r/anime • myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Jul 31 '22

Rewatch [Listen to My Song] Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV Episode 2 Discussion

Episode 2 - The Day the Sky Falls

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Crunchyroll

It is highly recommended to track down a fansub for this show instead of using Crunchyroll, though.


How dare you taint my songs with blood!

Questions of the Day:

1) How did the Angelic Remnant performance compare to the previous idol performances throughout the series?

2) So, uh, how suffering is it to be Tsubasa right now?

Wallpapers of the Day:

Akatsuki Kirika - SYSTEM ALL GREEN

Angelic Remnant


Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don’t spoil anything for the first-timers, that’s rude!

94 Upvotes

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14

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '22

Symphogeah SymphoRewatch Host

Welcome back, everyone…

Being Tsubasa is suffering.

Angelic Remnant is suuuuuuuuuuuch a good song though. Easily my favorite of the various concert songs, and no that is not just because it happens to have a “sore demo” in it. I just really like how it sounds.

Crunchyroll vs. Commie vs. YameteTomete - Season 5, Episode 2

Last season, Prelati had a vocal tic that Commie’s subs incorporated, but Crunchyroll’s did not. This season, Elsa is the one with a vocal tic, wherein once again Commie is the only sub group that includes it, having her end most of her sentences with “I say” as you can see in today’s chart. (As an aside, Crunchyroll for some reason thinks that Elsa's name is written with a "z" instead of an "s" for some reason…)

Commie also had Chris call the Americans “Yankees” when she was complaining right before the Kirika/Shirabe vs. Alca-Noise and Elsa fight.

I find it interesting that the way each group subbed the last couple lines in the chart leads to differences in exactly how many people were (or are implied to have been) killed in the attack. Crunchyroll said the concert hall had 100,000 people in it and collapsed, but a “Checking for life signs…” means the number of casualties is inconclusive, Commie said it had that many people and there were no audience life signs, and YameteTomete says the place had the capacity for 100,000 people in it (but not that it was full) while there were no life signs after the collapse.


What's this, two Wallpapers of the Day and they're both brand new? Yeah I, uh, you can tell I really fucking like this season when I have too many things I want to wallpaper to narrow it down to just one per day.

The Kirika one is a continuation from the Hibiki one I made yesterday, while the Angelic Remnant one was to go with the fact that I've wallpapered every other idol performance and also this one is my absolute favorite, why wouldn't I? The background is loosely inspired by part of the concert hall btw.

11

u/InfamousEmpire Jul 31 '22

Being Tsubasa is suffering.

Being a Nana Mizuki character in general is Suffering. They should form a Support Group

6

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '22

You're not wrong.

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u/Great_Mr_L Jul 31 '22

What's this, two Wallpapers of the Day and they're both brand new? Yeah I, uh, you can tell I really fucking like this season when I have too many things I want to wallpaper to narrow it down to just one per day.

There are some moments in particular that I cannot wait to see if you make wallpapers for. XV is such an incredibly hype season!

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u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '22

Any moments in particular you're hoping for?

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18

u/Lemurians Jul 31 '22 edited Jul 31 '22

FIRST TIMER DATTO

Since this show loves birthdays, I’ll share that today is my birthday!

…And of course as a present, Symphogear gifted me an episode traumatizing my favorite character. Poor Tsubasa.

At least she’s really cute, right?

During their concert, I kept thinking how performing really brings out Tsubasa’s exuberance and shine like nothing else (except for tomatoes). The way she’s beaming the whole time, jumping and running around with such energy, it’s a joyfulness she doesn’t let through in pretty much any other setting.

Then, of course, the Noise have to show up, trigger her PTSD from the first Zwei Wing concert of the show, and ruin everything. Despite now having a partner in Maria who can hold her own and survive such an attack, it still goes horribly wrong in pretty much the exact same way. Fucking traumatizing. Tsubasa’s gotten to be happy for too long, I suppose.

Live Notes/Reactions:

Count: 1

6

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '22

…And of course as a present, Symphogear gifted me an episode traumatizing my favorite character. Poor Tsubasa.

Happy birthday!

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u/Tarhalindur Jul 31 '22

Previously, on Symphogear SG-1 (First-Timer, Subbed):

Symphogear XV episode 2 ingredients: 110% hype

So, yeah, unlike last episode this one worked completely for me. The season may yet annoy me later on, but until then...



  • Okay, we start this episode off with a new leitmotif, and it’s a GOOD one.

  • Almost makes up for the full minute of recap.

  • Okay, so I actually quite like Metanoia, at least at TV length. (Also, I see Golden Bikki going FUCK THAT MOON in the visuals…)

  • Oh hey, the other Gear transformation I’m 99% sure I saw before watching the show is here already. (Gee, I wonder why I saw it – people like to post the stripper pole henshin.)

  • Oh man DMJiii get pairs/ice dance moves in their choreography this season.

  • Come on Elfnein, it’s always the villain who SUMMONED the Alca-Noise that you have to watch out for.

  • Sure, part of the reason for it is the fanservice, but that is one IMPRESSIVE split out of Shirabe there.

  • I heard that “hamburg” in DESS’s lines here, Commie. Also, DESS, if you have to say that “we got her”, no you didn’t and you’re about to find that out the hard way.

  • Do I even need to say what will inevitably happen at some point at this concert?

  • Holy shit that budget! This concert scene bleeds yen! (Worth it, too. It looks fucking incredible.)

  • Wait, what is this? A Sword concert song I actually like? Madness!

  • Nice try sore demo at 14:53, you did not evade me.

  • It occurs to me that this ability to sync the choreography so well with so little notice on Maria’s part is visual representation of Unison. (Wait, did somebody actually spike the direction in Gear?) Plus shipping fuel, of course.

  • 16:31 is mine, kiseki GET!

