Friday, March 21, 2014

The Complete Symphogear Keyword Compendium

A complete collection of all 43 translated keywords from Symphogear season 1!
When watching, read the associated keywords only after completing the listed episodes.


Season 1
Episode 1 - 2
Symphogear
Based on the "Sakurai theory" proposed by the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2's technology expert, Sakurai Ryouko, "Symphogear" is the name of a special, counter-measure FG-type armor that was created using sacred relics as a base.

Currently it is the only existing weapon know to stop the singular disaster known as the "Noise," however to avoid conflict with current constitutional laws its existence has been completely hidden to the public.

Responding to the synthetic vibration resonance created by the fighting spirit of the user, the Symphogear's greatest trait is its internal functionality to play a certain melody. By synchronizing that melody with the user through song, the Symphogear displays an incredibly high level of battle potential.

Although the armor is able to absorb damage during battle, any sort of disruption of the song will result in a temporary dampening of its combat potential. At the moment, this is the only weakness that has been observed in the Symphogear system.

Sacrist 
Various myths and folklore from all around the world have often spoken of ancient weapons with hidden supernatural powers. Impossible to produce with today's technology, they exist as forms of heretical technology (black arts) that are being excavated from ruins and other locations.

Due to the passing of time these relics have been exposed to much deterioration and damage. Even through large excavation projects, finding pieces that are completely intact is incredibly rare. Therefore, in most cases, only "sacrist fragments" have been recovered.

Sacrists that are in a grounded state can shift into an active state through the power of song, thereby releasing their inner power. Classified as the first sacrist and held by Tsubasa, "Ame no Habakiri," is only a single piece of the original sword's blade. Classified as the third sacrist, "Gungnir," which Hibiki inherited from Kanade, is also only the tip of the original spear. (However right now, even just splinters of that are what remain within Hibiki's chest.)

Aufwachen wave pattern
The unique wave pattern emitted by sacrist, or sacrist fragments, upon activation through the power of song. Each time a linked user becomes clad in their armor it is also emitted. By comparing the variations in the wave pattern of each sacrist, it is possible to isolate their particular classification.

Kanade and Tsubasa's Pendants
The pendants worn by Kanade and Tsubasa were created from their respective sacrist fragments. They function as a sound amplifying microphone which allows the linked users to be endowed with the power of the sacrist when they sing. Activated sacrist fragments can be temporarily reconfigured into their Symphogear form once their energy reaches a stable level.

Noise
13 Years ago at the United Nations General Assembly, the Noise were officially recognized under the classification of "singular disaster." The Noise have been observed to take form in various shapes and sizes, but all of them are equipped with a means of attack. Each form shares certain attributes specific to the purpose of functioning as a weapon:

They only target human beings, any person who comes in direct contact with them is immediately decomposed into carbon.

The laws of nature regarding energy loss and consumption do not apply to them.

They typically appear without warning, appearing out of thin air and multiplying instantly.

There are no valid means of repelling their attacks. Aside from sacrificing an equal number of human bodies that would reduce the Noise to lumps of carbon, the only other option is to wait and stall for a period of time after their emergence, until the Noise decompose on their own.

Because they look similar to other living creatures, past experiments had attempted to communicate with them, but these were unable to proceed due to numerous failures. Ultimately, communicating and controlling the Noise is impossible because they likely have no capacity for free thought.

This is the data that has been recorded thus far. Because there are still many mysteries surrounding the Noise, all the nations of the world are currently working on further research in order to gain a better understanding of them.

Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit
A government agency created to mobilize in response to any appearance of the classified singular disaster: "Noise." The primary directives of Division 1 are: providing guidance for evacuating citizens, diverting and distracting the Noise, and disposing of the wreckage from attacks. Normally when a person hears the name "Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit" this is what they think of, Division 1 is the public face of the agency in the mass media.

Division 2 functions very similarly to Division 1, it also carries out missions to help minimize the damage from Noise attacks. However there is one fundamental difference between them: Division 2 is in possession of the Symphogear System.

Division 2 was originally established 10 years ago. Prior to that, during the time of World War II, Division 2's predecessor was founded by ex-military forces. Operating from within special facilities, the "Kazanari Agency" was the birthplace of research for methods and tactics used to exterminate the Noise.

In addition to engaging in combat with the Noise, Division 2 has one other important duty: controlling highly confidential information. Because the Symphogear System has demonstrated itself as an overwhelmingly powerful anti-Noise weapon, Division 2 is in an extremely precarious position with regards to the current Constitution as well as the US-Japan Security Treaty. They must avoid revealing to any foreign agency that they retain possession of such a weapon, therefore the government's decision has been to conceal the entire existence of the project.

Episodes 3 - 4
Linked Users
It is not possible to activate sacrists with just any song sung by any person. In order to utilize the sacrist fragments, individuals who are compatible with wearing the Anti-Noise Protector Symphogear armor must be found.

At present, there are 4 people who have been confirmed as linked users:
Kazanari Tsubasa, who had the ability to activate Ame no Habakiri from a young age.
Amou Kanade, who had the ability to activate Gungnir under certain conditions.
Tachibana Hibiki, who inherited control of Gungnir from Kanade after the accident.
Yukine Chris, the potential candidate who disappeared 10 years ago and reappeared in control of Ichaival.

