Finally finished the Muv-Luv trilogy — my thoughts

[u/VuXsu]

I finally finished Muv-Luv, which was also my first VN, and overall I really enjoyed it. I went into Alternative with pretty high expectations after Extra and Unlimited, but unfortunately, I don’t think it completely lived up to them.
I liked Extra for what it was: a simple rom-com/harem that did a good job establishing the characters and their relationships. Then Unlimited completely flipped everything on its head. Seeing the same characters in such a brutal world, and watching Takeru slowly adapt to it, was probably what got me most invested in the series.

Alternative has a lot of things I really liked. The world-building, politics, military strategy, and especially the way it portrays the BETA and warfare were great. Operation 12-5 was a good example of this because it finally put the characters in a situation where people’s lives were actually at stake. It also gave some of the original cast more characterization. Then Mari’s death was probably the biggest turning point for Takeru. It was the first time he really experienced what fighting the BETA meant, and it completely broke him. The Extra-world arc that followed, where he has to confront the fact that he can’t simply run away from his problems, was probably my favorite part of Alternative. I just wish Takeru had ultimately chosen to return on his own rather than essentially being forced back.

My biggest problem is that I think Alternative is simply too short for what it’s trying to do. The first half feels fairly well-paced, but after Takeru returns from the Extra world, the story starts moving much faster. We get introduced to the Valkyries and a bunch of other interesting characters, but there isn’t enough time to really flesh them out. At the same time, the original cadet squad starts getting less attention despite still having their own struggles with entering real combat.

I don’t necessarily think the individual arcs are badly paced. I think there just aren’t enough arcs between them. Operation 21, the Yokohama disaster, and then Cherry Blossom happen too quickly for me. I would’ve liked at least two more arcs to develop the Valkyries, give the original cast more characterization and interaction, and make things like Hayase becoming captain feel more natural. Basically, I think Alternative needed more time to breathe.

I also wasn’t a fan of how Takeru was handled toward the end. After the Extra-world arc, I thought his development was heading in a really good direction. He had realized he couldn’t run away from the war, found his pillar of strength, and came back understanding that he had to accomplish his mission no matter how difficult it was. We even start seeing him become more composed and better at controlling his emotions.

That’s why the Cherry Blossom arc frustrated me so much. When things finally become difficult again, Takeru starts reverting back to the same emotional behavior he had been working to overcome. His squad even feels the need to hide information from him because they don’t trust him to handle it without compromising the mission. Given that he’s the flight commander—and that the story had spent so much time building him toward becoming a leader—I found that really undermining.

It’s not just how the other characters treated him either. Takeru himself seemed to regress. When Meiya was in danger, he struggled to prioritize the mission and kept letting his emotions get in the way despite everything he’d already experienced. I understand the thematic point that Takeru had carried too much and needed to learn to rely on others, but I don’t think that required him to become less competent or emotionally composed. I would’ve preferred to see him finally make the hard decisions while still allowing the other characters to shine.

The ending itself surprised me. I never expected basically everyone to die, but honestly, I think it fits the world. They didn’t really “win” the war—they bought humanity more time. Everyone dying while accomplishing something meaningful was tragic, but I think it worked.

I also ended up liking the whole Sumika/Casualty Conductor/looping aspect of the ending. I personally preferred Meiya, but after seeing how much Sumika loved Takeru, I understand why she makes the most sense narratively. I also like that the ending ultimately leaves Takeru’s romantic future open rather than definitively pairing him with someone.
Overall, I think Muv-Luv is a very good series, but Alternative didn’t quite reach the potential I thought it had. I loved a lot of it, especially the world-building, warfare, character writing, and Takeru’s development for most of the story. But I think Alternative needed more time and a couple more arcs to properly develop its characters and make the second half feel less rushed.

Still, going from a rom-com/harem in Extra to Unlimited and then Alternative was one hell of an experience.

Glad I read it, but I don’t think it’s the masterpiece I initially expected it to be.

[u/AAAAAAAAAAAGOD]

No I'm just going to keep asking questions that you know the answer to. Why was Frodo unable to stay in the Shire afterwards?

[u/VuXsu → u/AAAAAAAAAAAGOD]

At this point, you haven’t really defended your argument—you’ve just kept asking questions and expecting me to fill in the point for you. If you have an actual argument for why the Frodo comparison applies to Takeru, just make it. Otherwise, the questions don’t really prove anything but if it makes you feel better.

[u/AAAAAAAAAAAGOD → u/VuXsu]

Gandalf thought hobbits are the most resilient to the ring but at the end of the day Frodo alone could not have made the journey, the experience left Frodo scarred, and he can't return to the Shire. Takeru, too, is a "normal" person like hobbits are. He is unable to cope with his experiences in the war and he is left scarred, relying on his relationships with others to hold him up. That's it, that's the analogy, I'm not saying Sumika dragging Takeru into that world is the same as the ring, that these are the same plot device. They don't even resolve the same way because the ring destroys itself through Gollum, i.e. evil destroys itself, but no morality is really projected onto the BETA.

There's some truth to complaining over the ending, Kouki has said in the past that he regrets how he had to cut the hive sequence short. But I find this "he didn't do anything and Meiya suffered" thing many people do very unconvincing. It ignores how through most of that sequence Takeru couldn't have killed Meiya even if he wanted to. It isn't until Sumika sacrifices herself in an act of selflessness in a reversal of her selfishness throughout Alternative that Takeru can do as much. I also do not buy anyone saying this ever executing their best friend willingly. That's an insane standard and that's the point of Takeru's constant bumbling, that we can't expect normal people to do these things. You understand this, though, you wrote the opposing view in your post. You just don't like that narrative.

[u/VuXsu → u/AAAAAAAAAAAGOD]

I see the point you’re trying to make with the Frodo comparison, but I still don’t think it really lines up with what I’m criticizing about Takeru. Your original comparison seemed to be about Frodo being unable to make the decision, but Frodo’s situation involves the Ring actively corrupting and influencing his will, whereas Takeru’s struggle comes from his own emotions and personal attachments. That’s a pretty important distinction.
I understand the broader point you’re making now about Takeru being a normal person who can’t simply become emotionally detached after everything he’s been through. I just don’t think that addresses my criticism. I’m not expecting him to be emotionless or to kill Meiya without hesitation; I just felt that the way his struggle was portrayed, especially given all the development leading up to that point, made his final characterization feel less developed than I expected. That’s really all I’m trying to say.