaru. I was hoping it would be Misa, but those two don't seem so share that sort of relationship.

I had to laugh at the preview. This show certainly lives up to its name Mini-skirt Pirates. :)

[Kraco]

I'm a little surprised Kane didn't like his stand-in job. He even went as far to say he was married to avoid the troubles. Wonder if he's gay or if he just likes someone on Bentenmaru. I was hoping it would be Misa, but those two don't seem so share that sort of relationship.

He's been a pirate for a number of years and should have already seen the ups and downs of the galaxy. Maybe immature school girls aren't his thing anymore. Though I'm hoping it rather means he already has somewhere a love-interest.

[Buffalobiian]

I would have thought that if they actually were more immature like your typical highschool girls, but give the interesting nature of the Yacht club, I would have thought he'd give it another thought. Maybe at his level he doesn't see them as mature though..

Here's hoping we'd see more of Jenny in the future. Maybe she'll hire out a contract or something.

[David75]

I would have thought that if they actually were more immature like your typical highschool girls, but give the interesting nature of the Yacht club, I would have thought he'd give it another thought. Maybe at his level he doesn't see them as mature though..

Here's hoping we'd see more of Jenny in the future. Maybe she'll hire out a contract or something.

Jenny, first High ranck familly member to get a Corsair liscence?
After all, she has a pretty good crew she molded all those years in the Yacht club, and seems to be a good captain for a "Rookie"

The only thing being the familly rule. But you can always think of solutions for that.

Reminds me we did not have much Chiaki recently. So that Pirate Jenny idea might not be.
Jenny can be useful in many other fields, like galactic enforcement, bounty hunter etc...

[Ryllharu]

Episode 14 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=302694)




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[David75]

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Well, it was obvious the yacht club would be the bentenmaru's interim crew the second Marika was told she needed to do at least one pirating mission to keep the license.
I guess having her in the red outfit was the only purpose of those scenes, and maybe showing us Chika-chan's father and ship

[Ryllharu]

Extremely obvious.

But it was a good chance for Chiaki's father to mess with his counterpart/rival rookie captain, while teaching her a good less for the inevitability when she will have to replace the crew for real, not just a temporary event. Like Marika told Gruier about the drinks, you can't trust something you've never seen for yourself. And picking up crewmen up out of bars skill/personality/demeanor unseen, there's a good chance that a double-agent or similar might try to sneak on board.

Not everyone in the galaxy is trustworthy, and those similar to the cowardly half-assed pirates who tried to attack the Odette II would certainly try something cheap like that. Maybe that's why Licensed Pirates have to inherit captaincy through hereditary means. If a ship is seized, the license would be immediately revoked.

A fun episode, with a good lesson for Marika on the recruiting/business side. Fortunately a safe one too, since it was Chiaki and her father that set her up to fail aboard the relay station. It does make me wonder if Marika's sensors diviner did an ominous reading for what we just saw, or what is still yet to happen.

[Buffalobiian]

Well, it was obvious the yacht club would be the bentenmaru's interim crew the second Marika was told she needed to do at least one pirating mission to keep the license.
I guess having her in the red outfit was the only purpose of those scenes, and maybe showing us Chika-chan's father and ship



I thought Gruir looked better in her grey outfit than Marika in her red one.


It does make me wonder if Marika's sensors diviner did an ominous reading for what we just saw, or what is still yet to happen.

The look of dread in the PV when the crew finds out was gold. :)

[Kraco]

I deemed it terrible script writing Marika looked like she hadn't even considered the yacht club members as opposed to the cliched but believable reason of not wanting to drag them into piracy (to bother them, like the Japanese put it). That was certainly the reason I expected to hear when the real crew was isolated and it was revealed she tried to get a temporary replament from the free market instead of from the obvious people closeby.

What comes to replacing the crew eventually, it would make sense to do it gradually, not all at once. That would be the only way to pass on the accumulated experience and traditions plus ensure you don't hire a bunch of hijackers or otherwise mutinous scumbags.