Officially, the Japanese Government has only recognized Tsubasa as a legitimate candidate. Both Kanade and Hibiki's compatibility were created through irregular or forcibly acquired factors. Chris has not been under the supervision of the Japanese Government, so it is not known whether her compatibility is natural or not. However, she is suspected to be the 2nd true candidate after Tsubasa.

Currently the Japanese Government continues the candidate selection process behind closed doors, but because the number of true candidates is likely very small and the Symphogear system is highly classified information, it is a considerably slow process that has yet to bear much fruit.

Noise Outbreaks
After the Noise had been classified at the United Nations General Assembly, private research agencies began an investigation into the outbreak occurrence rates.

Taking data from central Tokyo's population density, the state of public affairs and status of the economy, it was calculated that throughout their entire lives the current residents of Tokyo had a smaller chance of encountering the Noise than being involved in an incident with a random (human) attacker.

In order to stem the flow of information regarding the Noise, the statistics were left unconfirmed, and remain the only numbers that shape public perceptions about the number of Noise outbreaks. Currently, the only information that is clear is that the number of outbreaks near the Lydian Music Academy is unusually high.

Counter-measures against the Noise
Within a certain dictatorship there were rumors that political offenders who had been sentenced to death were forced to face the Noise. In yet another country, they attempted to destroy the Noise by utilizing powerful energy sources to overpower and eliminate their physical presence. Bombing exercises were run for over an hour at a time, which resulted in changes in the topography of nearby mountains. Afterwards, landslides occurred due to subsequent rain. All of this was said to have resulted in serious damage to everything but the Noise.

If you ignore the Symphogear system, there are no effective counter-measures against the Noise. When faced with an outbreak the general method of opposing them is simply to "run." For that reason, within the heart of Japan's urban areas, evacuation alarms and shelters were established. However, as expected, in situations where these methods were measured against the Noise's special characteristics, their effectiveness was brought into question.

Although the Government was derided for simply choosing policies that were the most appealing, against the Noise the reality is "we have no other choice." Currently, a complete evacuation from the center of the cities is being considered, however the amount of money to be used as a subsidy for the evacuations is stuck in debate.

The Tragedy at the Concert Hall
2 years prior to the main story. This matter refers to the incident that occurred during a public performance by Zwei Wing, which happened after an outbreak of Noise in large quantities.

In this case, counting the spectators and officials, there were over 100,000 people in attendance. The number of those who died or went missing was 12,874, a truly horrible disaster. However only 1/3 of those deaths was actually caused by the Noise themselves, the rest resulted from people who fell or were crushed to death during the rush to escape, or were killed in violent altercations that occurred at the entrances of the evacuation shelters.

Among the deceased was one of the members of Zwei Wing, Amou Kanade. As a result, after this incident Zwei Wing was officially disbanded. Presently, there are many people who remain with wounded hearts as a result of the tragedy.

The Tragedy at the Concert Hall - Part 2: Below the stage
During Zwei Wing's live performance, in a specially created laboratory room, the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2 was conducting an experiment in an attempt to activate the Nehushtan armor.

It was called, Project: [N]

After analyzing the complete sacrist, the Nehushtan armor, an activation of it was attempted in the hopes of furthering the Sakurai theory and discovering a counter-measure to the sublimation caused by the Noise. The ultimate goal was to find a more effective means to fight them. However, immediately after the Nehushtan had been activated a spike of energy overwhelmed the safety valves and caused the system to go out of control.

At the same time, inside the concert hall itself, a large outbreak of Noise occurred. In the mayhem that followed, the chain of command broke down and the Nehushtan armor went missing.

The complete sacrist's unrestrained power and a violent assault by the Noise. In a situation where these seemingly unrelated events occurred at the same time, many people on the inside were left with a very strong impression that this wasn't an instance of something going "missing" but rather that someone had intentionally taken it.

Amou Kanade
The 1st generation user of the 3rd sacrist, Gungnir. Age at death: 17 years old.

By nature, Kanade had a very low link coefficient with the Symphogear system and should have been unable to become a sacrist bearer. However, Division 2's Technology Specialist, Sakurai Ryoko, developed a control drug known as "LiNKER" and by taking an overdose of the drug, Kanade acquired the ability to use the power of Gungnir as a linked user.

In Kanade's case LiNKER's effectiveness was proven to be tremendous, but the burden it brought upon the human body was equally as immense. It was for this reason that LiNKER was modified with a limit on how long it could remain active. From then on there were times where Kanade would refer to herself as a "fake user" and complain about her "time limit."

-The day of the concert tragedy-

One of the purposes of Project: N was to collect data from the girls during their live stage performance. In order to reduce the number of uncontrollable variables and prevent unusable ("garbage") data, Kanade had refrained from taking her prescribed dosage of LiNKER for a period of time before the concert. Ultimately, this led to a disaster during the fight with the Noise when Kanade's combat time was cut short.

After a sharp decline in her link coefficient, the Symphogear armor on Kanade's body began to disengage and so she decided to end the fighting as quickly as possible. It was at this point that she began to burn her life energy to the point where it ran out.

Superb Song - Part 1
This is the strongest and most effective offensive strike available to the Symphogear users.

