It has been mentioned how Illya's mind/curse control dancing seemed goofy and now that I'm seeing it on screen, I have to agree despite my knowledge about the effects of performance arts and the curse. Her doing the moves completely clash with Rufus standing more or less static behind the podium to play at being dictator. Falcom seemed to think so, too, because the camera didn't linger on her dancing at all.

The Rufus fight was suitably hard. Even with the 0.5 damage modifier on Lloyd's brave order, he still hits for upward of 6000-7000 damage against multiple characters with his strongest craft. The moment I dealt enough damage to receive the RP bonus, I knew that his S-Craft was coming and it didn't disappoint.

Quite a call back to that hopeless bossfight in Sen 2.

And seriously, all the bracers and the Thors team watch the stuff with their laptops instead of in person, despite only being one or two blocks away? I mean, it's clear it was done to set up the Rufus curb-stomp, because him winning against the SSS, all of Crossbell's bracers (and Josh/Estelle) plus the Class VII members and their super maid would've been beyond ridiculous, but still...plot contrivances.

Seeing Ymir with the upgraded graphics is a real treat though. As with Crossbell there's this feeling of coming back home and the NPCs are just as quirky as I remember them. And just as I anticipated, that strange sister of Ryu (the kid leader of the Junior-SSS) is actually in Rean's hometown, doing last minute prepations for her mountain trek to the Eisengard Range. Did I already gush about how well Falcom treats their NPCs?

The introduction of New Class VII to Teo was a litte stiff, but also a neat way to introduce everybody to the player again. Not that it's needed or anything. There were some highlights like Altina's guilt for her part in Sen 2 or how Ash continues to keep up the bad boy act. The conversation between Claire and Rean in the onsen was well done. As always, he still can't shake off his martyr complex and while Claire's guilt during the Twilight is cut and dry in contrast to Rean's case, it makes sense for them to be in a similar kind of headspace. And her telling him that he needs to forgive himself, so that she has any hope of doing the same was sweet. So is Rean's reply of calling her a devious woman.

That 'training' fight is all kinds of awesome. I might complain about the unrealistic fencing, but overall, the entire setup prepared by Matteus and Claire is the kind of tactical fighting I expect from members of the military, especially Claire. Divide and conquer. Making use of the territory. Switching between weapon types as the situation requires. And the fact that she can use her mirror devices in conjunction with her sniper rifle blows my mind, because the tactical implications are horrifying. In summary, I wished that Class VII were subjected to these kind of exercises during the mainline games instead of mindlessly striking against pseudo combat shells.

The Claire/Matteus boss fight netted me the first game over. They basically caught me on my back foot which deliciously reflects the cut-scene situation. While I barely eked out a win against Claire, once it was Rean/Kurt, I was screwed. One single BP, Rean had a measly 20 CP, Kurt slightly more and none of my accessories prevented stat down. Matteus spammed his Def-down craft and the rest was history.

My second attempt went much better, though the Matteus fight started in the worst way possible for me, namely that he got the first turn and his turn bonus was Zero Craft - the animation was badass though.

When I saw Kurt fall down in the in-medias-res beginning, I was reminded of the saying of how the lion shoves its cubs down the ravine himself. I couldn't help but smirk when Rean spoke my thoughts aloud. Is that a Japanese saying?

The rest of the route winded down in a predictable fashion and I have to admit that I didn't really understand the Matteus/Rean conversation inside the hotspring. Even looking up every kanji didn't help.

I didn't expect Alberich's combat shell here. Swin saying that neither cutting nor thrusting attacks work made me chuckle, a small reference to the in-game unbalancing/link-attack mechanic.

The opening of the trunk was already seen in the trailer, but I didn't expect <C> to reference pandora's box. Quite ominous. And the facial animations are lovely.

So, Lapis is apparently a glutton for flattery - that, and she's also amnesiac, allegedly. Don't think I trust everything you tell me upfront, Falcom. I've become wise to your tricks. 

A doll facing existential breakdown. I suspect it might become something of a theme with her characterization. And <C> buying off Nadia/Swin with cold, hard cash had me rolling on the floor. Considering all the goody-two-shoes who populate the Kiseki roster, this team sticks out like a sore thumb.

Also, after the 'main' Corridor bosses were really funky monsters/mecha it's been quite a change for the postgame ones to be crazy bosses from the previous games. First Devil McBurn, then two Holy Beasts at the same time?! It was cool to see Argres in his true form without the distortion effect he had during the CS4 fight. I also can't help but notice that he seems to be accumulating titles as he's now called the Golden Unicorn. I suppose now we've got confirmation how that particular bit of Erebonian folklore got started. xD

PS the convenient magic tree that heals you in the TRC is the Star Spirit Tree. Same kanji except for the last one, and exact same pronunciation (seireijuu) for both. Uh?

