New
Sep 18, 2021 4:45 AM
#1
| ONCE AGAIN I'M BACK to provide you with the breakdown from a good infodump friend! Courtesy of Typecero (who did an abundant service on last season's 86 and this season's Seirei Gensouki), this is the insider story of Realist Hero's adaptation, and there's quite A LOT to unpack back and forth, so view at your own risk because this is the complete episode analyses of the anime to source material from start to finish. Analyses will be split in parts due to MAL's character limits. Hello there! If you are reading this, then you are reading a couple of reviews I am doing! This will be the first one! How a Realist Rebuilt a Kingdom! So for the TL;DR fans! We got a good smart MC, many, MANY Waifus/Husbandos, and a solid enough plot. You can watch this just to relax and enjoy the pretty Waifus and Husbandos. Nothing too complicated here. So let's not joke around! Here are your topics! 1. Plot! 2. Who is our MC! 3. WAIFUS, HUSBANDOS, OH MY! - 1. So what is our plot? Did you not read the title!? No that's it. Our MC is summoned to this world and appointed king after a talk with the former king. His job? take a small, failing kingdom and turn it all around! Problems will arise, and our MC will solve them with practical solutions! ....sounds rather plain, but come episode 2 or 3 you will understand his methods. If I had to state the plot of this anime in a single sentence: "Imagine if you had to take an Isekai protagonist with the knowledge of Science, and he combined his knowledge of socio-economics and the magic of a fantasy world and TURNED EVERYTHING ON ITS HEAD". ...vague? don't worry, you will see what I mean. - 2. Who is our MC! Our MC is known as "Kazuya Soma" (audience remembers the name Kazuya from Rental Girlfriend and turns around to leave) .....WAIT! PLEASE COME BACK! He's not nearly that bad! Our MC has the following attributes: 1. He has left no family behind. His grandparents were the last to pass, and they left the following message for him "Find something to hold dear, and never let them go". 2. Our boy is a Socio-economic major, so he has knowledge of his former world's policies. He is pretty smart and resourceful, so he won't be just pulling stuff out of his ass in terms of solving problems. Most of his solutions he draws from Books from famous authors. 3. Our boy doesn't have a "I will be OP power". His power allows him to control inanimate objects.... so how does he first use it? "I can use this power TO DO MORE PAPERWORK!" 4. He's not a "Wimpy MC" in terms of romance, but he's putting it on the backburner because he's got shit to do as king. 5. Our MC will not be at the forefront of battle (much), so don't expect him to be your typical MC. His solution to problems? "There is a Perfect Person for every job!" - - 3. WAIFUS, HUSBANDOS, OH MY! So let's get to the real reason to stick around! If Arbys has the Meats, this anime has all the Waifus and Husbandos! Let me list their attributes! Tomboy Blonde princess! Dark Elf with Silver Hair that likes food! Loreili with Blue hair and BIG KNOCKERS! <---- TEAM JUNA REPRESENT! Sadist Maid that likes to bully all the girls around her! Submissive Maid that is hella easy to humiliate! Fox Girl with Green Eyes and a "Don'tcha Know" Slang! Smol Girl Princess with an economic Mind! 500 year old GILF <--- Grandma I'd Like to Fuck (She's older than she looks!) Young Wolf beastkin Sister! And these are just the ones you find IN JUST TWO NOVELS! There is a Waifu on every cover of the currently 13 released English Light Novels! - To be serious for a bit, I do have to recommend you get these books ONLY as an Ebook. While I do like the artstyle, there comes a point in the story (after novel 10) where a big event happens that really feels like a bit of a conclusion for the story. Obviously there is more that happens after this point, but I would say Novel 10 is where the "Ok, now you seem to be going more 'Light Novel Tropes' on us Author." I wouldn't say the story is terrible after this point... but you lose a bit of the "soul" of the Novels after this point. It isn't about solving small and large scale problems with pragmatic solutions, but RIDICULOUS ISEKAI TROPES THAT ARE VERY OVER THE TOP. If you do wish to pick up the Light Novels, just know that you may start to feel it drags after Novel 10. - And that will do it! This was just a one shot review to get you prepped for what is to come. Don't want anything complicated but need a new Waifu? We will take care of you here! AWAYYYYYYY! Episode 2... now this is a story all about how, My life got flipped-turned upside down. Well that first episode certainly gave you alot to chew on now didn't it? fear not! for there is no need to remember all those names and faces all at once! Let's get into our topics! EDIT AFTER EPISODE: Keep in mind Souma's demeanor as we go along into this anime. He is costantly treating his appointment as king as something he can "step down from". You noticed this episode when Liscia was talking to him in the cotton field, but in the Light Novel, Liscia is determined to give Souma a reason to stay, as she knows he is invaluable to the kingdom. .5 Where we would be in the novel. 1. Characters to remember from episode 1. 2. "Modern Problems require Modern Solutions" - .5 Where we would be in the novel. As of the talk with Liscia about the "Royal items being sold", we are around page 39 of the Chapter titled "Fundraising". I do have to note some minor changes that have been made: 1. When Liscia comes into the room to "Save" her parents, The Former King and Queen are supposed to be feeding each other sweets, not cleaning the King's ear. A minor thing, but I have to agree with the change, as "ear cleaning" is a great choice in terms of showing how happy the former king is with his wife. 2. The introduction of the Gran Chaos Empire and the City of Van are making us get ahead of ourselves. While it is nice to have a face to match with the country, we don't need to focus on them until the end of Novel 2, so you can forget about these two countries for about 3 or 4 episodes - - Also, No, you are not allowed to immigrate to Van. I don't care if it is the size of a city, we're full up here with My Essays and Ruta's Bagas. If you try to cross into our borders, I will summon our army (The Vanguard) to push you out. And if that is not enough, our greatest Hero, Van Helsing, will be called upon to slay you personally. The second reason we don't allow anyone in the Van is our city's religion, Vanity, abhors the idea. But as Decreed by Prime Minister Van Halen, in the provision known as "Evangelion: 2.0 You can not AdVance", that we do allow immigration to our sister city known as Vancouver. You can have as many children, or "Mini-vans" as we call em, over in that city. ^Ya dun gud with that last part Byno. - 3. People have noted the visuals of the magic circle that is used to summon Souma to this world and the... spoilers it presents. I will stay mute on this one, but try to ignore that point if at all possible. 4. So far I have to praise the anime in terms of introducing our story. They seem to have thrown alot of faces at you, but we can get to those in the later point. Just know that in first 50 pages, all the countries and nations and Dukedoms are mentioned, but in passing at most. We can take this flurry of information in a casual stride for about 3 or 4 more episodes, until maybe Novel 2 starts. 5. That Yu-ghi-Oh reference near the end of episode 1 was actually original. In the Novel, he only retorts with "time is money", and no gestures or anything. If this is how the Studio is going to get us through the conversation-heavy portions, KEEP IT COMING. HUMOR CAN MAKE MOST CONVERSATIONS BETTER! DON'T BELIEVE ME?! ...Don't tell me you didn't a chuckle out of all those Van puns! - Before you go any further, I do need to inform you of some things that Souma's ability "Living Poltergeist" can do: 1. It can level up as he uses it. Initially he was only able to control 3 inanimate objects, but it went up to 4 recently. 2. When controlling an object, he can "split" his viewpoint to see from their perspective. He will use this during the Broadcast event to update himself on the various races that win his various events during the "Gathering of People" moment. It is assumed that when he gets quills to sign documents he has a sort of "autopilot" feature more or less. 3. You will start to see him get a little more creative with this power as we get farther into the events of Light Novel 1... in fact you are seeing one of his inventions in the Opening Theme! 4. Souma's range for controlling his objects for now is about anywhere inside the Capital's Domain. For example, when he went to that cotton field, he was still in range of his skill. - 1. Characters to remember from episode 1. Now episode one threw alot of faces at you, so let me narrow down that database: - 1. We have Former King Albert and his Queen Elisha. You can mostly focus on Albert. Albert was known for being a "middle of the road" ruler at this point. He wasn't a great king, but he wasn't a terrible one either. If you noticed how he acted in episode 1, he is a fairly weak-hearted man, but he is loved by his people. Although it was very odd that he abdicated the throne so suddenly, two factors helped convince the Citizens that nothing was wrong: a. Albert was known for being eccentric. It is not described how in much detail, but one of his most beloved hobbies was gardening. You could see it in how his Prime Minister and servants treated the exchange between Souma and himself. While he doesn't come off as very "kingly", his citizens don't take that as a negative. A King willing to listen is much preferred over a Tyrant that likes to hear the sound of his own voice. b. The engagement proposal between Souma and Liscia. Usually a violent Usurper would cause an uprising, but when Albert announced the engagement of his daughter to Souma, the citizens took it as a sign that Albert had given Souma his approval. Citizens trust their King? King trusts the Hero? Citizens can trust a Hero that the King is willing to entrust his daughter to. c. Later on in the "Jewel Broadcast Event", The citizens are noted to have calmed down when they noticed Princess Liscia in the background with a calm expression on her face. With the sudden abdication and marriage proposal, some were still worried for the welfare of the princess, so seeing her relaxed in the Broadcast helped bolster Souma's first message to his people in terms of sincerity. 2. Liscia Elfrienden. You can consider this our first Waifu! Liscia is what you could describe as a "military brat" and a tomboy. She is more military focused than economic, and while she's not stupid, she is unaware of the potential that her country holds just below the surface. She sees Souma's actions at times to be crazy, nonsensical, or sometimes utterly insane, but she can be reasonable. In terms of Combat, she prefers a Rapier, and she is a user of Ice Magic. - 3. The Three Dukedoms: a. George Carmine (lion-faced man). He leads our ground forces, and Liscia serves under him in the military. He is a fierce warrior that has a reputation for being unmatched in terms of ground strategy. b. Excel Walter (blue hair with small horns). She leads our Naval forces (battleships and marines). She excels in water magic on the Level of Master. She is one of the longest-living races, and is nearly 500 years old...though you better not say that to her face. c. Castor Vargas (the dragonewt with red hair). He leads our Air Forces that are comprised of Wyverns. You can think of Wyverns as "bombers" in terms of Aircraft. There are Gryphons in this world that serve as "Fighter Planes", but our nation doesn't possess those. - I must also point out a glaring change to the character known as "Excel Walter". In the anime, HER OPPAI HAVE BEEN MASSIVELY REDUCED. we are talking going from a G or H cup to at most D cup.... Let us all mourn the loss of the Kingdom's most valuable assets. Latom. - 4. Ludwin Arcs. He leads what is known as the "Royal Guard". These are the forces that protect the capital and provide security for the castle, but in times of need, Ludwin can be called to command the army under personal control of the King known as "The Forbidden Army". Despite how intimidating they sound, they aren't nearly as strong as the Three Dukedoms. If the King was to go mad with power, the Three Dukedoms would still overrule him in terms of military might. 5. And that is it! What, you thought I was going to cover every face in episode 1? Jesus I know I write the words gud, but I ain't no dum dum. Best to let people introduce themselves first and comment on them later! - - 2. "Modern Problems require Modern Solutions" The Greatest Philosopher of our time, Shou Tucker, is responsible for gifting us with this phrase. He was a man gifted in the the field of "Dog Breeding". He revolutionized how we saw the potential relationship between man and dog... Ok I am sorry, I had to screw with yall a little bit. If you don't get the reference, that is better for you. Once you understand, there is no coming back - With where we stopped in Episode 1, and how far we are probably going with episode 2 (I suspect around page 60, as that would put us in line for the "Big Event" of Novel 1) I feel it best to explain some things that will convey Souma's way of thinking about how to Manage a Kingdom. 