The attack utilizes amplified energy and releases it in one burst, inflicting critical damage upon the intended target. However, the energy also backfires upon the Symphogear user, so much so that even a physically strengthened body cannot abate any of the damage. It is, without a doubt, a double-edged sword that should only be used as a last resort.

The damage resulting from the backfire can be lessened when the Symphogear user has a high link coefficient. However, even as a linked user, Tsubasa was unable to reduce all of the damage when she used it against the armored girl, and it resulted in severe injuries to her body.

In Kanade's case, she originally had a very low link coefficient and, in addition, was suffering from a decline in usage of the control drug LiNKER. So therefore the damage from the backfire quickly crossed over her endurance threshold and spread throughout her body, causing her to disintegrate.

Superb Song - Part 2
Originally, the Superb Song is intended to effectively discharge high levels of energy through the user's Armed Gear.

In the instance where Tsubasa used it against the armored girl, she did not pass the energy through her Armed Gear and instead allowed her surplus of energy to overflow, thereby attacking all the Noise within the nearby area. This eventually resulted in Hibiki being freed from capture, but it is by no means the most efficient use of the song's power.

The Superb Song also has special characteristics that are unique to each respective Symphogear. For example, Kanade's Gungnir emits spirals of energy in the shape of a winding drill, thereby granting a superior capability to pierce and penetrate.

When she used it at the concert hall, the spirals of energy were expanded to a wide area in order to exterminate all the Noise in the vicinity. This demonstrates that the song's usage can vary at the user's will, depending on how they desire to respond to their current situation.

Ame no Habakiri's special characteristic is its ability to condense the energy and then release it in the direction of the user's choosing. In the circumstance when it was used against the armored girl, Tsubasa's thoughts were to: "release the energy directly from within, without using the Armed Gear" and "invoke it at a point-blank range." Tsubasa's only goal was the complete destruction of the enemy, and so without heeding any care to the effects the backfire would have on her body, she created a usage of the song that functions exactly like a suicide bomb.

However, due to Tsubasa's high-level link coefficient and the heightened defensive capabilities of the Nehushtan armor, both parties survived the encounter.

Armed Gear
This is the main armament of the Symphogear.

An Armed Gear is usually equipped with movable and changeable parts (gimmicks). Depending on the user's control limitations and available techniques, it's possible to change its form completely.

The user's visualization of the underlying form of their sacrist, such as a spear (Gungnir) or a katana (Ame no Habakiri), plays a large part in determining what form the Armed Gear will take.

The current user of Gungnir, Tachibana Hibiki, has been unable to bring a physical form to her Armed Gear. To that extent, her combat abilities have fallen short when compared to Kanade and Tsubasa.

Episodes 5 - 6
Durandal
One of the very few complete relics. It has been designated as the 5th sacrist.

Several years ago when the European Union was on the brink of economic collapse, the Japanese government was able to take possession of Durandal under the condition that it would shoulder a portion of the EU's large debt.

It has been kept under strict guard within the deepest sector of the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2's headquarters, but after the Noise outbreaks began to occur with more frequency in the nearby area, the Japanese government came up with a plan to transfer it.

However, during the transfer, the transport vehicles were raided by the Noise and in the battle that ensued Durandal was activated by Hibiki's singing voice.

Durandal has a reputation for being an "indestructible and everlasting" weapon. After it has been activated it can be utilized as a sword that produces overwhelming amounts of energy at an inexhaustible rate.

Due to the attacks by the Noise, or rather due to the "unforeseen activation" that occurred, the transport of Durandal to Nagatacho was temporarily abandoned and currently it is stored back in the deepest sector of Division 2's headquarters, known as the "abyss."

Division 2's Medical Facility
This is where Tsubasa was taken for medical care after she collapsed from the strain of using the Superb Song.

From the outside it has the appearance of a general hospital and is located adjacent to the senior class buildings of the Lydian Music Academy.

In addition to providing medical care for injuries that Symphogear users get in battle, the facility also has a research division where data is collected on deaths and injuries caused by the Noise.

Solomon's Cane
A complete sacrist that was sent from America for the purpose of research. Because it is under the possession of the mysterious blonde woman "Fine," it has never received a classification number from the Japanese government.

Solomon's Cane has already been activated through the energy created by the singing of Yukine Chris. However, America is not yet aware of this fact.

The key functions of this sacrist are that it grants the ability to summon and control the Noise at will.

Even without the cane, Fine has the ability to summon the Noise to any specific location she desires. However, she cannot control the Noise through her power alone and thus far has simply allowed them to go on a rampage while making use of the disaster and panic they caused.

With Solomon's Cane, the user can pick & choose from 72 various commands that make it possible to control the Noise, allowing them to execute complex and delicate maneuvers. The cane can also program the Noise with specific goals while they move about autonomously. All of these features allow for the Noise to be controlled in a systematic matter, making them an important part of tactics.

Considering the fact that Solomon's Cane can directly control the Noise, there is then evidence that a relationship exists between the Noise disasters and the sacrists themselves (or perhaps the prehistoric civilizations that created them).

Defense Minister Hiroki
He was a person who understood the good of the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2, but he lost his life in an attack that occurred while he was traveling with his official convoy.

After the attack was committed, several communist revolutionary groups claimed responsibility, but it was determined this was just a move made by each group to appeal to their supporters. It can be surmised that the real criminal was actually someone else.

