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VIDEO ALERT!
If this was an anime series, this is where we'd get a new opening sequence.
... since this is very obviously an anime-style game, we get a new opening anyway. Most of the scenes are slight variations of the first opening; the biggest changes are near the very end.
Google Version!
Youtube Version! - Coming Eventually.
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Once again, without any preface whatsoever, the game launches right into what could be the most worryingly-named chapter yet.
I mean, the least they could do was tell us what SORT of gods were stopping by for brunch. Old Testament? New Testament? Cthulhu-esque?
[Newspaper]
January 2nd - Imperial Capital Daily Report - Newspaper Extra
"A New Enemy Appears" - "Meiji Shrine Thrown Into Chaos"
Headlines: Grotesque monstrosities appear at the Meiji Shrine. A difficult struggle for the Imperial Assault Force, Flower Division.
Grotesque monsters appeared within the Meiji Shrine area, which was bustling due to the New Year. Chaos reigned for roughly one hour.
The Imperial Assault Force, Flower Division, sortied. The creatures were repelled, but the damage was still considerable. Have the spirit armor units "Koubu" been irreparably damaged?
At the appearance of these new enemies, the citizens of the Imperial Capital have been unable to hide their shock.
[Ogami]
Urk...
Well. Going from top to bottom... 1) this would probably be a bad time for Ogami to grow some balls, 2) an even worse time for self-castrationrecrimination, and 3) the worst possible time to show that he never had any balls in the first place.
... it might be better to just plead the Fifth and be done with it.
[Ogami]
... I have no excuses to offer.
[Yoneda]
Honestly... to think that you'd go and lose all of the tiger-model spirit armor units...
[Ogami]
It's shameful...
[Yoneda]
Listen up, Ogami! Just when they thought the Hive of Darkness was over, the citizens of the Imperial Capital are shivering in fear at this new threat...
----
[Ogami]
I see... so you're telling me this because we've failed in our duty to protect the populace, and--
[Yoneda]
What? What? No, I don't care about the POPULACE, I care about the fact that no one's coming to our theater so we're not making any money!!
[Ogami]
... what? B-but, honor and duty and--
[Yoneda]
Look, since when have I ever cared about the populace OR about any of that stuff?
[Ogami]
When it means that we... aren't making money?
[Yoneda]
Precisely, m'boy. You're an idjit, but at least you're learning.
----
[Yoneda]
I can't help that my stomach's gonna start hurting right off the bat.
[Ogami]
Isn't that... because you drink too much alcohol...?
[Yoneda]
Hah? ... didja say something?
[Ogami]
N... no!! It was nothing!
Aah, such a wonderfully psychotic working relationship these people have.
[Yoneda]
Got it, Ogami!? Just because you took down the Hive of Darkness doesn't mean that you can get lazy from all this peace!
If you keep up this shameful behaviour and get it exposed to the public, you'll be demoted to full-time ticket-taker!
----
[Ogami]
...
[Ogami]
Wait, that phrasing... does that mean that I might be able to engage in shameful behavior as long as it doesn't get exposed to the public?
[Yoneda]
Yeah, sure, why not? As long as you can figure out how to kill those damned monsters, I don't really give half a--
[Ayame]
Ahem.
[Yoneda]
-- of COURSE not, you 'orrible 'uman being! Full-time ticket-taker.
[Ogami]
But I'm already technically a--
[Yoneda]
Full-time ticket-taker.
[Ogami]
Wait, doesn't that mean that I won't have to risk life and limb fighting frightening monsters and trying to wrangle six equally-frightening women--
[Yoneda]
Full-time ticket-taker's pay.
[Ogami]
But I'm not actually GETTING--
[Ayame]
We could always do this the hard way, Ogami-kun.
[Ogami]
...
----
[Ogami]
F... full-time ticket-taker!?
[Yoneda]
If you don't want that to happen, then hurry up and think up some countermeasures against those kinds of monstrous opponents!