1. Liscia and Souma take a trip to some fields in the capital. Souma explains why the nation is facing a food shortage: TOO MANY CASH CROPS. For those that need a refresher: Cash Crops are a crop that is grown solely for commercial value rather than eating. The Elfrienden Kingdom has been growing too much cotton to ship out because of the ongoing War against the Demons... but that has led to less and less people growing edible crops. The problem then becomes that since we need to import food, the shipping cost has caused the price of food to skyrocket, and this had led to a downward spiral in the economy. You can cut from your luxuries, but you can only pinch your food budget so much! Souma's solution: Replant the crops. offer payments for the losses incurred of ripping up the fields, and replant with beans and potatoes. Gotta turn that self-sufficiency back on, so best to start with the small stuff! But with this comes a problem... if we are replanting our crops from cash into food, then where do we get food in the meantime? Stay tuned to find out! - 2. The World Souma has come to is a bit of a confusing mess. Technology has taken a weird turn of course because of the presence of magic and fantasy beasts. Flight: Wyverns can fly people around as transportation. In terms of what is provided to our king, several Wyverns can be attached to a single transport to provide a sort of "Presidential Air Force One" so to speak. Magic: We are told of the presence of Ice, Fire, Wind, and Earth magic (Souma's "Living Poltergeist" spell falls under the "Dark" type, as this is a field for the non-elemental magic), but this opens the door to alot of possibilities in terms of practical uses. Heavy Transport of Goods: We have hulking beasts that are as heavy as a four-ton truck. These can also be used as Passenger Transport, but there are smaller beasts more suited to the task. Battleships: towed by giant Sea Dragons. Lighting: provided by Lightmoss that collects Sunlight during the day, and shines brightly at night. Water Supply: No aqueducts, but Fountains around town have Water Elemental spells cast on them to draw water from deep underground. - Souma also notes a glaring flaw in this system: take away the creatures and magic, and his kingdom is pretty much Medieval Ages levels of technology - - Below is one of the three "big moments" you could count in Novel 1. Souma's first broadcast to his citizens 3. A big change in technology Souma notices falls into one particular field: Communication. On page 57 we are introduced to the devices known as "Jewel Voice Broadcast". These are devices that can project both sound and images to the citizens in a country. Receivers could be fitted to spray a mist that would be used to project the image, though it was a bit grainy (doesn't affect the quality of the sound though). The Broadcast Jewel is unique, but the receivers, as long as they are set to the Jewel used by that country, can receive from any distance in terms of sound (though for images you either need a water mist or a fountain of sorts) The Jewels have to be set to a particular frequency to work, so they can't be intercepted by other countries. Before Souma came along, the normal use for the Broadcasts were to inform the citizens of a new constitution or declaring war on another nation. This brings us to another problem that Souma hopes to address: not enough capable people! Our Solution: Broadcast a message saying "If you have a gift, I will put it to use!". As you would note in the histories of our countries (think Medieval times), as well as this fantasy world, people that can read and write is very low in terms of percentages, so that cuts out much of the potential you could find if you helped someone overcome that barrier. - Here is what Souma tells the citizens in his broadcast (on page 60): "In these confused times, what we need is not those who are, on average, better than others. It is those who, in one aspect, stand head and shoulders above all the rest. The form that gift takes matters not. It matters not if you have any qualifications beyond that gift. If there is one thing about which you have the pride to say, ' I am better than anyone else at this', come to stand before me!" "Schooling, age, class, origin, race, gender... none of these matter to me. Whether or not you can read, do arithmetic, have money, are of sound mind and body, are beautiful or ugly, or have a scratch on your shin, it does not matter! If you can think, 'at this one thing, I am better than others. At this one thing, I will not lose out to any other person in the country', then show yourself before me! If I decide your gift is something the country needs, you will be welcomed as one of my personal retainers! It is at this point in his speech that we are given a brief narration about how the crowd felt (page 61): "The king was seeking capable people who could solve this country's problems. Everyone found it hard to imagine that their own gifts would be of any use to the country." Back to Souma's Broadcast: "I am sure that, among you, there are some who are hesitant to believe their gifts can be of use," Souma said, as if aware of the people's hesitation. "However, that is not something for you to decide on your own! I, the king, will decide whether the country needs your gift! I care not if others deride your gift as worthless! I will be the judge of that! So, have no hesitation! Come and unveil your gift before me!" "If you are still hesitant, then here is what we shall do. If your gift is proven to be without compare in this country, in the name of the Kingdom of Elfrienden, I will issue you a Certificate of Peerlessness, and you will receive a cash prize. How's that for a little motivation, people!?" Souma then goes into how the nomination process works (page 62): "You can nominate yourself or someone else. If the nomination is for someone else, three-tenths of the award will go to the nominator. If there are people locking themselves away and playing hermit when this country is in crisis, I want all of you to go drag them out. Also, for gifts like "I'm stronger than others' or 'I'm good at singing' where there is room for competition, we will have candidates compete amongst themselves in advance to choose a single representative for that gift, so be ready for that." Episode 3... An event like no other! Gonna hop right into the discussion of characters on this one. Nothing I need to add about Episode 2, so let's dive right in! EDIT after episode: Personal opinion on this, but I dislike how they changed the order of characters. Poncho was supposed to be the last of the group, and it left much more of a profound impact. The order was to be Aishia, Juna, Hakuya, Tomoe, Poncho, then Hakuya again. Poncho I feel should have been left for last because he represents the hidden talent in the average citizen: We aren't all beatuiful like Juna, Smart like Hakuya, or Strong like Aishia, but just a single talent can raise us above others. Also, they did cut out alot of the comedic elements of Aishia's part. She was supposed to be damn near obcessive over her change to Souma. you can read her part below. Also, they have left Tomoe's bombshell moment for episode 4, So I will put her part in a spoiler tag. You can choose to read it of your own violition. - Episode 3 will be about what I consider to be "The Second of Three Big Events for Novel 1" and the double colored illustration for the Novel! Pages 60-102 detail this event, as well as the Double-Colored Illustration for it. do keep in mind that each of this event is being broadcast over the entire kingdom, so the hilarity ramps up to 11 when you consider several hundred thousand citizens could potentially be watching this! - For the TL;DR among you: I am removing Tomoe's part from here due to her being transferred to episode 4. Each character at the Finals for this event represents a major player in Souma's future developments. ONLY READ UNDER THIS AFTER YOU HAVE WATCHED THE EPISODE, as it will explain why each character was chosen for their roles 1. Aisha represents a loyal bodyguard on the surface, but keep in mind that her being a dark elf, a race known for being very isolationist, also serves to strength Souma's acceptance of any race that will serve to benefit him. 2. Hakuya represents a Prime Minister. In this world, a Prime Minister is the King's Number 1 advisor on all situations foreign and domestic. He will be the one to provide Souma with knowledge of things he wants to do... but he will also serve to be the more "cold and calculating" side that Souma needs to be King. Not all choices can just be divided into "Good and Bad" as the saying goes! ^Personally Hakuya's subplot is the most interesting to me... though we probably won't be seeing much of it. 3. Juna represents a future Souma wants... in a certain industry. As you have seen with this unusual use of the Jewel Broadcast, Souma is also opening up the possibilities to make the Jewel Broadcast to be used less as an "Announcement" device (even says so to Juna), but more of a RADIO.... And what plays on the radio? MUSIC! And with the addition of Video in some areas... that means our Radio can evolve to the next level! 5. Poncho is my favorite of this particular episode. He represents the phrase "a diamond in the rough". His expertise on food will serve as a beacon to fix our most pressing issue: the nation is facing a food crisis! But Souma wouldn't have found this "diamond" if he had judged him on the "roughness" that was his appearance. His appointment, and Souma's enthusiasm in recruiting him shows to his citizens "I will not judge you on the superficial features. Give me your talent, and I will reward you, no strings attached." - - I will break down what each characters' moment does in terms of what you are seeing. You can read this in case the anime left you with some questions. Let's start with the Waifu (on pages 68-74) some of my discord friends have been waiting for: The Dark Elf Aisha Udgard! (Do note that these elves are not evil or anything, they just tend to stay inside their forest. There are a version of Light Elves as well). At this point in the event, we have noted that she has won the event for Martial Prowess. She makes a request of the King: the citizens of Souma's kingdom have been trespassing in the Elf Forest to scavenge for food. She asks him to stop this, and he agrees to strength the laws in a way that benefit the Dark Elves should they choose to retaliate against the poachers. But it is what Souma offers to her as an alternative that truly endears her to his side... Souma suggests that the Dark Elves should start trading lumber from the Elf Forest by means of "periodic thinning". You can look up this term on Google. I won't bore you with the details. It is after this explanation that Aisha does a complete 180... and it is funny as hell in the Light Novel (page 71-72): S for Souma, Ai for Aisha Aisha suddenly prostrated herself before me: King Souma... no, Your Majesty! S Wh-what!? Ai I humbly beg your forgiveness for my earlier rudeness! S Uh, I didn't even care, but... wait, is it okay for you to lower your head like that? ^ In Dark Elf Culture, to lower your head to a man is said to be allowed only towards someone you are married to as proof of your chastity. For warriors, it is only allowed towards the one they regard as Master. Ai I do not mind! Because, from this very moment, I pledge to serve you loyally for the rest of my life! Ai use my life however you will! My body( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), my heart, my chastity(͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖), I offer it to you! If you tell me to fight, I will fight! If you tell me to love you, I will love you! If you tell me to become your concubine(ʘoʘ) or slave, I will do it! If you tell me to die, I will die! S Where did this crazy loyalty come from!? What happened in the last few minutes!? Ai However, before you do order me to die, I ask you heed my final request! S Huh? You're ignoring me?! You're totally ignoring me?! Aisha then goes on to ask Souma to teach the techniques of "Periodic Thinning" to her people, as the conditions he described of what happens when you don't thin trees have been causing disasters in her village, and she is worried that a much bigger event could befall them before it is too late. - - I am going to skip over the story for Hakuya Kwonmin ... as this one will serve as your "mystery" person. You will see him shift from wanting a "librarian" job to wanting to become Souma's right-hand man in terms of book knowledge. If you want to read his story, it goes from pages 74-75, and then starts up again on page 96-102. Ok the real reason is I love this character the most, and the best way to say that is to let his "thoughts" represent him best, as his job will be to present his opinions with information and logic, and nothing more. He may come off as being brutally honest, but his job is just that: BRUTAL. - Next up on page 76, we have THE ULTIMATE WAIFU, JUNA DOMA! TEAM JUNA! Juna won in two events: "Elfrienden Pretty Girl Grand Prix" with her beauty and "Kingdom of Talent" for her singing. At first the rumors surrounding the pretty girl event were that Souma was using the event to recruit potential mistresses, to which Liscia gave him the a serious case of side eye Our boy Souma is so entranced with Juna's looks, Liscia gives him a piercing stare as Souma says "yeah, I haven't forgotten my job. stop glaring." To which Liscia states "Instant Sus" (she actually says "I don't know about that") - Juna comes from a race of monsters known as "Lorelei". You associate them most closely with Mermaids, as they are said to be known for using their beauty and songs to lead sailors to their doom. Juna's event isn't really anything special, but it turns out she has a nifty ability to remember any song she has heard just once! - Only read this part if you want to know how the encounter with Tomoe will go in episode 4. We then move on to our last girl of the bunch, the Mystic Wolf Fox, Tomoe! Her special ability? Communicating with animals! Not exciting? ...that was before Tomoe released a hell of a bombshell in the form of who she was able to communicate with! The Kobolds of the Demon Race! The reason for this news being a bombshell has to do with how we classify a "monster" vs a "people". Monsters are regarded as beings with no intelligence higher than that of an animal. Since Tomoe could actually understand a member of the Demon Race, that leaves open the possibility that the Demon Race are not only people, but intelligent enough