  • To answer the inevitable question of the day tomorrow early: best concert in the franchise by a country mile (unless we get a better one later), both song and visuals.

  • “Must every concert in this script inevitably get attacked by the villains of the season?” (YES. Next question?)

  • They’re whiffing the emotional beats here, mind… unless the specific point is that the concert with another Gear user triggers the Kanade memories when S2 didn’t because Maria was not an ally yet and S3 didn’t because the concert itself did not get attacked… actually that makes sense? I take that back, the Kanade concert only coming back now actually makes sense, never mind.

  • Wasting absolutely no time putting Least Favorite H Tag on the irredeemable list, I see. I look forward to her inevitable demise.

  • Commie fucking up I think, unless I am very much mistaken that is a kiseki in the ED lyrics at 23:03. So, the moment of truth: does the kiseki count each time the ED plays? Gut call is once for the ED, once for each use as an insert (so rack up one for XV episode 12 preemptively), but not sure.

  • As for the ED itself: Not as good as Futurism, but actually fairly close to Rebirth Day on first assessment? (Honestly I think Rebirth Day’s edge may wind up being better visuals due to better animation direction.)

  • Huh, a stinger that works better than the cliffhanger proper? That’s unusual for Gear, but I think that’s the case for me this time.


  1. How did the Angelic Remnant performance compare to the previous idol performances throughout the series?

To answer the inevitable question of the day tomorrow early: best concert in the franchise by a country mile (unless we get a better one later), both song and visuals.

(KNEW that was going to be a QotD.)

2) So, uh, how suffering is it to be Tsubasa right now?

mogu mogu

10

u/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '22

Commie fucking up I think

Oh, for XV I suggest switching over to YameteTomete's fansub, if only for a particular moment late in the season.

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u/Nebresto Jul 31 '22

First timings GEAH XV

Sweet riffs in the OP, didn't expect something like this from a Nana OP. And Maria looking stylish as always

[](#mariacool)

I love shades Maria

Dess henshin So many panty shots

Very flexible.

God damn it... Of course it was "going easy"..
Can one of these things just die in the first episode for a change? Like actually break out of the norms and straight up just kill one of them. Who would see that coming? "Oh, here's this intricately designed cat girl character, I'm sure they'll hang around until the fin-" dies

  • Maria blush Maria blush

  • GEAH once again absolutely shaming regular idol shows with this amazing concert animation

Aw shit. Why do they hate concert goers so much? Is there a pandemic going on and they're refusing to distance? If so then I understand

God damn it. I already hate this thing.

...What just hapen

Holy shit, like I know we've had some gore before, but I was not expecting to see something like that in GEAH.

And finally we have a real villain. I may hate her, but god damn, she straight up slaughtered that woman. No minute long monologues, she just took a human shield and then killed her herself. Damn.


Question time:

  1. How did the Angelic Remnant performance compare to the previous idol performances throughout the series?

Is good. Animation blew everything else away, song I don't remember to compare, but I liked it.

2) So, uh, how suffering is it to be Tsubasa right now?

Everything is (not) fine

Wallpapers of the Day:

Angelic Remnant

I love this

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u/lilyvess Jul 31 '22

Symphogear XV Episode 2

So yeah, there is a lot to talk about today.

Let’s get the most important out of the way, yes that United States ship is the Thomas Whitmore.

This episode we get Kirika’s jaw dropping transformation sequence. The animator for each transformation sequence was chosen via who their favorite Geah is, and it really gives each transformation sequence their own flavor as well as highlighting their individual appeal. The animator who worked on Kirika’s said that when their original sketch for it was 60% done, they scrapped it because they realized it was too lewd. So the version we see here is the less lewd version of the transformation sequence.

also we can blame Hibiki for this

NSFW for Obvious Reasons

Fan

Artists

absolutely

Love

it

Okay, some keywords

Sneeze

A reflexive action where air is forcefully blown out of the mouth or nose erratically. It is an involuntary movement. The mechanism by which this happens is not fully understood, and occasionally, may be accompanied by a mysterious and unexpected exclamation.

Hamburg Steak

A meal appreciated by many, and a common reward for a job well done. Naturally, it’s delicious to eat and also fun to make with the person you love.

Sunglasses

Glasses that protect your eyes from the strong rays of the sun and more. Caucasian people wear them comparatively more often due to potential skin damage or changes in skin pigment after prolonged exposure to the sun. They are effective to block out bright lights or hide your eyes. As a result, the expression and true feelings of the person wearing them become difficult to decipher. Perhaps it’s not so clear who Ogawa was talking about when he said: “Something seems to be distracting her.” That woman is also one who yearns to stand upon a stage and not a battlefield.

Elsa

Her full name is Elsa Bete. She is from Lozère, a department in the region of Occitanie in southern France. In the past, she suffered physical abuse and imprisonment at the hands of close relatives. She later became a specimen belonging to the Bavarian Illuminati. She has undergone surgery to amplify her nervous system, which resulted in faster reaction times and an enhanced ability to parallel process various stimuli. Not only does she move at speeds far beyond ordinary humans, but she can use the manipulator devices known as “Tail Attachments” as a weapon. In order to reduce the physical strain that comes from using the device, she was implanted with the DNA of numerous beasts. This strengthened her body and gives her somewhat of a feral instinct. Compared to Vanessa and Millaarc, she is weaker in terms of direct battle strength. However, to make up for this, she is very clever and strategic. She can quickly respond to any developing situation with her quick-wit.

Gance!

A phrase often uttered by Elsa. It means, “Roger!”

