Anime Pillow Talk: Anime Review: Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova-

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova is a TV adaptation of the Japanese manga series Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio written by Ark Performance.

Storyline
Global warming and rising of sea levels were the factors that caused a big amount of land to submerge. In 2039, fleets of ships called “The Fleet of Fog” suddenly appeared and took over the sea, blocking all communication and preventing humans from traveling. But in 2056, Gunzō Chihaya a former student of the Japanese National Marine Academy, became the captain of I-401, a Fog's submarine that has been caught by the Navy. He and his crew are now called “Blue Steel” and are hired by the Japanese government to accomplish certain missions since they have a big success in surviving and destroying many of the Fog's ships. Their last mission is to deliver the blueprints of a powerful weapon to the USA and a lot of changes take place during this mission.

What an amazing concept this anime series has! Many of the ships that make up the “Fleet of Fog” have their own human models. This is due to the wish of the Fog to gain knowledge from humans. But even though the ships are only weapons as they claim and should only obey silently, we see most of them acquiring human emotions. Many even abandon the “Fleet of Fog” and join “Blue Steel”. This series passes many beautiful messages -such as the importance of free will, love, friendship, family, the need to accept each other and try to live peacefully together- through the main characters.

Main Characters

Gunzō Chihaya, Iona's captain. He touched Iona and activated her. After that he disobeyed the rules of the Academy and “took” Iona. He formed a small crew, the “Blue Steel” and ever since they have been trying to help the Japanese government, which didn't accept them much. The Fog believed that Chihaya was the cause of all the ships leaving the Fleet because they were affected by him, which is actually true.

I-401, or Iona, left the Fog willingly to serve Gunzō Chihaya. She considers herself “his ship” and obey his orders. She seems to love him and in the last episodes she even gives up her ship's body to prevents Chihaya's death.

Takao, the human model of one of the Fog's heavy cruisers, who lost a fight by Iona but Ghihaya didn't sink her so she fell in love with him after that. Then they formed an alliance and she also sacrificed her body to save both Iona and Ghihaya.

Hyuga, the human model of one of the Fog's battleships, who also lost a fight against “Blue Steel” and has become a port operator and supplier for them since then. She likes Iona very much and does pretty much everything for her.

Haruna, or haruharu as Makie calls her, is the human model of one of the Fog's battleships, that after losing against Gihaya is found on a beach by a little girl named Makie. She makes a promise to Makie's creator that she will guard her and Haruna softens by the girl's kindness and becomes her friend and protector. She wears a big and heavy coat and feels weak without it. The moment she wears it she says "shazam" -THE TWO MOST HILARIOUS SCENES IN THE WHOLE SERIES-

Kirishima, is another human model of a Fog's ship that usually fought by the side of Haruna. She lost her human model during the fight with the Blue Steel and her core was put into a Makie's teddy bear by Haruna.

Makie, a design child. Design children was a programm of the Japanese government that intended to create artificial children with more capabilities than humans. Makie is the only design child who managed to survive so she was isolated after making the blueprints for the weapon that is supposed to destroy the “Fleet of Fog”. Makie finds Haruna and Kirishima's core on the beach and gives them shelter. She calls Haruna haruharu and considers her as a friend.

Kongou, the human model of the flagship of the Second Fleet-second in command, who is obsessed with sinking Iona, but in the end Iona reveals to her that all of her anger and hatred come from her loneliness, so Kongou stops fighting “Blue Steel”.