Valkyria Chronicles

[Ryllharu]

I'm not going to completely retype the post I lost somehow, so I'll keep it short.

This episode was severely underwhelming.

Town watch guys were retarded. Standing up to fire from perfectly acceptable cover was the most egregious. The Edelweiss is pretty cool. Like a combination of a T-34 and a Panzer IV. The Empire tanks looked like crappier versions of the American M3.

Alicia's constant flipping back and forth between being pissed, pleased, or even slightly impressed with Welkin is already really stale. He rarely even did anything that might warrant her changes in expression towards him.

The next episode looks like a huge improvment, but I don't know if I want to bother with the series is going to continue at the level these first two episodes were at. The first episode was forgiveable as an introduction, but this was just bad.

Pumpkin Scissors was a lot better than this series by the second episode, and that's a post-war series.

[Idealistic]

Maybe I'm just biased because I really liked the game, but I enjoyed it.

[shinta|hikari]

I liked it too, and I haven't even seen the game.

[Nadouku]

To be honest, I disliked Welkin's way of thinking. Also, that douche deputy deserved to die for being a retard and not listen to Isara's warning. I'm quite surprised at the last bit though. Did a time skip happen or something?

[shinta|hikari]

What's wrong with Welkin's way of thinking? It was pragmatic, and makes sense. The only thing that I can attribute as problematic about it was they way he said it, and how he seems to not care, but these personality traits make me like him as a character, honestly.

[Dark Dragon]

I too also like Welkin as a character since he strikes me as the type of person who can make calm and rational decisions while under pressure.

A "town watch" that consist of untrained civilians and one viable tank vs a well trained platoon of solders and 5 tanks. It really doesn't take much to figure out that is a suicidal situation.

I can appreciate Alicia feeling of wanting to protect her town but i sincerely hopes that she never gets to be in command of anyone else. Alicia is the hothead type of person that will most likely get everyone into a killed if she is in charge.

[Buffalobiian]

-Guy with front line experience *cough* dies. Good riddance.

-I too felt a bit disappointed with this episode because, from the description of the game, I expected something like a Lelouch Checkmate Finish like Code Geass Ep 2. Instead, we got a rather weak introduction into why they joined the military etc. Most of my displeasure comes from anticipating Welkin's genius tactics, but instead, got his pragmatic, but tactless remarks.

It's good that he's level headed and can make calm decisions under pressure, but the fact that he's seemingly uncaring (as opposed to stern but impartial) with a "meh" attitude hardly builds a sense of reliability and camaraderie. You can't say that's unimportant for leadership.

-I'm still onto this show, but I guess starting up with a bang wasn't the direction where this was heading.

[Dark Dragon]

This shows seem to suffers some of the same problems that Tales of the Abyss has due to being a game adaptation. Most rpg games tend to start with a rather boring intro with the sole purpose of introducing the main characters and slowly begin to ease the player into the plot of things. That approach works with games but when translate to anime, the end result is a very dull first few episodes. I've never played it but according to the people who have played the game, the story is very good so i'll give this show a chance. I'm willing to bet that nothing really interesting will happen until we're 7-8 episodes into the series.

[shinta|hikari]

I think the episode 3 preview looks quite promising. They seem to be struggling in a mission, and how that plays out can make that episode spectacular or stupid as hell.

[Buffalobiian]

I think the episode 3 preview looks quite promising. They seem to be struggling in a mission, and how that plays out can make that episode spectacular or stupid as hell.

Wonder how an underwater tank will play out

[Kraco]

Wonder how an underwater tank will play out

Seeing how much water was leaking in, not so well. I don't honestly know if any WW2 tanks were yet designed to work underwater, or if that's only a more recent attribute of the modern tanks. Still, it needs to be remembered these tanks are powered with that strange substance, whatever was its name, so they might not even need the air and exhaust pipes real tanks do (assuming they aren't underwater so long the crew runs out of oxygen).

I didn't actually mind this episode, even if it did nothing to make me more eagerly await future episodes. I have to say I'm not yet particularly liking the main characters.

[Buffalobiian]

Seeing how much water was leaking in, not so well. I don't honestly know if any WW2 tanks were yet designed to work underwater, or if that's only a more recent attribute of the modern tanks.

Tanks these days can work underwater?

[Kraco]

At least some of them. I only know that Leopard 2 can. I'd guess Abrams and T-90 can as well. They can't be any worse, after all, the USA and Russia both being just as big tank countries as Germany.

[Nadouku]

What's wrong with Welkin's way of thinking?

I never said that his way of thinking was wrong, it was just what I disliked. I can understand his point of view since it's his first time at entering a battlefield and he has no experience in combat situations, which is probably why he joined the Military later on.

[shinta|hikari]

Don't bother with semantics. What I obviously meant to say was "Why did you dislike about his way of thinking?"

So are you saying you dislike him being pragmatic? Or his manner of speaking and acting like I suggested?

[Nadouku]

The way he thinks and acts accordingly to the battlefield. As Bill said, we got his "pragmatic and tactless remarks." You could say it was a disappointment, per se. Maybe the next episode will shine some light into Welkin.

[Kraco]

I reckon the problem is that he was, perhaps with his sister, an outsider in a town full of distraught people, who needed to abandon their homes to the enemy forces, and his conduct indicated he didn't much care. He just wanted to get away from the front lines, not understanding these people would be leaving behind everything but their very lives.

[Ryllharu]

I don't honestly know if any WW2 tanks were yet designed to work underwater, or if that's only a more recent attribute of the modern tanks.

T-34s can be restored to working order after being in a bog for 56 years. I think the German Tiger I's were deisgned to ford pretty deep water because they were too heavy.

[masamuneehs]

This episode was severely underwhelming.

this one just isn't for me. the main character's mood swings are too random and inexplicable, the action is only half decent. i did somewhat like Welkin, whatever the reason for his thoughts are, since it's so easy for media to play on emotions, but seemingly quite rare for them to actually try to appeal to a viewer with logic and rationale.

somebody else said it, but this whole thing does feel like the beginning, pretty boring, cookie-cutter cut-out for a video game. but the thing is that I'm NOT playing a video game. I'm sitting at my computer watching a show. And I won't be doing that next week, not for this one.

[Yukimura]

Well my dislike for Alicia's character has been further strengthened by this episode. Idealism is great in a show like Gurren-Lagann where you can tell reality to take a hike but this show seems to be going with a more realistic depiction of war and its consequences and in that regard I simply can't abide Alicia's temperament. Blind heroism, confidence, and sentimentality are certainly likable qualities but they don't win you realistic wars. I think the most dangerous thing I sense in Alicia at this point is her (over)confidence. She comes across as thinking she is the shit because she cares deeply and had some manner of skill compared to the other farmers and shopkeepers with uniforms running around her town. She doesn't seem to understand that there is a hard limit to what any one person with limited military skill and intelligence can do.

After the mini time skip I was rather shocked to see that fainting girl was allowed into the militia until I heard that she was one of those 'illustrious' families. With that, I figure they'll stick her into some sort of support role like counter-intelligence and she'll turn out to really good at it as long as no one shoots at her. Alicia on the other hand, I don't think she belongs in any armed organization more important than a town watch at all. I can barely believe they gave her the rank of Sergeant (i.e leader of other grunts) considering her demeanor. Sure she has plenty of spunk and motivation to defend her country but she seems to lack greatly for discipline, intelligence, and wisdom. Hopefully she'll pick those things up on the way or just be vetoed constantly by the other members of her squad so that she can't get too many people killed.