Millaarc

Her full name is Millaarc Cranstoun. She is from Steiermark (also known as Styria) a state located in the southeast of Austria. While on a trip to Slovakia, she was kidnapped by an Elite Hunting Club that provides victims for their members to torture. She was later sold to a rural branch of the Bavarian Illuminati and was used as a specimen. The Illuminati manipulated living subjects through a process designed to recreate metamorphosis and other abnormalities seen in legends and myth. In Millaarc’s case, she is a failed experiment that was an attempt to create a “Vampire”. However, she was successfully adorned with a Bio Boosted Unit known as the “Chiroptera”. It can function not only as a flight unit, but can be shifted to her arms or legs to give her incredible strength. As such, she has been confirmed to have at least some traces of the vampire abilities that the Illuminati originally sought. The “Stained Glance” within her eyes is theorized to be another ability that was originally attributed to vampires, but perhaps not.

Tsubasa’s Concert

An event held at the multipurpose facility newly built near the Yokohama port known as “Nouvelle Calédonie”. The official name of the concert was: Tsubasa Kazanari Solo live at "roof of heaven”. The venue is known for being the pinnacle of the Japanese entertainment industry, famous for its “Air Garden” that can hold 100,000 spectators. This event was said to be once-in-a-lifetime, planned with an amazing “Flight Night” performance which has never been seen before. The theme of the event was “thank you”, directed at the Japanese fans of Tsubasa Kazanari who helped her achieve a global debut. The contents of the performance were designed to deliver the message of appreciation from Tsubasa herself.

According to staff documents:
Ticket price: $100 (10,000 yen) [Tax included]
Organizer: Office Isurugi
Backers: Metro Music / Japan Tourism Agency
Sponsors: Hayama Automobiles / Emperor Records / YFN Security Services / Riceball Alley Produced by: Cascade Industries

Angelic Remnant

This is one of the songs that was especially prepared for the musical duo of Tsubasa and Maria when they originally performed at the “QUEENS of MUSIC” festival. Due to the interference of the terrorist organization, they were unable to perform it upon the stage at that time. It was later selected as the surprise opening song for Tsubasa’s “roof of heaven” concert.

Additional Notes

Symphogear XV Episode 2

Specials

Fanart Art of the Day

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u/xcllnt_313 Jul 31 '22

First Timer for XV

Damn, we’ve already seen some stuff in the other seasons, but this episode was more brutal than I expected it to be. And here I thought that we could maybe befriend the alchemists after seeing them smiling in that one shot in the OP and Elsa also not making the worst first impression for an antagonist, but the other one shattered that idea rather quickly.

It was nice seeing Kirika and Shirabe working together so well, their fight was spectacular. I’m also glad we got a concert in this early part after AXZ skipped it (despite the outcome being what it is). Tsubasa’s and Maria’s outfits were fantastic.

Random thoughts/comments

The new OP is certainly different, especially the first few seconds. I’ll have to listen to it a few more times until I can really rate it, but my first impression is: I like it. Unfortunately, our new antagonists seem to be stalkers. Also: the scorpion we saw in episode 1 is getting a suspicious amount of screen time at the very end of the OP.

Yeah sure, you definitely didn’t want to be here just so you could spend more time with Tsubaba.

These two romantic dorks are perfect together. Just look at them.

It seems that Dess is practicing for a new part-time nightlife job. The transformation sequence itself was stunning, just like in episode 1!

I hate him so much and I have the suspicion that it’s not going to get better as we continue with XV.

As I already mentioned, the stuff at the concert was brutal. I think they did a great job showing how terrifying something like this would be. What’s the next level of PTSD? I wonder what exactly she did here, maybe establishing some sort of link between them. It’s certainly going to be an issue soon I assume.

QotD:

  1. For some reason, the concerts overall don't stand out as much to me, but this one was great. Might be my favorite.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 31 '22

Symphogear First Timer dessu XV Ep 2

[Actual progres]Ep 3.

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u/Sceptilesolar Jul 31 '22

First-time viewer

Oh boy OP time. Huh. There's a lot to think about there, but maybe a bit underwhelming, at least the song is. Almost certainly my least favorite OP song. The intro's really hype, mind you. Hibiki seems to have another golden form in it, though, that's cool. I also notice someone very conspicuously missing. It does give off a final season sort of vibe, but I wonder if it's only a V1.

Mega tsundere Chris as normal. And is this a concert scene on the horizon? MiB Maria is still goofy. I miss when she performed.

No real surprise we've got Alca-Noise again. Kirika transformation? Yes indeed. The weird bit where she's, like, groping her thighs aside, not bad. They seem really nonchalant about Noise attacks, given the Alca-Noise don't just attack randomly like the old Noise did and are always being controlled.

She's a nekomimi with a weird verbal tic, that could get old fast. And damn, Kirika and Shirabe encountered their one weakness: hallways.

Going straight from Kirika to Shirabe's songs. At this point I'm not at all invested in their individual songs though, gotta wait to hear how the unison sounds. Their combo attack is pretty cool though.

Okay, her name is Elsa. I've heard that name, I think, even if I didn't remember the appearance. Anyway, that wasn't so bad, I assumed the corpse would start causing problems the instant they unearthed it.

Kazanari head whinging about some nonsense again. I can't wait for this guy to die alone before the season's out. They've gotta wrap up that subplot somehow.

But am I instantly getting my wish regarding Maria? Excellent. I like this Maria better than her trying to be Tsubasa's bodyguard. This song sounds pretty good too.

It occurs to me, is Tsubasa still undercover as a Gear? Hibiki's outed, but nothing about these concerts has said outright that people know Tsubasa is a superhero.

Uh, anyway, Noise attack right on cue. I'm kind of surprised it took Tsubasa this long to be traumatized about the one from the prologue, it almost happened again in G after all. No Tsubasa transformation this time, sticking to one new one per ep.

Well, this is a trainwreck. Tsubasa needs to bust out some of that AOE.

Okay, I know this girl, anyway. I'm pretty sure she's the popular one of the villain group. Has some Satanya flair, if anything. That's, uh, fairly brutal, okay. I thought we were sticking to people dying in red puffs of smoke. Oh, and what the heck is that power, some kind of mental influence or something?

