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The TV anime Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Ars Nova is based on a manga titled Arpeggio of Blue Steel by Ark Performance that is currently serialized in Young King Ours. Through the duo of highly reputed director Seiji Kishi and series composer Makoto Uezu, as well as Sanzigen, an animation studio that excels in capturing the look of cel animation using 3D CG as seen in their previous work 009 Re:Cyborg, the anime captures the style of the original manga.
At the beginning of the 21st century, much of Earth’s landmass has been lost due to global warming. An unknown enemy called the Fleet of Fog, a large fleet of battleships modeled after those from World War II and equipped with super weapons, then appears. The Fleet of Fog impose a worldwide naval and aerial blockade, cutting humanity off from itself and signalling their impending doom.
The story begins with the Fleet of Fog Light Cruiser Nagara attacking the Saga Prefectural Space Center, that is until the Fog submarine I-401 captained by Gunzō Chihaya comes to their aid. Gunzō, along with his four-person crew and I-401’s Mental Model (a humanoid interface used by the Fleet of Fog) Iona, are successful in repelling Nagara.
After the fight with Nagara, Gunzō talks with Iona and we get a flashback to the time when he first met her. At that time, Gunzō was a military cadet at the Marine Science and Technology Institute, and for some reason I-401 had allowed herself to be captured by the Japanese navy and she was being held by the government so they could learn all they could from her about the Fog. However, I-401 suddenly starts up when Gunzō touches her hull. Iona then appears in front of Gunzō informing him that she’s been instructed to serve him.
Gunzō mutters to himself, “I want the power to abolish this standstill.”
In response to Gunzō’s words, I-401 prepares for departure with Gunzō onboard. They manage to shake off the pursuing naval fleet stationed at the Yokosuka Naval Base and advance toward to the open ocean.
Back in the present time, I-401 and Gunzō dock at Nagasaki and have a meeting with Ryūjirō Kamikage, the Assistant Secretary of Military Affairs and the one who tasked Gunzō and Iona with assisting at the Saga Prefectural Space Center. Kamikage tasks Gunzō with delivering to America a technological breakthrough in the fight against the Fog: the Vibration Warhead (end of Episode 1).
Accepting the request to deliver the Vibration Warhead to America, Gunzō and crew head to Yokosuka to refuel and rearm. However, the Fleet of Fog Heavy Cruiser Takao is waiting for them along the way. Having their active decoys easily shot down, the crew of the I-401 discuss strategy and how to proceed. Gunzō suggests using the cover of the raging Typhoon to their advantage to get close enough to Takao to attack her head on.
Though still outside of her range, Takao can somehow still pinpoint I-401’s location. Barely shaking off a near direct hit, Iona cannot comprehend why this is so. “From the moment we started moving, I feel like her eyes have been constantly on us.” From Iona’s words, Gunzō is able to conclude that there must be a submarine positioned just under Takao that is feeding her information on their exact location.
Gunzō gives the order and Iona catches Takao off guard by firing her Super Gravity Cannon, which Takao had no idea she possessed, directly at the submarine just underneath Takao, obliterating it in one shot!
Gunzō decides not to sink Takao, but rather to have Iona lock down her armaments and functions and leave her stranded in the middle of the ocean. Takao ponders why Gunzō would spare her and she begins to have an interest in him. Her expression is like a young maiden in love (end of Episode 2).
After I-401’s battle with Takao, they pull into Yokosuka’s fortified harbor, the same place where Gunzō and the others attended the Marine Science and Technology Institute. The crew station Iona in an underground dock, and while they are in the middle of resupplying, the crew is detained by the army.
Meanwhile, Gunzō takes Iona to see the navy memorial for those who died fighting the Fleet of Fog. There, Gunzō explains to Iona the meaning behind visiting a grave. “Humans find meaning in meaningless acts,” poses Iona who is beginning to show signs of evolution in her thinking.
After this, Gunzō and Iona are taken by the army against their will. When they arrive at their destination, they meet up with the rest of the crew, who had be captured earlier, and find that politician Ryōkan Kita is waiting for them. Kita tries to convince Gunzō to hand over I-401 to the government, but Gunzō refuses. During their conversation, an alarm begins to sound. Gunzō summons I-401 and prepares for battle. The Fog battleships Kirishima and Haruna have followed them to the port.
Kita asks Gunzō what he will do, and Gunzō tells him that if there is a power that will ensure the future he will search the furthest reaches of the Earth for it (end of Episode 3).
A dystopian world on the brink of ruin by ships called the Fleet of Fog modeled after WWII warships and carrying super weapons that also have humanoid interfaces called Mental Models in the form of cute girls. Five young friends and one weapon stand up to fight against them. The story’s quick developments and large scale will surely captivate you from start to finish!
© Ark Performance / Shonen Gahosha, Arpeggio Partners
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