to be negotiated with The War with the Demon Race as of right now is being framed as "a fight against monsters", with the term "demon" being used to represent a "slightly more intelligent monster with similar features", but if you were to reframe it as a "fight against people", it turns into a war of revenge. If the Demon Race has a will of its own, that means they interpret the killing of their "people" in the same way any country would view the death of their citizens: They would be enraged Tomoe's ability serves as a crucial trump card in the race known as Diplomacy: While other countries may already be on the track to thinking "maybe we can talk with the Demons", Tomoe is a living, breathing translator. This leads to another issue: If the Demon Race is a "people" then the bombshell news could sever the unity of the Human Races. They are fighting together because they assume they are fighting a threat of MONSTERS... but if you were to suddenly tell them "Hey guys, we have actually been slaughtering the citizens of the Demon Race", then that could cause rifts in the unity between the Human Countries. - With Tomoe's event out of the way, we come to our final contestant: Poncho Panacotta (page 97-99)! This is another bombshell event similar to Tomoe's introduction, but it comes to how Souma reacts when he hears Poncho won in the category of "being a big eater". Best to let the Novel demonstrate how happy Souma was to see this individual: S for Souma, P for Poncho. S I have been waiting for you! The king was moving before Marx could even finish reading the explanation. When he reached Poncho, he took his hand with both hands, not hiding his elation in the slightest. S I am so glad you responded to my call! You're the sort of person I've been waiting for! P Huh... uh... what? Poncho's brain couldn't keep up with the situation. S You're the one this country has been waiting for! More than any of these other gifted people, I'm glad that you came! I always thought that if someone like you was among the civil officials, it would be worth recommending they apply! P Do you feel that strongly about me? S Yeah. Your knowledge from wandering around eating famous and bizarre foods will be the key to saving this country! When the king said that, Sir Poncho cried a flood of tears. " I-I... everyone has always called me a fatty... an idiot wasting his money on food... as for me, I only went around eating because I wanted to eat, so I thought they were right... can my gluttony be of service to this country?" The King patted the crying Sir Poncho on the shoulder. "Let them say what they will. No matter how trivial something is, if you master it, it's a gift. Be proud! The appetites you didn't hesitate to spend your fortune on will save this country! Please, share your wisdom with me!" - Have you figured out why Souma was so happy to see someone like Poncho? I will put the answer under the spoiler tag so you can guess! Souma is currently having to find ways to procure food in new and inventive ways... and the best person to know those ways is a Glutton! Poncho holds the recipes to foods that the kingdom would consider "unknown/taboo" in some areas of his country. So the best way to "find more food", is to introduce the idea of eating food that you thought was inedible! You can see it in our society: If you cook/prepare something that is poisonous or bitter or sour in just the right way, you can use it as a source of food! It is the difference between eating cooked fish and Sushi! Sometimes you just have to conquer the societal barrier! - There is one last thing I will point out that the novel does: Every so often the Novel will go into "idioms" based on actions or people. For those unfamiliar with the term here is how it is defined on Google: "an idiom is an expression that takes on a figurative meaning when certain words are combined, which is different from the literal definition of the individual words." You may be familiar with the idiom "performing this task is a piece of cake" For example, on page 102 and 103, we get a "Cinderella story", but not of a beautiful princess. This Idiom is used to represent a certain individual in the "Recruitment of People" event that happens in Novel 1:an overweight man. While deemed worthless, this event would serve as a message to the people: "If even a guy like that can become important, so can I..." The Idiom used in our fantasy story: Start from Ishizuka Episode 4... "You put so much Ginger in this... IT'S A WEASLEY!" ^the meme I chose to use this time was based on a conversation I had with a friend. They turned me on to a fanfic about Gordon Ramsey in the Harry Potter universe… and it has MANY chapters to it If you look up “ Harry Potter and the Lack of Lamb Sauce”, you should be able to find it. I assure you it is worth your time! Ramsey is Hufflepuff by the way. - - EDIT after episode: How dare they! They cut Serina's lines from the Light Novel! She is one of our people! I would highly recommend reading the part about her, as she is one of my favorite characters, although they do only use her sparingly in the beginning. Also, I get it, this Food Broadcast Program was important... but Studio, you are REALLY drawing out the events of Novel 1. You really do need to pick up the pace a little bit more! I am not going to cut out the parts of the Food Broadcast that was left for episode 5, but put them in Spoiler Tags. you are free to read at your own discretion. - - Hello there! Glad to see you stuck it out this long! If this episode title was any indication, you can get a hint as to what episode 4 was about! I am currently writing this with a lingering worry in my mind.... because in my opinion the events that happen immediately after the "Gathering of Personnel" that Souma undertakes is the best example of how the author brings together all the solutions to a problem. To review what our current problem is: 1. Souma's country is facing a food crisis. too many cash crops have been planted for profit, and the sustainable food crops have caused the country to lose their self-sufficiency. 2. Souma's first solution was to replant the cash crops to turn that around, with payments to the farmers affected. 3. Souma held a "Gathering of Personnel" rally. This enabled him to find the perfect person to further another short term goal to address the food crisis: The Glutton Poncho. 4. Other individuals were also gathered. Hakuya is now Prime Minister, and coordinates Souma's efforts, Aishia is a loyal bodyguard, Tomoe can use her ability to speak to animals to recruit in the future, and Juna can act as a "presenter" in terms of Jewel Broadcasts. So we have fixed the long term problem of "self sufficiency", and have the personnel to address broader concerns...but the crops need months to grow, so what do we do until then? Souma has taken to bringing in food to help, but he obviously can't transport food to the entire country.... and for that solution, You will have to read on! - Here are your list of topics! I will be a brief explanation about Tomoe's event since it was pushed to episode 4, so for those that red the spoiler tag for Episode 3's post, you can skip it. .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel 1. Japan and their Mascot Characters! 2. The introduction of the Sadistic Maid, Serina! 3. The Food Program Starts! - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel Tomoe's event in episode 4 represents a potential "monkey wrench" in the unity of the Human Race against the Demon Race. With Tomoe's ability being capable of communicating with Demons, the previous notion that "Demons are slightly more intelligent monsters" now becomes "Demons have the capacity to be reasoned with similar to Humans." If the information that Tomoe presented had gotten out, it could lead to an international incident... but if Tomoe is kept safe, her power can be used correctly and with less political fallout by Souma when the time comes. To protect Tomoe and her family, the former Royal Family adopt Tomoe, and allow her family members to stay in the castle. Tomoe's Mystic Wolf mom actually ends up opening up a daycare in the castle, and this leads to maids deciding to pursue love, as usually getting pregnant as a maid meant losing your job (unless you were a mistress of the king), so everyone wins, and we get to see cute babies! - With the end of Tomoe's event, We conclude the "Gathering of Personnel" event. Episode 4 will take place about two weeks after the event has concluded. The title for Chapter 3 in Novel 1 would be on page 105 "Let's Create A Broadcast Program". I suspect that episode 4 will cover the entire chapter from 105-158 (with the possibility of stopping on page 153, as that starts an important discussion between Souma and Hakuya). - - 1. Japan and their Mascot Characters! Just before we start the events of Point 3, we get a little more insight into Souma's "Living Poltergeist" power: 1. Souma can use this ability to animate small dolls. This take the form of "Mascots" that you would know from Japanese commercials. You've seen them in some form or another if you have watched any Japanese programming: Characters with giant heads, adorable faces, and always promoting either a local product, travel destination, or even a company! 2. When Souma uses this ability on his "dolls", there is no range restriction. The only limitation is how many Souma can control at once, and the coordination required. 3. If given equipment, the dolls can swing them freely with no restrictions, despite how ridiculous the weight is. This means the dolls can use crossbows, swords, shields, etc with no regards to stamina. 4. The dolls do no transfer "experience" to Souma or anything similar. That means he doesn't "level up" if they defeat monsters. - - 2. The introduction of the Sadistic Maid, Serina! While Souma is making one of his dolls, we get the introduction of another waifu, the Head Maid Serina! The best way to describe her is.... well she's something. She's sadistic to girls, even bullying Liscia. And she talks like we do when we attach a Lenny Face to our comments!. Our first introduction to her is just as Souma is told that all the preparations for his Food Program are complete, and he grabs Liscia's hand (to which she blushes at just the touching of Souma's hand) to bring her to the gathering place... And Serina's response to this? page 114: "Oh, my word, Princess, To think you would blush just from holding hands... with such innocence, how will you ever attend to your nightly duties with His Majesty?" To which Liscia shouts " Serina!? What are you saying?!" Serina responds with "Please, let me hold your child soon. You do know how babies are made, yes? ^Does that not sound like the stuff we say in a Lenny Face post? That's why I love her character so much! - - 3. The Food Program Starts! I won't be posting the full details on this event, but I feel this Food Program is the best part about Novel 1. It demonstrates everything the author has done to bring together all of Souma's plans to form as many solutions to a problem as possible. With the issue of the food crisis, there are obviously areas of the country that cannot be accessed in terms of a "supply line", so Souma's Solution? gather "ingredients there is no custom of eating in this country"! He has Poncho and Juna "host" the show, with the dynamic being the contrast: You have the Pretty Woman "teasing" the Nervous Man. You see it all the time on Daytime shows, where one party is the expert and the other is the smooth-talking host. It is hinted just before the program starts on page 121, but Souma has been recruiting more contestants from the "Singing contest" with plans to introduce singers and idols - Before Souma gets into the Broadcast in earnest, he lays out to his citizens the current food crisis: 1. He tells em straight up why there is a food crisis. Usually the citizens would not be told this, but he states outright "I want to be able to tell the citizens as much as I can about the issues that affect them. Obviously there are things that can be kept secret, but the food crisis is something that affects them directly". 2. In regards to disclosing information to his citizens, Souma makes a statement to them "I want my fellow countrymen to use their heads. What is best for this country? Are my policies correct? I want them to think along with me." 3. Souma bows his head to the citizens. In terms of the power dynamic, for a king to bow his head is done on very extreme circumstances, so for Souma to perform a bow to the citizens is acknowledgement of his failure, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with the food crisis 4. Souma makes a plea to his citizens: survive until autumn. He says the following in regards to how to do so: "survive for yourselves, cooperate with each other and bow your heads to other if necessary, no matter how humiliating it is, because I want everyone to survive until autumn." "Please. When I say everyone, I mean everyone last one of you. Don't lash out at others because you're suffering; don't send away children because you have too many mouths to feed; do not throw away the old and frail. I want you all to greet the bounty of autumn together." - - While I won't state what happens exactly during the food program (I will let the episode do that in terms of comedy), I will speak of the results: 1. Souma's octopus dish opens up the idea of eating different seafood. Octopus was only a thing that Juna responded to, but others were repulsed at. The book notes a family that had caught a handful of these suddenly wanting to eat them for dinner. 2. The roots Aishia responded to, and were a good show of an ingredient that only requires you to harvest, with no real skill needed outside of locating the area it grows in. Simple and effective, but another hidden potential. 3. The Gelin actually leads to two developments: The first is Adventurers now get requests to "capture" Gelins for monetary value. The second is Gelin Udon becomes so popular it is becomes the signature dish of the kingdom! 4. The locust gets a response out of Tomoe, and the food itself isn't what is special with this last point... but the "sauce" that Souma tastes in it! We have our usual Japanese person trope here as we get the discovery of Soy Sauce!! This development of Soy Sauce leads Souma to give Mystic Wolves a special district in the capital to produce Soy Sauce for 5 years. Usually when a refugee population moves into a new area, they get exploited heavily to the point that those areas become slums... but with Souma's declaration, it leads to the Mystic Wolves having a financial base for which to support themselves! 5. After the Broadcast ends, the citizens are wholeheartedly in agreement that they want more of these regular broadcasts to the point that it becomes a regular event. - - And that will do it! I hope this episode and the revelations of episodes 1-4 have interested you in the story! Maybe you want to go read the Novel or the Manga now? You can expect this type of "problem solving" from Souma in the future. One of the things I hope that episode 4 does well is set the foundation firmly on this moment. It looks like we will cover maybe Light Novels 1-3, so I expect we may cover less points of Novel 1 after this point (perhaps maybe 2 more episodes before we get to Novel 2). That's not to say there aren't more climatic events in Novel 1, but the Food Program and what leads to it are what I feel best represent how the Author demonstrates their abilities to tell their story from Novels 1-10. |