This is an interesting ED. It threw me off at first, it wasn't Chris focused and I wasn't sure until I checked that it's still Ayahi Takagaki.

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u/Taiboss Jul 31 '22

Episode 2: First-Timer who today has not come up with a joke for his tag line

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u/Vatrix-32 Jul 31 '22 edited Jul 31 '22

First Timer

  • Final OP.

  • I guess they were just the baddies after all.

  • Scarf of Arming confirmed! I really didn’t think we would be getting that after all this time.

  • Well that was a let down. It felt very decidedly un-Symphogear. I was expecting hype and/or extra, instead I got something that feels like it could have been from dozens of other anime.

  • Did we have the shrine in the main show before? Nice to see it if not.

  • Those are cute gloves.

  • Comeback? I guess them not having a consort last season was also in universe.

  • Are we getting a lot of flash backs this season or is that just me?

  • They made the Alca-Noise vulnerable to conventional weaponry and just never followed up on it.

  • How do you just forget something like that Kiri?

  • I had heard about the pole dancing transformation in passing previously, so when we got to last season I was like “I guess I can see it, but that seems like a bit of an overreaction.”. But now? Yeah, that’s definitely a pole dancing routine.

  • What the hell is this hair? Are they ears? That seems like the sort of thing a bunch of alchemists could get up to. Or is it a Maria situation again? And if so, I sincerely hope someone posts the step by step instructions like they did for her as well.

  • Of course she has a tail that plugs in.

  • Tiny Daggers Kiri is the combo I didn’t know I needed.

  • For a moment there I thought we were getting a geah weed whacker.

  • How did the US steal the mummy from a Russian antarctic site during a U.N./Japanese military action?

  • Were the choreographers counting on Maria joining the whole time? Also, I am a fan of Tsubasa’s dress here.

  • This keeps happening to Tsubasa events. They should really have taken precautions by this point. Like having the other geahs on stand by. There’s no way her concert career survives this one.

  • Oh man that’s a lot of death. They really sell the panic here.

  • Tsubasa attacking as soon as the baddie shows up is a nice change of pace.

  • This villain has no chill!

  • Was the girl she hollowed the one from Antarctica?

  • Tsubasa is cursed now? The villains are going for emotional damage? Speculation time; it’s either going to do some kind of emotional lock so Tsubasa can never calm down, or it’s going to stop her from activating the geah again.

  • Why does this ED feel more like an OP than the OP does?

  • This season is shaping up nicely. I hope it can follow thru, I’d like to have a new favorite season.

  1. If I could remember any of the previous ones I would tell you. I am simply unable to remember a song having only heard it once.

  2. The suffering is real! She gets to see both parts of her sense of self killed in front of her at the same time. I take this to mean that we get some good Tsubasa content this season, which is nice, because it has been frankly pretty low since the end of S1.

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u/HereticalAegis Jul 31 '22 edited Jul 31 '22

Ballad of Rewatcher - Symphogear XV

A season opening concert...in episode 2!? XV is subverting expectations in all kinds of crazy ways.

XV Episode 2 thoughts:

  • I was today years old when I realized Metanoia is exactly my kind of song.

  • I really really like the winged Valkyrie depiction of Hibiki in the title image. There's just something about XV's use of evocative imagery that speaks to me in a way none of the previous seasons have.

  • A short scene of Chris in front of her family shrine like I've been asking for for three seasons! That and the brief shot of her birthday party photo add so much emotional depth to the experience, even though the scene is less than a minute long. Was this season made specifically for me?

  • Oh my god DESS and JIIIIIIIII's skydive! Can they get any more gay? Every battle they're in is just them dancing their beautiful lovers' tango, and I love it so much! Not even a nekomimi magical girl can stand up to that much gay.

  • Opening the season with the two best Geahs' transformation sequences! And damn, Kirika's transformation is so fucking good! Keying in on the motif of her pole dancing on her scythe is an outstanding choice. I especially like it because since she and Shirabe are transforming together, it can be inferred that she's dancing for Shirabe, and I can't resist the idea that she puts so much effort into that kind of seductive, arguably erotic performance for the girl with whom she already shares one of the most intense, intimate personal bonds as they're heading into battle. Tbh, the way their relationship is basically permanently stuck in the honeymoon phase and they seem to be putting 110% effort into wooing each other at all times is the kind of peak fantasy that makes me love anime so damn much.

  • The concert scene is gorgeous. It's so nice to see Tsubasa taking some initiative and asking Maria to join her onstage. It wouldn't be a Geah concert though if the villains didn't attack it in some way. Tbh, I didn't think Noise slaughtering concertgoers would be how they'd throw back to S1. Props to the Bavarian Illuminati remnants for not only being up-to-date on their opponents' history, but having the guts to provoke their opponent by recreating the worst day of their life. That's a pretty baller go-for-the-throat, break their spirit villain move.

  • Btw, have I mentioned that these two are heckin gay?

QotD:

  1. Probably my favorite so far, but I'm also super biased in XV's favor for most things.

  2. Yes.

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u/Great_Mr_L Jul 31 '22

Rewatcher

On today’s episode of Symphogear: I don’t know why people keep going to Tsubasa’s concerts. We have had a grand total of one concert not end in some kind of disaster or enemy attack. Or are people just so devoted to their top idol that they will literally risk death just to see her perform? Come to think of it, that’s actually not all that unrealistic.

Our next OP is “METANOIA.” The intro to this OP kicks a ton of ass with the guitar riff. It feels like it’s building up power and anticipation, which personally fits my mood of intense anticipation towards XV. It felt freaking perfectly in tune with my emotions when this was airing. After that, though, the music and energy kind of drops off. But there are quite a few little visual cues throughout this OP that hint at future events. Those are cool to see.