Nevertheless, Chiaki's old man got a pretty nice introduction. The theory why Chiaki is such a straight-laced perfectionist was also confirmed for good, seeing how her dad really looks like an informal ruffian.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 15 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=304861)

[Kraco]

A nice episode. While in the back of my mind it's worrying me nothing big seems to happen in this show to make it more meaningful - because in the end even the Serenity incident didn't turn out to be that significant - it's still quite strong writing. Heavily simple character development and growing up for Marika, but nevertheless interesting.

Leaving the cannons fully online and without any safety mechanisms was pretty risky, though, even if it's a cyborg normally in charge of them.

I any case, this is a most excellent chance for Marika to show her quality as a captain.

[Ryllharu]

I enjoy the FTL effect in this series. They pierce into subspace, and then slowly squeeze through the barrier until they flash through.

The Yacht Club Academy girls (even the 1st years) are pretty competent to quickly grasp all the intricacies of the Bentenmaru through the manual. I was particularly impressed with the new girl monitoring the engines. Even with a beginners' manual, it takes some knowhow to figure out how two finicky reactors operate.

We can't forget that while they are high school girls, they're also some of the most well versed girls on the planet in how starships operate.

I wonder who is conspiring to have the regular crew held until the Bentenmaru's license is revoked.

[Ryllharu]

HorribleSubs - Episode 16 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=307131)



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A bit goofy, but understandable considering the new crew she's dealing with. It was good that the Yacht Club Surrogate Crew's first mission was an easy one with a well-known, trusted client. It allowed the girls to get their bearings in safe circumstances. I will say that I'm a bit disappointed that the luxury passengers were "more excited" than usual given the club's cheesy outfits. That part was stupid. It was hard to take any of them seriously aside from Lynn. She was the only one of the girls who actually threatened the passengers throughout the raid. Marika didn't, but of course that's been her character since she took over, she's meant to be the refined and classy captain, polite, while controlling her rowdy crew for thugs.

I will admit that I expected Jenny to be aboard the luxury liner, coordinating and assisting from the inside, as Kane did for Marika's first mission, not part of their next mission. But I'm extremely glad she will be the focus of the next episode or two. She's still my favorite character, and she looked stunning in the preview.

Either way, the Bentenmaru's letter of marque is safe, and hopefully whoever is scheming to keep the regular crew in isolation will realize that Marika is not to be underestimated. She gave a really good speech too, and knows how to handle her crew, no matter who it is. She recognized that the freshman girl really did know what she was doing in regards to the engines, and bolstered the girl's confidence enough that now they have got the ship running at full (or close enough) capacity. It has been nice watching Marika's leadership skills really blossom over the course of all these episodes.

[Buffalobiian]

I will admit that I expected Jenny to be aboard the luxury liner, coordinating and assisting from the inside, as Kane did for Marika's first mission, not part of their next mission. But I'm extremely glad she will be the focus of the next episode or two. She's still my favorite character, and she looked stunning in the preview.

On the other hand, I'm really not a fan of the glittery look. On both Guier and Jenny I prefer them in normal clothing/gettup. That said, Jenny pulled it off much better than Guier did. I'm guessing she's getting forced to marry someone and Lynn's rushing over to kidnap her without her actually knowing.

[David75]

Forced marriage and life all set for her... when she probably wants to experience something a little more hectic/thrilling.
She might have had some new desires from the fight they had with their first space flight...

[Kraco]

Quite risky to attack unannounced an armed fleet to kidnap the guest of honour. That sounds like it'd be a serious mission even for the regular crew, let alone these amateurs. Based on the preview Marika accepts the task nonetheless. I suppose that's fitting for her character, but I wonder how through she thought it all: risking both the ship and the students. But then again, it's also very pirate like to try to pull off crazy stunts (for maximum profit).

[Buffalobiian]

Horriblesubs - Episode 17 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=309364)




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edit:
On the other hand, I'm really not a fan of the glittery look. On both Guier and Jenny I prefer them in normal clothing/gettup.

I take it all back. Jenny is awesome. Yuri is awesome.

Expectations totally TWICE exceeded.

I don't see the reasoning behind letting the fleet close in then jumping, and a small jump at that.

[Kraco]

I don't see the reasoning behind letting the fleet close in then jumping, and a small jump at that.