Hiroki was well-known as a proponent of the revision of Article 9, a move that he supported from its inception. The revision would have changed Division 2 and the Symphogear system from a government secret into a public force, allowing them to act freely in the public eye.

At this time, due to the large number of nearby Noise outbreaks and evidence of a hacking attempt made on headquarters, not only has Division 2's research division begun an investigation, but the public police force has as well.

Phase Contrast Barrier - Part 1
One of the special characteristics of the Noise.

By shifting between different planes of existence, the Noise have the ability to dampen or negate energy that falls under the normal laws of physics.

Regarding the events of episode 1, when the self-defense members of the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 1 were engaged in hostilities with the Noise it could be seen that the Noise were able to destroy physical structures, and yet any shelling from the defense force's bombardment would pass right through them. The reason for this is twofold: 1) The Noise can adjust their existence ratio to a level very close to our world's, this allows them to interact with objects on a physical level (meaning they can destroy buildings and structures). 2) Alternatively, at their own discretion, the Noise can adjust their existence ratio to a point where they are barely attached to our world, making any attempts to interfere with them on a physical level impossible (meaning all attacks will pass right through them).

To put this special ability into numerical terms, if we launched an attack on the Noise with a damage rate of 500, any Noise that had a 100% existence ratio with our world would receive the full 500 worth of damage. Any Noise that had a halved existence ratio of 50% with our world would only take 250 worth of damage. Finally, any Noise with an unlimited existence ratio approaching 0% would not be affected by the attack at all.

According to records of past battles against the Noise there have been instances where they were successfully repelled by attacks that were made in the instant they increased their existence ratio with our world, and also cases where efficiency was disregarded and a constant barrage of attacks were made until they were successfully destroyed. However, it is difficult to say that either of these options can be considered an effective method to deal with the Noise, primarily because they remain an overwhelming threat due to the fact they can reduce the human body to carbon in a matter of seconds.

Phase Contrast Barrier - Part 2
The most effective way to deal a decisive blow to Noise equipped with the phase contrast barrier is through the use of Division 2's Symphogear System.

At the moment of impact, an attack from the Symphogear System will multiply across various worlds and essentially "tune" the Noise, forcibly dragging them into our world and making them susceptible to the normal laws of physics. This effectively nullifies the phase contrast barrier, allowing the Symphogear user to deal direct damage without suffering any negation or reduction.

Currently, only the Symphogear System is capable of nullifying the phase contrast barrier.

The phase contrast barrier is the only thing beyond the present understanding of researchers in foreign countries, however, needless to say, the Sakurai theory has already successfully analyzed this property and remains the most advanced intelligence relating to the Noise.

Episodes 7 - 8
The Nehushtan Armor
Originally this was one of the sacrists that the Japanese Government kept in its possession. Unlike Ame no Habakiri or Gungnir, when Nehushtan was uncovered in an excavation there were no signs of degradation or damage to it. Thus it was later categorized as a "complete sacrist."

During World War II, the German agency known as Ahnenerbe provided the Japanese government with the details of its location. (At the same time, Japan had just taken control over the 2nd and 3rd sacrists and thus for the sake of convenience the Nehushtan was labeled as the 4th.)

The mysterious girl who appeared clad in the Nehushtan armor demonstrated that it grants power comparable to that of the Symphogear. Currently, the specifics of its power remain unknown but it has been confirmed that the armor contains expanding whip-like armaments on the shoulders, as well as the capacity for flight.

Originally, Yukine Chris wore the armor as a means to complete the task that was given to her, but her real power lies in the Symphogear created from the Ichaival sacrist. However, it is surmised that she kept this hidden in order to avoid revealing it to Division 2.

While Chris was engaged in hostilities with Tachibana Hibiki she abandoned the armor for an unclear reason and currently it is under the ownership of the mysterious woman known as Fine. Ever since Fine donned the armor it has taken a more ominous form and all indications suggest that she has attained a greater mastery of it than Chris.

Barrier Coating
A barrier created from vibrations emitted by the Symphogear System in the form of sound waves. In other words, the coating forms from oscillations created through music, establishing a barrier that can negate the Noise's special ability to reduce the human body to carbon.

As a so-called "musical barrier," it will surround the Symphogear user and reduce the carbon conversion ratio to 0. When combined with the Symphogear Systems's ability to nullify the phase contrast barrier, it enables the user can act freely without fear of the Noise's offensive or defensive capabilities.

The barrier coating does not function only on a sole individual, rather by using the Symphogear as a base, the barrier effect extends around the vicinity. The range of the coating is dependent upon the reach of the music produced by the Symphogear system and any Noise within that range will suffer an alteration that suppresses their carbon conversion ability.

However, because the barrier is created through music, a weak point is created as the coating is gradually reduced the further one gets from the user. But even though this effect decays over distance, even at the very edge of its range it will not completely disappear, so from a tactical standpoint it is possible to safely position auxiliary support.

Ame no Habakiri
The Symphogear system created from a fragment of the 1st classified sacrist,"Ame no Habakiri."

Its user is Kazanari Tsubasa.

Between the attack at the concert two years ago and current day, there is one section of the design that is noticeably different.

