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This is going to be a pretty brief update- just crankin' through the first battle, because the next update's going to be including a good chunk of stuff. Also, I wasn't quite sure what to focus on when covering a battle like this, so this is sort of a test run for future fight-related udpates.
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WE'VE GOT MOVIE SIGN
The video of the first battle is here.
Seriously, at least watch it for the shiny final attacks!
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Now that the tutorial's over, the battle starts in earnest! As you might've guessed, the objective of this mission is simply to destroy all the enemies- not a particularly difficult feat, as they're all weak, melee, and not particularly aggressive. So let's get crackin'!
I forgot to mention: I love this music, AND it's catchy as hell. It's not your standard RPG technorock, which is always nice- that it actually fits the theme and the setting is just icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.
(00:04)
Similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, there's a definite turn order, determined, I think, by each character's movement stats. No matter what, Ogami's always first up to bat, which is always convenient.
Not only does his white Koubu have the Zaku Horn of Leadership, but it wields two swords as well. No wonder he's so damn good at clipping tickets- I mean, if he's so used to cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting...
(00:12)
After spinning the camera around 180 degrees (the other Koubu are off at the bottom of the screen now), I just have him bull-rush the nearest enemy--
-- and pull off a five-hit attack. God, I love not having to worry about defending or anything like that this early in the game.
Sadly, the Wakiji pulls through with like 5 hp, but...
(00:24)
[Wakiji]
Kiiii-----!
... at least our man manages to get a conversation started.
[Ogami]
Wah! It, it replied?! Does it... understand speech?
[Wakiji]
KIIII-----!!
Why the fuck can't we take the effort to try recruiting these guys onto our team? DEMON-DRIVEN MECHANICAL SOLDIERS HAVE HEARTS TOO, GUYS
[Ogami]
So this is a Wakiji...
(00:33)
... tempting, but the wakiji ain't cute enough for me to hit option 3. 
[Ogami]
I'll do my best to defeat it! For we must protect the peace of our Imperial Capital!!
[Yoneda]
Hoh? So that proud mouth of your is smack-talkin' even before your first fight's over, huh?
[Ogami]
.... did I just get praised? Though I didn't get that feeling at ALL....
Only Yoneda could praise and put down in the same phrase. 
[Wakiji]
Kiiii-----?
(00:52)
----
Sakura's up next. As if the sword doesn't make her samurainess plain enough to see, her pink Koubu is also customized with those nifty red samurai hip/leg-guards.
One strike finishes off what Ogami started. 
(01:10)
In case you haven't noticed, each character's in-battle sayings are more ego-stroking DIFFER depending on their trust level with Ogami. 
I end her turn next to him anyway. Since this is the first battle, everyone has something to say to Ogami....
(01:22)
You tore one apart with your bare hands, woman. Crushing it with an even bigger robot probably isn't that big of an accomplishment.
[Ogami]
Aah, that's right. Let's keep it up and take back Ueno Park!
[Sakura]
Yes, I'll do my best!! Because, you know...
[Sakura]
... Ueno Park WAS an important place, for the both of us...
[Ogami]
Eh.....
[Sakura]
Ogami-san... you still remember what happened at this park, right?
Ogami got baffled, Ogami nearly decided to interrogate Sakura to make sure that she was REALLY of the Imperial Assault Force, Sakura fell madly in love with Ogami's baffled face...
Yeah, I think he'd remember. I think he'd SAVOR that period of time, as it was before he became aware of the Dread Loli, Iris Chateaubriand's, existence.
[Ogami]
Eh.....?!
(01:33)
Yes, because believe it or not, my memory is BETTER than a goldfish's. 
... we totally should've had an awesome samurai battle TO THE DEATH, though.
[Ogami]
This is the place where we first met. Of course I'd remember.
Can't... can't you just answer that like a normal human being?
[Sakura]
Ogami-san... as expected, you remembered for me.
[Ogami]
Aaah, of course. There's no way I would forget. It's the same for you, right, Sakura-kun?
C... can't you guys just hold a CONVERSATION like normal human beings?!
[Sakura]
Yes....
[Ogami]
Alright then, for the sake of protecting our memories, there's no way we're going to lose!
[Sakura]
Understood! Let's do our best together, okay?
God, they're acting like newlyweds, and this is only the first day that they've met. Could you possibly imagine what their date or, gods forbid, their MARRIAGE would be like? They would probably be sucking face 24/8.
(01:51 - 02:03)
The enemies' turns went uneventfully- the Wakiji standing farther away did, like, nothing. Sometimes, even the grunts can outpace your own characters- Maria and Sumire ARE on the slower end of the team, anyway.
----
Even the nearest Wakiji kicking the shit out of Ogami doesn't do a whole lot of damage. He didn't even need to defend.
(02:13)
Maria's Koubu is jet-black. It's got the longest range on the team, and it's arguably one of the cooler-looking mechs; not only is there a gun built into its right hand, but there's what I think is a hip-slung shotgun, too.
I fiddle around with the aim for a few seconds. Maria can USUALLY shoot at things from certain rooftops or hills, but not this time. This isn't her maximum range- it's somewhere between 1.5 and 2 times that long.
"It ends here."
-- she quips coolly, ignoring Ogami's screams of pain as he's caught in the blast radius and pierced by shrapnel.
(02:46)
There's no one left to fight.
----
No one left within REACH, that is.
And because her normal AND special attack ranges aren't so great, Sumire can't even get sloppy seconds. Definitely not a problem during boss battles- Sumire's awesome for those- but it's a pain because most stages require you to get from point A to point B in a relatively swift amount of time.