 |
Sep 18, 2021 4:46 AM
#2
Episode 5.... Date Night! EDIT after episode: Well it seems they managed to draw out the date much longer than I expected. I will be cutting the part where we stop episode 5, as it wasn't even remotely touched on. And they Even cut out the Lap Pillow from Liscia in favor of getting to Juna's workplace! Of course when you get to the sweet moments you start making cuts! ....why did you even bother with the date if you were going to cut out all the stuff Souma does and discusses in it? Episode 6 will start on page 211, so I will be cutting out a chunk of this essay. So we are back for another episode of "Talk no Jutsu"! Glad to see yall sticking around! How's your anime lists for the week treating you? I am fairly content with my 6-10 shows, but we certainly have alot of Isekais this time don't we? This episode of Realist Hero is gonna be fairly "slice of life". I checked up on the preview for this one and it looks like we are covering up to chapter 4 titled "A Day off In Parnam". - I recently had a comment from an individual concerning my essays. One could say some of it was critical, but the individual raised some good points on my essays. I do for the most "spoil" the audience when it comes to reading this work, you could even say I take out alot of the mystery that you would find if you picked up the Light Novels yourselves. I wouldn't say it has made me want to write less or alter the method I use, but I guess you could describe the feeling as "not wanting to dismiss it just because it is critical". Praise is all well and good when you are attempting anything, be it a hobby, job, etc, but you can't just look at someone making a negative statement towards your efforts and say "alright, this comment is just a troll" and dismiss it. if you do make the connection and find this individual's comment, do not harass them please. I won't say I don't get comments telling me "why the hell is this here and not on a blog you heathen", but this individual put just as much thought in his replies as I do my essays, so they deserve to be heard. The reason I don't go and make a blog or a youtube channel is probably because I feel that this text speaks more to the reader than my voice or charisma could. This is the most neutral and fair way you can judge a work because nothing is hidden (just like the Light Novels I write about). You can see every word, start to finish, with nothing behind the curtain to distract you. You can evaluate it at your own pace and respond in a way that you feel most comfortable doing. A blog or a youtube channel would be another hurdle I feel that distracts. You came to this website to respond and look at comments, and I just happen to be here too. That's all there is to it. I am just another person in the sea of comments, and I feel ok with that. - Let's get into it! .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel 1. Our first taste of combat? 2. A Night on the Town (with new characters?) <--- events cut from this for episode 6. 3. Points the Light Novel brings to the event. - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel We left ourselves on a cliffhanger with episode 4. Episode 5 will be the conclusion of the "Broadcast Program" that Souma put together to promote "foods that have no tradition of being eaten in this country". The first bit of episode 5 will cover the "Gel Udon", and its effects on those that eat it during the Broadcast. I kept that part in episode 4's essay, so you can go back and read under the spoiler tag if you so wish. To be quick about it: Gel Udon catches on so well it becomes the Most Popular Food of the Kingdom. It's easy to acquire (even a child could beat a Gel monster), easy to cook with, and readily available throughout the kingdom. A very good fit for any kingdom wouldn't you say? Downside? It's bland, but that is an easy fix. - The official start of episode 5 will probably be when Hakuya tells Souma to "take a day off". This will take us from pages 167-233 (chapter titled "A Day off In Parnam), assuming we don't end on a cliffhanger in the middle of the date. small side note, I really dislike how the anime is leaving us on a cliffhanger for some events. I get it, you want to explain some things in more detail, but if you could cover an entire chapter together as opposed to leaving it for the start of the next episode, it would really work better for the flow of the anime. - - 1. Our first taste of combat? Just after Hakuya tells Souma to go inform Liscia and Aisha of the "date", we get to see our first moment of combat in the anime. To summarize the event: Aisha is a Strength build, with Wind Magic. Our Dark Elf uses a Great Sword. Liscia is an Agility build, with Ice Magic. Our Princess uses a Rapier. I really liked how they portrayed this in the novel, as it shows how both our ladies fight, perform their Magic Skills, and how elements clash with one another. Aisha isn't disadvantaged because she is using Wind against Ice, but Liscia isn't overwhelmed versus Aisha because our Dark Elf has brute force on her side. They cut it in the anime, but when Souma yells at them to stop, they end up falling on their butts because of Liscia's icy ground - - 2. A Night on the Town (with new characters?) ]I am going to split up the events of the date. I will cover the actual "moments" of the date in this part, and leave the "politics and mechanisms" in part 3. The date itself I rank as being pretty damn cute. Let's go over it! 1. we get to see Liscia and Aisha in Casual Wear SCORE! I am a fan of Glasses Liscia! 2. we get to see some thighs in combination with a Lap Pillow DOUBLE SCORE! if it wasn't cut! 2.5 During the Lap Pillow Liscia asks Souma if he is bothered with her as a fiancée, to which is says "that's not fair. If a girl shows even a slight hint of liking them, they will fall for her." And he is right! If Juna told me she liked me, I would be kissing feet Dogeza style in .314 seconds! 3. we get to see the Juna in her natural environment: she not only has a great voice, but is great at improv! 4. Liscia informs Souma that He is allowed multiple wives! WE'VE DONE IT BOYS, THE HAREM HAS BEEN APPROVED! For context, Liscia allows up to 8 women total, herself included. 5. The reason Liscia allows 8 is because of the days of the week: in this world, there are EIGHT days in a week, 32 days in a month, and 12 months in a year, for a total of 384 days in a year. Translation: NIGHTLY SERVICES FROM A DIFFERENT WIFE EACH DAY OF THE WEEK! WE CAN COVER THE ENTIRE KAMA SUTRA BOOK AND GIVE THE GIRLS THEIR OWN "POSITIONS"! to say nothing of the amount of sleepwear our boy Souma is gonna be treated to! - - 3. Points the Light Novel brings to the event. Now that we have gotten both the date and the discussion out of the way, let's talk about the casual political stuff! YAY POLITICS!! ...and looking at the episode now I just realized they cut out all of this stuff too.... 1. Souma creates a "carry bag with wheels". No big deal, but just another idea he brings over that the people of this world find fascinating. They cut this in the anime 2. Souma is informed that he screwed up when he presented his name. Japanese people would know his family name was "Souma" and his given name "Kazuya", but the kingdom has accidentally identified "Souma" as his first name....and it unfortunately is too late to fix that in the public eye! 3. Souma cleans up the streets by removing the horse dung, adds in a sewer system, and some aqueducts. For those in the know, horse dung in the times of the horse and buggy were left in the streets, and caused many lung diseases in our world. 4. Souma uses the "escape routes" for the royal family for the points in number 3... and Liscia freaks out! But Souma retorts "if I have to flee the kingdom, that means I have lost the people, and therefore the kingdom is finished." 5. Souma limits horse-drawn carriages to certain streets, with the exception of "morning deliveries" for businesses. This leads to the horse dung being easier to pick up, as it is located in only a few areas. This also leads to streets with no danger of accidents, as pedestrians can now walk most streets with no fear of being run over. 6. We are told a bit about how Healing Magic works in this world: it heightens the body's natural recovery ability. This magic presents two problems: 1. Viruses and Infections that cannot be treated with natural recovery. This world has no concept of microbes, viruses, bacteria, etc, so things that healing magic cannot fix start to fall into " Even miracles can't cure it/it's a devil's curse". it is also during this point that Souma has found two doctors that believe in the concept of microbes, viruses, and bacteria, but we don't get anything further on these two individuals. 2. Elderly residents don't have as great healing abilities, so recovery magic doesn't help nearly as much as it would for a child, teenager, or adult. 7. While digging out the "sedimentation pools" for the 3-layer water system in point 3, Souma discovers a set of Dragon Bones.... that have suddenly gone missing. This leads to a discussion about a Dragon known as a "Skull Dragon". They are undead dragons that spread miasma (think poison clouds of death), and require a full kingdom's military to defeat...though it is determined this is not the case, as no one is dead. But the question becomes... where the the bones go? They are still in the kingdom, but where? 8. Souma develops a portion of the Forbidden Army to learn "combat engineering" by means of the sedimentation pools. Digging holes, filling em up, and reinforcing them. In this new world, the concept of "trench warfare" hasn't caught on, as battles are still fought on the open field (think the classic Civil War fights, where lines of soldiers stand up and charge at one another). 9. To continue the discoveries during the sedimentation pool, Souma finds remains of "Dungeon Monsters". Souma and Liscia talk about the possibility that Dungeon Monsters may have roamed the surface of the earth... but the layers the army dug to were from thousands of years ago. Liscia links the fact that you only see "a large amount of dungeon monsters from the Demon Lord's Domain"...but the Demon Lord's Domain only appear 10 years ago Liscia then makes a statement: The monsters of and demons that destroyed the Northern Continents didn't "come here", they returned. Souma is quick to point out this is only a possibility, not a certainty. 10. Souma nationalizes garbage collection. This is done mostly for the idea of the resource return. In this world, nobility and military units replace their equipment often because the equipment has to be top-notch, else it could cost lives. The Common Folk on the other hand will rework equipment until it is of no use. This leads to metal scraps being thrown out, and the metal scrap workers melting them down and reselling the metal to Guilds. Problems with this system are many: 1.The mixture of many metals leads to low quality scraps when they are melted. They also have to buy the metal scraps themselves. 2. Low quality metals are haggled down by the guilds to the point the worker is losing money 3.The Metal Workers are not making enough money to live, which also leads to them having poor equipment to work the metal, which leads to point 1 again. So Souma does the following by nationalizing the garbage collection: 1. Buy up the Metal Scraps to be used. By splitting up the metals, you don't get a mixture of various metals, meaning more purity. 2. Provide top of the line facilities. This means high quality metal. 3. Negotiate with the Guilds. this means no haggling down the prices too much, as you are trading with the Kingdom, and not a Commoner. 4. Make the Metal Workers "civil servants". This means they get a steady wage, have better selling prices, and great facilities! The Result? the workers love it to the point they are crying tears of joy! 11. Liscia asks Souma if the Garbage Collection is causing a negative flow of money, and Souma agrees it is negative, but it is money spent inside the kingdom, therefore not negative in totality. He states it in military terms: The more of a country's resources that can be kept inside the kingdom, that means if a rival kingdom cuts off the flow of a resource, the country can survive without it for longer. If you take out all the iron nails you would use in chairs for an entire kingdom, that adds up when you consider a potential of over 100,000 citizens. 