In fact, the Symphogear system has 301,655,722 different varieties of locks applied to it. Depending on the user's level of ability and their personal battle style, there is a systematic progression of phases that the user will go through to release the locks.

The purpose of this setup is to adjust the Symphogear to the user's individual preferences, however it is also in place to reduce the strain put on the user's body as much as feasibly possible. In order to achieve this, and give the user a greater mastery of the system itself, it is essential that the user be trained with the device at an increasing difficulty and learn to operate it proficiently.

Ichaival
The Symphogear system created from a fragment of the 2nd classified sacrist, "Ichaival."

Its user is Yukine Chris.

At a point during World War II, Japan was facing a losing war and tensions were running high. In the interest of researching an "absolute power" that might help to turn the tide, Ichiaival was obtained from Germany. However, 10 years prior to today...

The private organization that established the core of sacred sacrist research, the "Kazanari Agency," was newly reformed into the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2. It was around this time that Ichaival went missing. (At this point the leader of Division 2 was Tsubasa's Grandfather, Kazanari Fudou. He resigned as a result of the incident and a young Genjuurou, who was working as a public safety officer, was assigned as the 2nd generation Commander.)

The details of Ichaival's disappearance and how it came into the possession of Chris are currently unknown.

Gungnir
The Symphogear System created from a fragment of the 3rd sacrist, “Gungnir.”

Its previous user was Amou Kanade but then passed to its current user, Tachibana Hibiki.

Generally, when the Symphogear is removed by the user the energy levels will return to normal and it will reconfigure into its pendant form. However…

At the time of the concert tragedy, fragments of the gear were embedded into the area near Hibiki’s heart. They remained there and eventually ended up fusing with her body.

Furthermore, ever since Hibiki has become a Symphogear user, whenever she activates the system itself, the fusion spreads even further, like cancer cells, slowly altering her body.

The remarkable resilience and explosive power of Hibiki’s energy, coupled with her accelerated recovery rate, is likely caused by the fused pieces of Gungnir.

Kadingir
A mysterious word spoken by Fine.

In ancient times it was a word used by the Sumer meaning “elevated existence.” In another form it also carries the meaning of “a tower that reaches the heavens.”

This is, so far, the only solid piece of information that the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2 has been able to get hold of regarding the enemy’s goal, which still remains unclear.

Thus far Fine has spoken a few other mysterious words similar to Kadingir, such as “Custodians,” and “Lulu Amelu.”

Each of them has various meanings, but respectively they can be as translated as “ruler” and “humanity," which is conceivable in the context of Fine's words.

Episodes 9 - 10
Tokyo Skytower
This is Japan’s newest electro-magnetic wave tower that began operations several years prior. Its overall span is 634 meters (roughly 2,080 feet).

It has several uses that are not within public knowledge, for example it is generally used by private government organizations to control and supervise images or communications that are sent through electro-magnetic waves.

Unfortunately the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2 is not an exception, if they were to disrupt or destroy the tower, their future actions would face heavy restrictions as a result.

Fine and the American Government
When working with the American government Fine had one goal in mind: obtain the things she needed that would be impossible to get if she was working alone. To this end she received assistance in securing the large amount of funding necessary for sacred relic research, in addition to obtaining the raw materials and sacrists she needed to conduct the actual research.

The compensation for this was supposed to be all the data from the sacrist research and any information about the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2 that she could pass on. However, Fine was able to take advantage of the circumstances between Japan and America and repeatedly provide excuses to brush-off the demands from the American government.

The American government eventually took this as a serious breach of trust on her part and decided that Fine needed to be restrained (or at worst, killed) and the data on the sacrists stolen from her.

Making use of Special Ops Forces all of their relations to Fine were supposed to be smoothly cut-off, but instead…

Chris's Parents
Her father, Yukine Masanori, was a violinist. Her mother, Sonnet M. Yukine, was a vocalist.

As part of a non-government volunteer organization the two parents took a very young Chris with them to a republic that recently suffered from a coup and had suspended all diplomatic relations with other countries: the Val Verde Commonwealth. They entered South America through Guatemala and put on public music performances in various places while traveling with the ultimate goal of lending aid to refugees.

At first, they traveled along with delegates from the United Nations but they eventually got trapped by the expanding front-lines of the ongoing war and became isolated from their organization. They were later declared missing.

Shortly after that, Masanori and Sonnet death’s were confirmed by outside sources, but they were continually unable to determine what exactly had become of Chris.

Dummy Company
A general term for the group of companies that were created by the Singular Disaster Anti-riot Unit Division 2 for convenient use and coordination during operations.

The total number of them is easily more than a few dozen, for example the Lydian Music Academy that Hibiki and her friends attend can be counted as one of them.

The founder of the school, “Kyouei Education Company Incorporated,” is a dummy company and the current director of Lydian, Arima Chikaho, doesn't actually exist.

Lydian Music Academy’s Special Curriculum
A private school dedicated to the study of musicology, it was built on high ground that overlooks the sea. The area was selected exclusively for the special curriculum courses offered by the school that are independent from traditional schooling. During the year the story takes place in, the academy was welcoming the 10th anniversary since its establishment.

Traditionally, children in Japan attend Elementary and Junior High School as their main education and can choose to apply to attend a High School for further education. However there are also cases when moving into further education that that they will seek acceptance into a specialized school.