I really expect Marika to have a splendid plan after that.

It's good to see Marika indeed isn't anymore satisfied by textbook pirating (or what goes for pirating in those parts) after the Serenity incident. She wants to feel like a real pirate. I'm now thinking Chiaki's old man sensed that and it's the reason Chiaki is now there: To learn how to act like a pirate, not like some honors student navy officer.

[Ryllharu]

Indeed, I kept thinking that Chiaki would be a horrible pirate once she took over. Everything precisely by the book. She seemed to cut loose when she was taking over Marika's duties during the Serenity incident, but I guess she was just playing the part, because luxury liners work is about as safe and by the book as pirating gets.

Makes you wonder how many other legal pirates are so afraid of losing the Letter of Marque that they take no risks at all. Blatant criminal behavior is not tolerated, but what else are pirates for if they can't operate in legally gray territory? Which was their whole reason for existing in the first place.

Totally did not expect Jenny to be a lesbian. Neither did anyone else aboard. Very well played, but in retrospect, a lot of signs were there. The only key was knowing Jenny and Lynn were more than senpai/kouhai. But if they pull this all off, the Bentenmaru is in for a huge profit. They'll be one of the best funded pirates in the galaxy.

[Kraco]

But if they pull this all off, the Bentenmaru is in for a huge profit. They'll be one of the best funded pirates in the galaxy.

I got the impression the small ship offered as a part of the deal was very valuable as well, and not necessary available for everybody either. Actually it would be a big asset if it's suitable for atmospheric flight. It was small enough for that, at least.

[Ryllharu]

True, the retainer fee is a billion credit military-grade stealth scoutship capable of faster-than-average FTL (the Bentenmaru is already notable for being fast for its size), extremely useful for a pirate crew.

But the full payment is a 10% take of the gross profits (for ten years) of a company that's already one of the fastest growing companies in the galaxy, with a projected gross of 50 trillion credits annually. Marika could buy her own space station.

[Kraco]

Episode 18 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=311643)


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I won't be complaining too much, but it was too easy. The beginning was very promising, but unlike in the Serenity arc, this failed to retain believability till the end. Suddenly digging up both the uncle and the fiance's dirty secrets was too much out there.

Leaving the state of the art stealth fighter to the high school yacht club... Right. I guess with that Marika won't feel too indebted.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 19 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=313595)

[Kraco]

The lesson of this highly exciting episode: Buy a zipper for your pocket.

[Ryllharu]

Or put the damn ring on a necklace...like everyone else with an ring that doesn't fit any of their fingers but want to hang on to for personal reasons.

The two princesses are very keen on staying around the Bentenmaru as much as possible. Perhaps they will be Misa's replacement, as poor as it would be in terms of public relations for Serenity. That's not just because Gruier sat in her seat during the yacht club adventure, but between the two of them (Gruier's playful enthusiasm and Hilde's thorough diligence) they act as confidant and XO.

Gruier still kind of upstages Hilde, but I think Hilde finally found what she wants to do on her own, not simply tag along after her sister.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 20 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=315511)

[Kraco]

I wonder if Coach! once participated in the cup himself. That would explain his explosive enthusiasm, unless he simply plans to use it to catch some of the shady fellows not caring for the truce. Marika not qualifying was a pleasant surprise. Her main character status shouldn't allow everything for the sake of maintaining credibility.

[Ryllharu]

Hilde cheated though. As "splendid" as it was, I hope she trained up so her piloting skill matches her determination. The two princesses are more entertaining than I expected. Politics and Court have made them anything but innocent sheltered puffs.

It really makes me wonder what the hell happened years ago that lead to Hakuho getting banned. Guess the Board isn't too smart though, ultimately hiring the captain who goes to the same academy.

[Kraco]

It really makes me wonder what the hell happened years ago that lead to Hakuho getting banned. Guess the Board isn't too smart though, ultimately hiring the captain who goes to the same academy.

Let's hope it's a nefarious plan to discredit Marika and the school at one fell swoop. Or perhaps they aren't evil, after all, and try to make Hakuho behave by making it clear that by misbehaving they will damage their precious pirate captain's reputation.

