Here lies my collection of Aldnoah.Zero links, aimed at fans who wish to understand what Director Ei Aoki and his team were doing. For a chronological marketing timeline, please see this post. But if the biggest question on your mind is about Gen Urobuchi’s involvement, then this is the post you’ll want to read. Spoilers abound, of course.

On the other hand, if you haven’t seen the show yet, then my suggestion is to work your way though the available Pre-S1 A/Z Reports (see below), watch S1–remembering to check the website for the key visual released after each episode–and then read this post on the translation issues in S1 — just don’t click on the links, which are mostly about translation issues in S2. If you’re still interested, then check out Aoki on the radio show (translation below), the media coverage highlights for S1 (see below), EXTRA EPISODES 1 to 3 and the Pre-S2 A/Z Reports, and then keep going. Hopefully it’ll enable you to experience A/Z along the lines of how the creators intended. A full experience is impossible, because it also requires more radio show and Twitter stuff, and I’m afraid that’s just too difficult to arrange. But I do hope that this Master Post helps at least some of you put this series in context…

Disclaimers: where possible, I have linked the original place where magazine scans have been shared. Other magazine scans can often be found through a google search. On the other hand, I will not provide links to scans of books or product booklets. Do also note that some of the youtube links are, unfortunately, only accessible to those with a Japanese IP address.

Finally, if there’s anything you think I should add, please drop me a note!

Last update: 2015-10-12: Interview with Aoki from Newtype May 2015

OFFICIAL STUFF

Official web links

Official website (JP) (US one here)
Official twitter
A/Z on Aniplex Japan’s Youtube channel

Watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu

A/Z REPORTS

In essence, these reports provided teasers about A/Z in the lead-up to broadcast and during the three months between the two cours, as well as additional key visuals to contemplate as the series progressed. Distributed in stores and online, they can be categorised into two types: real world information and in-universe documents. You can find all of the former (interviews with Aoki, Urobuchi, Takayama and I-IV; and comments by Aoki and the cast about the characters) on the website, and summaries of the four interviews can be found here. However, for the latter, only the visuals are available online, some of which need to be unlocked using “decode keys” obtained from the store-distributed material. The pre-S1 stuff is notable for Wolf Areash’s reports, compiled as part of his spying mission on Earth prior to the start of the series. Most of the documents are also available in Book 2 of ArchiveZ, though some are a little difficult to read because the text is really small.

Pre-S1

Tx/001 Interview with Ei Aoki
Tx/002 Comment by Gen Urobuchi
Tx/003-1 Comments on Inaho Kaiduka by Aoki and Natsuki Hanae
Tx/003-2 Comments on Asseylum Vers Allusia by Aoki and Sora Amamiya
Tx/003-3 Comments on Slaine Troyard by Aoki and Kenshō Ono
Tx/004 Interview with I-IV
Tx/005-1 Interview with Katsuhiko Takayama
Tx/005-2 Timeline provided by United Earth government
Vs/005-1 Timeline annotated by Wolf Areash (translation here or here)
Vd/008-2 ALDNOAH.ZERO: COUNT TO A/Z pre-air special
Tx/008 in-universe magazine published by Harmony

Post-S1, Pre-S2

Vs/022 (unveiled at Shinjuku Station on 2014-10-07)
Tx/022 Episode summaries
Vs/023 (unveiled at Shinjuku Station on 2014-11-06)
      Kenshō Ono and Natsuki Hanae reacting to Vs/023…
Tx/023 Character Correlation Diagram (chart and some translations of the text)
Vs/024 (unveiled at Shinjuku Station on 2014-12-01)
Tx/024 Mechanics Sheet + Tactical Report (side 1)
Tx/025 in-universe magazines published by Harmony, UFE and Vers versions

NB: I’ve left out the trailers since they’re not necessary now that the series is over, but you can find a number of them on the official English website.

BD/DVD extras list

Vol. 1: Character Archives, interview with Ei Aoki
Vol. 2: EXTRA EPISODE 1, interview with Gen Urobuchi
Vol. 3: EXTRA EPISODE 2, interview with Katsuhiko Takayama
Vol. 4: EXTRA EPISODE 3, interview with Masako Matsumoto (Character Design)
Vol. 5: Mechanics Archives I, interview with I-IV (Mecha Design)
Vol. 6: OST 2 incl. Ending 4, interview with Hiroyuki Sawano (Music Composer)
      IV’s “Mademoiselle Tharsis”
      “Adolescence,” by Takako Shimura (Personally, I wouldn’t call these “canon,” though this one’s implications are probably true anyway.)
Vol. 7: EXTRA EPISODE 4, interview with Tomonori Katō (Photography/Composition)
      “I am him and he is me,” by Takako Shimura
Vol. 8: EXTRA EPISODE 5, interview with Toshiyuki Nagano (Producer)
Vol. 9: EXTRA EPISODE 6, interview with Takako Shimura
Vol. 10: Mechanics Archives II, interview with Hanae x Ono x Amamiya
Special Extra AU Drama CD for buying the series: The Shining Magical Girl, Seylum (preview, sound clips and rough translations) Do note that this is NOT CANON.

