Nuts, I wanted you to buzz the tower…

That was one of the better dogfights I have seen in a while. It may not be as flashy as those in Macross F but both Allison and Benedict flew magnificently and displayed their fighter pilot prowess. More on that later, but I am surprised that they decide to wrap up the treasure hunt so early. This complicates things a bit as now the destination is shrouded in mystery for now and it seems that this is going to be about a series of adventures rather than one long journey. In a way the resulting peace is a good thing since now Allison and Wil can travel about Sou Beil without much trouble with Benedict in tow.

Lock S-Foils in attack position.

I have you now…

Lost Pyrie, lost Dutch. It came from behind….

So on to the dogfight then, Allison did the right thing in trying to evade Benedict by turning hard and barrel rolling. Granted that her plane was heavier she made the correct choice to dive as she could descend faster that Benedict. Allison’s gutsy move to take the fight vertical and it was admirable that she did it going into the sun to prevent Benedict from getting a target lock. However stalling out so close was a very dangerous maneuver and had Benedict been slow a collision would have been assured, but Benedict was fast in reacting. Sadly for Benedict once Allison stalled she was glued to his six and he could not get out of the vertical and had to stall while she had a clear shot. I think that Allison didn’t spin out because one she’s probably done it before and given that her engine was mounted in a rear facing she more easily nosed over to recover. I guess they have also have superchargers in this universe. Allison did do a preflight check after all given how she got a glimpse of her ammo. Granted that she has already seen Sou Beil’s front line seaplane fighter I guess she did her homework or read the manuals while bored.

They’d wonder why Benedict put purple spots on his plane.

Sure when some cave man does it it’s art but when i do its graffiti and vandalism…

That’s 2LT Love letter to you.

Benedict was no slouch but when he went vertical against Allison he got greedy because they were both going to stall and it would have left him with only one shot. Good thing for Allison that her heavier plane forced Benedict to disengage or collide. In the end though, Benedict shot down four bogies two with “boom and zoom” and the other two with a charge. The only problem I have is that Benedict needed a climbing hack to start his boom and zoom. Still since they got everything else right I can forgive this one flaw.

Your feeble skills are no match for the power of

GRAVITY.

Dumbest War ever over! Fat Dude and Sunglasses dude die in Love Suicide. Read all about it!

I guess these people also had radar and I am glad they decide to put the radar set in the big two engine flying boat as early radar sets were heavy and often required that nose be used for installing the set. So the gang finds the treasure and learns the origin of man. Sadly dome obese officer and his crony demanded to see the gold so that they could good thing Wil broke out his C-96 and forced their foes to an hero themselves. While Allison and Wil deserve credit for the discovery the wisely step aside in favor of 2LT Love Letter, Ker Benedict as he is an adult and is a big shot fighter pilot of some renown. I guess having a dashing ace deliver the news makes it more palatable as the public on both sides of Lutoni are probably ready for peace. So ends one of the most pointless war in recent memory, but then again aren’t 99% pointless?

You Roxchians and you tea…

Dude she so wants to love you tenderly…

And a desperate 2LT Love Letter too…

While Walter did not last long you have to feel for the old spetsnaz who probably killed off his own unruly men with a back flipping hatchet attack. Walter never got a state funeral or a soldier’s funeral. He came back to his widow in a little box. His game be over.

Well next time 2LT love letter finally meets his girl in snow, and some grannie gets a gun…

Art of Seduction Step 1: Pretend you are a lost tourist.

It’s been a brutal weekend but still Allison to Lillia has kept me intrigued. While the old man was captured he did prove himself as one of those old commandos who for some reason still remain fit at ages over 30. Well if that 50 some ex-spetsnaz grandfather of a friend can still look formidable enough to beat people up I guess ex-SEAL Walter could beat up a fat sergeant and a buck private. Looks like Walter could be the gun toting stoic of his own FPS after all. Nevertheless Allison has proved her wisdom and earned her laurels as a Fallschirmjager by skillfully infiltrating herself and Wil into the local base.

I take it from you scowl that this Private Rune ain’t ranking high in you book, Allison.

Quit acting Wil you know you love that wink…

Avast a blonde lady pilot! Time to get on her six…

While Allison is as glorious as ever a new man has been named and Ker Benedict and soon to be ally has made his official entrance. As Allison calls him 2LT Love Letter, she has proven most perceptive as 2LT Love Letter wasted no time in trying woo his female ground crew. The man definitely likes blondes since he bothered to remember Allison. Hopefully he will be of some help to Allison in her quest and he still needs to apologize for shooting her down in that unarmed trainer.

Hehe boy is he going to be pissed when he sees that there aren’t any donuts…

That guy is hauling ass because he thinks its Krispy Kreme.

Great name.

