History VisualNovel / MuvLuvAlternative

* BleachedUnderpants: The all-ages versions of the trilogy censor the H-scenes. They also censor some of the {{Gorn}} over which fans raised an outcry, though this is restored in the Steam release. An official patch to restore the adult content in ''Extra'' and ''Alternative'' is available through Denpasoft.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Takeru's goal in ''Alternative'' is to prevent Alternative V, by ensuring the success of Kouzuki Yuuko's Alternative IV, but he doesn't initially know what Alternative IV really is.

Has two spinoff {{Light Novel}}s, ''Literature/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse'' which received an animated adaptation in 2012 and ''Literature/{{Schwarzesmarken}}'' which finished serialization in 2014, received a VisualNovel adaptation in 2015 and an animated adaptation in 2016, and a serial photonovel sidestory series, ''Tactical Surface Fighters in Action.''

* ActionBomb: The Japanese TSF units (and everyone else save the Americans and [[spoiler:[[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse the non-Russian Soviet Army pilots]]]], for different reasons) are equipped with the S-11 Explosive which doubles as a self-destruct system, allowing pilots to go out on their own terms [[EatenAlive instead of the other alternative]]. [[spoiler: Mitsuki sacrifices herself using two to destroy the Yokohama Hive reactor, while Chizuru and Ayamine self-destruct at the end of the Original Hive mission after running out of options and to prevent more BETA from coming after the rest of the squad.]]

* DesperationAttack: What Operation Cherry Blossom ultimately comes down to, because [[spoiler:the BETA are rapidly adapting to human tactics thanks to secretly reading Sumika's mind. It's estimated that the BETA will devise countermeasures to the Susano'o and even G-Bombs in less than 19 days (with one countermeasure, the [[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse Super-Heavy Laser Class / Laser-Fort Class]], already in place for orbital drop interdiction at the Evensk Hive), so the timetable to assault the Original Hive is accelerated massively, forcing the UN to cobble together what forces they can rally and commit the barely-complete Susano'o Mark IV. To make things worse, the revelation that the BETA will become nigh unbeatable gives the Alternative V supporters more justification to go through with mass G-bomb bombardment (without even the planetary evacuation envisioned by Operation Babylon) before they are rendered obsolete]]. Commanding officers in side materials (Yui in ''TE'' and the Zerberus Battalion CO in ''The Euro Front'') independently comment on this in identical terms pre-operation, stating that humanity is staking '''''everything''''' upon this battle.

** Arguably, even though Operation Cherry Blossom ends with [[spoiler:the destruction of the BETA Superior, Humanity suffers enormous casualties among the assault force, the loss of most of their orbital diver forces and dropships, the loss of the Susano'o Type-4, and the complete destruction of the remaining Valkyries. And this is not counting losses sustained in the massive diversionary assaults on the outermost ring of hives, such as at Evensk (''[[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse TE]]'') and Lyons (''The Euro Front''). Thankfully, the loss of the BETA Superior cripples the BETA enough that Humanity is able to turn the tide and exterminate all BETA on Earth over the coming decades.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of several H-game tropes, the result being intentional FanDisservice. [[spoiler:The following scene plays a different set of tropes straight, though.]]

Has two spinoff {{Light Novel}}s, ''LightNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse'' which received an animated adaptation in 2012 and ''LightNovel/{{Schwarzesmarken}}'' which finished serialization in 2014, received a VisualNovel adaptation in 2015 and an animated adaptation in 2016, and a serial photonovel sidestory series, ''Tactical Surface Fighters in Action.''

* TemporalThemeNaming: Japanese TSF models and equipment (even those manufactured under foreign license such as the F-4 Phantom) are given designations of the form "Type-xx", where the latter is the last two digits of the year the particular equipment was adopted; for example, the Type-74 longsword was adopted in 1974, the Type-77 Gekishin (alternate name of the F-4J) was first used in 1977, the Type-97 Fubuki TSF entered Imperial Army service in 1997, while the Type-00 Takemikazuchi was adopted by the Imperial Royal Guard in 2000.[[note]]This is in contrast with real life, where the two digits are taken from the current Emperor's regnal year.[[/note]] [[spoiler:And in 2004, after the success of the [[LightNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse XFJ Programme]] and successful trials during Operation Sledgehammer, Yuuhi orders the IJA to adopt the Shiranui Second over the F-15SEJ Gekkou / Silent Eagle as the Type-04.]]

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Downplayed. [[spoiler:The CHOMP scene is still pretty brutal in the anime, but there is no close up of her gored face.]]

* {{Bowlderize}}: Downplayed. [[spoiler:The CHOMP scene is still pretty brutal in the anime, but there is no close up of her gored face.]]