BD/DVD EXTRA EPISODE contents

EXTRA EPISODE 1: a manga about a younger Slaine and Asseylum (translation)
EXTRA EPISODE 2: a novella about a younger Yuki and Inaho (translation)
EXTRA EPISODE 3: an AU drama CD where Slaine transfers into Alnoah Academy (preview, translation)
EXTRA EPISODE 4: a manga about Inaho et al between S1 and S2 (available in US release)
EXTRA EPISODE 5: a novella about the first interplanetary war
EXTRA EPISODE 6: a return to Aldnoah Academy (preview, sub)

Books etc

Manga

Aldnoah.Zero Comic S1, vol. 1-4
Aldnoah.Zero Comic S2 vol. 1-6
Aldnoah.Zero Gaiden Comic vol.1-3
Aldnoah Anthology Comic vol. 1-3

Artbooks & Guidebooks

Aldnoah ArchiveZ (2014-08-14 at Summer Comiket; later on aniplexplus)
Guidebook 1
      summary/translation of the History/World section, p.5-12
Guidebook 2
Key Animations 1/2 and 2/2
Materials 1/2 and 2/2

Convention/Event appearances

Aoki and main cast at Stage event at AnimeJapan 2014 (NB: A/Z Report 002 is distributed here)
Urobuchi on a panel at Anime Expo (2014-07-03)
Urobuchi interviewed at Japan Expo (2014-08-25)
Aoki at BD/DVD release Talk event at Machiasobi in Tokushima (2014-10-12) (highlights)
Hanae and Ono at Talk event at Ikebukuro (2014-11-15) (highlights)
Aoki and Inori Minase at Stage event at Anime Festival Asia (2015-05-01)
Aoki and (producer) Shizuka Kurosaki at Machiasobi in Tokushima (2015-05-04)
Aldnoah.Zero EXTRA DAY at Tokyo Dome City Hall (2015-06-21) (full report)
Aoki, Kurosaki and (producer) Toshiyuki Nagano at OTAKON in Baltimore, Maryland USA (2015-07-24~26)
      Official interview on ani-gamers
      A brief summary, a podcast discussion and a full write-up of the panel (Saturday, 2-3pm)
      Re: Slaine, as of Ep.3

Media coverage (Magazines, Newspapers etc)

S1 and pre-S2

LisAni! Vol. 18: kalafina, Sawano, mizuki (2014-08-08)
Bandai Channel Interview vol. 13: Director/Episode Director Ei Aoki (2014-08-25; A/Z on p.3)
Animedia Nov 2014: 16 page special
      Aoki’s interview (translation)
Febri Vol. 25: 16 page special (2014-11-01)
Animedia Dec 2014: spread

S2 and post-S2

natalie: interviews with Sawano Hiroyuki and mizuki (2015-02-04)
CUT Mar 2015: interviews with Aoki, and Amamiya (2015-02-19)
LisAni! Vol. 20: interviews with Sawano, mizuki, Aoki and Aoi Eir (2015-02-09)
Animedia Mar 2015: 4-way interview with Aoki and main cast ++
Animedia May 2015: 16 page special
      Aoki x Nagano interview (translation)
      Seiyuu interviews (summary)
Newtype May 2015: interview with Aoki (translation)

Music

Opening 1 「heavenly blue」
Ending 1 & 2 「A/Z|aLIEz」
Original Soundtrack 1
Opening 2 「&Z」
Ending 3 「GENESIS」
Original Soundtrack 2 (extra on BD/DVD 6)

Radio Show: Aldnoah Radio

41 episodes total from 2014-06-28 to 2015-04-04, later released on Radio CDs
hosted by Sora Amamiya [Asseylum] and Inori Minase [Eddelrittuo], guests listed below, summary of format here.
Radio CD vol.1, incl. special recording with Natsuki Hanae [Inaho] and Kenshō Ono [Slaine] (mini-translation)
      #2 Natsuki Hanae [Inaho] (very brief summary)
Radio CD vol.2, incl. special recording with Mikako Komatsu [Inko] (Amamiya only)
      #9 Shō Hayami [Cruhteo] (mini-translation)
      #10 Mikako Komatsu [Inko] (mini-translation)
      #14 Ei Aoki (summary/translation)
Radio CD vol.3, incl. special recording with Ai Kakuma [Nina] (Minase only)
Radio CD vol.4, incl. special recording with Sachika Misawa       #22 Ai Kayano [Darzana]
      #28 Ai Kakuma [Nina]
Radio CD vol.5, incl. special recording with Shiina Natsukawa [Lemrina]
      #32 Shiina Natsukawa [Lemrina] (short snippet)
      #34 Taishi Murata [Calm]
Radio CD vol.6, incl. special recording with Natsuki Hanae [Inaho]
      #41 Natsuki Hanae [Inaho]

Radio extras

2014-08-30 Hanae and Amamiya guest on Anispa radio show
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 1: Natsuki Hanae and Kenshō Ono (short snippet and mini-translation)
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 2: Sora Amamiya and Inori Minase
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 3: Hanae and Taishi Murata
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 4: Ono and Hirasawa Daisuke [Harklight]
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 5: Hanae and Toshiyuki Toyonaga [Mazuurek]
TSUTAYA special rental-only Radio CD vol. 6: Amamiya and Ryōta Ohsaka [Klancain]

Fun stuff

Seiyuu crack

ToroKen vs. Hanaho, Round 1!! (also linked above)
ToroKen vs. Hanaho, Round 2!!
More A/Z crack to brighten up your day

Takako Shimura on tumblr

(link)
Takako Shimura’s latest display of love for Slaine
12 days bonus: Merry Christmas! from Takako Shimura
12 days bonus 2: an impossible request
12 days bonus 3: the Sawano-Shimura tag-team!
Aldnoah.Zero: the Kaiduka Family is ♡
Translation: The Tale of the A/Z Mangaka, by Takako Shimura, alternative translation