#north ambria

[comradeyurika]

The first episode of Trails of Cold Steel: Northern War was pretty intriguing, and I love how much it just immediately feels like Trails. Part of that is the music, to be sure, but it just also hits on a lot of the hallmarks that draw us all to this series. There's a great mix of action, comic relief, political machinations and a general view of what society is like in this world that makes these games, and now this anime, feel so rich. I'm really excited to be meeting these characters and to finally get to see North Ambria. I still remain disappointed that we didn't get to visit North Ambria in Cold Steel III or IV, but this anime is looking to be a great look at the country, and hopefully some of these characters will show up in the games in the future.

[rehncohro]

[lady-byleth]

It really pisses me off how desperate Falcom is to somehow make Osborne into a tragic figure and loving father instead of an actual monster who thought starting a world war and the fucking apocalypse to get rid of the curse was a good idea

Like, the ends don't always justify the means.

There's a good comparison to he made to Crow here, who also didn't exactly keep his vest clean.

But Crow at least tried to avoid collateral damage at every turn, was a well established character before his betrayal, had a sympathetic backstory and spent his time as an Immortal trying to constantly sacrifice himself to give Rean a leg up against the enemies.

Crow managed to counter balance the terrorist leader actions with the heroic actions enough that, at least in my opinion, the heroic ones came out on top. From the beginning he worked with Vita to try and avoid the Great Twilight. His identity had to essentially be deleted and Azure Siegfried had to take over for him to do the opposite

Osborne's "redeeming qualities" all come way too later, after destroying thousands of lives, starting a world war, after so much death and destruction before we learn it's allegedly in the name of "salvation" that it just doesn't work

The entire time he's played as a straight up villain until suddenly, after 4 games, they pull a 180 and try to make him a tragic hero instead.

Osborne revealed to Rean he was his father moments after Crow, someone who meant the world to him and literally threw every good thing away to get revenge, bled out in his fucking arms

Why should Rean cry over this guy who never treated him like anything but a war asset, when Crow's life falling apart, his betrayal, everything Rean experienced in North Ambria, Siegfried's existence and Millium dying were all direct results of Osborne's actions?

If you want a tragic villain at least go the extra mile to make him likable before he becomes irredeemable

[alparlaboratories]

This is my favorite piece of unexplained world-building in the Trails series. I think it's the second game where you're told that 30 years ago a pillar of salt the size of a skyscraper fell from the sky and unleashed a storm that turned 2/3rds of the region of North Ambria to salt, people and buildings included, and that it fucked up the entire country for decades.

It's constantly referenced, clearly super important, but we're in game 9 and still don't know what caused it other than it came from 'the Beyond', a concept that's also not fully explained yet.

Crazy shit.

[feen-feet]

Pls help me (Feen) pick stuff to watch this season

Hey so, Feen here. We were hoping to get you a little slushie previewing the new season before we did the actual Season Taster, but uh... I messed up somewhere and my half of the recording is nowhere to be found. Sorry :(

But this also means we're rolling straight into the Winter 2023 Taster! Cube's got a list of stuff she wants to watch, as do I, but mine is a bit less refined right now. I've put a poll up for Patreons who'd like to help me pick what to watch.

Watchlist after the break!

Cube is watching:

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

Trigun Stampede

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

Here's my list of stuff:

Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari

Tsukumogami—spirits or "marebito" can possess objects of considerable age and gain a physical form. Although he is part of the Saenome clan that is in charge of peacefully sending them back to their own world, Hyouma Kunato despises them because one took away what was very precious to him. In order to cure him of this loathing, Hyouma's grandfather sends him to live with Botan Nagatsuki, a girl who is the master of six "friendly" tsukumogami and lives with them as a family.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War

Lavi was born in North Ambria, the poorest region in the northwestern Zemuria. She enlists in the Northern Jaegers, the largest in the continent, to protect her hometown and distinguish herself from her grandfather Vlad, who was once a hero but betrayed North Ambria. Her devotion to her missions often earned her violations of regulations, and one day, she is ordered to assemble a platoon with Martin, Iseria, and Talion for an impossible spy mission to Erebonia to gather information on the "Imperial Hero" a mysterious threat to North Ambria.