[Buffalobiian]

I wonder if Coach! once participated in the cup himself.

I thought that who they were looking up when Hilde looked up the records. It seems strange that the competition's committee has something against the school and their club. Five years is more than enough time for an entire turnover of students, so if we're to believe they have reason to worry, the problem lies in the school's philosophy?


The two princesses are more entertaining than I expected.

Totally, now that Hilde's directed her "aggression" towards things other than suspecting those around her.

Equally entertaining was seeing Misa struggling to pilot the Bentenmaru and having to discard her composed, proud self.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 21 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=317440)


-----------------------------------



















Quite easily my favourite episode thus far. Tense bullet-dodging that set itself apart from all those intimidating Corsair cannons in space, some good Kane scenes here and finally a good Ai-chan ending that highlights her passion for flying.

[Kraco]

If this show wasn't already nearly finished, I'd think the next episode is going to start something bigger. But after 21 small arcs, I guess it'll be nothing major. Maybe we will at least see a few more pirate crews.

[Buffalobiian]

Quite easily my favourite episode thus far. Tense bullet-dodging that set itself apart from all those intimidating Corsair cannons in space,

I meant NON intimidating..

I wonder if the license belongs to the ship, or the captain? If the former, it means that you can become a legal pirate after taking over Bentenmaru and exiling the crew.

[Ryllharu]

Captain.

The crew gets disbanded if the heir isn't transferred the license and performs piracy within a month of being given a probationary license. It was pretty clear on that in the first episodes. They are not allowed to legally perform pirate acts without their captain in command.

If it belongs to the ship, the Odette II would still be a proper pirate vessel, and not a pleasure cruiser for a high school yacht club.

What isn't clear is whether or not a captain can perform piracy on his/her own, or if they must be based out of their ship. It seemed to me that the Letter of Marque is only transferable if the pirate captain heir is inheriting one of the original authorized ships (Bentenmaru, Odette II, Barbalusa, etc.).

[Buffalobiian]

Ah, true. I needed a reminder about that. I doubt the "pirate hunters" are out to kidnap captains and keep them locked as a license then, so it really is pure revenge/envy.

[Kraco]

What isn't clear is whether or not a captain can perform piracy on his/her own, or if they must be based out of their ship. It seemed to me that the Letter of Marque is only transferable if the pirate captain heir is inheriting one of the original authorized ships (Bentenmaru, Odette II, Barbalusa, etc.).

It would make sense if the captain could transfer the license to a new ship, though, perhaps under the same name, with the old getting scrapped. It's not like ships used in piracy should last forever, both structurally and technologically.

[Xelbair]

If noone finds out - it is not a crime - at least when it comes to pirates.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 22 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=319580)

[David75]

------------------------------




Isn't it the first time we actually get to see people killed in that show?
If it happened before, it wasn't presented the same way, that obviously, was it?
It's just that this ep is such a contrast to the 21st eps...

[Ryllharu]

------------------------------
It's just that this ep is such a contrast to the 21st eps...
Yeah, I'm not so sure I liked this episode's feel in contrast to all the previous ones. I was with it until the pirate hunter capital ship did the crazy spin. That ruined it for me. I was expecting it to do something like generate enormous gravity wells that would prevent the pirates from escaping via FTL, not that garbage.

Worse, it is apparently only operated by one person (and presumably tons of computers).

What I did like about the episode was that they discussed Marika's future, and where the Bentenmaru fits in with the rest of the pirate community, and how big it is in total. Out of 200+ flotillas, Bentenmaru is right near the bottom in terms of armament, but thanks to its crew, is one of the most prominent. I sort of got the feeling that while it is well known, it probably isn't very respected by the other pirates, since it evidently mostly does cruiser raids, basically theater. Smart, very capable crew, but not exactly something to terrify those who might cross it.