[Ogami]
Y-Yessir! ... please excuse me!
And then he gets the hell out of dodge.
[Ayame]
Heheheheh... Commander, weren't you just a bit too threatening?
[Yoneda]
That was just right to clear up a head all dulled by New Year's foolishness. Also...
The trick is to never forget about war. We can't let our guard down even in times of peace...
[Yoneda]
Aoi Satan... he might be more of a problem than Tenkai, huh...
[Ayame]
........
And now for a sudden change of scenery! Kouma subtypes color-coded for your convenience.
... given how many times they rely on scene shifts, I can't even BEGIN to imagine how irritating it would be if they'd put in a voice-over'd "MEANWHILE" every single time it happened.
[Kouma]
Ggshaa!
[Satan]
At last, the time has come for you lot to ascend to the surface...
[Satan]
However, we must first consign to oblivion all those who would stand in our way...
[Kouma]
Ggshaa!
----
[Ino]
And, uh, our orders, sir?
[Satan]
Holy freaking crap, are you guys trying to give me a fucking heart attack? When the hell did you guys GET here?
[Shika]
We've... we've been here the entire time, sir. All fifteen hours.
[Satan]
Really? Huh. Anyway, uh, go do whatever it is you guys do best. Rape some villages, pillage some women...
[Chou]
...
[Satan]
Or, uh, or some men...
[Ino]
...
[Satan]
Or the opposite gender of whatever blasted species you circus freaks are supposed to be.
[Ino]
Y... yessir. 
----
MEANWHILE! We snap back to the good guys.
And despite the fact that Satan's crew was fully prepared to start wrecking the Imperial Capital again, we don't hear from them for a good long while.
[Ogami]
Kouma...
Once again, we're treated to a badass, though somewhat recycled, still shot of a time when the band got back together and decided to go into hand-to-hand combat with creatures that tore apart our penultimate steam-powered power suits.
Ha ha ha... man, we suck.
[Ogami]
Six years ago... the Kouma that were sealed deep within the earth by Lt. General Yoneda and the others from the Imperial Army's Anti-Demon Brigade...
... have now been ressurected back to the Imperial Capital by Aoi Satan...
As if to punctuate the greatest understatement ever known to mankind, someone knocks on the door.
[Ogami]
Yes, I'll be right there...
[Ogami]
... what's wrong, Kohran?
[Kohran]
... Ah got somethin' Ah need t' talk with you about. 's it a'right... if Ah come in?
[Ogami]
... sure. Come on in.
They go on in. HOWEVER...
[Sumire]
Kohran... I wonder what she intends to talk with the Ensign about, this late at night...
----
[Sumire]
After all, it is most certainly not eavesdropping. It's the buddy system!
**TWO WEEKS AGO**
[Maria]
Now, the basics of the buddy system is to ensure that none of us will go anywhere alone with the Captain without one of us monitoring the situation at all times. For his protection.
[Kanna]
And for our own protection, too, because we don't know what he might try to do to one of us.
[Sumire]
Precisely.
[Kohran]
Yup. O-Of cour-- ohgodAhcan'tpffft--
[Everyone]
Bwahahahahahahaha!!
[Maria]
... anyway, yes, it's for his own protection. So, are we all in agreement?
[Sakura]
What if we're discussing something delicate with Ogami-san, or, like... what if you went out on a date with him or something, Maria-san?
[Maria]
We'll deal with that on a case-by-case basis. Also, the only way I would agree to something as absurd as a date with the Captain would be if SOMEONE continued sneaking antidepressants into my morning tea. Stop it.
[Kohran]
C'mon, Maria-han, My Mr. Happy Pills've been a change for th' better for ya!
[Maria]
Making me as brain-dead as a giddy schoolgirl is NOT a change for the better, Kohran. Buddy system is go, meeting is adjourned.
----
[Kohran]
Cuttin' straight to th' point... th' chance that we'll be able t' repair th' Koubu is pretty slim.