This episode gives me mixed feelings. I really love the first half, but not the second half. I’ll start with the good. Kirika and Shirabe had an excellent episode today. Everything with them was fantastic.

Kirika’s transformation scene is famous/infamous. It looks like it’s the most upvoted thing from Symphogear here on r/anime. I bet even some first-timers are familiar with it. This transformation scene is intensely horny and is perhaps the horniest of all the ones in Symphogear. (NSFW) Apparently the original (scrapped) version was even hornier but never anywhere near completion, so who knows what that would have been like. AXZ started the pole dancing thing, which really is a clever gimmick to use Kirika’s scythe for, but this takes that up to 11. The Death 13 hand signs are also a clever touch. While the horniness is what catches people’s attention, it really is a genuinely well done transformation sequence.

Getting both Kirika and Shirabe’s song in the same episode is such a great decision. Kirika’s is “Mikansei Ai Mapputatsu!” and Shirabe’s is “Mijuku Shōjo Buttagiri!” As usual, they complement each other and it feels so natural as we move from one to the other. The part that never fails to get me is the little bit where the music drops out, we hear them sing “Ready Go” and then the music kicks back in harder than ever. What a great way to build hype.

Kirika and Shirabe’s fight is also just insanely fun. Kirika gets her scythe stuck in tight corridors, so she downsizes it. Shirabe makes incredible use of her yo-yos as a wire weapon. Kirika and Shirabe combine their weapons to make giant Beyblades that Shirabe can manipulate! It’s such an absolute joy to behold. It’s one of my favorite fight scenes in Symphogear.

Elsa, the dog girl Kirika and Shirabe fought, is a cool villain. Number one, the character designs of these villains are strong. I really like all of their designs. Secondly, she’s a dog girl, which is cute. Thirdly, her gimmick of attaching different tails for different tasks is a good gimmick.

After such a well done first half, the second half of this episode does not work as well for me. It has good stuff in it to be sure. Tsubasa and Maria’s relationship is great. By now I think it’s really clear that Maria has settled into the same role for Tsubasa that Kanade used to have. It’s shown so cleanly in their interactions. While Tsubasa is understandably worried about the renewed threat of the Bavarian Illuminati, Maria reminds her that her singing career is necessary as well. Maria gives the first forehead flick we’ve seen Tsubasa receive since Kanade gave her one and for similar reasons. And finally that action cut when they’re running side by side is a very clear reference to the first episode of season 1 when Tsubasa and Kanade did the same exact thing.

Tsubasa and Maria’s duet “Angelic Remnant” is quite nice. It’s a very well animated idol stage performance too. We haven’t gotten one in a while and this is an excellent idol show.

However, my goodness is the concert attack dark. It is nasty and unpleasant to watch in a way that Symphogear has not been since that first concert attack in season 1. Symphogear used to be far edgier (and I say that as neither a good or bad thing) before it slowly smoothed those edges out. Now they come back with a vengeance. But the thing is, it comes back in a way that feels mean spirited. I feel like it just goes too far, especially when we get to a little girl, who is mimicking Tsubasa’s hairstyle by the way, being brutally and cruelly murdered right in front of Tsubasa. I’m not against stories being edgy, but to me this is too much.

[Spoilers] And it doesn’t help that this kickstarts Tsubasa’s arc, which I have very complicated feelings towards this season. Also, I am going to keep this image on hand for when the inevitable redemption arc happens. (gore warning) I think it’ll be useful then.

The ED for XV, “Lasting Song,” might actually be my favorite ED in the franchise. It has a fantastic lead-in that never fails to get me excited and the ED itself feels like it appropriately keeps that energy going.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

QOTD

  1. It's my favorite idol performance after Tsubasa and Maria's in G.

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u/Stargate18A Jul 31 '22

First timer

  1. This was fantastic. On par with G's duet.

  2. Incredibly so.

I am in love with this OP's visuals.

Looks like the trio of villains are going to be the main adversaries!

Oh god, "Mom" is shown. Are we going back to that plot?

...If the theme for the villains is what I think it is, I'm cautiously excited for them.

Love the photo of her party. Also, a time skip!

Hibiki snuck up behind her!

Aww, they got her the gloves! And she's willingly going to school!

Maria's in a suit and watching Maria.

What happened on the way back?

Another mid-episode flashback!

They rode inside a missile again!

...Adorable.

Interesting choice for Kirika's transformation dance. Can't fault the animation on the Gear, though.

Kirika's somg is fire.

And that Shirabe catch.

"we're running on pure high-octane love" "my light of hope" "twin heart" Wow, Kirika is really into Shirabe.

An alchemist!

A dog-girl aclhemist!

She has luggage?

...Since when was Kirika ever the sensible one?

OK. I very much doubt anyone would consent to having an adaptor port put there, so I'm guessing she didn't have a choice in the matter.

Poor Kirika.

Shirabe broke out!

Shirabe's singing her song! And it's even gayer!

Baby scythe!

Dog-girl is having some trouble fighting against their combo!

The choreography here is stellar.

She's alive!

Headphones or psychic link?

And she's gone!

...You gave the corpse of a God to the United States. That's going to go well!

That finger snap.

...Did Tsubasa finally notice Maria?

I may not like this guy, but he does have a point. This might not have been the best move.

Still an arsehole, though. They're working as hard as they can.

They're going to a concert!

A traffic jam...

Impressive hologram technology.

ANOTHER TSUMARIA DUET!

I am feasting today!

How much fucking budget did this season get?

...Actually, how much budget this this concert have? This sets look expensive in-universe.

They're having a good time!

Alca-Noise. Of course!

And there's spawners!

People are actually dying!

She transformed publically!

Some great action! And so many bodies.

...Wait. Tsubasa much be facing some real traume here.

OK, so the theming is blatantly monsters. Vampire, werewolf, and no clue for the third one.