Maybe that's intentional. The Bentenmaru gets out of binds very quickly, and its non-"generic faces" crew has skills and connections that we certainly don't even see from Chiaki's family. The Bentenmaru gets underestimated, and wins without trying too hard from the unexpected angle, as we saw with Jenny's marriage issue. The other ship got messed up by the hunter's electronic warfare, but Coorie managed to keep Bentenmaru's working reasonably well. Crew obviously matters, and thankfully, Marika has already developed a decent pool to pull replacements from (at least electronic warfare, helmsman, and chief engineer, and probably medic/XO too).

Like I said, I really liked the scene with Kane and Marika discussing whether or not she'll become a real sailor, or just keep doing it part time. I think it's pretty obvious, and Ririka has certainly been pushing Marika in the direction of self-sufficiency, as has the yacht club, and the Bentenmaru's crew. A nice serious discussion after the enjoyable silliness of Jenny and the dingy race.

[David75]

Well, with the outcome of the Jenny adventures, we know Marika does not need to work for a living. She solved the main problem 99% of people have.
Now, she only needs to find something she'll have fun doing.
Seems like Piracy is her thing. And not just the theatrical stunts part of the job. After all, even there, I guess she'd have Jenny's transportation lines as customers.

[Kraco]

Yeah, I'm not so sure I liked this episode's feel in contrast to all the previous ones. I was with it until the pirate hunter capital ship did the crazy spin. That ruined it for me. I was expecting it to do something like generate enormous gravity wells that would prevent the pirates from escaping via FTL, not that garbage.

I could have grudgingly accepted even that zigzag movement, but then they showed that fortress looking second ship with a fricking man standing on top of it, out in space, wearing a masked hero (or villain) outfit. This does look like a strange turn for the show. In the end I've been wondering for the whole duration of the show how the old junks from the long ago war were still supposedly so capable, and thus this episode which showed the real state of modern technology was welcome to a degree. But even so I hope there's a good explanation for the existence of that pirate hunter, including who funded, developed, and owns it. It doesn't look like something fixed using pocket money, more like military doing some field testing using pirates as guinea pigs.

When the fortress ship began to appear, I thought Gruier managed to pull some strings to get the Serenity fleet to intervene, but I guess she couldn't even dream of such feats anymore, and I'm not sure she would have had the boldness to do it even if she could.

[Buffalobiian]

Out of 200+ flotillas, Bentenmaru is right near the bottom in terms of armament, but thanks to its crew, is one of the most prominent.

There were 200 during the Independence war, but the number's down to around 60 now.


When the fortress ship began to appear, I thought Gruier managed to pull some strings to get the Serenity fleet to intervene, but I guess she couldn't even dream of such feats anymore, and I'm not sure she would have had the boldness to do it even if she could.

I thought that too, but then she would have had to hijack Marika's mission logs to track her whereabouts if she was to launch a surprise attack.


I could have grudgingly accepted even that zigzag movement, but then they showed that fortress looking second ship with a fricking man standing on top of it, out in space, wearing a masked hero (or villain) outfit.

It's the almighty former-Bentenmaru captain Katou we're talking about (I think).. his awesomeness can only be legendary.

I didn't get what the big deal was with Kane's PE-teacher persona. It was forceful, but it was fun.. and not unlike some PE teachers I've seen in anime anyway..

edit:

[Single] Momoiro Clover Z ももいろクローバーZ – Moretsu Uchu Kokyokyoku Dai 7 Gakusho "Mugen no Ai" (FLAC)(Download)[2012.03.07] (http://rula.us/3513.html)

[Nipponsei] Mourestu Pirates OP ED Single - Mouretsu Uchuu Koukyou Kyoku Dai Nana Gakushou 'Mugen no Ai' [Momoiro Clover Z].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=294906)

[ASL]_Elements_Garden_-_Mouretsu_Uchuu_Pirates_Original_Soundtrack_Vol_1_-_[MP3]_[w_Scans].rar (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=295672)

[ASL]_Elements_Garden_-_Mouretsu_Uchuu_Pirates_Original_Soundtrack_Vol_1_-_[FLAC]_[w_Scans].rar (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=295671)

[Nipponsei] Mouretsu Pirates Image Song Single - Black Holy [Komatsu Mikako].zip (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=309461)

[Xelbair]

I'm 100% sure that the almighty Hero on top of fortress ship is Marika's father.

