Arpeggio of Blue Steel
Arpeggio of Blue Steel is a Japanese manga series produced by Ark Performance and serialized in Shōnen Gahosha's Young King Ours. Seventeen manga volumes have been released and an anime series by Sanzigen aired from October 7, 2013, to December 23, 2013. The same studio also produced two films based on the series. The first film was released on January 31, 2015, while the second film was released on October 3, 2015.
Plot
Due to global warming and rising sea levels in the early 21st century, much of Earth's landmass has been lost. In 2039, fleets of powerful sentient warships, armed with advanced technology and possibly 'alien' weaponry, mysteriously appear and devastate the world's naval forces. These ships, collectively known as 'The Fleet of Fog', impose a worldwide naval and aerial blockade, preventing humanity from both traveling the oceans and to other nations. During the blockade, the Fleet of Fog created Mental Models, humanoid avatars containing a ship's Union core, as a means to develop self cultivation and to overcome their lack of creative thinking of tactics that humans possessed, which at the same time made the Mental Models develop their own unique personality.In 2056, 17 years after the blockade began, Gunzō Chihaya, a former student of the Japanese National Marine Academy, is the captain of a small group of privateers called the 'Blue Steel'. The Blue Steel are infamous for possessing a Fog submarine, the I-401, along with its Mental Model Iona, who defected to the human side. Due to I-401's technology and Gunzō's tactical skills, the Blue Steel have not only survived several encounters with the Fleet of Fog but managed to sink one of their most powerful warships.
Gunzō and his crew are hired by a faction of the Japanese government to deliver the prototype of the vibration warhead, a powerful weapon that may finally allow mankind to fight back against the Fog, to the United States. The United States is the only country with the resources and capability to mass-produce the weapon system. However, the Blue Steel will face obstacles on their journey not only from the Fleet of Fog and their human allies, but from other governments and factions with their own agendas. Along the way they will also gain allies of their own from both sides, increasing their chances against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Characters
Blue Steel Fleet
;Gunzō Chihaya;Iona / I-401
;Sō Oribe
;Kyōhei Kashihara
;Iori Watanuki
;Shizuka Hazumi
;Japanese battleship Hyūga
;Japanese cruiser Takao
Japanese government and military
As a result of the blockade by the Fleet of Fog, both the Japanese government and Self-Defense Forces were reorganized. The government is led by the Prime Minister who deal with their own local affairs while making important decisions together for the entire nation. The JSDF became an actual military force with an Army, Navy and Air Force. The remnants of United States Forces Japan that were left stranded after the Fleet of Fog blockade were absorbed into the Japanese Military where many American servicemen ended up marrying Japanese nationals and starting families.;Nobuyoshi Kaede
;Ryūjirō Kamikage
;Cruz Herder
;Ryōkan Kita
;Uragami
;Daisaku Komaki
;Maruri Hibiki
;Makoto Osakabe
Fleet of Fog/Japan
This is the Fleet of Fog stationed in the Japanese territorial waters. They formed a blockade around Japan to prevent any human vessels and aircraft from fleeing to the open sea. There are 2 patrol fleets maintaining the blockade, the First and the Second Oriental Fleet. But when they found out that I-401 sinks Hyūga, the flagship of the Second Oriental Fleet, they are forced to reorganize, leaving a hole in the blockade. After they reorganize, Kongō is the new flagship of the Second Fleet while Nagato is the new flagship of the First Fleet.;Japanese battleship Yamato
;Japanese battleship Kongō
;Japanese battleship Nagato
;Japanese battleship Haruna
;Japanese battleship Kirishima
;Japanese battleship Hiei
;Japanese battleship Ise
;Japanese cruiser Maya
;I-400-class submarine
;Japanese Submarine I-402
;Japanese cruiser Myōkō
;Japanese cruiser Nachi
;Japanese cruiser Ashigara
;Japanese cruiser Haguro
;Japanese cruiser Atago
;Japanese repair ship Akashi
;Japanese destroyer Yukikaze
;Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
Fleet of Fog/Europe (Scarlet Fleet)
;Shōzō Chihaya;Japanese battleship Musashi
;German battleship Bismarck
;Zordan Stark
;Romuald
;Francette
;U-2501
;Repulse
;Vampire
;Prince of Wales
;Lexington
Civilians
;Makie Osakabe;Lawrence Valentine/Tōjūrō Osakabe
;Saori Chihaya
Media
Manga
The manga began serialization in September 30, 2009, in Shōnen Gahōsha's Young King OURs magazine. The first tankōbon volume was released on April 30, 2010; nineteen volumes have been published as of June 1, 2020. A guide book which contain a short story and Drama CD was also released. The series was licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment in July 2013, who released the first volume on July 1, 2014; eighteen volumes have been released as of October 2019.A spin-off manga illustrated by TALI titled Salty Road which focuses on Takao, I-402, and Zuikaku during their infiltration of Yokosuka, began serialization on October 16, 2014, in Young King OURs magazine.
Anime
A CG rendered anime produced by Sanzigen titled Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova-, began airing on October 7, 2013. The opening theme song is "Savior of Song" performed by Nano and MY FIRST STORY, and the two ending theme songs are performed by Trident which is composed of Mai Fuchigami, Manami Numakura, and Hibiku Yamamura: "Blue Field " and "Innocent Blue". The television series features an anime original ending that differs from the plot of the manga. The rerun of the series on TV during 2014 was accompanied by a tie-in series of comedy shorts titled Kiri-Kuma's featuring the Fog characters in bear form. The anime television series has been licensed in North America by Crunchyroll, with distribution by Discotek Media, and they've released a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack of the series on November 4, 2016.In September 2013, it was announced that there would be a collaborative project between the Arpeggio of Blue Steel anime and the online game Kantai Collection. Illustrators for Kadokawa Games, including Shibafu and Konishi, are responsible for drawing some of the end cards, which feature crossovers with Kantai Collection characters. An Arpeggio of Blue Steel in-game special event for Kantai Collection also took place from 24 December 2013 to 6 January 2014.
In June 2014, two animated films based on the manga were announced. The first, titled Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova DC-, is a compilation of the TV series with extra scenes in its first half, with a new story in its second half. Nano performs the theme song, titled "Rock on.". The second film is an all new story. Both films were produced by the same staff of the anime series and released in 2015.