So, I've read through the script translations released thus far. (Thank heavens for reddit's wngmv. Doing the Lord's work.) The stories aren't 100% aligned with the lore as we know it, but that might change if Taro releases more material. He's got some books/guides coming out, right?
Anyway,some impressions/new lore bits I thought were neat:
Part 1
-The first scene implies that 9S telling 2B about the classified intel he found can work as a kill switch, not just Pod 153 blowing the whistle. I wonder what 9S told her?
-I was surprised to see that 9S describes his feelings for 2B as mostly familial/platonic. Looks like this gets brought up again in Part 4 where I'm under the impression he acknowledges some budding romantic feelings but he knows that they can't develop a relationship due to their jobs.
-Looks like 9S and 2B get assigned to basically the same area for recon every time. This causes 9S to say things that are variants for stuff he says in-game. Like, when they reach the ruined mall, 9S still suggests they go shopping one day. (Instead of cautiously accepting, 2B gets shy and sad at the same time. Taro, your tooth-rotting angstfluff is killing me.)
-During one of the executions, Pod 153 ends up mentally breaking. (She does care! ...Maybe.)
-2B had a hard life.
Part 2
-Pod 042's voice and personality seem to be based on the android scientist that designed the YorHa units, named Zinnia. In the YorHa stage play, there's a whole android generation named after flowers, so it's more than likely he was part of Anemone's gen.
-Zinnia eventually became troubled by the dubious nature of his plan to pretend humans were still alive and make machine/android hybrids, because interacting with 2B's and 9S's predecessors convinced him that YorHa androids were no different from regular androids, but YorHa units would never be treated equally. I'd say that he even felt pretty fatherly towards them. (Except for that one moment where he jokes about 9 asking him out. Rectangle dad, don't joke flirt[?] with your garbage son.)
-That being said, Numbers 2 and 9 act like a pair of squabbling siblings. At first, all they did was get on each others nerves, but by the end, they actually seemed to have bonded.
-An older military organization and type of combat android get name dropped. I wonder what the deal is with the Dragon Knights? ...Do they have anything to do with Angelus?
-Number 2 seems to initially have been a female S-type-like unit?
-Number 9 looks to have had a huge hand in developing the logic virus backdoor plan. This plot point needs more elaboration than we got. The script makes it seem like it was all him and only he knows, but we got official documentation about the Logic Virus backdoor, so all of the android higher ups would've been in on it. Number 9 could have been in cahoots with the higher ups for a while, but it really isn't indicated.
-Also, his motivation for developing the backdoor is still a mystery. He does mention that the end goal was to make sure the extinction of humanity was kept a secret, but I don't really know why he would want that. His disjointed rant points to feelings of disgust at himself for being a machine/android hybrid. Maybe since he thinks of himself as a monster, bringing back a "god" would be the only cause worth dying for? Or maybe he hates Zinnia so much for creating him, so he fixes Zinnia's plan to be more cruel than he could ever imagine?
-In light of this new info, it makes a lot of sense for 2B to be given Pod 042. It's like reuniting 2's descendant with her dad. That being said, Pod 153's android equivalent is unaccounted for...I wonder if she guided 9 down his nutso path in some way.
-Also, I guess it makes sense for Command to want to use Number 9's blueprints while feeling extremely worried about it. He was a genius on one hand but turned out to be a violent wild card on the other.
Part 3
-One of 2E's solo missions was to go after A2. Cool.
-A2 used to just go after machines, but after she learned that Command was after her, she pledged herself to go after anyone who opposed her, be it machine, android or human.
-After 9S is assigned to 2B, he would also accompany 2B when fighting A2. (I know this happens in-game too, but I still can't believe Command would assign 9S E-type work.)
-A2 felt a little bad killing the Forest King, since he was so helpless.
-2B and 9S actually don't remember their previous showdowns with A2. 9S doesn't remember for obvious reasons, but it looks like 2B was put through a memory wipe. Their previous attempts to kill A2 were that embarrassingly ineffectual.
-When they were tasked with killing her, 2B and 9S acted quite uncaring and cruel towards A2. However, when they run into her in the Forest Kingdom, they act in a very wary, almost naive way, because they lost the memories of their previous missions. A2 notes their change in behaviour and notes that "this may be and end, or a beginning". Maybe that's why she went easy on them?
-This version of 9S seems to have felt really bad about having to hurt A2 and started questioning the nature of YorHa after meeting her. (Too bad that understanding goes down the drain later on...)
So, there's some plot holes, but a number of neat insights.
Also, I would pay good money to get 9S's english VA to do Number 9's loony meltdown speech.