* CuttingOffTheBranches: While ''Alternative'' is a linear storyline with only one ending, there are a few choices you can make early on that change the outcome of certain scenes. [[spoiler:For instance, it's possible for Takeru to surrender to the guards at Yokohama base instead of insisting that he see Kouzuki Yuuko right away, and it's also possible for him to agree with Yuuko's decision to not warn about an imminent BETA attack so that she can see if it plays out like Takeru predicted. However, the manga and anime adaptations both have Takeru make the opposite decisions, thus underscoring his idealism and desperation, and downplaying his capacity for pragmatism.]]

* CuttingOffTheBranches: While ''Alternative'' is a linear storyline with only one ending, there are a few choices you can make early on that change the outcome of certain scenes. [[spoiler:For instance, it's possible for Takeru to surrender to the guards at Yokohama base instead of insisting that he see Kouzuki Yuuko right away, and it's also possible for him to agree with Yuuko's decision not to warn about an imminent BETA attack so that she can see if it plays out like Takeru predicted. However, the manga and anime adaptations will always have Takeru make the opposite decisions, thus underscoring his idealism and desperation, and downplaying his capacity for pragmatism.]]

** [[spoiler:At Sadogashima, even though the Hive is destroyed, the assault force suffers over 50% losses, the Susano'o prototype has to be scuttled, Japan has three of its ''Yamato''-class battleships heavily damaged by laser-class BETA covering the retreat, and Isumi and Kashiwagi are killed.]]

** [[spoiler:At Sadogashima, even though the Hive is destroyed, the assault force suffers over 50% losses, the Susano'o prototype has to be scuttled, Japan loses three of its ''Yamato''-class battleships, and Isumi and Kashiwagi are killed.]]

* CoolShip: The superbattleships ''Yamato'' and ''Musashi'' are present in this setting, as well as the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_Shinano Shinano]]''[[note]]which would have been the third ''Yamato'' - class superbattleship before getting converted midway into an aircraft carrier in real life[[/note]]. [[spoiler:All three were present when Sadogashima fell to the BETA, and go down with all hands in the ill-fated attempt to retake it, [[HeroicSacrifice covering the evacuation of the remnants of Whiskey Unit.]]]] More generally, [[AllThereInTheManual the setting materials]] are a [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarships paper battleship]] enthusiast's wet dream, with the IJN having four ''Yamato''-class ships (''Mino'' being the fourth), two ''Yamato Kai''-class superheavy aviation battleships ''Izumo'' and ''Kaga'' and two [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_A-150_battleship quasi-A-150 ships]] ''Kii'' and ''Owari'', forming its core, the US Navy having six ''Iowas'' and five ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana-class_battleship Montanas]]'', and so on. The AntiAir effectiveness of Laser-class BETA limits the utility of naval aviation and cruise missiles just as it does for land-based aircraft, forcing a Renaissance of big-gun warships, much as the real-world US Navy explored the idea of next-generation naval artillery with the ''Zumwalt''-class destroyer as a cheaper alternative to Tomahawk missiles (though it ultimately didn't work out).

* BookEnds: [[spoiler: The ED of the prequel ''Akane Maniax'', the OP of ''Extra'', '''and''' the ED of ''Alternative'', is the same song: "[[TitleDrop Muv-Luv]]" by Minami Kuribayashi (the voice actress of Kasumi and Haruka). The song has also been stated by [[WordOfGod the singer]] to be ''Unlimited / Alternative'' Sumika's ImageSong]].

* DesperationAttack: What Operation Cherry Blossom ultimately comes down to, because [[spoiler:the BETA are rapidly adapting to human tactics thanks to secretly reading Sumika's mind. It's estimated that the BETA will devise countermeasures to the Susano'o and even G-Bombs in less than 19 days, so the timetable to assault the Original Hive is accelerated massively, forcing the UN to cobble together what forces they can rally and commit the barely complete Susano'o. To make things worse, the revelation that the BETA will become nigh unbeatable gives the Alterative V supporters more justification to go through with planetary evacuation and mass G-bomb bombardment before they are rendered obsolete]]. Commanding officers in side materials (''[[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse TE]]'' and ''The Euro Front'') independently comment on this in identical terms pre-operation, stating that humanity shall stake '''''everything''''' upon this battle.

* DesperationAttack: What Operation Cherry Blossom ultimately comes down to, because [[spoiler:the BETA are rapidly adapting to human tactics thanks to secretly reading Sumika's mind. It's estimated that the BETA will devise countermeasures to the Susano'o and even G-Bombs in less than 19 days, so the timetable to assault the Original Hive is accelerated massively, forcing the UN to cobble together what forces they can rally and commit the barely complete Susano'o. To make things worse, the revelation that the BETA will become nigh unbeatable gives the Alterative V supporters more justification to go through with planetary evacuation and mass G-bomb bombardment before they are rendered obsolete]]. Commanding officers in side materials (''[[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse TE]]'' and ''The Euro Front'') independently comment on this in identical terms pre-operation, stating that humanity shall stake ''everything'' upon this battle.