12. During the talk of Polygamy inside Juna's restaurant, we are informed of the "royal authority" in the kingdom (this is the person that has authority to make decisions for the kingdom. In our kingdom, turns out it was not the former king that held this title, but the queen, and this was the reason the former king did not take any wives outside of the Queen herself. This means that Souma was given the kingdom from the previous king because the queen approved of it as well. The reason this is such a big deal, is that technically Liscia could have been given the Royal Authority, but it would have led to Souma having to ask her permission for every little thing he did, and that would have been a pain. - - And that is all of it! That should cover episode 5 in detail, with the possibility of a cliffhanger being the "shouting match" between two characters. I went and cut out a few of the "Real World Comparisons" that Souma makes in the Novel, so you are free to look up those points yourself! Episode 6... Dark Thoughts Edit after episode: Well they rearranged things for no reason... so we got our lap pillow, but they again took up most of the episode with the "Halbert vs Kaede" discussion. If you were reading along in the Light Novels, this would put us just before the chapter "The sighs of Duchess Excel Walter on page 235. Also, they changed an important scene: in the Light Novel, Halbert tries to grab Souma, and ALL the girls jump him. Liscia, Juna, and Aishia. It exposes a few things about the characters, but one person in particular stands out for her swift actions. If I am being honest, this is not a series that benefits from being as meticulous as others. This isn't 86, where being more specific can bring out the charm of the Books.... quite the opposite. Keep in mind, this was episode 6, and we STILL haven't finished Novel 1 If we then plan to only cover Novel 2 (or at most Novel 3 and its results), we are in for a very long.... "Novel 2 event". There are two things to remember from episode 5 and 6: Juna chose to speak with Souma after his heartfelt speech in her cafe. What was it that Halbert's father was so intent on telling Souma that he would risk slighting him during an incident where his family line was in danger? - This one is gonna be fairly short. may feel like I am treading the same water as the episode, but I had planned to release this one in episode 5.... before we had YET ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER. This discussion is what I consider "Souma's first test of courage". It is only hypothetical, but it does show that Souma isn't the type to overthrow systems that he finds to be wrong, but has them abolished by the people that made them in the first place. He's the type to look at the system of "three degrees of consanguinity will be considered complicit in it" and make the citizens question the validity of it, not force the change upon them. - - Ok now that was the fun part (episode 5 reference)... now I need to talk about the events that start on page 212. These involve two new characters that we meet in the restaurant: The first is a Mystic Fox by the name of Kaede Foxia. She is an earth mage serving in the Forbidden Army. The second is a red-hair man by the name of Halbert Magna. The two in question are having a very loud, and very heated discussion about current military events. Kaede is on the side of the king, stating that George Carmine (He was introduced as the Lion-headed man), the leader of the ground forces is acting strangely. She feels he is dividing the country's strength, as Carmine is allowing nobles that were investigated for corruption to join his army. Kaede feels this is not the Carmine she knows, and feels letting the nobles join Carmine would lead to a worsening country if they were to ever regain their power. She states the current political situation with the bordering countries ( I won't go into the full details, but the country Amindonia is the one Kaede singles out as being the most negative political relationship), and more or less says that we have way too many problems with OTHER countries to be creating OUR OWN problems. Halbert is of the idea that "Carmine knows what he is doing", and is joining Carmine's side for the glory. Battle means glory, and glory means promotions. He only seems to be thinking short term, with regards to only himself, and no thoughts about the current political climate. Kaede is critical of her friend's view on the situation, as he doesn't seem to be thinking for himself. As Halbert is getting louder and louder, Souma eventually has to step in, as Halbert is on the verge of making a very fatal mistake. - You see, in the kingdom Souma has inherited, there exists a method of punishment for a family line that is VERY, VERY SEVERE. It's known as "treason against the state". The penalty for this crime is "three degrees of consanguinity will be considered complicit in it". What does that mean? Well since Souma's kingdom has many long-lived races, the punishment has to be on a level that can span races that live for hundreds of years (Juna's race for instance can live for over 500 years). A family line that is guilty of treason against the state can have their entire family line killed potentially.. That means if a Father commits this crime, the kingdom has to kill him, his Son, his Grandson, and his GreatGrandson. To say nothing of the reputation that any surviving members of the Lineage have to bear. - Now Souma doesn't just threaten Halbert because he is a sadist, quite the opposite. Souma lays out the results for Halbert to consider from both sides of the war: 1. If Souma takes Halbert at his word that he plans to join George Carmine if he rebels, Souma has to charge him with treason and kill three whole generations of Halbert's family line. 2. Halbert's side wins. Souma is struck down, and Halbert believes he will get a promotion... until Souma states "but Kaede works for the Forbidden Army... your enemy". He doesn't state it outright, but does hint to Halbert that a young girl like Kaede being captured by the enemy nobles could lead to.... "events that involve heinous acts" to put it kindly. George Carmine is allowing corrupt nobles into his ranks after all, and if they lose in a war against the king, they have no future. 3. Souma then gives Halbert an ultimatum. to quote from page 227-228 (the mercenaries are in regards to the nation of Zem that are sending forces to the Noble Faction that is joining George Carmine's side in retaliation for canceling contracts they had with their kingdom): "Those bloodthirsty mercenaries are on the side of the Three Dukedoms. Do you think they'll leave a girl in the defeated army -- like Kaede -- alone? While Kaede is being tormented by the mercenaries, and they're about to kill her because they're done with her, where will you be, and what will you be doing?" Halbert hesitates, and it pisses Souma off more: "Will you be lifting your head aloft in joy?! Singing songs to celebrate your victory?! Meanwhile, your childhood friend may have been made their plaything, then left dead at the side of the road!" Halbert's legs give out, as Souma continues: "Halbert Magna. The path you were about to choose is a dead end. If I win, you will be executed. If the Three Dukedoms win, Kaede will... well, she may not come out of it all right. If you are going to make the gamble of a lifetime, at least make sure the future you want is on the betting table". Souma continues: "Before you do anything rash, always think back. Think about what it is that you wanted, what for, and for whom? Look around you and think about it" - As Souma is leaving with Liscia and Aisha for making a scene, Juna makes a statement, but also a request: "No. Sire, your words carved themselves into my heart". I have something to talk to you about". What is it that Juna talks to Souma about? guess you will have to tune in to find out! - - And this is all I got for ya. I am starting to sound like someone beating a dead horse... but do speed up now Studio.... Episode 7, We're going to the beach! for work. We ironically get a picture of Liscia in a red two-piece bikini in Novel 2, but the page corners are so horrendously pieced together it looks like Liscia has two bikini bottoms on (they redraw it on the folds of two pages) . My god how have I had that novel on my shelf for years and not noticed that!? Welcome back! So we finally got our date with the Royal Couple, and it seems we have even started hearing concerns about an impending war, be it within the kingdom against the Three Dukedoms, or the enemy nation of Amidonia! - EDIT After episode: ....why did you even bother with showing us a "Bonus Story" if you were going to cut most of the content about the adventurers? First of all, the Thief's name is JUNO, but that is fine.... could just be a translation thing. secondly, our Little Musashibo does not "one shot" everything. He does actually fight as a team against the first snake, as it doesn't sense him because snakes sense body heat, and Cotton Stuffing doesn't have body heat! Also, Little Musashibo does not trip! It's actually Juno that trips, and it is because of the acid injurying her ankle. Little Musashibo is supposed to have a Wicker Basket, as he would keep spare items in it, but he uses it to save Juno by transporting her. The changes to the Old Man are also unnecessary. In the Novel, the Old Man is bickering with Ludwin at the site. This shows how much he is dedicated to his job of saving lives, as opposed to sitting in his home multiple villages away. You take away alot of the impact to have the Old Man sitting at home, as opposed to him railing against them as they are working on the city. Also, just let the Old Man speak like he did in the Light Novel! You don't need to do exposition on his dialogue, TO THEN SHOW HIM SAYING IT What the fuck were you even doing with this episode? Hell this is more filler than necessary, and you managed to miss the mark by a country mile! - The reason Souma blushes around the 13:25 mark is because he can see Liscia's shapely buttocks. He comments that she is always wearing "that tight-fitting military uniform", so we know Liscia at least "gets his engine revving" so to speak! They cut it at the 14:00 mark, but Liscia gets really pissed at Souma when he makes the remark "just summon another hero". She states that no one could replace him, and if her Father Albert tried to retake the throne, she would fight with Souma against him. Starting to see signs of her love for him I would say! So now we have questions.... but that is not for episode 7 to decide! Here are your list of topics! 5. Where we would be in the Novels. .75 Magicles and Elements 1. Sim City and the Sea God? 2. Little Musashibo's first adventuring party! - 5. Where we would be in the Novels. I suspect the studio will either skip or give very little screentime to the chapter titled "The Sigh of Duchess Excel Walter", so I will be skipping that and proceeding to the chapters in the Preview for Episode 7, "The Legendary Old Man" and "The Story of a Certain Group of Adventurers" - So we ended episode 6 on a cliffhanger... and a rather odd one too. I am not saying that as if it was unexpected (at this point, we have ended EVERY episode on a cliffhanger), but on the change to the scene. Let me explain: In the Light Novel on page 230, Glaive Magna comes to beseech Souma's mercy for his son Halbert's rash actions at Juna's bar. Souma grants him mercy, but it is during this meeting that Glaive asks Souma for a chance to speak with him about a private matter. In the anime: Only Souma and Glaive stay in the Throne Room, with Aisha keeping guard. In the Light Novel: Souma dismisses the guards and officials, posts Aisha outside as a guard. Kaede, Halbert, Liscia, Hakuya stay in the room to hear the message. Why is this change important? Because it shakes everyone that hears it to their core. Let me pull from page 232 for their reactions: "When we heard what he had to say, Halbert's eyes went wide, Kaede looked down, gripping her fists tightly, Hakuya closed his eyes in silence, Aisha looked around bewildered by everyone else's reactions. Liscia, meanwhile, had gone stiff and expressionless, not saying a word. There were tears streaming down her face. - I get it, the change to having Liscia, Halbert, and Kaede outside adds some "teasing" as the maid Claire gets to suggest the since Halbert and Kaede "are such close friends, perhaps you could pass on this knowledge to Liscia", as a form of mischief.... but it completely undercuts the original scene. it's not supposed to be lighthearted, BECAUSE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IS A BIG, BIG DEAL I must also point out that Souma transfers Halbert and Promotes Kaede AFTER he hears this news from Glaive, NOT before. I will NOT be telling you what this message was, as it would spoil events in Novel 2. Both Glaive's message, and Juna's message to Souma (this was cut from the café scene) will come up in later episodes, so I will eventually shed light on them. - This studio is really starting to disappoint me in ways I didn't think was possible. They are changing scenes unnecessarily, rearranging the order of events, leaving us on awkward cliffhangers, and their character animations are... underwhelming if I am being polite. I mean, I wasn't expecting much, as this series isn't all "Bang! Pow!" and bright and colorful, but something about their animation just feels... ok if I am being brutally honest, it feels like they looked at techniques that Poro studios uses for their animation and copied their homework. It does not feel like there is a soul in this work... just a paycheck and another project under their belt ^If you know what studio I am referencing in this spoiler, you and me could have some "conversations" about the good and the bad of that.... "industry". - - .75 Magicles and Elements In the Chapter "The Legendary Old Man", we get more discussion about the technology of this world, and how it is backwards and forwards at the same time. 1. Battleships are made of Iron, but don't have the engines that would match. 