[Ogami]
What was that?
[Kohran]
And t' tell you th' truth, even if we manage t' get th' Koubu repaired... Ah don't think they'll be able t' beat our opponents next time.
[Ogami]
... which means that we'll need weapons a level above the Koubu... won't we.
[Kohran]
Developin' new spirit armor units, armin' 'em, maintenance... even Ah don't know jes' how much money that'll all cost.
On top of that, all th' Koubu were annihilated... an' finally, thanks to our new enemies, th' Imperial Capital's economy's in tatters.
At a time like this, we don't have th' ability t' make new Koubu...
----
[Ogami]
... actually, I was thinking less "make new Koubu" and more "make more Shogeimaru Bombardment Cannons."
[Kohran]
We wouldn't be a mecha-pilotin' group anymore, Ogami-han.
[Ogami]
Oh c'mon, just make a few cannons, slap a few wheels on them, and let us drive them around the next time any Kouma drop by! There wouldn't be anything left of those demons!
[Kohran]
Look at it this way: do ya really WANT t' have seven Ayames drivin' around Japan?
[Ogami]
... jesus fucking christ I retract my previous argument.
----
[Ogami]
So it's a problem of funding, huh...
Clatter and the sound of footsteps receding into the distance.
[Ogami]
... hm!?
[Ogami]
No, it's... didn't you hear something just now?
[Ogami]
Probably...
[Ogami]
Well... I'm kind of worried about how everyone's doing, so I'm going to go talk to them for a bit.
[Kohran]
Yeah, that's right... might be a good idea t' go an' talk to Yoneda-han an' Ayame-han, while yer at it.
[Ogami]
Right then, I'm off. Kohran... make sure to get some rest.
[Kohran]
Ah ain't really feelin' all that sleepy, but... y'know... good night.
And with that, she takes her leave as well.
----
[Ogami]
Welp, I just finished a conversation with Kohran without falling into a suspiciously unnatural sleep, with all of my organs intact, and without any strange foreign objects inserted into various parts of my body.
[Ogami]
...
[Ogami]
Holy shit, no WONDER something felt off.
----
And free roam begins. Thankfully, there's not all that much going on, so I'll have time to talk to every character and then some.
To warm up, I suppose it would be best to start with one of the most easily-read characters in the game.
----
[Ogami]
That's what SHE said!
[Ogami]
...
[Ogami]
Wait, that really doesn't work in this situation, does it.
[Kanna]
Not really, no.
----
[Ogami]
Nope... just doing the nightly rounds and seeing how everyone's doing.
[Kanna]
THOSE are our new enemies...? I can't believe they're really that strong... they're really monsters.
[Ogami]
Kanna...
It's really not a good sign when your most bloodthirsty underling suddenly loses her confidence.
... and it's even weirder when the LEAST bloodthirsty character is the one to provide an emergency transfusion of hot-blooded manliness.
[Ogami]
I won't... I won't give up! No matter what happens, we will protect the peace in the Imperial Capital.
[Ogami]
... Kanna. You will be a part of that effort, won't you?
Problem solved! And her trust level spikes.
[Ogami]
... thank you.
[Kanna]
A life lived without any regrets... well, you can't call something like that "living."
People are creatures that regret... regret... and regret some more.
[Ogami]
Live and... regret?
----
[Ogami]
By regretting that they were ever born?
[Kanna]
... I should probably expand on that, shouldn't I.
[Ogami]
It might help a bit more if you started explaining your reasoning from the ground up, actually.
----
[Kanna]
To regret something... is to recognize that you've made a mistake. And that... you can surmount it.
[Ogami]
Yeah, that's right. Kanna... let's do our best.
----
One down, five to go.
NEXT TIME: Punching women in the face for a good cause!, C'MON TELL ME HUH HUH C'MOOOOOOON, and the reason why I have so much freaking trouble gauging Sumire's reactions.
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