Walter probably found the treasure on his way back given how he’s the only one who struggled to live on after his unit died off. Given his lock picking abilities and weapons training he probably was a great commando in his younger days. For some reason those spec ops guys I run into stay fit even into their forties so it’s not that big of a starch to see an ageing commando beat up a bloated garrison trooper and a kid private. The fact that those garrison troops weren’t breaking out the heavy armor tells me that they were probably Luftwaffe ground crew playing with their Kar 98ks. Though in the end Walter did fight his last battle and did send off Allison in a new seaplane fighter, so it was not all in vain. Thankfully Wil has a photographic memory and we shall soon see what this treasure is.

The one you tore up Allison…

Allison you should have said that you just “had to see him again”…

Happy Allison is fine too.

As I said before Allison’s selection of that private was most inspired as the boy was clearly a boot who was so utterly terrified of his superiors that he was on the verge of wetting his pants. Seeing as how he never put down his weapon I surmise the poor boy has been sleeping with his rifle for some time. Allison may be a corporal she has the makings of an officer, hopefully when this scarp is over she can earn a squadron command. I was delighted in her naming of Benedict as 2LT Love Letter. It’s so blunt and snarky. Nevertheless Allison is falling hard for Wil as even Love Letter looked a bit irritated that he lost out to Wil.

There was a lot of fireworks this time around but this stands out as one of the better gun wanks in recent memory for me because some one was dong their homework. I just love how they added all those little things like those Kar 98k guys actually using their bolts and the three round volleys. The Luger that Walter was using was never fired more than eight (the number of rounds per ) times in succession and included a magazine change. It also helps that the Luger had excellent accuracy making the ranged barrel shots more believable. Things like this make me happy although their rendition of the volksstrumgewehr 1-5 had an extended stock, nevertheless a close enough approximation of one of the more obscure weapons of the 1940s. I like how they kept the German feel of it in the caps, jack boots, and small arms in the Sou Beil Wehrmacht.

Best war trophy ever.

Seal Team 6?

Soon to be the Red Baron.

Well there is going to be a real dogfight next time and Allison is outnumbered 2 to 1 I hope her flying will be magnificent.

Press z or r twice.

I knight thee Lolison.

I was so excited about the prospect of a dogfight that I plumb forgot that Allison took a plane without guns. Next time I hope she gets a fighter…

At any rate it seems that poor Allison did not have any guns to shoot down her foe, nevertheless her flying was marvelous scissors, and smoke gambit were brilliantly played. I liked how she tailed them by staying in the bogie’s low six to stay out of sight, smart move. From the look of things radar is not yet in prominence or at least the Sou Beil civil defense network is still in its infancy. Nevertheless a barrel roll coupled with a dive with smoke was effectively used. Good thing the bogie didn’t account for the bullet drop properly.

Hey night fighter tactics.

Do a Barrel Roll.

First time?

Well after getting down in enemy territory Allison and Wil soon incurred the wrath of the local deer. I just wish Allison just shot them both and called it dinner. Also their cans reminded me of the old C Ration tins. God I just love little details like this that evoke the 1930s and 1940s feel to this show. Still I like the fact that Allison used something that resembled a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless. Sweet weapon with a lot of history as it was the side arm of Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, and Patton. Though the barrel was messed up, still the effort was appreciated, and it was a gun much more suited to Allison as she is on the petite side.

…

…

Dinner time!

So Wil gets knocked out by a doe and Allison carried his carcass all the way to the home of some hostile who lost both her sons and her husband in the last war. I am glad they reconcile as Mrs. Radia was living rather misreably. Speaking of Mrs. Moot I wonder how many more of her children roam the world…it would make for a sweet spy ring. In any case it was nice of the lady to lend out the uniforms of her Royal Guard sons so that Allison and Wil can infiltrate much more easily in enemy territory. In any case Allison clearly has some Fallschrimjager traing as she carried Wil quite some distance despite Wil being bigger. It was a rather odd reversal as it is usually the male who ends up carrying the female with some crap ecchi ensuing. Loli-Allison or Lolison as I call her was so freaking adorable. I just love how she designated Wil or Wilhelm Schultz as her minion or rather she made Wil a major to her colonel. Allison was such a brave little girl, too bad her beloved is as dull as bricks when it comes to people.

Hey opposites attract.

Warmer…

There ya go. Allison, kawaii~desu!

Allison is glorious and she used her honesty to disarm and diffuse and enemy civilian and converted her to the cause. I like how it wasn’t just complete filler as the old man gained some credibility and they did get some much needed disguises and weapons from that lady. This Grandma Moot ought to provide for some more future friends on their journey. The cuckoo metaphor was not great as while both Allison and Wil are orphans they were not harmful parasites to Grandma Moot. Still since the old man was able to recognize insignia he must have had some weight back in his soldaten days. While Wil’s new C 96 Mauser Broomhandle is most welcome shooting a pistol and a rifle are two different things and I hope Wil gets a rifle preferably an SVT-40, Gewehr 43, or M-1 Garand. That or her could mod his new C 96 into a machine pistol. Sorry Shin but it was not a Luger.