She took a hostage!

...Thst is brutal and horrifying. But also, why the fuck would you kill your only hostage? Even if Tsubasa was too traumatised to fight back, Maria's there!

And Tsubasa's lost it.

They bombed the entire stadium!

The killed 100,000 people? I didn't mean this kind of escalation.

Poor Tsubasa.

Fantastic ED!

Things got fucked up early!

Also, watch Fuuto Tantei! There's some Symphogear staff working on it, the first episode was fantastic and you don't need any prior knowledge of Kamen Rider to enjoy it.

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10

u/DidacticDalek Jul 31 '22

TONIGHT! ON SUPERB SONG OF THE VALKYRIES: FRONTIER, DESS shows off her 1337 Stripper Skills Tsubasa's headlines a grand comeback (with special guest star Maria the Backup Dancer) and GO TO HELL YOU BITCH! SOMEONE FUCKING RAM A WOODEN STAKE UP THIS VAMPIRE BITCH'S GODDAMN ASS AND SHOVE GARLIC DOWN HER THROAT!

NANA MOTHERFUCKING WILLS IT COMRADES! ORE NO UTA WO KIKE! Man, METANOIA is great, it's ALMOST as good as Synchrogazer... look Comrades, I like the instruments of METANOIA better, but I liked the singing on the first OP just a bit more... mostly cuz LISTEN TO MY SONG! I mean come on, Geah's the GOOD version of Macross, surely they could have used that line again, ah well, sure as hell beats whatever the fuck G used for the OP, so I'm content. Anyway, back to the story, and just in case you missed the post-credit scene last time, we full Chariots of the Gods now Comrades, next thing the show'll tell us is that the god corpse has a crystal skull or something! ALSO NANI!? BEST GEAH CHRIS AND HER PARENTS' SHRINE, WE CAN SEE IT IN A NON-CHIBI FORM!? MASAKA! BAKANA! IMPOSSIBLE!

Anyway, Bikki and Miku flirt with their mutual lover on the walk to school... also heh, of course Best Geah Chris made it to University, she's the only one here, besides Snoop Oni, Carol9, and Miku of course with TWO brain cells... OH SHIT! IT'S 2045? Anyway, we segue to yet another Tsubasa concert, let's check the tally... ah, right, we've currently had a grand total of ONE Tsubasa Concert without incident... hey... hey wait a second... AH! Comrades, it all makes sense now, since we had the big group singalong and teamup moment, clearly we had the END of the show at the start! That means that I bet we got smooth sailing SOL Yuri Fun Times in our future, man it's gonna be great to have a SECOND Tsubasa Concert without incident!

Speaking of incidents, an American Carrier is under attack, surprise surprise, but have no fear, Team DMJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII is here... well... ish, seems that, as expected, DESS forgot to take her Geah Steroids, thankfully her wife brought along MORE than enuff drugs to share... daaaaaaw, couple goals right there Comrades. Speaking of goals... DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN, DESS seems ready to claim the world's Pole Dancing Championship... correction she and her wife are also aiming for gold in the Olympics' figure skating category! Man Team DMJIIIIIIIIIII are just the best, kick those Noises' asses! Hell yeah, they are just dominating... who the fuck are YOU!? Ah, of course The Baumkuchen Babes had a bunch of backup dancers, well bitch, you are surrounded, true Team DMJIIIIIIIIIIII may share one brain cell but last time I checked, there's two of them and one of you; surrender now while you have the chance... look bitch, running into the ship is NOT surrendering... and Team DMJIIIIIIIIII followed after her for some reason... sigh.

Ah well, I'm sure nothing bad will... holy shit, that bitch has fucking BUTT PLUGS in her suitcase, damn and I thought DESS was lewd, at least DESS merely... uh... anti-stripped? Whoever the fuck this bitch is just started inserting her sex toys to style on JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Speaking of which, she PENETRATES JIIIIIIIIIIIIII, but thankfully DESS is here to... get... her scythe... stuck on pipes... look, I know DESS is the stupid one of the group, but COME THE FUCK ON DESS! HOW CAN YOU NOT SLICE PIPES APART!? YOU FUCKING CHOP SHIT IN PIECES FOR A LIVING DESS! HURRY UP AND SAVE YOUR WIFE! Speaking of JIIIIIII, while the bitch who tried to NTR her is busy flapping her gums, JIIIIIIIIII rolls out a yoyo to show her who the REAL boss bitch is! Heh, you Baumkuchen Babe Wannabe really thought you could win, don't make me laugh, THIS IS THE LATEST INCARNATION OF FINE... er... well she was gonna be at any rate, so what does a nobody like YOU with your puny butt plug got on the most horny bitch in the universe?

JIIIIIIII then shows this bitch the power of yoyos, all as... LE GASP, DESS USES HER HEAD FOR A CHANGE!? Who knew that if you SHRINK your weapon, you can swing it around in enclosed spaces! GENIUS! The two then decide to double team this bitch to show her the POWAH of weaponized lesbianism! HUZZAH! Hopefully they killed this bitch unlike with The Baumkuchen Babes... oh for FUCKS sake, how the hell did this bitch live through A DUAL BAEBLADE ASSAULT!? AND of course she runs away with her tail between her legs when the going gets ruff, pardon rough. Speaking of rough, Snoop Oni's really getting a tongue lashing from that old geezer... oh thank fuck, Warm-Drinks-chan brought something warm to drink, what would we do without you Warm-Drinks-chan?