2. Battleships are pulled by Sea Dragons. 3. Battleships are equipped with gunpowder cannons, but they are only meant to battle other ships and to strike fortifications. 4. Firearms are not used in this world because they are useless against magic armor. 5. Water mages are used for steering in addition to Sea Dragons, as their magic is stronger over water. So why the imbalance with regards to battleships? Well that is because of a little substance called "Magicles". To quote page 255: "This world's magic was said to come from mixing special waves emitted by people with a substance called magicium in the atmosphere to produce a variety of phenomena. Magicium had an elemental alignment (with the exception of darkness), and the composition of the magicium was greatly influenced by the terrain." Translation: Water is strengthened over a body of water, and severely weakens earth, fire, and wind. Flip this translations for earth, fire, and wind. 6. We are also informed of how some elements use their magic: Fire can drop bombs like Napalm, Earth can fire stones like a machine gun, wind can use vacuum slashes from an incredible range, and water mages can penetrate obstacles at short range. 7. Spells can also be "attached" to items to either make them stronger or able to cut better. this also means objects with higher mass have more power. an example given: Arrow is stronger than bullet --> Spear stronger than Arrow. This is also the reason that firearms never took off, as an armor with a strong attachment spell would shrug off the small magic bullets due to their low mass. We are told later on in Novel 2, but the reason that a ground fortress can hold up to aerial attack is due to them using "Spear Thrower" weapons that have a Wind Homing spell attached to the spears. - - 1. Sim City and the Sea God? So Souma and the gang go to the site for a newly planned coastal city... Souma wants to make a coastal city for tourism, but also because he notices a problem with the coastal city that Duchess Excel Walter oversees: It is serving too many purposes! Excel runs a coastal city known as Lagoon City, and it serves as both a trade port and naval base. A problem that he foresees could be the duality of having a military base in the same area as a civilian facility, as it could cause problems for confidentiality (can't hide a secret naval weapon if you have potentially hundreds of prying eyes!) but there appears to be a problem.... We have us the classic "DOOM WILL BEFALL YOU!" NPC you see in every major city... though those usually hold a sign saying "the end is coming" (met a few of em on my trip to New York. They are real. No Myth on this one.) He keeps spouting some nonsense about "incurring the wrath of the sea god"... Ludwin, Liscia, and Aisha are quick to dismiss his rants as delusional, stating that they are unaware of any "sea god" Souma is listening to the parties bicker back and forth until he picks up on an important clue that the Old Man drops: "It's no religion! The sea god is real! If you violate the sanctity of his holy land, eventually you will anger him and be destroyed! In fact, the sea god goes on a rampage once every hundred years or so!" Souma then asks the Old Man to explain: "this land had originally belonged to the sea god, but he had lost it after being defeated by the land god in battle. However, the sea god still believe this land was his, and when people built houses on it, he would destroy the people who lived in them." So this strikes Souma as familiar... so he requests a map, ask the Old Man what areas of the coast are "the sea god's holy land", and determines that they need to relocate parts of the city. Turns out the Old Man had been taught something you may be familiar with in your local cultures as well: A Nursery Rhyme!. Souma links the idea of the "Sea God" with a Tsunami that is triggered after an undersea earthquake! Now I am sure most of you have some Nursey Rhymes you grew up with. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Ring around the Rosie", "Humpty Dumpty", etc. Sometimes a legend can be passed down to serve as an important reminder, and in this case, it was used by the Old Man to prevent lives being lost by careless building near the coast. So what does Souma do about this? Why he appoints the Old Man as a Storyteller! He instructs him to make a story that could be used to tell people "Don't build houses where the tsunami can reach", "if you feel an earthquake, assume there will be a tsunami", and "because a tsunami is coming, evacuate to higher ground" And Souma's decision pays off! It is mentioned that 30 years later, an earthquake does happen, and with it a tsunami. The Old Man's tale has been spread around, and it leads to no lives lost from his contributions! There is even a statue erected known as "The King and the Old Man", but to hear it described it was as if the "Old Man risked his life to make a direct appeal to the king and tell him to prepare for the tsunami, and the wise king who had listened to his plans." - - 2. Little Musashibo's first adventuring party! There isn't much to say about this scene. Just remember a few things: 1. Juno is gonna be our "translator" for Little Musashibo and his actions. 2. We get to see Little Musashibo fight for the first time. 3. Not sure where Souma got the materials to make his doll "bulletproof", but apparently that little fucker has "bladeproof, bulletproof, cold-resistant, heat-resistant, and acid-resistant fibers" <--- the fuck is that logic?! 4. I doubt we will see it, but in the Light Novel, Juno the Thief and Julia have an "ecchi moment". The Acid attack strips Juno of her breastplate, and Julia loses her skirt. but of course we didn't get to see anything in the illustration for Juno. Da fuq you gonna tell me Juno is topless and show an image of her tits covered? Are you one of those writers that thinks masturbation is the same thing as sex? you disgust me. 5. We will be seeing this party of adventurers more in the future. They make an appearance in later novels, and Souma forms a bit of a friendship with them, in the same way of "Clark Kent/Superman", as he can't tell them he is controlling the doll. 6. Keep in mind that Souma is only controlling [b]ONE[/] doll in this episode, but if you remember before we see him controlling up to 4 pens. This means that with enough concentration, Souma could control FOUR dolls if he wanted to. - - And that will do it for this one! I suspect we will leave this episode on another cliffhanger, but for once it will be for a good reason! If they are leaving the event I believe they will for episode 8, we should be on Chapter 6 titled "Relief". I am getting back in the van now. |
|
Sep 18, 2021 4:46 AM
#3
Episode 8... In time, you will know the tragic extent of my failings... EDIT AFTER EPISODE: ....how. How do you manage to take the gravity of a landslide and make it look so cheap... Jesus Christ I know I sound bitchy, but there is this little, tiny, oh-so-small wish when I watch an anime for a novel I like: I WANT BETTER. So let's talk about what was changed/removed this time! 1. Kaede doesn't offer the lap pillow. fine. I can accept this. 2. Aisha doesn't just "cry for a few seconds"... Souma had to comfort her the entire time they were unloading the transport to go to the Elf Village. You mean to tell me you couldn't spare enough animation for an extended crying scene? Novel shows us Aisha was so distraught Souma held her for a long time. 3. Where the meeting takes place with the Dark Elves. It is never suggested they talked inside a building, but that everyone was constantly on the disaster grounds. It's a race against time... As it is suggested that Souma and the First Team try to save lives for 24-36 hours (assuming it took them a full day after the disaster struck to get there). Will explain more in point 4. 3.5 The Wooden Mice are consistent, so that is good. The Souma/Halbert team up is something I feel worked in both regards. Halbert is going to be our go to for the "straight man" so to speak. He's a bit of a blockhead, but his straightforward nature helps to contrast all the talented individuals he is surrounded by constantly. 4. The biggest reason we have to believe this about Point 3 is the alteration they did to Robthor Udgard, the elf that was crying over the loss of his family. In the Novel, he is on his hands and knees looking at the place where his house used to be, shouting at the sky. They altered this part heavily, as the combined efforts of Souma's mice and Halbert's digging save his daughter. This would lead to the daughter falling in love with Halbert. Now don't think Halbert just took her as a child. They do eventually get married, but it is decades later. - - Another week behind us, and we are back to Saturday. For those that know what the title of this essay is from, congratulations. I hate that game with a passion. I am a very "controlling" player when it comes to my rpg games, so when Darkest Dungeon throws me curve balls in the sense of "you missed 3 times on a 90% attack, against the Shambler, sucks to be you scrub", I ragequit so damn hard. I have thrown out three different runs of that game because of the RNG. I am not what you would call a "patient" individual when it comes to games of this nature. So why a quote about Darkest Dungeon? Well that is because of the events you witnessed in what I would imagine was the second half of episode 8...the landslide that hit the God-Protected Forest. - Here are your list of topics: .5 Where we would be in the Light Novels 1. Highway work ahead, merge right 2. Ruin has come to our family - With the encounter with the "Old Man" in episode 7, we have started Chapter 6, page 269 titled "Relief". I expect us to go to the end of page 302, but there is a chance we could cover the events of the final chapter of Novel 1 titled "Epilogue". If we cover this chapter in episode 8, the hint will be The Three Dukedoms will be meeting to discuss Souma, possible war declarations, the current events happening in their dukedoms, and the Principality of Amidonia and their "letter of aid". - 1. Highway work ahead, merge right During chapter 6, we get the following events: 1. Road work is being undertaken in the kingdom. This is to connect the new Coastal City to other parts of the kingdom, as seafood can be sent inland with more speed with a stable road network. Souma is using the road and seafood both to solve the immediate food crisis, but also to push long-term maritime trade, as one of the more expensive foods for the Kingdom is seafood, as it has a short shelf life. 2.We get a little banter between Halbert and Kaede before being the two are joined by Souma and Liscia. Turns out the gossip about Liscia offering Souma a "lap pillow" on their date has spread, as the word is "We are could get a royal heir by next year, but the betting pool on names is varied, due to Souma's otherworld origins". Kaede is apparently revered as an Idol in Forbidden Army, as when she offers a "lap pillow" to Halbert, he gets many, many "drop dead you bastard" glares. 2.5 This is when Souma and Liscia walk into the tent, Souma saying "You sure are talking alot about things you have no business discussing". Liscia? She's as Red as an apple! One of the things Halbert does specifically when he sees Souma is look for "the blue haired girl". Turns out he has a bit of PTSD from his encounter in the cafe, and that woman scares him! 3. Souma asks Halbert to walk him through the process that is used to construct the road, with Liscia paying attention to the demonstration. During this demonstration, we get told a few bits of technology used to construct the road and keep it safe: A. The road is made of bricks filled with "Roman Concrete", a mix of Volcanic Ash and Lime. It is demonstrated as being capable of surviving a Rhinosaurus (equivalent to a Semi Truck in terms of transportation capabilities), as it doesn't tank the hit, but "distributes the hit". B. Trees known as "warding trees" are placed along the road. These emit waves that wild animals and monsters dislike. C. Souma states that while Warding Trees are placed along the road, gaps are left at set intervals. This is to prevent changes to the local ecosystem, as suddenly cutting of the territory of the local wildlife could lead to unexpected consequences (imagine it like cutting off the migratory path of an animal like the Rhinosaurus, but it now migrates through a village instead) 4. While all this is insightful, Halbert shows an interest in the food Souma provides the Forbidden Army. Turns out Souma uses them as a sort of "Guinea Pig" to test his special menu of recipes. Nothing that would kill them mind you. Halbert finds the food to be the best reason ever that he joined the Forbidden Army, and he especially jumps at the chance when Souma mentions the possibility of "Instant Gel Udon" that be prepared on the battlefield... turns out the Kingdom likes Udon so much it is the National Food of the Kingdom. All of the above is pretty stock standard for Souma. He makes a plan, sees it carried out, demonstrates it to Liscia, and quizzes her on the merits of said plan. It's what comes later that shows a new side to Souma...what happens when he fails. - - 2. Ruin has come to our family While Souma is discussing the events of Point 1, Aisha should get a message from a bird... and it informs of her of a landslide that has struck a portion of the Dark Elf Village. Souma is quick to act on this, ordering the dumping of all the construction materials a Rhinosaurus is hauling, and bringing food supplies and 50 of the Forbidden Army Personnel to the Dark Elf Village (Kaede and Halbert included). Liscia is sent back to the Capital to request a second relief team, as this first team being assembled is lightly equipped, and they can only do so much to aid them. - To put the Souma part at the forefront, we get some insight into where he feels he failed: 1. Souma did not leave a "living poltergeist" back at the capital. While he can use a doll at unlimited range, his Quills only have a range of 100 meters... and he unfortunately didn't leave a doll behind. 