| Muv-Luv | |
Cover of Muv-Luv (DVD Version) |
|
| マブラヴ (Mabu Ravu) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Ukyou Takao |
| Published by | MediaWorks |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | 2002 – 2004 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Game | |
| Developer | âge 5pb. (Xbox 360) |
| Genre | Visual novel |
| Rating | 18+ (PC)
|
| Platform | PC, Xbox 360 |
| Released | February 28, 2003 (CD) April 30, 2004 (DVD) September 22, 2006 (all-age) October 27, 2011 (Xbox 360) |
| Manga | |
| Muv-Luv Unlimited | |
| Written by | Tomo Hirokawa |
| Published by | MediaWorks |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | 2004 – 2007 |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Game | |
| Muv-Luv Alternative | |
| Developer | âge 5pb. (Xbox 360) |
| Genre | Visual novel |
| Rating | 18+ (PC)
|
| Platform | PC, Xbox 360 |
| Released | April 24, 2006 (DVD) March 3, 2006 (CD) September 22, 2006 (all-age) October 27, 2011 (Xbox 360) |
| Manga | |
| Muv-Luv Alternative | |
| Written by | Azusa Maxima |
| Published by | MediaWorks |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | 2007 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 6 |
| Novel | |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Original run | October 25, 2006 – June 30, 2009 |
| Volumes | 7 |
| Novel | |
| Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse | |
| Published by | Enterbrain |
| Magazine | Tech Gian |
| Original run | February 2007 – January 2009 |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Manga | |
| Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse | |
| Written by | Takashi Ishigaki |
| Published by | MediaWorks |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | 2009 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 2 |
Muv-Luv (マブラヴ Mabu Ravu) is a Japanese visual novel developed by âge, which was originally released as an adult game for the PC in February 28, 2003. Subsequent versions with the adult content removed were sold for the PC and Xbox 360. Consisting of two parts, Muv-Luv Extra (マブラヴ エクストラ) and Muv-Luv Unlimited (マブラヴ アンリミテッド), the gameplay in Muv-Luv follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the differing scenarios of the female main characters. Muv-Luv was followed by a sequel, Muv-Luv Alternative (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ), which was released for the PC on April 24, 2006 and follows the storyline of Muv-Luv Unlimited. Two fandiscs were also released, Muv-Luv Supplement (マブラヴ サプリメント) and Muv-Luv Altered Fable (オルタード ALTERED FABLE), containing alternate scenarios, short stores, computer wallpapers, and audio dramas.
Muv-Luv has also made the transition to other media. Three manga series based on the games were published by MediaWorks and later ASCII Media Works and serialized in the manga magazine Dengeki Daioh. Shueisha published a seven volume novel series based on Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative while Enterbrain publishes a follow-up novel series, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse in its Tech Gian magazine and follows the events after Muv-Luv Alternative. Total Eclipse has also been adapted into the manga format by ASCII Media Works and an anime series which will air in 2012.
Contents |
The gameplay in Muv-Luv requires little player interaction as much time is spent on reading the text that appears on the lower portion of the screen, representing either dialogue between characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point", where he or she is given the chance to choose from multiple options. The time between these points is variable and can occur anywhere from a minute to much longer. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are multiple plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story, and there are twenty possible endings. To view all plot lines, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make different decisions to progress the plot in an alternate direction. The game can end prematurely if the player makes the wrong decisions. When this occurs, the player must go back to a previously saved spot and choose different decisions.
Muv-Luv is divided into two segments, or story arcs—Extra and Unlimited—which serve as different phases in the overall story. At the beginning of the game, only the Extra arc is available to play, but once the player has completed the scenarios available in Extra, Unlimited is made accessible. This is achieved by completing the scenarios for the two main heroins, Sumika Kagami and Meiya Mitsurugi.
The plot of Muv-Luv is divided into two parts. The first part is called Muv-Luv Extra while the second part is called Muv-Luv Unlimited. In Extra, Takeru Shirogane wakes up one morning to find a beautiful young woman sleeping in his bed and an infuriated Sumika Kagami, Takeru's neighbor and childhood friend. The young woman, Meiya Mitsurugi, is the heiress to a financially powerful family and is determine to be Takeru's bride. As the game progress, both girls compete for Takeru's affections while Takeru has reoccurring dreams about a marriage promise he made to a girl long ago. At first, he believes the girl was Sumika, but eventually realizes that it was actually Meiya. At the conclusion, Takeru must choose between which of the girls he truly loves.