The Tale Of Outcasts

Wisteria is an orphan girl living in a corner of the British Empire at the end of the 19th century. Her life is desolate and bleak–until she encounters Marbas, a powerful but equally lonely immortal being with a furry appearance, hounded by hunters. Together, Wisteria and Marbas roam the Empire–populated by humans and human-like beasts–in search of a place where they can live together in peace.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

Himuro is an office worker who belongs to a race of supernatural beings with strange powers. Whenever he is deep in concentration, he subconsciously plunges his poor coworkers into a close rendition of the Arctic. Even so, contrary to his icy powers, Himuro is a warm and kind person. He likes flowers and cats, but alas, he cannot get too close to either.

Himuro has a soft spot for his colleague Fuyutsuki, a calm woman who has a knack for providing simple solutions to his unconventional problems. Whenever Fuyutsuki does something for him, a snowstorm of emotions builds inside Himuro's heart, and he fails to notice the raging snowstorm he causes on the office floor.

Thanks to his snowy tantrums, Himuro's feelings are apparent to everyone but Fuyutsuki. However, fueled by immense adoration and desire, Himuro is prepared to do whatever it takes to capture her heart.

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Tomo Aizawa and Junichirou "Jun" Kubota are the tightest bros you would ever see. They roughhouse and spar, but through thick and thin, they have got each other's back. Yet, there is just one small problem: Tomo is in love with Jun!

Since she was young, tomboyish Tomo has been just another one of the guys; due to his extreme muscle-brained nature, Jun does not notice any of her advances—not even when she explicitly confesses. To add insult to injury, for the longest time, he did not even realize that she was a girl. Will Tomo ever be able to catch Jun's eye and escape the infamous bro zone?

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

Despite her supposed ineptitude with regular magic, Princess Anisphia defies the aristocracy's expectations by developing "magicology," a unique magical theory based on memories from her past life. One day, she witnesses the brilliant noblewoman Euphyllia unjustly stripped of her title as the kingdom's next monarch. That's when Anisphia concocts a plan to help Euphyllia regain her good name-which somehow involves them living together and researching magic! Little do these two ladies know, however, that their chance encounter will alter not only their own futures, but those of the kingdom…and the entire world!

High Card

After discovering that his orphanage was on the brink of closing due to financial stress, Finn, who was living freely on the streets, set out for a casino with the aim of making a fortune. However, nothing could have prepared Finn for the nightmare that was awaiting him. Once there, Finn encountered a car chase and bloody shootout caused by a man's "lucky" card.

Finn will eventually learn what the shootout was about. The world order can be controlled by a set of 52 X-Playing cards with the power to bestow different superhuman powers and abilities to the ones that possess them. With these cards, people can access the hidden power of the "buddy" that can be found within themselves.

There is a secret group of players called High Card, who have been directly ordered by the king of Fourland to collect the cards that have been scattered throughout the kingdom while moonlighting as employees of the luxury carmaker Pinochle. Scouted to become the group's fifth member, Finn soon joins the players on a dangerous mission to find these cards.

"All you need in life are manners, dignity, and the will to bet on your own life."

However, Who's Who, the rival car maker obsessed with defeating Pinochle, and the Klondikes, the infamous Mafia family, stand in the way of the gang. A frenzied battle amongst these card-obsessed players, fueled by justice, desire, and revenge, is about to begin!

Are you ready? It's Showdown!!

Buddy Daddies

Assassins Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa meet Miri, a girl looking for her father on Christmas Day. Kazuki, Rei, and Miri unexpectedly end up living together.

Follows Kazuki Kurusu, a criminal contractor/coordinator who lives with his best friend, Rei Suwa, a professional assassin who has been raised from childhood to be a contract killer. Kazuki is outgoing and loves gambling and women, while Rei is a man of few words who spends his off time playing video games. One day, the two buddies end up caring for Miri Unasaka, a four year old girl whose father is a mafia boss, after Miri accidentally wanders into a firefight in a hotel while looking for her father.

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

On the outside, otome villainess Liselotte seems foul in every way, a purely evil character. However, as revealed in her diary, she was always hiding both her pain and her true feelings for Prince Siegward. While she keeps this locked away, an evil witch ultimately possesses her, leading to her demise—a tragic end for the tsundere villainess. This is how the story always goes, an end coded into the game MagiKoi.