[Kraco]

It's the almighty former-Bentenmaru captain Katou we're talking about (I think).. his awesomeness can only be legendary.


I'm 100% sure that the almighty Hero on top of fortress ship is Marika's father.

I thought he was dead. I also thought Ririka was the former captain of Bentenmaru.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought he was dead. I also thought Ririka was the former captain of Bentenmaru.

Ryll said Ririka was a former captain, but none of the characters have ever really hinted as such. The only back-up is that she wore the hat in one of the pictures Marika found on the internet, and that she's well known around the place (everyone knows a famous pirate ship's captain.. but rarely does the name Misa or Kane get spread around).

The mask means mystery man. I can only think of one mystery man.

I would have thought of scars too, indicating that he survived whatever horrific injury the crew thought he fell fatal to. Now that I remember.. they said he actually died of food poisoning...

(/me expecting some gag about him experimenting on a recipe with new native ingredients on an exotic planet and fell into a near-death state)

[Ryllharu]

I always thought it was fairly straightforward that Ririka was previous heir to the Bentenmaru. She's wearing the captain's outfit in all the old photos, and knows the secret pot au feu recipe (that Marika only just found with the command ring). She married whatshisface to get out of the deal (someone had to succeed), and raise Marika peacefully and normally on Sea of Morningstar. If they're married, they're family, and he could inherit the Letter of Marque. Naturally, after he "died," their daughter inherited the ship and Letter of Marque.

It's possible that Ririka went from a horrible cook to a rather decent one because she obtained the recipe from Gonzaemon after she married him on board (or however it happened), but I believe more evidence sways toward her being the captain two captains ago, rather than her just being another enforcer on board. The captain always boards as part of the theater display after all.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 23 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=321606)

[Kraco]

Looks like it could indeed be a live test run of a government ship. A pretty dodgy way of testing weaponry, but then again, it's weaponry so the only way to really test it is to destroy stuff and kill people. At least they found an obvious sadist to pilot it. The pirate from the Empire should be a real pirate, though, not a theatrical one, unless some Empire nobles and social circles started to envy the cruises farther away for having such exotic entertainment and established a licensed pirate order of their own, including much more impressive armaments. If it was a real rogue, though, they would need to be damn good to operate closer to the Empire and its obviously omnipotent military.

Ironbeard's true identity wasn't really confirmed one way or another.

[Buffalobiian]

Ironbeard's true identity wasn't really confirmed one way or another.

Yeah. He really might be some random out of nowhere, but Misa seems to recognise him.

This episode made me believe even more that Ririka wasn't a captain since it seems more comparable to how Misa made a name for herself out there.

The most amusing part this episode was how much fun Gruier had when she was just doing all the stuff she doesn't normally get to do (like wearing a maid's uniform and serving tea).

(University-Life Jenny sighted!)

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 24 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=323499)

[Ryllharu]

(University-Life Jenny sighted!)
Not quite!

As cliché as it often is, I love that kind of development every time it is used. The suddenly beautiful side character gag never gets old for me. Coorie kind of looked like Fine from Symphogear, but I really liked that Horie Yui slid back from her adult refined voice to the lazy slob voice she's using for Coorie for the reveal. If you look carefully at the pretty version, and the slob version we're used to, you can see all the same shapes and lengths in her hair this whole time, which is a nice touch of continuity.

The other great part was that their enemy didn't remain aloof and mysterious, she has the haughtiness to show up at the very semi-secret pirate nest of those she is hunting, without her ship openly threatening the place. She does it just to feel out her opponent. She's worthy of being a pirate herself, if she ever wants to quit who she's working for.

I guess the remaining question is, where is the real Luca (hopefully not dead), and what's the deal with the twin Kanes?


P.S. Oh, and Chiaki getting all embarrassed about her "Onee-sama!" crush on Marika...by her father of all people.

[Buffalobiian]

Not quite!

Yep, I sure was mistaken, and it was a nice refresher too. :)


I guess the remaining question is, where is the real Luca (hopefully not dead), and what's the deal with the twin Kanes?

I had wondered why I like Kane so much.. it didn't hit home until this episode that he gave off Lockon Stratos vibes.