It’s no dream my dear…

If that is the limit of your imagination…I am disappointed.

Very disappointed…

Well next time Allison meets an old friend who invited her for tea, too bad he’s the one who shot her down…Allison is going to make him pay.

C 96 Mauser, convertible to fire on full auto…

Allison agrees, mod your gun Wil.

Yes to the Church!

Impz’s thoughts to Episode 2

If there is something that has that little charm not unlike the quiet pieces of Someday’s dreamers, it is Allison to Lillia. This show is definitely a worthy series. Even though the two series are very different, both pieces exhibit a case of exuberant innocence of youth and the learning of life through their many experiences. Allison and Wil provide an almost innocent feel to war. Some of us might prefer the epic style of Last Exile or Code Geass (we might get that later in this series, maybe), but I like the calm style of Allison to Lilia. More accurately, the reality of war and heightened tensions.

Instead of glorifying or creating bias toward either side, Episode 2 gives us a common person’s perspective on war. The old lady Mrs Radia has been suffering from the loss of her kin through the war and has hated the people from the other side. We eventually see her resolving the pain of her heart, one that understands war does nothing but creating hatred between people who are essentially the same. We are all humans and we have no time to hate another human because of his or her nationality.

This is a lesson I feel that many war shows are lacking: the moral dilemma. We have many shows whose approach glorifies violence, killing and the nice explosions/fights that many shounen fans like. This is from a completely different, and might I say, a feminine sensitivity to the issue of war. The truth is that war is fought in the idea of improving citizens, but becomes corrupt with humans fighting for mere power and influence.

Most shows forget the fact that war usually causes more harm than good. People suffer from war. It’s the normal citizen who cannot find food, having family members sent to hell to kill other families, creating post-war syndromes that cannot be rectified in a life time and the HIStory formed by those who won. Those who lost are less than humans. I believe that Allison to Lilia Episode 2 wants us to understand that the only war worth fighting for, is peace.

Striking blue eyes, fine long blonde hair, let me guess you are… descended from Elves. Bonus points for being the only woman this season with jackboots and bomber jacket.

Well the sub for Allison and Lillia finally came out and I must say I love the 1930s feel of it. I still think that it took way more balls to fly back then than it does now, heck with machines of wire and fabric and nary a parachute it must have been a harrowing experience to fly in a biplane. Still glad to see that there are a few historical parallels in this series and Allison is just darling.

I would like to have tea!

Definitely a throwback to the 30s.

So you slapped him?

So yeah the casus belli for the 130 years of war seem so incomprehensibly stupid that there must be more to it. Hence, why that crazy old fart was acting senile, to protect some treasure. The whole poison gas thing interests me though since if it degenerated into trench warfare the resources of both countries must be vast. At any rate it seem that Will is firmly in Allison’s pocket given how he just can’t dissuade her form being rash. Hopefully his marksman skills will be of some use because otherwise he will be playing second fiddle to Allison. Still having a photographic must make taking tests easy, though next time Will needs to pimp out his motorbike side car with an MG-34.

Bonus points if you upgrade to an Garand, SVT-40, or Gewehr 43. I know you can do it Will.

I see only one of you has been working on your infiltration tactics since Stosstruppen school.

If you must steal a man’s plane it never hurts to be polite.

Allison seems much more interesting it’s obvious that she is in love with Will, though the block head doesn’t seem to notice, but she is certainly no damsel in distress. Still Allison is clearly the more physically able of the two being able to jump over walls and effect more smoother landings while Will needs bushes to break his fall. I just thought it was just glorious how she made off with a new plane and new gear for will and left a note saying she was just borrowing. Allison’s start as a transport pilot was not that different from her historical counterparts in the Auxiliary Air Force. Hopefully now that she can be fighter pilot I hope she starts writing her own book of dog fighting. Bonus points for using a slip turn ala Werner Voss. I have great hopes for you mein good Leutnant.

ZOMG! Rolling Scissors 4TW!

Mein Leutnant and mein jager look so handsome in their formal wear.

A tip of my hat to Will for not trying anything with Allison. A wag of my finger to Allison for not jumping Will and seizing her beloved.

In any case a slow start but an interesting one to say the least. It felt as if the characters were at peace with their ancient enemies and weren’t expecting much trouble after the truce had lasted for a decade. In any case I am hoping for more biplane dogfights, and perhaps a monoplane upgrade later on. However if they keep a two seater Will needs to jerry rig a gunner’s position. Well next time Allison and Will get some snazzy new uniforms and spend a night in the same bunk!