Broadcasting club members Aoto Endou and Shihono Kobayashi decide to play this game. In another universe, Prince Siegward hears their voices, believing it to be a divine revelation from a god and goddess. These voices clue him into something he never noticed before: Liselotte is actually overwhelmingly adorable!

There are no resets in this game, and just one chance to change the future for the ill-fated villainess. In years to come, these two entities, who would guide the country to prosperity and greatness, would be known as play-by-play Endou and color commentator Kobayashi!

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki - Northern War

Alt title: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Northern War

Released: 2023

North Ambria has been regarded as the poorest region for many years following the North Ambrian Disaster. The economy never recovered after suffering a significant loss as a result of the mysterious Salt Pale converting people and structures into salt. The previous state military has evolved into the Northern Jaegers, a band of mercenaries. Lavi, a talented rookie, enlists with the intention of joining the Jaegers. After  working with them for six months, Lavi is regarded well by her coworkers. The Imperial Hero of Erebonia is a new danger to the state, and Lavi and her crew are entrusted with learning more about him. In doing so, they learn that there may be more to the continent's complex political system than first appears.

[wyrmmaster]

@ryo-maybe Surprisingly good, actually.

I was curious about what happened in North Ambria because of how Altina changes her tone towards Rean after it, but now I want to see what happens to these anime-specific characters because I'm invested in them.

It feels like a Trails game introducing a new party and I'm vibing.

[trails-inthe-sky]

Short thoughts on the first two episodes of the Cold Steel Northern War anime after the cut

I’m not quite sure how I feel about the Northern War anime yet. I want to love it and I want it to be amazing so that it encourages more people to try out the games and fall in love with the world of Trails. But, I’m getting such a mix of feelings in the first two episodes. Lavi is a sullen protag so far, and that’s something I’ve never found compelling. The cameos are really neat, but the new characters created for the show feel generic. I’m worried that they presume that viewers are well-versed with Trails lore, which could turn off newbies who feel lost or know nothing. And I still struggle to feel very interested since we already know the fate of North Ambria since it was told to us in the games. I obviously have to stick with the show, but I just wish it had a better hook.

[mostlyskinart]

Here is some old art of my Symbaroum character Thiago and his former dance partner, Karona. They used to perform in one of Ambrias big cities together, until both of them became adventurers, and their paths crossed again when they ventured out into the Davokar, the big forest in the North.

[asoulofatlantis]

thoughts on the claim that the reveal at the end of cs4 about Osborne is a retcon or contradicts osbornes past portrayal in sky saga where he was portrayed as an imperialist. or claiming his various actions contradict it like jurai or north ambria's invasion or that it needed more clues or less war hawkish actions

I personally really liked Osbornes portrayal and how only in the end you truly could see that ultimately, he was a good man that only wanted to save the world.

HOWEVER I think throughout the Cold Steel Saga you get multiple hints at him not being the Cold Hearted Monster he was supposed to be. Small things that one would likely not think twice about on their first playthrough but would make sense in the end.

Osborne was portrayed as a dangerous, powerful and power-hungry man in both Sky and Zero/Azure and the reason for it was, that Osborne tended to swallow smaller Countries like they were Eggs for Breakfast. Most of those countries did not want to be swallowed and thus many people took it very hard and hated the man for it. His reputation came from his actions and he did all those things. People like Olivert or the SSS were in the way of his plans and you see through the Cold Steel Saga that Osborne was willing to make Sacrifices to reach his ultimate goal. That did include Olivert and if said prince, Cassius and Kloe would not have intervened, would have also possibly been eating Liberl and obviously the SSS in Crossbell had to take some damage as well, just as he had hinted at. Osborne was a force to be reconned with and just because overall his goal was to save the world instead of destroying the world, his methods were as bad as people said them to be. After all, if it had not been for Rean MANY people would have died in the war for Crossbell and North Ambria (I mean let's face it, that IS one of the reasons Osborne send him there) but Osborne still took the risk, because it was necessary for his plans.

Osborne needed to Swallow those countries for his plan to work and so he did, which is a fact and gets explained in Cold Steel. And on first glance, he wasn't exactly nice about it either. But he did what he had to do.

Nothing of this contradicts his portrayal in past games. He did all these seemingly bad things in this not-so-very-nice way.