2. Souma is part of the relief party, but he states "in times of crisis, giving commands in the field isn't the king's duty. A king's duty is to prepare for a crisis before it happens. In a way, Souma is right. If you note what Souma has done so far with issues he addresses, he does not "sit on his hands" as the saying goes. Many of the problems Souma has addressed in the past have been problems both short and long term. If you look at the timetable he had between meeting Aishia and hearing her request to go to the God-Protected Forest to teach the elves "periodic thinning", he put off that issue compared to his usual method of meeting it head-on. Souma has also talked about issues and solutions, but being hands-on in the process is not his usual style(sending his dolls out to cull monsters and doing paperwork are more personal endeavors that only he can do) . The Relief effort I feel is more of a "knee-jerk reaction", although one could say it was the correct one. Sending Liscia back to the castle as opposed to himself means that when orders come from him, there's no need to have to confirm them. Souma sent orders through Liscia. Had it been the other way around (Liscia leads the relief efforts as Souma sends for more people/supplies), it could have led to more panic. 3. Souma lists off a number of issues that he notes after the first relief party he is a part of is relieved: Means of Communication, long-distance shipping, accumulation of aid supplies in each area, medical teams attached to the relief party, psychiatrists to treat patients with PTSD. This part of Souma I can relate with most. There are times when I look back on conversations or actions and think to myself "I should have said or done this instead". Of course as the saying goes "hindsight is 20/20", but you will note in this episode that Souma is being especially hard on himself, and this "mindset" will carry on into the events of Novel 2. - - The biggest revelation that we get from the Landslide is one of guilt. So far Souma has been in control with scenarios we have encountered, but the Landslide is the first instance where Souma does fail to address an issue that was put on the backburner for too long. One could say he couldn't have predicted the landslide sure, but from what we have seen from Souma's actions with the Old Man the "tale of the Sea God's Wrath", Souma doesn't put off any issue if he feels he can address it immediately. Another take could be that Souma just has too much on his plate. Food Crisis, possible impending war with The Three Dukedoms, possible invasion from any number of border nations, road construction, coastal city construction, paperwork, dolls being sent out to cull monsters, etc. Souma finally failed a task because...well of course he would eventually. Even for a man that can split his consciousness to inanimate objects, there is only so much one can do, special abilities notwithstanding. - - If we leave the "Epilogue" of Novel 1 for episode 9, then we will have quiet a few things to discuss come next week. Once we hit Novel 2, We get some action for a change! Bout damn time I would say! If it was me making this anime, I would have been in Novel 2 a week or two ago! In my ideal world, we end the anime on the events of Novel 3 because of how it concludes the "arc" of novels 1-3. Will we get there? probably not... which I would love to be wrong about. Not gonna hold my breath on that wish though, studio pacing being what it is. I'll be unconscious within a couple of minutes. If we start on the events of Novel 2 in episode 9, I will also tell yall what Juna and Glaive Magna said to Souma a few episodes back! Episode 9...War, huh, yeah What is it good for? Edit After Episode: I personally don't feel they got Georg Carmine's appearance right. The way he looks in the Light Novel, I envisioned him to be much bigger...Think Louis Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist big. I mean... the guy is a literal Lion of a Man. Also, you changed another scene yet again.... Why would you have Poncho and Tomoe sitting in the meeting where you have an exchange between the Three Dukedoms? feels like it is a way to have an information leak. This is going to sound like another Nit Pick, but they didn't even get Liscia's hair right when she cut it with her Rapier. You see the two points of her hair that are still draped over her shoulders? Those are gone too....She also points her Rapier directly at Georg's image. I was rather worried about this, but now all of a sudden the Studio is burning through pages. This one episode alone covered 100 pages of Novel 2... when before we took 8 episodes to cover 300. Bit of a difference in speed wouldn't you say? It could be that they are doing this because of the action to come... but their track record on animation for this has been shotty. Expect episode 10 to be a little of the war... and hopefully more animation than Queen Bee. Seriously, when Souma got up from his desk in this episode, and they did that camera turn... I felt fear. I haven't seen an FPS drop that fast since I watched FF14 raid with all the particule effects turned on. - So here we are. Another Saturday upon us, another episode of Realist Hero. So looking at the preview for Volume 2, it looks like we have started the following: 1. Souma has returned to the castle, and is working with the same vigor as when he first came to this world. 2. Liscia is very worried about Souma, and has asked Juna to assist her. 3. Juna has come to Souma's room to comfort him. 4. Liscia has discussed military tactics with Souma. 5. We are given a brief overview of the Principality of Amidonia, from Princess Roroa. 6. A discussion is held between King Souma, George Carmine, Excel Walter, and Castor Vargas. Castor's daughter Carla, and Princess Liscia are also in attendance. 7. After a discussion with the Three Dukedoms, two things occur: a. George Carmine and Castor Vargas declare a "challenge" with Souma. This Challenge is to defeat (this can include death as defeat) or capture the Commanders of each of their forces (in this case, Carmine, Castor, and Souma). If defeated or captured, the armies they control will submit to their control. In regards to capture, if a slave collar is put on the Commander, that also counts. Slave Collars work with the idea like most isekai: if the person with the Collar tries to harm the registered owner, they are killed. Disobey a command and they are inflicted with pain. b. Liscia declares her resolve in front of the Three Dukedoms, but most importantly to George Carmine. She then cuts her hair with her signature Rapier to demonstrate her resolve, shocking all involved parties. - - Here are your list of topics for the above. Note at the end of the "war discussion" phase, I will be posting what could be considered spoilers for the events of the war, so when I get to this point, you have to stop reading yourself if you don't want to know that. I will be sure to make it really obvious when we get to these points. The "War Discussion" will include the private discussion that Souma had with Juna, and the later discussion he had with Glaive Magna. - - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel. 1. Souma returns to the castle... but not all of him. 2. A breakdown of the Three Dukedoms. 3. Princess Roroa and the situation in Amidonia. 4. Souma's standoff with the Three Dukedoms. Due to hitting the character limit... again, I will be attaching the last point to its own essay. 5. The "War Discussion". spoilers ahead. - - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel. Based on the preview trailer, it seems we have covered a fair chunk of Novel 2 with a single episode. The events of Episode 9 cover chapters Prologue, Chapter 1 "A Sign", Chapter 2 "The Casts of Two Nations", and Chapter 3 "Ultimatum". If we keep this pace, come episode 10...The war will have started. If JC staff was going to turn around the anime, these are the episodes to do so. Novel 2 is a big moment of character growth for Souma, as it has him and the girls around him (Aisha, Juna, and Liscia) address how his form of "being the king" is starting to affect him on a physical and mental level. <--- will explain more about this in Point 1. - - 1. Souma returns to the castle... but not all of him. The start of Novel 2 has a Prologue titled "On Your Side". This is only 12 pages, but it sheds a great deal of light on Souma, Liscia, and Juna. We start with Souma returning from the landslide (about 2 weeks ago)... but this chapter is being reflected from the eyes of Liscia. Liscia notes that "Souma had been working on paperwork with even greater zeal and enthusiasm than before". The before being when he first entered this world, and had to "fight the budget" so to speak to get his reforms passed. In other words, Souma has regressed. No longer is he working because he is busy, but he is working to an extent that is "seeking out work and packing in more of it than he reasonably could". When Souma does have free time, no longer is he coming to Liscia's room and sewing his dolls, or making dresses for Tomoe. Liscia then leaves the room: "I could hear Souma's voice from behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to turn back. Or, rather, I couldn't bear to look at Souma as he was now". - We then cut to that night. Juna has been summoned to Liscia's room. She is unsure why, until Liscia explains: 1. Souma seems to be distracted in Liscia's eyes. At times he's absorbed in his work, but then he can switch to having his head in the clouds. 2. Juna has noted the same thing, as whenever Souma comes to discuss her Broadcast Programs, his mind seems to be elsewhere. 3. Juna and Liscia both feel his changed happened after the incident in the God-Protected Forest (the landslide), but from Juna's perspective, she only heard second-hand that he accomplished a fair deal, to which Liscia states "Souma saw so many bodies, he feels 'Couldn't I have handled things better?'" 4. It is at this point that Liscia gives Juna an important request: I want you to encourage him for me. 5. Juna is obviously confused by this... wondering why Liscia herself doesn't undertake this task. Liscia responds with "I am younger than Souma, if I tried Souma would probably respond with "As a man, I don't want to show her my weakness". When he's in front of me, Souma puts up a strong front". 6. Juna does counter, saying she is the same age as Souma, but Liscia states that Juna gives off a "more mature aura", stating "You would do a fine job of indulging a young boy who's trying to put up a strong front". - So Juna accepts the task given to her, and proceeds to the Governmental Affairs office that Souma is still working within. We are informed of the following: 1. Aisha is not outside, but two guards. Small difference yes, but it shows that it's unnatural to not be by Souma's side. 2. The Guards have been informed by Liscia ahead of time, and make no attempt to stop her from entering. 3. It is here that Juna notes a few... "problematic issues": a. "It is a rather bold move for the princess to be sending a lady to her betrothed's chambers late at night". b. Juna contemplates that if "something" happens (the implication being that in a moment of weakness, Souma has sex with Juna), Was Liscia ready to accept the consequences? She concludes yes. c. Juna then remarks on Liscia making progress as a woman and future queen. Her willingness to prioritize the needs of Souma, even at the risk of... "an incident", leaves quite the impression on her. 4. We then get Juna entering the office. We are reminded of all the pressures that Souma has on his shoulders: getting the country back on its feet; the food crisis; and providing relief to the disaster area. Souma also had additional burdens now: the friction between the Three Dukedoms; and the Principality of Amidonia's maneuvering in the shadows. 5. Juna then takes Souma by the hand, and leads him to the simple bed he has in the office. She forcibly sits him in the bed, tucks him in... and tells him to try sleeping. She states that Liscia has seen through his strong front and has sent her because she is worried. 6. Juna then starts singing a song to Souma: Go to sleep, for tonight. Sleep until Tomorrow. When you wake, walk. When you tire, sleep. The longer you walk, the more hands there will be to support you. The above song is stated as being a children's lullaby. 7. The moment gets to the "more hands to support you", the dam in Souma's heart breaks, and he starts shedding tears. Juna says that it is alright to be weak around her. 8. As Souma is fallen asleep after finally lifting the burden off his heart, Juna is at the door to leave... when she turns around, and whispers something into Souma's ear: It's okay. I am on your side. If the princess brings out your strengths, then I will hide your weaknesses. - - You see all that? A mere 12 pages of text, and we have A TON OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1. Souma has overburdened himself, and worried both Liscia and Juna. 2. Liscia is willing to forego the task of lifting the burden on Souma, and given it to Juna, but not because she is incapable, but because Juna is the better person for the job. 3. Juna, despite having reservations at first, not only accepts the job, but does it for Liscia in admiration, not out of obligation. She truly values both Liscia and Souma for the strength they are bringing out in one another... and she will do what she can to lift the burdens on both of them. ^This is what I have been seeking when we started Realist Hero. It is not just about Oh Souma is doing things, and those things are good. It's the "heart" of it. The characters of Realist Hero don't work together because "The Novel says so", but out of a sense of "Togetherness". Souma has at no point forced anyone by his side... they are there 100% because they want to be. These 12 pages have demonstrated that in the mere months that Souma has been appointed king, People care so deeply for him they are willing to do as much for him as he is doing for the nation. IMPACT. that is what I seek in this work. Make me feel that these characters form a relationship not out of Obligation, but Love, Affection, and Admiration. - - 2. A breakdown of the Three Dukedoms. The following Chapter "A Sign" is pretty much a breakdown of the Three Dukedoms, and how combat with armies works. Souma is given this lecture by Liscia, as the novel inserts some references to Sun Tzu, Sun Bin, and works like "Records of the Grand Historian" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". To break it all down (Liscia states that she is unfamiliar with naval battles, so she does not cover those): 1. Battle between land forces comprise of infantry (think anything from common footsoldiers to knights on the ground and horseback), cavalry, and archers, with the fantasy element being the addition of mages (mages can range from wind, fire, or earth mages on land). 