Muv-Luv is a rare series where a romantic comedy can turn into a story with aliens invading, causing an all-out war for survival.

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The only problem with trying to get into Muv-Luv as a franchise is that its story spans games, manga, light novels, and even anime, making things complicated. Ignoring the books for a moment, as some aren’t even translated into English, what’s the best way to watch all the shows and OVAs (online video animations) available to enjoy Muv-Luv‘s story?

Do I need to play the Muv-Luv visual novels to enjoy the anime?

First things first, can people just check out the anime series without ever playing the games? Yes, but it honestly won’t be as enjoyable. The anime Muv-Luv Alternative is based on the game of the same name which itself was a followup of the game Muv-Luv Unlimited. The show and its various spinoffs expect viewers to know the story from the games to be able to follow.

So keep this in mind when deciding what order to try and experience the series in.

How to watch Muv-Luv in chronological order

So it is possible to watch the show in a proper timeline, but I’m not sure I can recommend it. Sure, all of the events of the series will happen in order, but some of the stories are spin-offs, have entirely different casts, and are almost better as standalone stories. Not to mention this still leaves a major gap in the story as Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Luv Unlimited never were adapted into shows. But if going in the order of events is important to you,

• Rumbling Hearts
• Akane Maniax
• Schwarzesmarken
• Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
• Muv-Luv Alternative

So what is the ideal way to experience Muv-Luv?

Just keep in mind when going in that the original parts of Muv-Luv aren’t otome games and absolutely have adult content and violence. But to truly understand the story and get the most out of the series, here is the best way to experience it, games included.

• Rumbling Hearts
• Akane Maniax
• Muv-Luv Extra
• Muv-Luv Unlimited
• Muv-Luv Alternative
• Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse
• Schwarzesmarken

Games like Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Love Unlimited are available on Steam. The various anime for the series are available to stream on Crunchyroll.