May 172019
The Kickstarter campaign for the localization of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative also included a couple collections of side stories.
The first of these is Muv-Luv photonflowers*, which became available for Kickstarter backers in March.
Just like the main Muv-Luv series is split across two universes, the short stories here are also divided, with some stories from the Extra universe and others from the Alternative universe.
The Extra stories feature an extended epilogue following the Sumika ending, as well as six short stories (roughly 15 minutes each) set before Extra, from the points of view of each of the five main heroines. There are six stories because Meiya’s story is told in two parts.
Alternative’s stories are two prequels featuring characters from Alternative, along with three short stories giving additional perspectives on the war.
As you might expect if you’ve read the Muv-Luv visual novels, the Extra stories are cute and funny, while the Alternative stories are bleaker but also more interesting.
It took me about 9 hours to go through all of Muv-Luv photonflowers*, and it was definitely worth it. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative and wants more from their universes. (If you haven’t read them, though, you shouldn’t start with this. You can find my review of Muv-Luv Extra and Unlimited here and my review of Alternative here.)
I especially enjoyed the Sumika epilogue from the Extra half and the Alternative prequel about Marimo. It disappointed me a little bit that there wasn’t an epilogue following Meiya’s ending, but the two-part story about Meiya was probably the best of the other Extra stories.
I don’t know when Muv-Luv photonflowers* will be released to the public, but it shouldn’t be much longer. If you’re a Muv-Luv fan, keep an eye out for it.