So, ever since I woke up this morning, I’ve been watching season 6 of Scrubs while constantly refreshing the homepage of my chosen RAW provider. That’s something I’m going to be doing for the next week/week and a half. I’ve got all the air dates worked out to my own time (Eastern) and approximate RAW uptime figured out. The first new show of the season is out in RAW format, and I’m here to give you my quick insights on the high-flying adventure that is Allison and Lillia. I’m not here to go into incredible detail, you can hit up Impz’ post over at THAT for more info than you can handle.

Summary

It is the year 3287. Will, a fifth year student, is reading a book while relaxing under the shelter of a huge tree. Under a teacher’s request, Will explains to first year students about the world. Two huge nations are separated by a river and a mountain rage, and has been in a bitter war for a long time. Both sides insist that they are the land of the origins and have been fighting for that purpose. In the last ten years, it is calmed by a fragile truce. His story is interrupted by an emergency landing by a plane.

The pilot is Allison, a blonde girl who grew up with Will after losing her father in the war. They spend some time together to catch up, since it has been a while since they meet each other. Allison talks about her journey and tries to tell him a tale about being confessed by an officer through a letter during one of her trips in the military. Will is too fascinated by the idea of transmuting feelings in letters. He is completely oblivious toward Allison’s feelings. Will also tells Allison about his exploits as a rifleman, winning second place in a competition.

On the way back, they meet up with an old man that is known to be a braggart. He often talks of himself as an attendant of a certain royalty. His legs are tired, and asks for a ride back home. During the ride, Allison talks about the rifle competition, and the old man says that he won the competition thrice during his younger days (a tall tale). He finally reaches home, and he is given a earful by his wife. His wife is leaving the house to buy some groceries, and invites the two for tea. The tea is fragrant and the old man says that he took it during his times as an attendant for royalty.

Allison openly reveals his tall tale, and he admits to it. Nonetheless, he tells them about an event on the war. There is a battle where one of the two sides use biological warfare against overwhelming odds, resulting in a major victory. However, it is told that everyone except the captain died in that battle. The old man says that in that area, there is a valuable treasure that can end the war. Allison believes him, and says that she can fly him over since she has a plane. However, a burly man enters and brings the old man to a tax hearing.

As they drive away, Will finds the situation peculiar. Considering that the man is supposedly from the government, he should know that they are visitors and the bicycle indicates their status as students. Allison immediately hops on the bike to chase the speeding car. As they are about to chase up to the car, the man inside suddenly triggers a gun as Will shoves Allison aside before they are shot. However, the bike is ruined. As they track their way, they find themselves at the gates of a private estate. An unknown aircraft takes off, and Allison speculates that the old man is on it.

Allison decides to infiltrate the private estate, and drags Will along. Inside the mansion, they find an unguarded plane. Allison, as fitting to her rash nature, seemingly decides to fly this plane. They leave a note that they are sorry for “borrowing” the plane. They then give chase as the duo chases that unidentified aircraft. Allison asks how he feels about the experience since he wrote before about his wish to fly and assures Will of her skill in flying. He tells Allison that flying feels even better than how he thought it would be.

Audio

The first thing I noticed was the “*yawn* OP”. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t annoying or terrible, it was quite nice actually. I felt that it would be more suitable as an ED though. The actual ED itself was also quite laid back, however I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the OP. Overall, I’d have to say I’m kinda disappointed.

Next up was the voice of the co-protagonist, Will. I couldn’t get over how odd his voice seemed in regards to his appearance or perceived age. Fortunately, as the episode progressed I gradually got used to it, and by the time the episode ended it had settled in as appropriate. The voices of the other characters seemed fine.

Last thing to note in the audio department is the music. I thought the music was absolutely fantastic. Amazing soundtrack already…I’m excited.

Animation

Not a whole lot to say here on my part. I’m not a huge fan of any of the character design, with the exception of Allison. The backgrounds seemed very “quaint”, and there were lots of still shots and panning. The episode was VERY dialogue heavy, so it was kinda hard to get a feel for the animation this early on.

Vibe

I had a largely negative reaction to this show for the first few minutes. However, once Allison and Will pick up an old man on a bridge, the episode takes a huge turn for the better. After that, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that somehow, this show just might be able to keep me entertained. The combination of great music, a setting/art style that reminds me of all the ‘mob’ levels in Timesplitters (a PS2 FPS), and potential for some decent action have convinced me to watch past the first episode. And I don’t even know what they’re saying most of the time!

Best/Worst Feature
Best: The amazing music just really blew me away. The further into the episode I went, the more I paid attention to the music.
Worst: I’m not a fan of how the side characters are drawn. “Cheap” comes to mind.