Granted, I've never had Sumire as my top girl before (or anywhere close, for that matter), so it always seems like she goes dead last.
ALWAYS.
(03:05)
Ogami doesn't even get to mouth off or make cool comments before his turn starts. Everyone else does it for him.
(03:17)
Not that it matters, because WHOA SHIT TIME TO EXPEND WAY TOO MUCH ENERGY TO OFF ONE BAD GUY
"Rouko Mekkyaku..."
"KAITOU RANMA!!
BAM. Wolf-Tiger Destroyer, Problem Solvin' Blade.
... not that the last part actually translates like that. Every other translation of Kaitou Ranma is something like "to cut the Gordian knot swiftly".
That's right, you heard it here first. Ogami is a firm proponent of the following philosophy: if you can't solve a problem any other way, FORCEFULLY CUT IT TO PIECES.
Hell, it's Ogami-recommended, Sumire-approved.
(03:56)
Sakura's turn again! Let's use her to clear the bridge for us.
... as annoying as she is when she's totally besotted by Ogami, Sakura's final attack is, hands down, one of the most convenient things in this game. Not only is it long, it's wide enough to get some clusterfuck action going- and I always try to get at least two enemies caught up in it, hence the fiddilng to make sure that it WILL clear the bridge.
The game also kept trying to make Sakura target the concession stands for some bizarre reason.
"Haja Kensei..."
"OUKA HOUSHIN!"
BAM. Destroyer of Evil's Conquering Sword, Cherry Blossom's Divine Release.
... HOW THE FUCK DO THEY PACK SO MUCH AMBIGUOUS HARD-TO-TRANSLATE MEANING INTO FOUR KANJI SYMBOLS 
Welp, at least the bridge's cleared. Two enemies left. One defends--
(04:44)
-- while the other charges in and pokes Ogami around for a bit.
(04:58)
Of course, this--
-- brings the Wakiji--
-- right into the range of--
-- Maria's--
-- final attack, IF SHE COULD STOP HER PSYCHOTIC NEED TO TARGET CONCESSION STANDS AND EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE WAKIJI THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Goddamn game's autotarget. 
"Echo resoundingly through the withering arctic night..."
"SNYEGUROCHKA!!"
ICE4'd.
'Snow Maiden', a Russian folktale. Thank fucking god for the anime series for translating that- without them, I never would've gotten that (believe me when I say that 'Sunoyeguroorasuka' doth not make for easy translating).
(05:50)
Oh Sumire, you so useless and short-ranged. She more than justifies herself during later boss battles (and, I assume, if she were to become Ogami's love interest), but STILL.
(06:13)
... of course, Ogami's in much the same boat at this point in time. Where's a good ranged unit when you need her?
(06:25)
Sakura comes in, thankfully with enough on her action bar left to smack the Wakiji around a bit.
(06:33)
I guess we CAN spend some time chatting now, 'cause one Wakiji really isn't a threat AND his days are numbered anyway.
... also, he's asking this question to a woman who charged one of these monsters with a sword, AND he's asking this question when they've just about cleaned house. Good timing, mang.
[Sakura]
Thank you for asking. I AM a bit nervous, but... I will be all right.
More importantly, how about you, Ogami-san?
[Ogami]
Eh?
[Sakura]
You've suddenly been thrust into a battle while riding a completely new machine. Doesn't that make you nervous, or make your heart race?
[Ogami]
Let's see...
(06:46)
Because Ogami is neither a pansy or a romantic with horribly inappropriate timing, he answers like any sane navy man would.
[Ogami]
Thanks, I'm fine. We're all fighting together, so I'm not at all nervous.
An ill-founded belief, as we shall soon prove.
[Sakura]
Hehehe... you're right. Somehow, you've put me at ease, too!
Ogami-san! Let's do our best together to protect the peace of the capital!
[Ogami]
Aah, of course! Sakura-kun... let's go!!
[Sakura]
Understood!
AAH OH GOD THE REMAINING WAKIJI KILLED SAKURA OMG HER COCKPIT EXPLODED AND
... goddamn, what'd they make those Wakiji swords out of? Cardboard tubes with dry ice for the special effects? I guess that's the power of Sakura's love for Ogami
(07:26)
Maria takes a potshot at the Wakiji at closer range before ending next to Ogami. I want to hear their conversation, too.
(07:30)
[Maria]
... cover? What are you saying?
If you are the captain, you should be the one to determine whether or not we require cover on this side.
If not... then there is no way I will ever accept you as the captain of the Imperial Assault Force, Flower Division.
[Ogami]
Eh!? E, even if you say that...
[Maria]
Please keep this in mind. Because I have not yet accepted you as our captain.
[Ogami]
I got it... I'll put all my effort into doing my best, so...
This is not an auspicious beginning.
(08:07)
Let's see if Sumire wi
[Sumire]
Oh~hohoho! As expected of the Ensign, you DO know how to make me laugh.
For opponents these weak... you would go to the trouble of making me play backup?
I shall simply conduct myself in the manner of my own choosing.
Please do your best, Ensign!
[Ogami]
Go ahead... I give in...
... go team. 
"We're all fighting together, so I'm not nervous", eh, Ogami?
(08:22)
At least I still have one person and one loli cheering for me, for what little reassurance that it's worth.
And in short order, the last Wakiji is totally punked.
[Ogami]
However, those guys who'd been giving out orders- where on Earth could THEY have gone....
We'll certainly find out next time! And by 'next time', I mean 'tomorrow night'.
Cue the boss battle music. 
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