[Kraco]

She's worthy of being a pirate herself, if she ever wants to quit who she's working for.


I don't know about that. She seems like a person who enjoys fighting and killing and not necessarily even for the thrill of battle since she has maintained absolutely superiority of power all the time, even now at the station where she has better chameleon armor than predator ever did. At the moment I'd think she's a semi-insane killer of no morals. If she decided to become a pirate, she would be so ruthless the Empire would hunt her down, unless somebody else destroyed her first. Well, I suppose all that makes her a perfect opponent for Marika.


I had wondered why I like Kane so much.. it didn't hit home until this episode that he gave off Lockon Stratos vibes.

[Gundam 00 Reference]You wish for the Grand Cross pilot to kill Kane like Ali killed Lockon..?[/reference]

[Buffalobiian]

Nah, just the hair, carefree nature and all.

[Ryllharu]

I don't know about that. She seems like a person who enjoys fighting and killing and not necessarily even for the thrill of battle since she has maintained absolutely superiority of power all the time, even now at the station where she has better chameleon armor than predator ever did. At the moment I'd think she's a semi-insane killer of no morals. If she decided to become a pirate, she would be so ruthless the Empire would hunt her down, unless somebody else destroyed her first. Well, I suppose all that makes her a perfect opponent for Marika.
As Marika has been reminded multiple times by others for her development, not all of space is safe, and not all pirates are theater troupes and couriers.

She'd be hunted down, but she wouldn't need nor want a Letter of Marque to operate legally anyway. She considers the current usage of them as a waste. She doesn't even consider Marika and her allies to be true pirates. I got the impression from her discussion that she respects real pirates quite a bit more, ones from the greater Empire.

I didn't mean that she'd make a good Sea of Morningstar region pirate, but a good pirate in general. Less of a Drake, more of a Blackbeard.

[Kraco]

Well, we don't really know. A real pirate wouldn't enjoy going around alone slaughtering other pirates just for the sake of doing it. Where's the profit, freedom, and romance in that? What's pirate like in that? Nothing. She's clearly a dog of some power right now, running a test run for a new machine of war. By any measure she's much lowlier than the humblest of the Sea of Morningstar region licensed pirates. Unless they pull out of their ass for her to be some billionaire that mysteriously managed to fund and have such a ship developed and built for her. Then she would be quite a high-calibre killer indeed.

But I do admit she got it right that the pirates in those parts are sorry excuses. At least Marika has sought a little adventure in addition to those theatrical contracts.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 25 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=325202)

-----------------------------------















Twin Kane... looking back at the episodes, it's all been pretty consistent - Kane referring to "Coach" as someone else when he and Marika talked about speech formalities on the shuttle.. "Coach" tending to the students while Kane showed up at the shady bar with Ririka one time, and quickly appearing on Bentenmaru to save Marika from the yacht-race sabotage as well.

Not the mention the "shady guy at the bar in the corner" was actually Ironbeard (aka Marika's dad) making sure no one touches her.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 26 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=327322)


------------------------------------------








Great finish. Conclusive yet leaving room for more. That red space-suit reminds me of Emeraldas's one.. which = dead sexy.

I wonder if the Gonzaemon really did ditch the rest of the crew with a "food poisoning" stunt in trying to fool them all. Misa might have recognised him because she was the certifying doctor who helped him pull it off, but if even Gruier could recognise him then it's only a matter of time before the rest of the crew finds out, if they haven't already.

[Xelbair]

Damn, the design of the Grand Cross is great - rotating weapon platform, with central unmoving command bridge.
It even has a weakness - zig-zag gravity engine isn't that great - it needs to have route prepared in advance so no sudden changes are possible(although it has no 'cooldown' time, and the route can be plotted pretty quick judging by its performace) - it even has less weapons that we originally thought - just scattered groups of few rapid firing laser beams that just spray the are in front of it.
Not to mention that it is the FIRST battleship in this series that isn't sword shaped.

Sadly its defense against projectile weapons are a joke - ONE missile pierced through layered armor..
We can conclude from that: in Galactic empire nearly no one uses projectile weapons.