* DesperationAttack: What Operation Cherry Blossom ultimately comes down to, because [[spoiler:the BETA are rapidly adapting to human tactics thanks to secretly reading Sumika's mind. It's estimated that the BETA will devise countermeasures to the Susano'o and even G-Bombs in less than 19 days, so the timetable to assault the Original Hive is accelerated massively, forcing the UN to cobble together what forces they can rally and commit the barely complete Susano'o. To make things worse, the revelation that the BETA will become nigh unbeatable gives the Alterative V supporters more justification to go through with planetary evacuation and mass G-bomb bombardment before they are rendered obsolete.]]

** Arguably, even though Operation Cherry Blossom ends with [[spoiler:the destruction of the BETA Superior, Humanity suffers enormous casualties among the assault force, the loss of most of their orbital diver forces and dropships, the loss of the Susano'o Type-4, and the complete destruction of the remaining Valkyries. And this is not counting losses sustained in the massive diversionary assaults on the outermost ring of hives, such as at Evensk (''[[VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse TE]]'' and Lyons (''The Euro Front'')). Thankfully, the loss of the BETA Superior cripples the BETA enough that Humanity is able to turn the tide and exterminate all BETA on Earth over the coming decades.]]

** Arguably, even though Operation Cherry Blossom ends with [[spoiler:the destruction of the BETA Superior, Humanity suffers enormous casualties among the assault force, the loss of most of their orbital dropships, the loss of the Susasano'o Type-4, and the complete destruction of the remaining Valkyries. Thankfully, the loss of the BETA Superior cripples the BETA enough that Humanity is able to turn the tide and exterminate all BETA on Earth over the coming decades.]]

* SignatureStyle: [[spoiler: âge seems to have a thing for [[LastStand Last Stands]], KillEmAll and[=/=]or SoleSurvivor in ''Alternative'' stories and spinoffs.]]

* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:Kasumi becomes this of [[KillEmAll Operation Cherry Blossom after Sumika dies and Takeru ceases to exist.]]]]

* SuicideMission: In the standard Japanese and UN Army tactical doctrine, once the orbital diver squads break through a hive monument into the interior, they are essentially cut off from reinforcements and additional supplies against a ZergRush of enemies in their home territory. [[spoiler: Takeru and his squad go off on this when they were ordered to invade the Original Hive, [[KillEmAll with predictable results]].]]

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:'''All'''[[note]]except Kasumi and Yuuko[[/note]] of the main cast, as well as the majority of the supporting cast, are dead by the end of Operation Cherry Blossom and its aftermath, many of them via HeroicSacrifice. Of the three passengers of the escape craft after the operation, Sumika is found DeadAllAlong and Takeru [[RetGone ceases to exist]] in the aftermath. Old Tomino would have been proud.]]

** '''Other Anime.''' There is a scene in Episode 1 on the anime where a [=BETA=] emerges from a wall, similar to a [[Manga/AttackOnTitan Titan]]'s opening scene. Since the ''Attack on Titan'' creators explicitly stated they were inspired by ''Muv-luv'', the latter is just repaying the favor. Earlier during the manga run, one of the costumes Yuuko was shown forcing Marimo into was '''[[spoiler:[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagika Mami.]]]]]'''

* {{Shonen}}: The manga adaptation.

** '''Other Anime.''' There is a scene in Episode 1 on the anime where a [=BETA=] emerges from a wall, similar to a [[Manga/AttackOnTitan Titan]]'s opening scene. Since the ''Attack on Titan'' creators explicitly stated they were inspired by ''Muv-luv'', the latter is just repaying the favor.

* TemporalThemeNaming: Japanese TSF models and equipment (even those manufactured under foreign license such as the F-4 Phantom) are given designations of the form "Type-xx", where the latter is the last two digits of the year the particular equipment was adopted; for example, the Type-74 longsword was adopted in 1974, the Type-77 Gekishin (alternate name of the F-4J) was first used in 1977, the Type-97 Fubuki TSF entered Imperial Army service in 1997, while the Type-00 Takemikazuchi was adopted by the Imperial Royal Guard in 2000. [[spoiler:And in 2004, after the success of the [[LightNovel/MuvLuvAlternativeTotalEclipse XFJ Programme]] and successful trials during Operation Sledgehammer, Yuuhi orders the IJA to adopt the Shiranui Second over the F-15SEJ Gekkou / Silent Eagle as the Type-04.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler:More like Anyone [[UpToEleven Will]] Die. Marimo goes first, followed by most of the secondary cast and it ends with the deaths of the most of the main cast!]]

* GratuitousEnglish: Several dialogues are in heavily-accented English. âge's decidedly shoddy English is clearly pointed out in the fan translation patch's readme: ''"âge cannot speak English. They just can't. If you see, for instance, an image says 'preceding paragraph' and the text box says 'transferring seat information', trust us and not them."'' In fact, an early stretch goal of the official translation's Kickstarter specifically promised to outright rerecord dialogue in order to fix up the janky English.
** Fortunately, they were able rerecord the dialogue to fix the janky English for the Steam release.