Muv-Luv Alternative Integral Works, Lunatic Dawn and the Codex

It’s the last week of Muv-Luv Kickstarter, and I’ve yet to write a single entry on it. However, I do feel a need to write about the Codex. Or rather, the elements the Codex would be build from; Integral Works and Lunatic Dawns.

Integral Works, a name referring to pieces of essential characteristics. For some time the name has been used in Japanese source books for some time, and when referring it in context of Muv-Luv, Integral Works is a 352 page book about the world history, technology, BETA, organisations, physics regarding in-universe exotic materials, war tactics and strategies and about certain key events that took place during the second visual novel. I’m sorry, I ended that sentence too soon. IW is not just about those, but also about sketches, glossary, interviews and small sides stories.

There’s a clearer image of the cover in the book as well. The hologpraphic cover is so 90’s trick, but still pretty neat. Easy as hell to scratch.

In short, Muv-Luv Alternative Integral Works is an essential sourcebook for the fans, as it expands all the concepts introduced in the main work. The book is not a series or production bible, but more like an extensive companion.

Pages like this are treasure troves. Hell, that Shiranui image alone shows how TSFs have rather rare joints when it comes to mecha

Lunatic Dawn is a name of series Comic Market exclusive books that expand on what IW was. New Tactical Surface Fighters were introduced in them as Declassified. For example the F-35 Lighting II was introduced in Lunatic Dawn 7. These information pieces are not just your run of the mill splashtext, but rather extensive history and performance overviews. Lunatic Dawn 7 alone revealed eight never seen Tactical Surface Fighters. They have a slot in the IW TSF Tech tree, but had no visual representation. In addition, Lunatic Dawn books offer more detailed information on certain individual characters, setting, mechanics and organisations. Each instalment of Lunatic Dawn is like an additional piece to Integral Works, filling its gaps as new pieces to the franchise is released. Often an entry of Lunatic Dawn surrounds around some upcoming or new story, like The Day After or Total Eclipse, explaining bits and pieces of information that may never come through the actual work, but nevertheless applies to them. Lunatic Dawns also follow the Japanese mook format, a combination of magazine and book. Not really thick or hard enough to call a book, not really thin and flappy enough to call a magazine.

Lunatic Dawn 4 was more or less Chronicles centric entry

Combine Integral Works, and Lunatic Dawns, and you have an incredibly large and in-depth piece. That’s what the Codex of Muv-Luv Alternative is like. The Codex, as the Kickstarter calls it, is a combination of Integral Works and Lunatic Dawn Anthologies 1-3 in one piece.

The fan-favourite Tactical Surface Attacker A-10 Thunderbolt II was first revealed in Lunatic Dawn 3

At least, it could be. The Codex as a physical piece is Muv-Luv Kickstarter’s last stretchgoal at $900 000. That’s a lot of money, but it’s not impossible.

Here’s the reason for this post; Muv-Luv Alternative Integral Works is the sole most important printed piece of Muv-Luv franchise. The sheer volume of primary information it offers is incredibly valuable to the overall franchise, and all of it is untranslated. There are bits and pieces of an item or two that’s translated, but the whole thing is still an unknown entity.

Charts like this are just a grain in the vast desert of untranslated pages

A digital piece would do no justice to this. I cannot emphasise enough how important it would be to have something like this in your hands, feel the covers and paper in your hands, smell the scent of a new book. See the print shine in the light, admire the layout and simply read the words. Would the digital piece hold all the same information? Without a doubt. That, however, is beside the point.

A physical piece is more expensive to produce. It requires more work to get to the consumer. It demands more. It would be a glorious piece to hold. To use a comparative piece, Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works 25^th Anniversary book 432 pages long. The Codex would be larger piece than this, most likely hitting a sweetspot somewhere around  450 pages. A digital version is only ones and zeroes. This sort of book demands a high quality printed product. This needs to happen, there’s no reason not to have it realized.

Height and width are standard, but the depth/thickness is not. MM25 is about 1/5 thicker than IW. The Codex on the other hand would be thicker than MM25

Here is some stuff Integral Works and Lunatic Dawns consist of. Of course, everything is in Japanese. I busted out my second Integral Works from wraps to have this mediocre flipthrough to give a glimpse what the book is all about. This didn’t do it justice, but dammit the size of it should speak volumes alone.

While you’re at it, listen to our discussion sessions with Degica about the Kickstarter if you already haven’t. There’s some golden bits in there.