The song of grief refers to two things in this episode – the first is the true song sung by the Wajyaku, men of the Grand Duke’s quarter sent to fight in the war against Larza, the external arch-enemy of the Ryoza Kingdom, and the one “sung” by the two brothers as they finally split up over their ideals. It is sad to see where this will go, because it will likely result in a fight to the death, whether in war or duel, between the two brothers near the end of the series.
Again, the explanation is rather much to the point and still maintaining its slight color in meaningful words, and we are told the situation, or rather, reminded of it, as to the most serious problem underlying the Kingdom of Ryoza – that of its mutual scorn between its two main quarters. I am not one to usually talk about taking sides, but in this case I stand clearly with the Wajyaku. More reminders of their pain and what they are going through is shown throughout this episode.
A short section on our heroine and her would-be lover, showing their developing relationship though obviously Erin is oblivious of the fact that Tomura is interested in her, going to the length of keeping her well-fed by his own hand in making the meal for her. They do get along very well though.
Yes indeed, why not to the battlefield where they would be more practically useful? This speaks volumes about the people in the Queen’s charge, though we learn later that it was Damiya who ordered them sent to the Grand Duke’s palace.
Well that is one fact about Nugan we just learned. And as history has often shown us, the adage of “all brawn, no brain” has never really succeeded in making great endeavors. Could it be that the show is trying to subtly remind us of that?
Indeed, it would be wise to always be aware of things as they happen, in any situation or environment.
This is a blatant lie. Or one could say that Damiya was seeing it in his terms, considering his upbringing and social background. One should never learn to judge from just one’s background, even if we do it all the time subconsciously. Empathy should be employed wherever possible. I am however inclined to believe Damiya knew this would enrage the men (and especially Shunan) of the Grand Duke’s quarter and did this for his ulterior motives.
This is so damn true, unfortunately. It is also frightening how Damiya probably intends to “maintain the beauty” of the Queen’s “garden”.
The arrogance of the messenger was so astoundingly extravagant I would have cut him in half if I were there. First telling Shunan, who knew that flowers would never heal the souls of those who had seen, and are weary of war, to accept the flowers gratefully, and then to make snide passing comments without a hint of regret at the actions of those who were breaking down; there is only so much one man can take. Shunan is shown to be very patient here, in spite of his rather obvious rage at the messenger’s arrogance.
This whole section, for such a show, was done pretty well, showing the evils of war, and what it brings for the soldiers who fight in what seems to be a war without end. The song was also rather well done, a fitting song for the plight of the Wajyaku, who grow ever more hateful of those who scorn them yet never see what they go through. War is an evil to be abhorred, and this section certainly shows that well.
Though we probably saw this coming ever since episode 3 or so, it was good to see how they went into quite a bit of detail showing how the two brothers split up despite having made a promise to protect the country together. Yet their ideas regarding how it should be done differed in such drastic ways that it was inevitable that they would cross blades. At least, this part was not entirely rushed and the development to the point where they fight was well ordered.
The fight itself was nothing much, but then again I compare it to the likes of shounen. Nugan shows his strength by breaking Shunan’s sword at the end, but Shunan shows his wit and ability in knowing that strength is not everything. He even went to the point of thrusting his broken blade into Nugan knowing his blade had been broken, driving his determination straight into Nugan. Thus, both brothers no longer hesitate to follow their own paths, each knowing that they will, from henceforth, be enemies even as they live as blood brothers.
Once again, we are exposed to an analogous example to the prevailing situation, though this time not in the form of animals but in the form of leaves floating on the calm water surface, splitting up as the brothers have done. The felling of the tree both Shunan and Nugan promised on was also a sure sign that the brothers have totally come apart. A very nice demonstration of the splitting up of the two brothers, with the leaves right at the end to drive home the impact.
I really liked how they showed the difficulties that the soldiers face in the battlefield, and the sharp contrasts between the lives of the Holons and the Wajyakus. It was done without gore and without fanfare, understandably because it is a kid’s show, but though some might call it “repetitive” (by using repeated scenes), I think it was a very good move considering the restrictions.
In the next episode, we focus on the two minor characters Nukku and Mokku for once, which is a good move, as they have not been totally exposed as characters to the viewers.
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