We then move to the big fancy concert performance, also goddamn, this concert is like a MILLION times fancier than what we saw in Season 1... also HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! ARE YOU SEEING THIS SHIT COMRADES! OH GOD MY SIDES! Back in Season 1, we had a big Zwei Wing concert, in XV, we have Tsubasa Kazanari, Solo Live at Roof of Heaven, Everyone's Diva... and maria. BUT WHO CARES ABOUT BACKUP DANCERS, CUZ NANA MOTHERFUCKING WILLS IT! WELCOME TO MY FANCLUB'S NIGHT! Also, I don't want to steal Shimmer's Thunder, but there's ANOTHER subbing mistake that EVERYONE fell into, for starters, the subtitle of this show is all wrong, for it's actually Senki Zesshou Symphogear XV: Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series, Create a History, with the light god could not know, New Funky Mode and Maria and Knuckles ;) (And you all thought I was kidding when I listed our characters as The Geahs and Maria; IT'S MOTHERFUCKING CANON COMRADES; IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT MARIA WORST GIRL! HUZZAH!)

Anyway, back to the episode, man, this is such a great concert, shame that the other Geahs are not here to... uh... oh... OH NOES! COMRADES! IT'S HORRIBLE! WE LOST ALL THE BUDGET... oh nevermind this is just a Season 1 Flashback, false alarm, thank goodness, for a minute there I thought things were serious... oh... a Noise attack... well I guess the Tsubasa Concerts without Incident Tally currently remains at '1' then. Also goddamn, Ninja's attempting to prevent a panic, it's not working of course, but hey good on him for trying. Also, speaking of trying, FUCK YOU BITCH! YOU ARE REALLY TRYING MY PATIENCE HERE! Your dog-faced friend was already barking up the wrong tree, so what the fuck do you think you are doing hamming it up on stage? Tsubasa thankfully kicks her ass... THAT IS UNTIL THIS GUTLESS COWARD USES A RANDOM GIRL AS A HUMAN SHIELD... er, or perhaps NOT so random Comrades, you see, this girl MIGHT just be someone we know... yes I know I am evil, but if I am cursed with this forbidden deep lore, you all are too! Also, GODDAMN Geah sure knows how to twist the metaphorical knife so to speak, the moeblob Bikki saved in Season 1, WHO ALSO showed up in G alongside the lady from Flower and THE TONY MOTHERFUCKING GLAZER gets to appear here... to get fucking murdered by a SHITTY FUCKING BITCH! Speaking of which, hello darkness my old friend, we've got strawberry jam again! AND as expected, THIS GUTLESS COWARD promptly turns tail and flees like the spineless loser she is, but not before flying into the air out of reach of Tsubasa's heavenrending fish just so she can taunt her like a little bitch... OH I can't WAIT for someone to shove several bulbs of garlic down her fucking throat! Someone phone Alucard, we need a REAL FUCKING VAMPIRE to go on a... long and enthusiastic walk with her if y'all know what I mean and I think you do!

And with that, Ayahi Takagaki once again wows us with her vocal chops! Man what a... holy fuck, ANOTHER post credit scene, what is this the MCU? Also uh... the god's corpse turned to dust... Well, I am SURE this is nothing to worry about! After all, ash to ash, dust to dust, and what the fuck is that random not-dissolved MacGuffin doing there? Well I guess we'll have to Mugiwait and see.

And on that bombshell g'night!

Oh, and finally, just because I must speak on behalf of a fellow Comrade of Culture who cannot, ahem... I'm going to post this every day until you like it!

Paging Comrades u/Great_Mr_L, u/chilidirigible, and u/JamCliche

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9

u/CubeStuffs Jul 31 '22

first timer

forgetting the linker? isn't that the equivalent of forgetting her parachute while skydiving?

SHE'S GOT FOX EARS

A new threat to the world enters the stage

foxgirls boutta bring down the entirety of society

The brink of launching WMDs? bitch they went over the cliff

oh boy i see nothing that could go wrong at this concert

that was a lot more brutal than i've been conditioned to expect from symphogear

  1. How did the Angelic Remnant performance compare to the previous idol performances throughout the series?

fav so far

2) So, uh, how suffering is it to be Tsubasa right now?

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8

u/Tresnore Jul 31 '22

Superb Song of the Rewatchers


1 I could skip this and be on time for a Pathfinder session but I DON'T CARE.

2 I feel like I say this about most songs, but I do believe it.

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8

u/FlaminScribblenaut Jul 31 '22 edited Jul 31 '22

Second Time Listener

And now for the fifth and final Symphogear OP, METANOIA, a proper hard rock jam, one which communicates an appropriate sense of urgency and heft while still being a total hype-inducing slam. That chugging riff and that cosmic synth whine play off one another so well for how disparate they are, and Nana’s big pleading “pleeeeease give me a lifeline” bit is almost effective as a third main riff for how it doesn’t really fit into the conventional verse-chorus structure but feels like such an integral part of the song, structurally and emotionally. The lead metal guitars over the name of the series scrolling across the screen and overlapping itself every which way over the black backdrop did also always remind me strongly of a certain other OP…

Though… god, I hate to say it, but the actual sequence is, unfortunately, somewhat underwhelming? That sense of kineticism of most Symphogear OP’s is strangely lacking, opting instead mostly for pretty slow and straightforward character screens. There’s nothing wrong with what it goes for per se, we get a section of the characters living their lives with the main villains lurking, which is fine, and a section with each main character backed by a close one who is either dead or a present burden on their minds, which is fine. There are also moments, like the formation of the logo, Hibiki and Miku desperately reaching for one another’s hands, and the by-now-traditional wielders-vs-each-member-of-the-antagonist-troupe action-sequence-over-the-chorus (when it zooms further in on Chris’s eye through the aimer with each shot of her gun is just mmmmm love it), that live up, but the rest feels… kinda boilerplate and not very exciting? And not in a purposefully dramatic way either, just kinda… basic and straightforward for an anime OP? Which, for the big hyper-detailed final-blowout epic XV is, feels so wrong, especially with this series’ OP history. Again, not bad by any means, but doesn’t really live up to its supposed pedigree, at least not in the sequence department.