Muv-Luv Unlimited takes place in an alternate world to Extra, where aliens called BETA (an acronym for "Beings of the Extra Terrestrial origin which is Adversary of human race") have invaded and mankind fights back against the alien aggressors with giant robots called Senjutsuhokousentouki (戦術歩行戦闘機, Tactical Surface Fighter), usually referred to as simply Senjutsuki (戦術機), as almost all conventional weapons were ineffective.
The BETA first arrived on Earth in 1973 (in China and Canada) after arriving on the Moon in 1967 and being spotted on Mars in 1958. By 2001, the world population has been reduced to 1 billion people, and most of Europe and central Asia have been wiped out. The Soviet Union, though, is still around, operating out of Alaska. When the BETA first arrived in Japan in 1998, 36 million people were dead within a week.
Most of the major characters from the Extra timeline are present in Unlimited, except for the Unlimited world's Takeru, who is said to be dead, and Sumika, who does not seem to exist in the Unlimited timeline. The characters are, for the most part identical to their Extra counterparts, with the possible exception of Mikoto, who is now female.
In the sequel Muv-Luv Alternative, Takeru wakes up three years after the end of Unlimited to find himself back in his room. Although he first thinks that everything that had happened to him was a dream, he soon feels that something is wrong, and leaves the house to find that he has been sent back in time to the beginning of the events in Unlimited. Unwilling to accept the events at the end of Unlimited, he decides to help professor Kouzuki save the earth and mankind.
Muv-Luv was released on February 28, 2003 on Windows CD-ROM,[1] and re-released on DVD-ROM on April 30, 2004.[1] A fandisc, called Muv-Luv Supplement containing a number of short stories, computer wallpapers, audio clips, and a trailer for the upcoming Muv-Luv Alternative. The limited edition DVD was released on December 17, 2004 and the regular edition was released on December 24.[2]
Muv-Luv Alternative is a sequel to Muv-Luv and taking place after the events of the Unlimited arc in the original game. The DVD version of the game was released on February 24, 2006[3] and the CD version was released on March 3, 2006.[3] A Muv-Luv Alternative fandisc, Muv-Luv Altered Fable, was released on August 31, 2007 containing an alternate version of the Extra arc from Muv-Luv along with a radio drama, a Senjoki vs. BETA strategy RPG, computer wallpapers, and a Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse short story.[4]
"All-age" versions of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative with the adult content removed were released simultaneously on September 22, 2006.[5][6] In 2011, both games were ported to the Xbox 360 by 5pb. and simultaneously released on October 27, 2011.[7][8]
Three manga adaptations based on Muv-Luv and its sequel Muv-Luv Alternative have been serialized in MediaWorks's, and later ASCII Media Works's Dengeki Daioh manga magazine. The first adaptation, called Muv-Luv, is written and illustrated by Ukyō Takao and covers the Extra part of the first game. It was collected and republished in three volumes by MediaWorks. The second series is Muv-Luv Unlimited and covers the Unlimited portion of the first game. It ran for four volumes and was written and illustrated by Tomo Hiryokawa. The third series, Muv-Luv Alternative, is written and illustrated by Azusa Maxima and based on the second game of the same name. It began its serial run in the February 2007 issue of Dengeki Daioh. As of April 4, 2011[update], six compilation volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works. The novel series Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse has also been adapted into a manga by Takashi Ishigaki and two compilation volumes have been published as of February 26, 2011[update].