This episode was good and i'm seriously hoping for second season(or maybe third even).

[Kraco]

Marika sure had a nice body in the tight space suit, just like Bill noted. I have been thinking that before during the show, from the occasional glimpses granted, but now they really went all out to show it.

Quartz herself was really the biggest culprit for losing this fight. Not only did she grandly underestimate the pirates but her skills aren't anything to speak of. Her only strength was, in the end, the great machine that she wasn't able to utilize beyond 30%, I reckon. Maybe Grand Cross also had some critical flaws in the control systems, but since those would have been made evident even in combat simulations, I wouldn't really count on it. Nobody throws into a battle an obviously expensive ship running Windows 98 as its operating system... I'm not trying to say Marika didn't pull off an excellent fight, she really did, but they wouldn't have had much of a chance against a more capable opponent. But then again, trying to alone effectively control three ships at the same is a joke in itself.

Great last episode in any case. Marika must be a real prodigy in ship captaining (even if she isn't one in planning her personal schedule), so the rest really need to be worried about their future, should they ever find themselves opposing her.

[shinta|hikari]

Great last episode. The series had its ups and downs, with the teenage girl outing parts boring me to death, but the more serious episodes are great.

I can't wait for the movie.

[Ryllharu]

Sadly its defense against projectile weapons are a joke - ONE missile pierced through layered armor..
We can conclude from that: in Galactic empire nearly no one uses projectile weapons
Not really a surprise. Once they invented effective large-scale laser weapons, the added weight of projectile weapons, or even kinetic ones is a liability. The reactors are going to generate what they will, so less weight, the better, plus, laser weapons have "ammo" as long as the reactors are still running.

But the bigger difference was the volume of them. Pirates use "brutal" missiles. The Barbalusa's singular missile was a beast. They were able to ram in down the beta-Grand Cross throat because they overwhelmed the defenses with a feint. That makes me wonder if the Grand Cross-class barrier system functions similarly to the Macross Pinpoint Barrier. An absolute defense, but only in one concentrated focus. A lot of the weaknesses Marika and her merry band exploited was overwhelming Christie's command. She had a lot of automated systems, but she was still only one woman piloting three ships at once.

All in all, a great show. Could have used a little more focus on actual tactics, and maybe a little more realism toward the vein of Starship Operators, but at least it wasn't dry for even a moment. It was fun, and Space Operas are always welcome.

[Munsu]

You guys recommend this series? Seeing 7 pages of discussion I'm leaning towards "Yes".

[Buffalobiian]

You guys recommend this series? Seeing 7 pages of discussion I'm leaning towards "Yes".

Yes. Totally.

Unless you dislike space opera, pirates and enjoyable characters.

[Munsu]

Well, finally began watching this series and it's been quite entertaining. There's something missing I can't quite put my finger on, but otherwise it's been very fun so far.

I also love the OP/ED.

Major complaint is that I honestly didn't care at all for the Serenity Princess arc that just finished, but oh well moving on to the next half.

Also, it seemed like no one discussed the movie. Any of you watched it? You can get it here:
http://whynotsubs.com/projects/

[MasterOfMoogles]

Don't watch the movie.
It is horrible. Absolutely awful.

I really liked the series, though.

[Munsu]

Don't watch the movie.
It is horrible. Absolutely awful.

I really liked the series, though.

For the sake of completeness, I'll probably end up watching it whether it was horrible or not.

[Kraco]

I didn't think the movie was horrible at all. If you didn't like the series, then, sure, it would be horrible. If you liked the series, I don't see how it could be horrible, being basically more of the same. But who knows, maybe I liked it because the new character being helped was a dude, not the 1001st girl to add to the cast of already 1000 girls.

[Ryllharu]

I liked the series and greatly enjoyed the movie. Where the series started to drag in the second half, the movie was concise, full of nods to the large series cast, and had a fully realized and relevant plot to the franchise. It's basically exactly what you could hope for in a movie version.

And the OP is phenomenal. Marty Friedman, formerly of Megadeath, is the guitarist on it.

[Munsu]

So, I'm watching episode 17 now... Lesbo Jenny, enough said...