Muv-Luv is one of those series everyone has at least heard, especially if you’re a Visual Novel fan. However 12 years after its original release on February 28, 2003 the franchise finally has a shot at coming to the west provided a successful Kickstarter campaign courtesy of Degica and ixtl. The Kickstarter was announced at Anime Expo 2015 during the Sekai Project panel. The goal is to hopefully localize both Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the franchise, Muv-Luv was written by Koki Yoshimune (Kimi ga Nozumu Eien/Rumbling Heart Kiminozo) and developed by âge. The plot of Muv-Luv is actually split into two parts. The game itself begins as a romance centered visual novel before delving into a parallel world where three quarters of humanity have been wiped out due to a war with an alien race known as the BETA and their only defense being giant mecha called Tactical Surface Fighters or Senjutsuki. The first part, entitled Muv-Luv Extra focuses on the everyday school life of Takeru Shirogane.
Muv-Luv Extra opens up with Takeru waking up like every other morning, only to find another girl, Meiya Mitsurugi, there alongside him. Enter his childhood friend, Sumika Kagami, who has come to wake him up per usual and isn’t all that happy to see this new development. Thus begins the story of a love triangle between a high school boy, his childhood friend, and the mysterious new rich girl. While this may sound like a pretty standard slice-of-life romantic comedy it’s used primarily to set up the second half of the game Muv-Luv Unlimited.
Muv-Luv Unlimited begins with Takeru waking up to find the house next door is replaced by a downed giant mecha, his hometown is in ruins, and the school he used to go to is instead a military base. Takeru quickly learns this isn’t his own world, but instead a parallel one where humanity has been desperately fighting for 20 years against an alien menace known as the BETA. In addition all of his friends from his own world seem to exist in this one except Sumika who no one has ever heard of. With little choice but to enroll in the United Nation military force to fight against the BETA, Takeru is going to have to learn some hard lessons very quickly if he wants to survive and protect those close to him. The end of Muv-Luv Unlimited and thus Muv-Luv lead into the final part of the initial trilogy: Muv-Luv Alternative.
Muv-Luv Alternative begins three years after the end of Muv-Luv Unlimited with, once again, Takeru waking up in his room. However Takeru quickly realizes he hasn’t returned home to his original dimension, but instead has somehow gone back in time three years to the day he first arrived in the world of Muv-Luv Unlimited. With valuable knowledge of what’s to come, and more than ready physically and mentally for battle, Takeru sets out to change the future and avert the tragic events of Muv-Luv Unlimited. However, just because one has knowledge on how to prevent a disaster doesn’t necessarily mean one can easily prevent it as Takeru soon begins to find out.
The fate of these three stories however, depends on of course the success of the Kickstarter campaign to fund them. The campaign will go live either in late August or early September. While no information on the specific rewards and incentives has been announced as of yet more details will be released in the coming weeks.
You can follow the Muv-Luv team on Facebook, Twitter, and at their website here. Also please be sure to check out the official Press Release here. Let us know here as well at oprainfall, either through Facebook, Twitter, or commenting below, on what your thoughts are about this legendary franchise finally getting its chance to come to the west and if you’ll be backing the project once it goes live.