Lydian is a girl’s school, built with dorms for the purpose of housing students who attend from locations far away. The student dorms are a brief walk down from the main school grounds, and aside from Hibiki and Miku, many students commute back and forth to them.

The number of students who attend the school is roughly 1200.

Normally, schools such as this would take a common High School curriculum as its base and supplement it with a musical emphasis. However, in Lydian’s case the curriculum was designed in a special style that took various music subjects as its base and then supplemented those with general education elements. With that in mind, one could think of it as a special school that puts strength into music.

In addition to this comprehensive music curriculum the school is famous for its unique and specialized “talent course,” as well as one if its current 3rd year students, the top artist known as Kazanari Tsubasa. (It has also been reported that enrollment has incessantly increased due to students who seek admission because they look up to her.)

Further, due to contributions provided by politicians and businessmen, although it is a private school the tuition expenses have remained extraordinarily cheap. This is one of the main factors the school has been able to open its doors to many students far and wide.

Hibiki’s Arm Units
Weapon units that manifested as part of the Gungnir Symphogear. These have become Hibiki’s main weapon, as she does not possess a distinct armed gear.

In the later half of episode 6 they showed overwhelming power, comparable to that of the Superb Song, in combat against the Nehushtan. However, in reality the attack focuses and releases direct energy the levels of a Superb Song several times over. It is a move that proved highly impractical in terms of energy efficiency, as after the battle Hibiki was left in an exhausted state, literally having “depleted” her available energy.

On one hand, these units offer the ability of a single, extremely powerful hit against a foe. However, if considered as a weapon to be utilized repeatedly in battle, they will be very difficult to control depending on the user’s ability. If the user becomes accustomed to their functionality and is able to control the energy expenditure, consecutive strikes will become possible.

Naturally, if this path is taken it will lead to a reduction in the power, thereby making the previous “Superb Song-level force” of discharge impossible. However, this course of action is far from being considered a simple “weakening” of the weapon.

From episode 9 onward Hibiki has become capable of utilizing the attack in a different manner depending on the situation, by manually forcing the hammer parts into an overdrive. It would be no exaggeration to say that this is an ascension beyond her established battle proficiency.

Episodes 11 - 13
Superb Song – Part 3
The Ichaival Symphogear’s specialty is long-range and wide-area attacks, thus its Superb Song ability is an annihilating wide-area emission attack that is devoid of blind-spots.

However, when faced against a direct attack from Kadingir, the likelihood of Ichaival’s diffused attack being easily penetrated is very high. For this reason, Chris made use of Ichaival’s energy reflectors by spreading them around her surroundings. The reflectors took the normally diffused energy vector and focused it on a single-point aimed at Kadingir. This quickly planned action was a display of Chris’s high-level battle sense.

But that wasn’t the end of her planning, Chris perceived that even the focused energy of her Superb Song wouldn’t be enough to bring Kadingir’s attack to a complete stop. So by again using the energy reflectors, she was able to dampen some of the attack’s energy and thereby alter its trajectory by a fraction.

The result wasn’t just that she prevented a direct hit on the moon, but furthermore was successfully able to abate the damage that was directed at her.

Uncontrollable Destructive Impulse
The physical form and special trait of an armed gear is largely influenced by the user’s heart and mind. In other words, the sacrist and the user’s mental state are directly connected.

Ever since she was fused with Gungnir, there have been occasions when Hibiki has lost control of herself. Her emotions flared up to the point where she moves simply on impulse.

Those emotions are: anger and fear. Normally, these are natural negative feelings that anyone is affected by. However in conjunction with Gungnir, they resonate and amplify to the point where they overthrow the body’s natural preservation instinct. Before long, they alter Hibiki’s character into nothing more than an uncontrollable destructive impulse.

At first there was an incredibly delicate balance within her. Hibiki’s mental state and Gungnir’s power were loosely held in equilibrium. However, as she underwent Genjuurou’s training she began to develop a stronger sense of self-confidence, and this ultimately led to her unknowingly having control over the impulse.

But even having reached that point, when she came in brief contact with the unrestrainable power of the complete sacrist Durandal, it brought about a sympathetic vibration that loosened the restraints built by her training. Thus at the moment when her emotions flared upon seeing Chris shot down, she completely lost control as it brought forth pent-up rage from memories of hardships experienced in the past. Although Hibiki has become stronger, it’s difficult to say that a 15-year old girl has thorough control over her own emotions.

In the case of Fine, the other human-sacrist fusion, when compared to Hibiki she appears to be maintaining a much more stable state. This is thought be the result of the monstrous soul she has nurtured within herself during her thousands of years of living.

Fine
Lurking in the genes of people throughout the world, Fine's true form is a revived Priestess from a prehistoric civilization who is awakened by the aufwachen wave pattern.

Many of Fine's descendants exist throughout the world, and although she may use them as a vessel to exist inside of, she only has a single soul and thus can only inhabit one at a time.

In order to convey her love, she has sought to restore the unified language by releasing the Curse of Balal. She has appeared at multiple points in human history, across thousands of years, until she finally reached the current era where fullfillment of her goal is close at hand.

Nehushtan Armor – Part 2
A scale mail armor that invokes the impression of a bronze serpent. Its special characteristic is an infinite regeneration ability.