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Muv-Luv | ||
| 01 | May 27, 2003[9] | ISBN 978-4-8402-2924-1 |
| 02 | July 27, 2004[10] | ISBN 978-4-8402-2649-3 |
| 03 | December 17, 2004[11] | ISBN 978-4-8402-2334-8 |
| Muv-Luv Unlimited | ||
| 01 | April 27, 2005[12] | ISBN 978-4-8402-3053-7 |
| 02 | February 27, 2006[13] | ISBN 978-4-8402-3369-9 |
| 03 | February 27, 2007[14] | ISBN 978-4-8402-3790-1 |
| 04 | March 27, 2007[15] | ISBN 978-4-8402-3832-8 |
| Muv-Luv Alternative | ||
| 01 | April 26, 2008[16] | ISBN 978-4-04-867049-4 |
| 02 | November 27, 2008[17] | ISBN 978-4-04-867442-3 |
| 03 | June 27, 2009[18] | ISBN 978-4-04-867866-7 |
| 04 | January 27, 2010[19] | ISBN 978-4-04-868369-2 |
| 05 | August 27, 2010[20] | ISBN 978-4-04-868896-3 |
| 06 | April 4, 2011[21] | ISBN 978-4-04-870406-9 |
| Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse | ||
| 01 | May 27, 2010[22] | ISBN 978-4-04-868623-5 |
| 02 | February 26, 2011[23] | ISBN 978-4-04-870327-7 |
| No. | Title | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Muv-Luv 1: Extra: Unmei (マブラヴ 1 EXTRA 運命) | October 25, 2006[24] | ISBN 978-4-08-630323-1 |
| 02 | Muv-Luv 2: Extra: Yūjō (マブラヴ 2 EXTRA 友情) | February 23, 2007[25] | ISBN 978-4-08-630344-6 |
| 03 | Muv-Luv 3: Unlimited: Sensō (マブラヴ 3 UNLIMITED 戦争) | July 25, 2007[26] | ISBN 978-4-08-630371-2 |
| 04 | Muv-Luv 4: Unlimited: Haiboku (マブラヴ 4 UNLIMITED 敗北) | November 22, 2007[27] | ISBN 978-4-08-630390-3 |
| 05 | Muv-Luv 5: Alternative: Saiki (マブラヴ 5 ALTERNATIVE 再起) | March 25, 2008[28] | ISBN 978-4-08-630414-6 |
| 06 | Muv-Luv 6: Alternative: Ruten (マブラヴ 6 ALTERNATIVE 流転) | November 21, 2008[29] | ISBN 978-4-08-630458-0 |
| 07 | Muv-Luv 7: Alternative: Kessen (マブラヴ 7 ALTERNATIVE 決戦) | June 25, 2009[30] | ISBN 978-4-08-630488-7 |
| No. | Title | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse 1: Oborozuki no Eji (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ トータル・イクリプス 1 朧-の衛士) | December 25, 2007[31] | ISBN 978-4-7577-3920-8 |
| 02 | Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse 2: Shukumei no Dōrin (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ トータル・イクリプス 2 宿命の動輪) | May 30, 2008[32] | ISBN 978-4-7577-4234-5 |
| 03 | Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse 3: Uro耗 no Ori穽 (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ トータル・イクリプス 3 虚耗の檻穽) | December 26, 2008[33] | ISBN 978-4-7577-4521-6 |
| 04 | Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse 4: 懺業 no Senya (マブラヴ オルタネイティヴ トータル・イクリプス 4 懺業の戦野) | January 30, 2009[34] | ISBN 978-4-7577-4650-3 |
On July 24, 2011, a teaser website announced that television anime adaptation of the Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse novels will air in Japan in 2012.[35]
The opening theme of Muv-Luv is "Muv-Luv" (マブラヴ) by Minami Kuribayashi. The closing theme for the Extra segment of Muv-Luv is "I Will" and the Unlimited segment's ending theme is "Harukanaru Furusato no Uta" (遥かなる地球の歌), both by Minami Kuribayashi. For the all ages version, the opening theme the Extra segment is "divergence" by Minami Kuribayashi. For the Unlimited segment, the opening theme is "-sion-" (紫音-sion-) by Masami Okui. The all ages version featured several ending themes depending on the ending, including "I will" by Minami Kuribayashi, "Kizu wa Kaseki ni Narenai Keredo" (傷は化石にならないけれど) by Aki Misato, "Astraea" by Miyuki Hashimoto, and "Little More" (リトル・モア) by CooRie.
The opening themes for the sequel Muv-Luv Alternative are "Asu e no Houkou" (未来への咆哮) by JAM Project for the original release and "NAME ～Kimi no Na wa～" (NAME ～君の名は～) by JAM Project for the all age release. The ending theme for both releases is "Muv-Luv (2005 ver.)" (マブラヴ(2005ver.)) by Minami Kuribayashi.