Before diving in, as a heads-up, I’ll be creating three separate posts for Mana, which respectively feature her in their corresponding Muv-Luv section, namely Extra, Unlimited, and Alternative.

INTRO

Oh boy, where do I begin? I mean, about a year ago, when I first got into the Muv-Luv franchise, I was already a Mana diehard, but I never expected that my ~~fanboyism~~ enthusiasm toward her would skyrocket even more. Recently took my time to get on with the expansions, namely Photonflower* and Photonmelodies, and I got a chance to revisit almost every OG member of the gang. But holy shit, MANA IS JUST TOO GOOD FOR ME, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Okay, I was getting ahead of myself. In any case, after munching Photonflower and Photonmelodies, I felt like there was still not enough Mana-ism for me, so I decided to revisit the whole OG franchise as well. RIP me.

HER "SERVICE RECORD"

I literally can't stop thinking about her. Still that same badass demeanor. Still that same bit of moe resides within her elegant appearance. Still that same dedication and, especially, the warm/caring tone whenever she's present. Yet goddammit, she never ceased to strike hard at me in every aspect, even her name that sounds pretty badass to me. Also, I can't get enough of her voice, be it in calm, work, troll, angry, or serious mode, it all suck me in for some reason.

The one thing that I love the most about Tsukuyomi is her illegal self-lessness. For real, wearing a tight outfit while babysitting everybody in the story literally while having next to zero rest or liberate time is just purely insane. She never asked for anything back, never complained, well maybe got mad a few times, but that's beside the point.

What I'm trying to say is that she's easily a real role model for "maid-class" characters. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this regardless of any medium I’ve traversed. And yeah aside for her job as a maid she's a very wacky and fun type to be in a group (I'm telling ya it's the shit, I used to have lots of people like that in my high school days).

On top of that, what makes her a clear cut above ordinary maid character is how critical thinking of a person she is. She doesn't blindly receive orders and just carry them out like a robot. Everything must be planned carefully with a thorough checkup regarding the surroundings of the objective, accompanied by a lot of consideration for any possible consequences.

HER PEAK IN EXTRA

While it is true that most of her deeds in Extra are meme material, when shit hit the fan, she wouldn't hesitate to go serious mode and try her best to sort things out in the most smooth manner possible, such as the endgame in Extra. Now that I think about it, it is quite incredible that Mana was able to decipher the whole deal revolving around Takeru and Sumika, given how she only got to know both of them for a few months.

To me, the best thing that happened in Extra is the bond between Tsukuyomi and Meiya because it adds up a lot to the later two sequels. Frankly, it’s not an overstatement to say that Mana is an actual mother to Meiya, especially with the development in MLA that splendidly resonates with Extra’s concept, thus making Muv-Luv as a whole a lot more meaningful.

Coming from someone who works for the most powerful family in the world of Muv-Luv, something is off about this remark… but is that truly the case?

If we take a few steps back from this moment in Extra, Meiya's past was fully revealed, which turned out to be quite a tragedy given the cheerful, lighthearted tone of Extra. If anything, this adds up to how Mana went to such incredible length to serve Meiya (in this universe). Not just as her part as a chamberlain, but also as a substitute mother.

From what Mana stated above, it is implied that not only Meiya but Mana also suffered from the sudden "farewell" of Yuuhi and her parents in this universe, and to add insult to injury, it came from a random accident. While it was never explicitly clarified how Mana feels toward other members of Meiya's family, the fact remains that she always does her best to uphold the prestige of the Mitsurugi name.

Simply put, the reason why Mana cares deeply for Meiya is due to the sudden loss of her family at a young age, which reflects the quote above. Mana most likely feels like it is her obligation and duty to fill Meiya with the most joyful and comfortable environment, all so she could get over the tragic past. Sure, she can go overboard at some point, but in the end, if it's for Meiya's smile, no price is too high for that.

Oh right, and have I mentioned that she's also pretty “pure”? I mean, yeah she “taught” Meiya some questionable stuff, but that’s most likely for the lulz, and I’m sure she knew it would not going to work anyway, so it just fits her nature as a wacky servant.

BOTTOM LINE

Revisiting Extra, while focusing on Mana, was indeed a refreshing Muv-Luv experience. It is true that sometimes she, as the nature of Extra, can go overboard and commit senseless acts, at the end of the day it is all harmless and stupid-fun. Additionally, her steadfast loyalty and caring toward Meiya is legit comfy stuff that I can never get enough. In my opinion, she makes a spectacular servant, a versatile supporter, a great mediator, ~~and an ideal waifu that I don’t deserve.~~

Now that I have covered the first part, though this is only just the beginning, I’ve already committed my 100% for Mana, so whew, the next part should be a bit fiery, I guess.