Incidentally starting to wonder if the visual similarity between the Mythos' Lightwings and the Stigmas is a coincidence.

I reread the Nayuta novelization recently (I actually recommend it, it has a number of changes to make character motivations more understandable and give Signa and Creha more of a role.) According to it the Mythos traveled through space in ships compelled by the wings in their souls. Hmm??

I wonder if the Glorious can handle space travel.. 🤔

BTW I think Falcom is pulling a fast one with the Calvard map and there's actually another country in there. It says in the 3rd special collection book Kevin and Ries are from the central western town of Emerause. It doesn't say in Calvard. ??? Which country are they from then?

PS, we assume Calvard is based on America/China, but you know what country had a violent revolution, deposed its aristocracy, and famously calls itself a republic? France. Emerause (which is around Calvard) also sounds French. The royal school Aramis is named after one of the three musketeers, aka a French novel. France was also the origin of the first films.

BTW Nayuta went to a royal school in the port town of St-Cerise (also a Frenchish name) to study. 🤔 Incidentally, Falcom haven't announced the name of the city Aramis is located in.

Also BTW (by a different way?) the previous President of Calvard Rocksmith was a populist from a common family (Campanella thinks the name is from stonework.) The new president is apparently rolling in cash. He's named Roy (king in French) Gramheart (Gram being old Norse for king, and also the name of a dragonslaying sword.) Guessing he's from an aristocratic bloodline with ties to artifacts here and there (old families having access to magic being common in Kiseki.)

Now both Olivier and Schera have siblings who are Enforcers. As commonalities go I think they would have preferred something else.

Ash's episode was nice. It's nice to have something not totally focused on Rean for once >_>

A very moving episode, still. Was lovely to see how much Osborne cared for all his children (and also horrifying as he watches over Millium and thinks about her eventual death.) Would have been nice to see more of Arianrhod (that's her plot in Sen in a nutshell...)

Meanwhile OzXX, well, I see Ishmelga=Rean was Rean's final boss, so I guess this is Lloyd's? Now Falcom has to release another patch with a final boss for Rufus!!

There is Nadia and Swin’s organization (A) which is being set up as some form of Illuminati—possibly connected to Calvard’s former monarchy.

There are the Eastern factions of Ikaruga and Heiyue which based on Nielsen’s quest in Sen IV and 3&9 are possibly opposed to A. Based on Elaine’s story, Heiyue is weakening while A is getting stronger due to the influx of Erebonia reparation money. There’s some speculation that Hime from Ikaruga might be next 7th Anguis.

We have MTSC which people are speculating is either the magicians from Sunshine Agnes or one of the 13 Factories.  

There’s also Gramhart who could be his own faction entirely.

Of course, there is also the 4th Anguis, but it’s anyone’s guess which side he ends up on in the end with the title Oathbringer.  

Don't get me started on those weapon names more broadly or I'll be geeking out for pages.

- Yeah, I think Calvard is a mashup of France and a bit of the United States, but mainly the former. The antagonism with Not!Prussia who's right on their doorstep, the country's symbol being vaguely similar to the fleur-de-lis and the violent democratic revolution... and the US comes in due to the heavy focus Calvard has on immigrants. France has that too of course but presentation seems a bit more skewed towards the American experience and cultural synthesis than the French.

All the Chinese/Japanese influences are more reflective of the countries the people are coming from, so the places further east are the real 'Zemurian China' and 'Zemurian Japan'. We even have a name for one location (Longlai) but all we really know is it's a place and produces really good green tea, but not how big it is or how important. My personal guess is that the east is composed of a group of smaller countries but we just don't know yet.

- Where did Aramis come up again? I feel like I've seen it somewhere but can't recall offhand. There's also a Porthos (or his name could be read that way) in Ruan and Mousquetaire/Musketeer is one of the defensive structures you can build in Ys IX. I think someone at Falcom likes their Dumas.

- On Kevin and Ries, what's considered 'Central Zemuria' seems to be a pretty fuzzy concept. Leman and Arteria are said to be there but they're in the northern reaches of the map; Leman isn't actually on the map but it's been implied that Arteria is located within its borders and based on the world war map showing Arteria and Remiferia's forces arriving in a group, this seems to be more or less confirmed. So it's possible that Kevin and Ries' homeland is similarly more 'north' than 'central', though it could also be the latter; we have no real idea how far east Calvard goes, only that it's big. There could be a few small countries east of Calvard that have a Church presence before we get to what's generally thought of as 'the East'.

