- Genre : Fantasy, Adventure, action, political
- Studio: A-1 Pictures
I’ve been accusing Theo lately of being a shady…crest holder. It’s not the first time either, when he first got together will Siluca there was a questionable battlefield kiss that got me a little suspicious. He must have gotten fed up of it because we did not see him at all lthis episode!
Grancrest actually played it straight with us, picking up right where it had left off with Alexis marching on the jerky guy from the ball. Do you remember him. He was always super sour faced with Villar. I was cautiously curious to see what this would turn out to be. Most likely an unimpressively animate skirmish with a lackluster resolve in Alexis’ favor. Although with the way Grancrest has been tearing through the cast, it could just as readily end in the other guys favor as well and have Theo assimilate the remains of the Union into the Treaty. Really, this whole thing was very win win for Theo. Just sayin.
Let’s take a little trip together through my thought process as the fight was unfolding.
- Who’s Doucet?
- Ohhh Alexis is Doucet – Of course he was going to be called Doucet (ED – apparently he’s sometimes called Douse or even Deux depending on the source…This is a MiLza – Mirza situation all over again)
- Wait is he a mage?
- Of course his crest is a rose
- That’s a very Utena looking rose
- oh man, OF COURSE he’s an artist…
- Is his seiyuu a lady?
(I looked it up, not a lady). I was sort of digging the goofyness of it all when suddenly I realized this was a fun battle to watch. Sure it was a bit gimmicky and the animation took that artsy painting over the battlegrounds shortcut. But the strategy at least sounded interesting and plausible. There was forethought and coordination. If you don’t have the resources to animate an impressive looking large scale confrontation, this was a pretty neat alternative. Was Alexis the greatest theater of war strategist all along?
We moved right into a second invasion, a naval battle this time which implies quite a different strategy and a lot more planning when you’re not on your home turf. Facing off against the monstrous and very powerful Sea King. A victory here would be a major blow to the Alliance.
Once again, the was a strategy, and once again it involved a circular formation. It was interesting, intricate, Alexis adapted well to the changing demands of the battle field. He was actually leaving up to the “leader” tag that was the title of the last episode. Calm and careful, so far he seems to be the most efficient general we’ve seen.
I really loved that despite giving him this obvious veneer of authority and power. Alexis still remained essentially himself. Soft and a little fragile. Hesitant to act harshly. He didn’t become some type of superman over night. Shows have a tendency to make any perceived flaws or weaknesses suddenly disappear in a protagonist hero moment, so this consistent take on the character was refreshing. And obviously his gentle nature is appreciated in universe as his men were fiercely, almost blindly loyal to him. The again, I have no clue how loyalty works in Grancrest.
I also very much enjoyed the fact that this second victory was a little more hard won. Not devastating, the Union was the clear winner but they aren’t just bulldozing their way through the land. Side note, how is there so much blood in one body? That’s not how volume works.
You know, I’ve made no secret of my appreciation for Marrine. At first she just seemed like the cold shrew archetype but we quickly discovered a loving and sweet girl who also happened to be a very intelligent and dutiful leader, willing to sacrifice her own happiness and future for the sake of her people. Taking some questionable steps for the greater good. History tends to exonerate the winners and vilify the losers while the details get lost in the fray. To me however, Marrine always seemed to care a lot more about the lives of her people than any subjective glory. A good character, and a surprisingly nuanced affable villain to Theo’s extremely straightforward good guy hero (or should I say act).
The one thing that’s always left me a bit perplexed about her was exactly what she saw in Alexis. OK, I understand perfectly crushing on a gentle, very pretty, rich, blonde guy who want to write poetry all day or some such nonsense. But eventually, we all grow up, roll our eyes at the forced rhyming scheme and move on. However, I hadn’t gotten to know Alexis yet. I get it now. The boy is smart. A little timid but capable. Even tempered and consistent even in dire straits.
I don’t know how this happened but I actually care a little now. I am rooting for this kids. They make a good couple and I hope they find a path back to one another although I can’t really see it.
In the closing scenes, as word of the fall of the North and the Sea King has spread across the continent. It seems Siluca is once again trying to negotiate some type of deal with the Alliance. Are they just openly betraying Alexis here? From what I understood there are three sides now and they are trying to bring it down to two, and no matter how Siluca’s proposal pans out, it would leave Theo and Alexis on opposite sides…
Evil Theo is becoming even more plausible and the possibility is exciting. I know not many of you are watching this show and I don’t blame you if you gave it up earlier but this was a decent episode and it has definitely been getting better. Let’s hope the streak keeps up.
I don’t think my screencaps this week really do the episode justice but here are a few just for fun.