Beyond just recovering from minor damage, the armor boasts the capacity to fully regenerate from a state of near complete destruction.

During her battle with Hibiki in episode 7 Chris remarked, “I have to settle this before it fully eats away at me.” This line was referring to the tissue of the Nehushtan that was invading her body via open wounds, as it would eventually consume her entire body during the regeneration process.

During episode 5, a scene depicted Fine inflicting Chris with an electric current. This was a measure taken to shock the fragments of the Nehushtan into a temporary idle state so they could be removed. When the armor was initially damaged by Tsubasa’s Superb Song, the fragments penetrated into Chris’s body during the regenerative process and began to multiply.

However, this course of action was also Fine’s twisted preference for punishment inflicted due to Chris’s mission failure, based on the philosophy she holds that “pain is the only thing that can create bonds between human hearts.”

Fine’s thought process evolved with this confirmation of the risk that the Nehushtan armor might inevitably consume the user’s body, along with the appearance of the first medical case of a fusion, Tachibana Hibiki. These two factors are what ultimately led to her interest in artificially creating a fusion between a sacrist and a living body.

Medical Case of Fusion Between a Sacrist and Living Body
Tachibana Hibiki is the first recognized case of a fusion between a sacrist and living body.

As there are no past examples of such a case, Fine strongly believed it was part of a new paradigm shift and thus demanded Chris to capture her. The plan was ultimately foiled when Tsubasa’s Superb Song prevented Hibiki from being secured. However, had she fallen into Fine’s hands as per the plan then it’s not hard to imagine that her entire body would have used and dissected as part of an experiment.

After this, with the unforeseen occurrence of Durandal’s activation, Fine proceeded to shift her utmost priority to that of Kadingir’s activation and the end of the Curse of Balal. As this required her to push forward with numerous construction projects, the capture of Hibiki’s body dropped in precedence and was postponed.

Despite this, however, Fine still moved forward with researching the fusion case by utilizing the division 2 facilities to provide Hibiki with medical treatment and gain access to her clinical records.

When Fine was on the verge of death after suffering a large number of bullet wounds, she used the Nehushtan armor to rewrite her physical body into that of a sacrist itself. Using Hibiki’s case as a base, her idea was to take control of the regenerating scales as they propagated in her body, however this was a gamble with disaster odds and she only narrowly managed to achieve success.

As this event is the fusion of a living body and a sacrist, the properties of the sacrist play a strong role in the final result. In Hibiki’s case, she was gifted the trait of producing and emitting tremendous energy, whereas Fine is capable of resurrecting her body even should it be cut apart.

The Great Red Dragon of the Book of Revelation
Through the infinite regenerative power of the Nehushtan, united with Solomon’s Cane, the Noise were controlled and drawn in with everything around, creating an enormous, destructive monster. Further, with Durandal stored in a sacred area within its body, it was capable of producing energy attacks of no equal.

From Genjuurou’s view, it stood in appearance to that which was called the ultimate evil in a rather well-known best-selling book. It was thought to hold power of which even the restraint-cancelled Symphogears could not hope to propel.

However, an idea was born after careless words uttered by Fine. Through the clash of two complete sacrists, utilizing inexhaustible energy to meet head-on with infinite power, the monster’s destruction was narrowly achieved.

At the risk of her own life, Hibiki grabbed Fine from within its body just moments before it was scattered by an explosion. Although at this point, as her body had been completely assimilated by the Nehushtan, she was already in a decaying state of near-death.

Synchrogazer
Durandal, held in the hands of the body fused with Gungnir, brought about a sympathetic vibration and resonance that subsequently resulted in energy levels well surpassing its limits, which provided the final, decisive strike.

Naturally, as this action amplified the destructive impulse inside of Hibiki, there was a certain risk of her losing control.

Hibiki, practically on the verge of losing her consciousness, was clad in a Symphogear that had been given life not through her singing voice alone, but by all of those around her, further supported by Tsubasa and Chris at her side, took strength from that reassurance and successfully sealed away the uncontrollable impulse.

All of the various factors and elements in the situation brought about the unexpected, a true miracle, which one can say was only made possible through “Tachibana Hibiki’s Armed Gear.”

Furthermore, the Nehushtan armor which took the impact of Synchrogazer, and Durandal which released the strike, were both mutually destroyed, becoming completely lost to the world.

Additionally, during the series, there is one other miracle occurring due to "Tachibana Hibiki's Armed Gear" but...

Fine’s Death
Fine’s body, which was fused with the Nehushtan armor, was incapable of activating its regenerative ability after taking the blow of Synchrogazer and thus broke apart.

However, this does not equate to “Fine’s death.”

Fine’s descendants exist throughout the world, and a new Fine will be born if any should come in contact with the aufwachen wave pattern that emits from an awakening sacrist. She can continue to exist as long as those opportunities continue to occur.

It is not clear how much is left up to “chance” in the likelihood of this event actually occurring, but Fine continues to exist with an eternal moment regardless.

Thus far, Fine existence has become a trigger for the world’s paradigm shifts. The “next generation Fine” that is born will inherit the memories of “Sakurai Ryoko,” however, the sort of influence she will bestow upon the world from here on is a story beyond Symphogear.

