Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova
Season 1
TV-14
After global warming causes sea levels to rise, a mysterious group of warships appear all over the world and defeat humanity. 17 years after the devastating naval war, a group of people combat the warships with a mysterious submarine.
Where to Watch Season 1
12 Episodes
- Iwoto
E7IwotoTaking Haruna, Kirishima and Makie with them, the I-401 and its crew arrive at their base in Iwo Jima, where they are greeted by the fast battleship Hyuga's mental model who was guarding the island for them, and much by their surprise, they meet Takao once again. As Hyuga make repairs on I-401, Gunzō and his crew prepare to abandon the base as there are not much supplies left and they know that delivering the vibration torpedo to the United States may ensure their objective, which is to put mankind and the Fog on equal terms, which may lead to the end of the blockade. By Hyuga's suggestion, Takao considers joining Gunzō and the others' side while Haruna and Kirishima are contacted by Kongou who asks for their intentions. While Haruna affirms that she will not return to the Fleet of Fog for Makie's sake, Kirishima claims that she will continue by their side for the sake of gathering info. Kongou then assembles her fleet and prepares an assault on Iwo Jima. - House of Dolls
E8House of DollsWith Iwo Jima surrouded by the enemy fleet, Hyuga makes contact with Kongou by Gunzō's request, asking for a meet in private with her mental model before they begin hostilities. Kongou answers her call and she rendezvous with them at the beach, accompained by the Heavy Cruiser Maya. As the rest of the crew remain on standby aboard the I-401, Gunzō discuss with Kongou and the other mental models about the real intentions of the Fleet of Fog and learns from her that she and the other ships have only one purpose, which is to follow the "Admiralty Code" that instructed them to chase the humans away from the seas and prevent all contact overseas between them. Instead of discussing the matter further, Gunzō invites the guests for a barbecue at the beach where Kongou asks Iona about the reason why all ships who come in contact with her start displaying a behavior independent from the Admiralty Code, but when she refrains from responding, Kongou claims that she will not fall by their trap and it is revealed that both her and Maya's mental models are actually decoys, with their cores being safely guarded at their respective ships to prevent them from being influenced by human behavior, before they begin to attack. Hyuga has a hard time defending the island against the enemy barrage until Takao, Haruna and Kirishima step in to assist her. Disappointed that he and Kongou could not see eye to eye, Gunzō declares that it's up to him to find a way past her and deliver the vibration torpedo to the United States. - Desperate Escape
E9Desperate EscapeHyuga stays behind deflecting the attacks of Kongou's fleet to buy time for Iona and the others to escape. Before leaving Iwo Jima, Gunzō asks for Takao's help and she agrees to join his side. Unwilling to listen to Hyuga's words, Kongou fires her Super Gravity Cannon at her but fails to destroy her and taking advantage of her getting exausted, orders Maya to fires her own cannon but Takao appears in the nick of time to block Maya's shot. Believing that Hyuga and Takao are just covering the I-401's escape, Kongou tracks her down and gives chase, refusing to slow down even after falling into a minefield left by Hyuga to help Iona escape. Iona tries to reason with Kongou with no success and when the battleship attempts to fire her Super Gravity Cannon underwater to sink her, Hyuga manages to hack into Kongou's systems to have her lose control for time enough to Iona and Gunzō to escape. Takao then reveals to Kongou that instead of Takao, the true decoy was Iona herself, while the vibration warhead, Makie, her friends and the rest of the I-401's crew were safely hidden aboard her and she returns to pick up Hyuga to rendevous with Iona and Gunzō, who despite escaping from Kongou's grasp, are ambushed by I-400 and I-402 and apparently sunk by them. - Devotion of Self
E10Devotion of SelfWith her nanomaterials compromised by her sister ships attack, the I-401 sinks into the deep ocean while Iona tends to an injured Gunzō. Meanwhile, Takao and the others look for them but all communications and radar are jammed by spatial distortions from the last battle. Despite knowing that the only way for her to survive is to abandon her captain, Iona refuses to do so until Gunzō orders her to cut all life support systems, claiming that fulfilling their mission to deliver the vibration warhead is more important than saving him. However, when Gunzō stops responding, a distraught Iona breaks down her own mental model to create a survival pod for him and her core. When Takao locates the pod, she decides to sacrifice her own body and use its nanomaterials to restore Iona and the I-401, bringing them back to surface and saving Gunzō's life. Once knowing that the I-401 has not perished, Kongou can't hide the urge to fight it again, but declaring that she is displaying the same erratic behavior seen in the other ships who deviated from the Admiralty Code, I-400 and I-402 relieve her from duty and lock down her systems. In the occasion, Kongou finds out that Maya's mental model lacks conciousness, being an artificial intelligence created just to watch over her. - Sisters
E11SistersRestored and strengthened by Takao's sacrifice, 401 forges on to America with 400 and 402 in pursuit. The sister ships face off in the waters of Hawaii. With enhanced specs, five Mental Models, and Gunzou's tactical prowess, the twin submarines are no match for the new 401... but Iona wishes them no harm. - The Power to Open a Path
E12The Power to Open a PathKongou obliterates the ships of the American Fleet of Fog and Iona, along the other mental models, make contact with Kongou in an attempt to bring her to her senses. However, Kongou claims that it's her duty to prevent further anomalies to the Fog by destroying Iona and all ships who come in contact with her, including herself, before locking down all communications. After barely deflecting an attack of Kongou's enhanced Super Gravity Cannon, the I-401 conceals itself, knowing that confronting her directly is useless, when Iona decides to reach Kongou and confront her face to face. Gunzō agrees with her plan and after evading a massive barrage of attacks, Iona boards a torpedo to reach Kongou's deck. Iona attempts to reason with Kongou who keeps attacking her until she finally traps Iona and prepares to self destruct herself to kill both, when the sequence is disrupted by I-401's Super Gravity Cannon. In the end, Iona suceeds to dissuade Kongou and prevents the destruction of both. The reformed Kongou befriends Iona while the superstructure created by her collapses. Days later, as the I-401's crew delivers the vibration warhead to the U.S. Navy as intended, Takao's body is restored and they return to the sea, hoping that their actions have helped change the world for the better.
