Muv-Luv creator Kouki Yoshimune just hosted âge’s weekly livestream, and he detailed another image board of the upcoming Alternative sequel Muv-Luv: Integrate.
The image board is the one you see above (you can find a version that can be enlarged below), featuring a very relevant character from the series, Yuuko Kouzuki.
Yoshimune-san provided a lot more details (reported by Famitsu) on how to read the image.
Of course, do keep in mind that if you have not played Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative, you likely shouldn’t read below, because spoilers are included. It’s better if you go and play the games first (and you really should) and then come back.
First of all, the character portrayed (as I mentioned in my own analysis a while ago) is Yuuko Kouzuki, basically the deus ex machina of the original trilogy.
The picture features an angle from top to bottom which conveys her weakness, in addition, the oblique angle shot conveys anxiety.
The color of the wall was picked to be the same as that of the clouds of the image board portraying the industrial area (which you can also see in the gallery). The angle is still oblique, but inverted.
The floor represents the past, while the wall represents the future. The future is conveyed as darker, while the past is lit up. It’s a metaphor conveying the things that used to be better in the past.
Another meaningful element is that the floor representing the past portrays a grid. Could that be a symbol of division among humanity or its organizations?
A hive is visible in the middle of the industrial area, while in Yuuko’s picture she is also portrayed in the middle. The similar layout and the reversal of the angle have meaning.
On the floor we can see Misha (the teddy bear owned by Inia Sestina from Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Exclipse) and the stuffed rabbit doll owned by Kasumi Yashiro in the original trilogy.
Yuuko is wearing clothes stained with dried blood. You can figure out that she has not changed her outfit in some time.
Her hair is longer and arranged in a ponytail, showing that years have passed. She also has a visible bruise on her arm, sign of an IV drip.
Her eyes and posture convey apathy, yet she’s holding the stuffed rabbit tightly, which conveys that she may feel something in relation to the doll.
She’s wearing something around her neck which appears to be explosive. In Muv-Luv’s setting bombs can easily be implanted in the body. Could there be a reason to put it in a collar around her neck? Does it remind of something?
There are chairs in the room, and they’re not bolted to the floor. With that, it would be possible for prisoners to hang themselves. However, it appears that whoever is holding Yuuko is not concerned about that.
There is a hint in the 10th anniversary trailer, and it may be related to the scene in which Inia is wearing a United Nations uniform while looking at the sea.
You can watch the full livestream at the bottom of the post.
If you’re interested in Muv-Luv, you should also definitely read our interview with creator Kouki Yoshimune and producer Kazutoshi Matsumura packed with information on Muv-Luv: Integrate, Project Mikhail, Project Immortal, the Kimi ga Nozomu Eien reboot, the Alternative anime, and more.
If you’re unfamiliar with the series you can read my article from a few months ago providing quite a lot of handy information about the lesser-known aspects and games of the franchise
Incidentally, Yoshimune-san recently revealed an updated version of another relevant image board for Muv-Luv Integrate, explained another showcasing a few custom TSF, one showing a dire situation in New York, and another focusing on heroines from past games.
We also have a detailed report of the 20th-anniversary event recently hosted in Tokyo, which was rich with announcements, including the reveal of Muv-Luv Integrate, the announcement of the action game code-named Project Mikhail, an update on Muv-Luv Unlimited The Day After and on the Android version of the original trilogy, the tease of the reboot of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, and the announcement of the Muv-Luv Alternative anime.
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