Current World Affairs
There had long been rumors of it behind closed doors, but as a result of the destruction to the moon one of the world’s biggest political fireworks shows occurred when the Japanese government’s “Anti-Noise Weapon” was revealed to the public.

Several years prior, as a result of Fine’s research into “sacrist activation,” the American government became aware of a “new potential energy source” that surpassed fossil fuels and nuclear technology. Although at that time Fine held the advantage and was manipulating the government at her will, the Americans saw this is as an opportunity to reclaim their lost national prestige and resorted to covert, illegal actions. Beyond the hacking Division 2’s headquarters, they also utilized private armed forces who carried unmarked equipment and weaponry to prevent being traced back to the source. These troops were responsible for the assassination of Defense Minister Hiroki, which was performed at the order of Fine.

However, when the Symphogear’s existence was revealed, the American government was quick to turn a sharp tongue to Japan. They were the first country to openly criticize and begin fanning the flames of public opinion. After that, when a contract of “bilateral cooperation” was incorporated into the US-Japan Security Treaty, they did a complete 180 and began strongly proposing cooperative maneuvers.

Even though it was revealed as an “Anti-Noise Weapon,” since it had been used to destroy the falling moon fragment it became apparent that it was capable of producing a tremendous amount of destructive energy, which, to the Asian countries surrounding Japan, became an immediate concern. The subsequent months of criticism was only amplified within Japan itself by domestic opposition and citizen groups that rose up decrying its clear “unconstitutionality.” At this point the Japanese government began to accept the proposals of the American government, changing their course in a big appeal to working for international peace.

Within that time, a new auxiliary cabinet member was shifted into the position left by Hiroki Taketsugu, and now the current Defense Minister, Ishida Yoshimune, is gaining a large amount of merit for his actions.

Ishida was originally a member of the Japanese diet who was part of the pro-American faction. He had called for cooperation and reconciliation between the two countries for some time. Thus in his new position as Defense Minister he made diplomatic maneuvers by stepping over the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although this was heavily frowned upon. Despite the fact that recent events had many militaristic implications, he saw no choice put to proceed forward despite the truth remaining hazy.

The fact that the Japanese government had been in possession of the Symphogear system was a reality that had a tremendous impact on the status quo of the world.

However, this impact was not solely due to the fact that it was a means of attacking the Noise, but also due to the advent of “sacrist activation” there were expectations built around them providing a new source of energy, among various other promising avenues of development.

The two large export powers of the world, Russia and China, drafted a joint declaration aimed at Japan that stated: “Not only is the Japanese government creating a monopoly on the technology and engineering surrounding sacrists, but they also have a monopoly on all of the benefits that come as a result of the sacrists being in their possession. This should not be allowed to stand.” This comment, which was directed with an air of audacity, only served to raise existing tensions, which rippled further in other directions.

Despite that the threat of the Noise yet persists, the conflict that exists between people also fails to cease, continuing on…

That is the present state of the world.

Okehazama of Love
A miracle CD single that holds, by far, the highest number of sales for the Emperor Records company.

Currently, Emperor Records is one of the foremost companies among the record industry. However, there was a time when the company had become very distanced from the youth demographic and were saved thanks to a single Enka signer.

The name of that singer was, Oda Mitsuko.

Her debut single entitled “Let this relationship end in Owari…” was a bomb in sales, and she was prepared to retire after her last attempt with a new single, “Okehazama of Love.” However that became a mega hit, selling over 20 million copies.

A novel approach was used in its promotion, featuring the singer taking up not a microphone, but a sword. At that time, the population was frightened by the Noise, but the song became a godsend of courage for the youth. The music video featured numerous “finishing moves” that were mimicked by children all over, quickly becoming a social phenomenon.

Naturally what then followed, without delay, was Hollywood’s response to the big hit. From director Steven Goldenberg came a super epic historical sci-fi film, packed with love and tears, “STAR NOBUNAGA.” The film became incredibly famous for its numerous homages to the “Okehazama of Love” music video.

-Excerpt from the liner notes featured in the Complete Works of Oda Mitsuko-

8 comments:

  1. Just wondering, when you finished with the 3rd volume of the manga will you post it here or on the other site?

    ReplyDelete
  2. For Synchrogazer, you missed out this part:
    さらに「立花響のアームドギア」は、
    劇中にて、もうひとつ奇跡を起しているのだが……
    You can't see it unless you highlight the text, hope you will add it in, thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, wow! I didn't even know that was there, thanks so much for pointing it out. I've added it here.

      Do you know what exactly this "miracle" it's referring to is? I can't think of anything specific.

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    2. I don't really know either...

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  3. >Emperor Records
    >saved by a single Enka singer
    Nice.

    Are you going to add S2 keywords sometime, or maybe make a new post for them?

    ReplyDelete
  4. That cleared up a lot! Thank you so much for translating!

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  5. To know that, you just need to watch episode 13 again. Just before the explosion of the chunk of the moon, you can see that the Fine’s barrier named ASGARD formed and protected Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris. So, basically, Fine (or Ryoko?) saved them.

    The ability to “bundle up” is the largest characteristic of Hibiki’s Armed Gear, as repeatedly emphasized in the story and in the lyrics of her song in the second season.
    The fact Hibiki had bundled up everyone’s songs and even a heart of Fine is the “one other miracle”, I think.

    ReplyDelete