GrailSphere chant, Gralsritter

The emblem of the Septian church

Astral Code, Celestial Globe, Zodiac Code

The stars are the symbol of Eidos' mercy

Black Zemurian ore glistens like stars in the night sky

Lost Art element Star

Liberl

The name 'Estelle'

Star Doors

The stars/constellations in the Hermit's Garden are not recognizable/different from the ones Josette knows

Erebonia

Museum exhibit on ancient Zemuria and the stars

Herschel family with a habit of astronomy, named after real-world astronomer William Herschel (with origins in the far east)

Towa's weapons (Polaris etc)

Star Spirit Tree in Garden of Creation

Orion siblings

Crossbell

Tower of Stargaze

Red Constellation

Shirley (The Star arcana)

Golden Sun, Silver Moon musical (second version)

Elie's combo crafts (Star Blast, Riot Star etc)

Calvard 

Taito-ryu (partly named after Hokuto)

Altair (a city)

Military units (Canopus, Aldebaran, Hercules)

RAMDA (may be lambda, the cosmological constant)

The national newspaper Tyrell may be a reference to Lake Tyrrell https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tyrrell

The Sun 

Present in Arteria's emblem

Liberl

Estelle is called 'the girl like the Sun'

Sun Doors

Crossbell

Sun Fort

Golden Sun, Silver Moon

Erebonia

Lost Art 'Prominence Roar'

Sol Shrine on Bryonia Island

The Moon 

Present in Arteria's emblem

Liberl

Moon Doors

Crossbell

Monastery of the Moon

Golden Sun, Silver Moon

Erebonia

Lunar Shrine

The villain (nicknamed Oni) calls himself a "stonewall user" and is hunting the monster that holds the other half of Sayu's artifact. He dies in the story, but so did Ein in hers.

Incidentally Sayu's brother has the same speech pattern as Lechter /fourth Anguis... Also it's interesting to me that both Elaine's story and Shunran's story end with them working to join the heroes. Future party members?

First, some points:

Meister Jorg, the famous doll-maker, is missing during Hajimari. Jorg is so skillful that Novartis stole his Pater-Mater and Lapis entrusted him with building her a body. Most of the time, though, he sticks to making dolls and building stage props for Arc-en-ciel: toys, basically. 

Dolls come to life in one quest in Zero/Ao.

The novel 'Heartless Edgar' talks about an android created by the Epstein Foundation.

Novartis was trying to recreate Divergent powers using simulacra in Hajimari.

Humans given supernatural powers in Kiseki tend to go berserk (the most common scenario is the Gnosis users in Crossbell, but you also have Kevin on awakening his Stigma, Comrade G with the flute artifact in Sen, and Cedric with Testa-Rossa in Sen III and IV.) Likewise, if you flip it around, supernatural powers given human personalities tend to go berserk too (the first and second Demiurgos.)

One lodge of the DG Cult focused on using ancient machines in its experiments.

People kidnapping children to try to create superhuman weapons is unfortunately an ongoing theme with this series.

Now for everyone's favorite arsonist:

McBurn says that if he unleashed his power fully it would cause a disaster on the level of the Salt Pale incident. That's why he never fully transforms (even though he knows transforming is the key to regaining his memories) except during the Sen IV endgame when the world is a mess and he can get away with it. This is also why he avoids fighting in populated areas despite enjoying fighting more than anything else. 

If you think about it, the world is probably very lucky that Mea Cu fused with that particular human. While McBurn does go overboard occasionally (Sharon says he almost set her on fire because he didn't notice she was there, iirc) he does not ever unleash the carnage he could if he ever, say, sneezed in a shopping mall. For that reason you could say the combination of the two beings that became McBurn is an example of miraculously successful alchemy. (I think it's notable he came into existence around the time Epstein was working.)

The novel "If I Said Goodbye" tells the story of a toymaker named Sai (sai means genius or talent) who loved to make toys to please his friend Marta. After she dies in an accident, Sai first tries to make toys Marta can interact with even in the afterlife. He then comes to the conclusion that if he builds her a body she can play with normal toys. Sai works for 30 years on this project - building a body that can house a spiritual entity. After activating his project he finds that everyone in town has become lifeless, as though their souls left their bodies. After this the story has a happy ending as Marta's spirit asks Aidios for intercession, Sai accepts Marta's passing, and everyone in town is revived. Sai then dedicates his life to making simpler toys that the children around him can understand.

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. Meister Jorg experimented in his youth with forbidden arts before repenting and working on (simpler, but still amazingly complex) toys and dolls. Someone (I don't know who, or even if they survived the attempt) tried to create a human Divergent weapon in North Ambria and failed, possibly because the intended vessel's personality couldn't handle it. (Or, if the inside of the original Pale was like that of the copies in IV, because they dialed for power and got an alien invasion ship instead.) Now someone today is trying to repeat the experiment, this time with an artificial vessel they created themselves and with a personality they can configure for stability (a man-made miko, you might say.) They either captured or are trying to capture Jorg to enlist him in their attempt.