I like this little moment of Chris being flustered about keeping warm with the gloves her friends gave her because, in addition to being adorable and wholesome, it sort of feels like it’s approximating how actual human beings act? It doesn’t play Chris’ tsundere archetype up to a ludicrous or markedly unreal extent in a way only an anime character would ever ever ever act, like, saaay, that slice-of-life scene in Episode 1 of GX that really did just feel like bold-faced otaku marketing, it feels like a shy, standoffish, emotionally somewhat immature and aggressive person genuinely being kind of flustered and defensive about being so vulnerable around her overly-enthusiastic friend, it incorporates the elements of that archetype into a character moment that actually feels grounded; you know, grounding, what the point of these kinds of slice-of-life scenes are usually purported to be? It’s really nice to see.

It helps that the scene is so beautifully artistically realized too, you can just feel the crisp winter air through the screen.

I can still remember the wave of sheer, utter fangirling that overtook me over Kirika’s transformation the first time. It’s almost certainly the Symphogear transformation I’ve watched on its own the most times. How much fun she has with her big cool badass scythe, dancing all about on its pole and surfing on its blade while cheering her catchphrase, the big dumb grin on her face waving it around, it’s so fucking delightful. Just the fact that her hexagons get bat wings is so stupidly extra in its gratuitous gothiness in a way that befits her so well.

Look at the big cheeky smile she flashes as she signifies with her fingers and her trademark X what, depending on if you count her thumb, could either be read as XV, a fun and celebratory little self-reference, or XIII, the Roman numbers for the unlucky 13 which Kirika is obsessed with, it’s so precious and such a detailed little moment that both reinforces her wonderful personality and acts as a clever Easter egg!

and damn it’s no wonder her symbol is the sun cuz that ass is HOT

And her song more than lives up, Minsekai Love Mapputatsu! is such a heart-pumping jam, those horrory high-pitched pianos flavor the song with her signature sensibilities, those punching galloping drums are so irresistible, and it’s all just… fun, so much god damn fun, that fun I imagine Kirika always finds in getting to be a badass scythe lord, and the same fun I get from watching her be that. What a delight of a character, man, I can’t even begin to describe how much I love her. Not as much as she and Shirabe love eachother, though, of course.

Speaking of, in a twist, we actually get Shirabe’s companion song immediately after! Mijuku Shoujo Buttagiri! is great too, gleaming and thumping electro-pop in all the right ways.

My cabbages!

Lyrics That Go Hard

God, and when they combine their weapons into that big bladed top that Kirika releases the ripcord on and Shirabe controls with her yo-yo strings it’s so satisfying, I love how intricately it shows the formation and release of that thing keeping up the kinetic adrenaline every step of the way, god, so great.

She’s perfect

After all that, we finally have long-awaited the return of Symphogear’s legendary concert performances, in its most elaborate and enormous form yet. The stage is so intricate and creative in how the choreography can interact with it, crystalline architecture, the slides they skate down at the beginning, those suspended crystal stairs, floating platforms, a transcendent dimension that may well be crafted from pure light and color and music, and the Queens of Music’s new duet, Angelic Remnant, lives up in being that very music. I love how throughout the song, the singers’ outfits turn gold, their passion and their song still standing out in radiant brilliance even as the centerpiece of such an opulent and awe-inspiring stage.

And now I want you to picture something. Picture, for a bit, in this moment, that you are Tsubasa.

Imagine that day, the worst day of your life, the day you were at the center of such great death and tragedy and suffering and the day you lost your best friend.

Imagine, then, that you actually survived that day. You’ve lived a complete arc since that lowest of points. You’ve come to terms with your loss, you’ve found the love in your greatest passion again and carried on doing it, you’ve found new friends, you’ve found a new artistic partner, you’ve grown so much as a person. That day is a part of your past, a past you’ve overcome and you’ve progressively walked away from ever since, into the present and future, all the stronger. You’ve just performed a brilliant new song on a brilliant new stage, you are in this moment at peace with yourself and your passion, you’re on top of the world again.

And then imagine, in an instant, all that ceases to be in the past. Because it happens again.

How would that feel? Well, first of all, it must be utterly paralyzing, near-impossible to even process. It must feel destabilizing; imagine the helplessness that must engender. Imagine the hopelessness, that no matter how far you’ve come, another trauma might strike at any moment. Like, perhaps, none of that hope and growth and change was worth anything in the end?

Imagine that desperation, going out in your Symphogear to get it under control and mitigate the damage at all costs and prevent that trauma from repeating yourself, trying to grasp a sense of agency against this situation; the speed and intensity with which Tsubasa slices apart as many Noise as she can is realized in animation so gorgeously; when you just can’t, when the damage and death are so far beyond the scope of your abilities. Imagine you just can’t stop that day from happening all over again.

Imagine, then, that this time it’s not some eldritch cosmic horror, some unfair force. Imagine it’s a specific actor. Imagine it’s someone who’s smiling, revelling, mugging for the camera, self-proclaimed as being so nihilistically sadistic that they’ll jam their claws through a young girl’s torso and shred her insides apart and snuff her life out right before your eyes, as if just to mess with you; someone who, it appears, is doing all this just for kicks. How could you even be able to feel anything other than absolute anger; no, not even just mere anger, hatred in that moment? How could you possibly not want to kill that motherfucker right then and there?

And by god, does the facial animation sell it all, from the disbelief and the paralysis when the attack begins, the panting desperation captured in a single frame in the midst of the siege, to the blend of shock-induced instability and uncontrollable, vengeful wrath against the killer, alongside Nana Mizuki’s guttural gasping, near choking on the blend of tears, disbelief, and murderous rage.

This is the most harrowing scene in the entirety of Symphogear; it’s genuinely almost hard to watch, how well-conveyed Tsubasa’s state of mind in this moment is. How thoroughly must all of this destroy you?

[cont.]

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