I also don't think we needed more clues. In Sky and Zero/Azure we meet Osborne as what they wanted us to see him as, a power-hungry imperialist who swallows every country around Erebonia he can get and is very war-hungry and dangerous. When we arrive in Erebonia that is exactly what he is. He has power and he uses it to gain more power and his goal to wage war eventually was clear as day as well. No contradiction whatsoever with what we've heard and saw so far.

HOWEVER think back at all the countries he swallowed and see the bigger Picture. Jurai has actually has gained something from it, so did North Ambria and if you look at the Bigger picture, Erebonia taking over Crossbell ultimately allowed them to get their independence AND even the country that Osborne waged war on for the sake of his plan gained immensely from what followed the war, which was that insanely stupid amount of money they got to repair whatever damage they might have received in that short amount of time, boosting their Economy and growth immensely. Also... when he took over Jurai, he did that peacefully. Crows grandfather died because he was a sore loser and preferred to die instead of fighting for a way to free his country eventually and Crow took it like the child he was and made it look like Osborne killed the man, even tho there was nothing that said it was Osbornes intention for the man to die. He wanted Jurai. He got Jurai and all that without any bloodshed. Sneakily, sure, but no blood was shed. Scarlet lost her land to Osborne too, but its not like Osborne killed her family, he just got the land and once again, no blood was shed by him, people once again were just really sore losers. When he took over Crossbell, the fight only broke out because Calvard was a sore loser. I am sure if they would not have attacked, the whole taking over Crossbell-Thingy would have happened much more peacefully. And once again, with Rean on the frontlines, Osborne was sure to know that bloodshed was kept to a minimum. ALSO while Rufus hated the guts of the SSS... they were not killed. When they had them trapped in that Birdcage, that would have been their chance to get rid of them for good, but they did not. While Operation Birdcage (especially with Junas dramatic whining about how unfair the world is to her Crossbell...) was awful and frustrating for the SSS, Crossbell and the Player alike, BUT at the end of it all, no one of the SSS was truly harmed in the process and in the end they could free their home as they were supposed to, because Osborne kept them alive, even tho they were a possible threat to his plans. North Ambria was also put in a better place when being swallowed by Erebonia and as little blood was shed as possible thanks to Osborne using Rean once again. At first glance, using Rean in both Crossbell and North Ambria seemed like Osborne wanted to show off what Erebonia has at their disposal to scare the other countries away and while that surely was part of it, I think Reans tendency to protect and not sacrifice people and still get the job done, was the true reason why he was ordered to help when the takeover off both North Ambria and Crossbell happened. As the player or the person who watched that dreaded Anime, you just do not see that at first.

ALSO Liberl... swallowing Liberl would have made things A LOT easier for Osborne, but after the whole Orbal Shutdown event he didn't try it again. No one ever questioned that. But isn't it odd? It would have been so much easier for him to march towards Calvard through Liberl if Liberl was part of Erebonia too and he HAD the power to take it over, Cassius or not. But he didn't. Because it wasn't necessary for his plans. He didn't want any unnecessary bloodshed. He only did cause a war, if he had to.

You also have to see his actions as a person. We see that one flashback of him when he gave up Rean a few times. Not just that he prayed to Aidios for his survival and happiness even tho he abandoned him and treated him like shit later on. He also left him with a good family. Given how no one noticed who he was after he entered the Schwarzer Family, he could have easily put him in front of any orphanage. Even in Liberl if necessary to hide his true identity. But he did not. Osborne placed him in a good and loving family who he knew would raise Rean as their own no matter what. What man that is truly a coldhearted monster would do that? What cold hearted monster would give Millium the chance to actually live and experience emotions and kindness? Look at what Rufus did to Altina and how long it took her to develop emotions, a will of her own and understand all that. Millium is who she is, because Osborne allowed her to learn and never treated her like a weapon or puppet, even tho technically speaking she was supposed to be just that. But not for him. ALSO he took in Lechter and Claire when they had nowhere to go and when their hearts were only ever filled with bad feelings he gave them Millium as their little sister so they would finally have a sort of a family again. Once again... why would he do that, if he was a Cold Hearted Monster? He gave Millium a Teddybear. He told Rean to follow his heart when the topic of a possible dance with Alfin was raised and all that while that whole scene he had been ignoring him and treating him coldly. When Rean wanted to speak with him, he gave in. When Erebonia was in danger he ordered Rean to act, making it look like he was treating him like one of his Ironbloods ordering him around under the pretense of it being Government-Orders. But think about it! In every of those situations Rean would have acted either way. It was just to keep up appearances.

ALSO one more thing. Leanne. We know that despite her being a part of Ouroboros, that she is a good person. She would have never worked with Osborne, Dreichels soul reborn or not, if he didn't had good intentions with all the things he did. You can see that clearly with Duvalie. She was mortified when the Curagious was destroyed and the curse was let lose because she believed that was nothing her Lord would work towards to. But there is the thing, Duvalie too didn't see the bigger picture. Leanne did support that, because the endgoal wasn't to truly bring the end of the world, the end-goal was to actually destroy the curse that would otherwise end the world and she knew that. (You could also say that Claire and Lechter were a good indicator. They were actually good people. You can see Claire suffer through her job as Ironblood throughout the whole of Cold Steel and it wasn't just simple loyalty that lead here to face Reans wrath even tho she loved him so much, it was because deep down she trusted Osborne and that what he did was supposed to be for the greater good, even if she couldn't see the full picture of how or why.

There were a shitload of hints that Osborne was not the Monster he was supposed to be but he still acted the part and did what he did.

Some people are just salty because Osborne made for such an amazing villain and then ended up being the good guy anyway.

[brendanaurabolt]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Northern War takes you behind the scenes of North Ambria's final days

Author’s Note: I actually wrote this in its entirely in August 2023 and didn’t realize I never actually published it until now. I was sure I published it but apparently not. I decided not to update this to reflect the passage of time hence this quick notice.   ~ Aurabolt     The anime just wrapped up on Crunchyroll. The story takes place between the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold…

[comradeyurika]

Headpats activated. Kiseki protagonist status confirmed

[animelondon]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War

Lavi was born in North Ambria, the poorest region in the northwestern Zemuria. She enlists in the Northern Jaegers, the largest in the continent, to protect her hometown and distinguish herself from her grandfather Vlad, who was once a hero but betrayed North Ambria. Her devotion to her missions often earned her violations of regulations, and one day, she is ordered to assemble a platoon with Martin, Iseria, and Talion for an impossible spy mission to Erebonia to gather information on the "Imperial Hero" a mysterious threat to North Ambria.

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Game, Military

http://www.animelondon.org/wiki/Legend_of_Heroes

What did we think?

Interesting mix of modern style weaponry versus fantasy monsters.  Hints of mecha.  No doubt there's a kitchen sink somewhere in here too.   Getting a good vibe of the soldiers interactions.  Fairly good characters of low ranking more than the over the top Over Powered heroes all too common to these type of shows.  I'm liking it.

... Michael Eh?

Anime based n the series of turn-based RPGs by Nihon Falcom and published by XSeed. Has your typical monster killing stuff and is a military and fantasy based story. I'm not really familiar with it, it has three titles to my knowledge, and is kind of under the radar. Our protagonist is a trooper in some army in the snow-covered lands of the north. Animation and art style is serviceable, though nothing special. I'm uncertain if this is an original story, or follows the plot of one of the games in the series.

... Mr. G

[animesnanet]

The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki Northern War

Lavi nasceu em North Ambria, a região mais pobre do noroeste de Zemuria. Ela se alista em Northern Jaegers, a maior do continente, para proteger sua cidade natal e se distinguir de seu avô Vlad, que já foi um herói, mas traiu North Ambria. Sua devoção às missões muitas vezes lhe rendeu violações dos regulamentos e, um dia, ela recebe a ordem de montar um pelotão com Martin, Iseria e Talion para uma impossível missão de espionagem a Erebonia para reunir informações sobre o “Herói Imperial”, uma misteriosa ameaça a Ambria do Norte. O post The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – Northern War apareceu primeiro em Animes Gratis Br.

[zillyeh]

naming Delhon City and Delhon province the same thing is the worst thing i could have possibly done to myself

[houseisekai]

Good News Everyone! Cold steel anime will Be original featuring new protagonist A girl from North Ambria. It will tell original story set concurrent with the games. So it wont rehash of the games hopefully.

Oooh, that'll be interesting.

I better see Elliot once.