2. Mages and Archers do long range attacks, with infantry and cavalry looking for breaks to advance and push in. Liscia breaks the technique down into two terms: a. Cutting- tactics that shave off a portion of an enemy force. b. Breaking- tactics that cause an enemy force to be pierced/broken apart. 3. Souma does ask "why doesn't the air force assist?", to which Liscia states that the Air Force (this can be either Wyverns or Griffons) of each army is meant not as the primary attack force, but as a preventative force. [b]Denying your opponent control of the sky takes precedent over going on the offensive.[/u] 3.5 Liscia does state that the Denial of Air Control does not apply if there is a huge gap in the numbers of each air force. For example, if it was 100 vs 10,000, The Air Force can be used much more liberally. 4. If the clashing of air forces causes one side to lose their air advantage, Air Forces can fly high enough that they can drop bombs on the enemy army or fortifications. 5. We are informed of two types of Air units: Wyverns are considered "bomber" types. Griffons are seen as the "fighter" types. Wyverns have more stamina for flying, but Griffons are more agile, and can overwhelm Wyverns in fights. 6. We are then informed of a third type of Super-Air unit: The Dragon Knight. These units are from the nation known as "The Star Dragon Mountain". Dragons will choose a Knight as their partner. In exchange for producing offspring for the Dragons, Knights are given the power of the Dragon to use in battle. In terms of power, a single Dragon Knight is considered the same combat strength as 1,000 ground soldiers. 6.5 The offspring between a Dragon and her Knight can be: A dragon, the race of the knight, or a race known as "Dragonnewt". It is stated that a Dragonnewt cannot produce a Dragon if they were to marry (50% chance of a Dragonnewt or the race of the partner) 7. Once Air Control has been obtained, the Air Force still has to wait before bombarding a fortification because of an anti-air defense: The Anti-Air Repeating Bolt Thrower (RBT). This device hurls "homing spears" that are enchanted with additional range, and if an Air Force unit is hit with these, they are done for. 8. If the Ground Forces remove the RBT, only then can an Air Force then proceed to bombard. This might sound too late to matter, but it is stated that it takes longer to train a single Wyvern Knight than it does the average foot soldier, so the risk is not worth the reward. 9. We are then given a breakdown of the Various armies: A. 10,000 for the Forbidden Army under Souma (it is stated as 40,000 publicly, but due to various circumstances, Souma can only count on this number to be trustworthy) B. 10,000 in the Navy, (with 2000 of those being Marines capable of fighting on land), led by Duchess Excel Walter. C. 1,000 in the Air Force (these are a pair of soldier and wyvern) led by Duke Castor Vargas D. 40,000 in the Army, led by Duke Georg Carmine. 10. We are then given a breakdown of the style of command of each of the Three Dukedoms: A. Excel Walter is seen as a "trickster" commander, poking at the weaknesses of the enemy with her 500 years of wisdom, courage, and political savvy. B. Castor is seen as a "hot-blooded" commander that dislikes anything but straightforward tactics. He disdains using tricks and deception. C. Georg Carmine is the "War Veteran" of the group. The equipment of his army is seen as superior, with the Commander being regarded as a man capable of making level-headed decisions with his past experiences. 11. After the talk of the Commanders, Tomoe interrupts the meeting to inform Souma that Hakuya has requested his presence.... This isn't anything out of the ordinary, until Liscia overhears Souma makes a statement: Because I'm the King now. This startles Liscia. Before this point, whenever it came to a task, Souma would usually state "I am just holding onto the crown temporarily" or would say "I'll give it back to you, Liscia". Liscia states I don't know... for some reason, there's an uneasiness in my heart. What could this change in Souma's demeanor entail? That has yet to be seen... but it is worrisome. - - 3. Princess Roroa and the situation in Amidonia. The next chapter "The Casts of Two Nations", covers many points, but I will be addressing only one point here (Roroa and Amidonia), and dropping the other (Castor's commentary). The discussion between Liscia and Souma concerning Georg Carmine I will be moving to point 5. Roroa is third princess of Amidonia, and has a very negative opinion of both the war and her father. She believes that her father Gaius Amidonia is not considering what would happen if they lose. You see, Amidonia is surrounded by just as many nations as Elfrienden, but unlike Elfrienden, it is hanging on only because of military might, not because of a stable nation. If they lose, the potential to be invaded by three nations is a very real possibility. Roroa sees "the writing on the wall" so to speak, and plans to move all the talented individuals in the nation as well as the ones opposed to the war, out of Amidonia before the war starts. This is not so much that she fears what her father would do, but more along the lines of not wanting to be here should Souma's forces take over. Not that she distrusts him or anything, but she has more "cards to play" so to speak if she is not in the capital, as that is the place that will be targeted first for capture, should Gaius's army fall. - We then cut to a discussion between Gaius, his son Julius, and an advisor called "Colbert". Colbert is pleading with the king to not go to war, and Gaius is having none of it. Gaius sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The moment Georg rebels against Souma, he can swoop in under the guise of "helping both sides", and claim the food-rich lands for their kingdom that had been lost many reigns ago. We are then told of the rules of "Mankind Declaration" (this is the treaty that has the nations working together against the forces of the Demon Lord's Domain): 1. The acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind is deemed inadmissible. 2. The right of all peoples to equality and self-determination will be respected. 3. Countries that are distant from the Demon Lord's Domain will provide support to those nations that are adjacent to it and are acting as a defensive wall. ...Do you see the flaw in these three acts? I didn't upon my first time viewing it. The flaw is such: If a nation that has signed this document, takes land from a nation that hasn't signed this document...It is perfectly allowed. But if the nation that didn't sign the document pushes back the attacking force, and seizes territory, then that is in violation of the document.... and it requires the SuperNation of the Gran Chaos Empire to step in. and the Elfrienden kingdom has not signed the Mankind Declaration. Amidonia is using a loophole to attack a nation, with the Mankind Declaration being used as a shield should they lose. If they win? nothing in the rules states a punishment for this, so it is perfectly legal. - - 4. Souma's standoff with the Three Dukedoms. Alright, so we are finally here, Chapter 3 titled "Ultimatum". Many months of no agreement, and finally Souma has no choice. He must confront the Three Dukedoms over the Jewel Broadcast. I will give you the rundown from the Three Dukedoms first, then Souma's response to each of them. Excel Walters is worried about two points: 1. She asks what Souma plans to do with each of the Duchies the Dukes control, and their armies. 2. She asks what Souma's intentions are with the new coastal city he is building. Castor has two concerns: 1. Point 1 of Excel's concerns, but he states what the Three Duchies' armies are for. 2. He asks Souma what would be able to prevent him from becoming a Tyrant once he integrates the armies of the Three Duchies. Georg Carmine has nothing to say to Souma, but Souma does respond to him. - Souma's responses to the Dukes. Refer to the above points for each individual character if I say "Point 1/Point 2". Excel: In regards to Point 1, Souma will combine their forces with the Forbidden Army. There are too many Chains of Command for the individual armies to go through to work together. With mankind currently at war with the Demon Race, now is not the time to be divided. In regards to Point 2, Souma will have his new Coastal City be a trade port, and Excel's city known as Lagoon City will serve as a military port, and still produce warships. After hearing these points, Excel swears to serve Souma. - Castor: In regards to point 1, we are informed that the purpose of the Three Dukedoms was to prevent discrimination against the races of nonhumans in the country. The ruler of the nation as always been a human, with the other races serving as Dukes/Duchesses. For Americans, think of it similar to how our Three Branches of Government are supposed to have "Checks and Balances" against one another. In regards to point 2, should the king ever become a Tyrant under Souma's new "fully integrated Forbidden Army", what is there to prevent Souma from falling to corruption? Souma states several lines from Machiavelli, but one that sticks out the most: "The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people" Then Souma states: "If I were to become a tyrant, causing the people to abandon me, a rebellion would easily succeed" After hearing these points (and one additional one I will address in Number 5), Castor chooses not to serve Souma, and sides with Georg Carmine. - Georg: Souma and Georg do not try to reason with one another. Souma openly declares that persuasion would not work on him, as he is sheltering the very nobles he expelled for corruption. When Souma asks George why he is doing this, he responds with the following (putting it all together from various paragraphs): "My pride as a warrior. I will decide the fate of Elfrienden with my own talents. It is every warrior's wish to accomplish something once in his lifetime that will be remembered by later generations." (Souma asks Georg if he is a fool) "It was a silly question. One cannot be a warrior without also being a fool. I will have you bear witness to the way I live. (Souma responds with "don't you mean the way you will die?") "They are one and the same. Those who wish to live, die; those who wish to die, live. That is what it is to be a warrior." - After hearing Georg's declaration. Liscia steps forth.... and declares he resolve to fight with Souma against George...by cutting her blonde hair! ...I gotta admit, I am into short hair, but not I will take the Rapier look, thank you very much - Oh dear lord shoot me now.... I have to split this up again because I am in danger of hitting another character limit essay. Two 5000 word essays in a week, here we come! 5. The "War Discussion". spoilers ahead. So we're here. finally made it through all the wordy words. We can finally "get down to brass tacks" as the saying goes. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING. I WILL BE REVEALING MANY SECRETS IN THIS ESSAY ABOUT PAST AND FUTURE EVENTS OF NOVEL 1 AND 2. - - Alright, let me just be upfront about the whole affair between Souma and the Three Dukedoms: It's a trap. An Act. 2 of the 3 Dukes are actually cooperating with Souma to set a trap for Amidonia. All of them know that Amidonia has been sowing dissent in their kingdom, and they are turning the tables on them. They want to appear divided, so by the time Gaius realizes the truth, it will be too late. To explain how this has come about, I need to break it down in terms of each Duke. I will explain how each Duke cooperated with Souma, while still maintaining the "act" of defying him publicly. - Excel: Excel has actually been loyal to Souma since he went to the Cafe and met Juna. You remember the confrontation Souma had with Halbert Magna there? The declaration he made to Halbert in front of Juna... It convinced her of something. You see, when Excel first heard the news that Albert had abdicated the throne, and given it to Souma, she was of course very suspicious of this. So she sent her granddaughter, Juna, to participate in the "Gathering of Talent". Juna had two tasks: 1. Assess Souma's leadership as king. Is he ruling well? How is Liscia? Does she look like she is a fiancée, or a hostage? 2. After assess Souma's worthy or unworthiness to rule, she is to report back to Excel. This is when we get a special interlude chapter in Novel 1 titled "The Sighs of Duchess Excel Walter". Excel receives a letter from Juna, and notes two things: 1. Juna has deemed Souma worthy of ruling. 2. Excel detects something else in Juna's words... and Excel is quite familiar with this feeling, as she has experienced it many times over her 500 years of life. Juna has fallen in love with Souma. Souma's speech to Halbert in the Cafe has ignited a flame in Juna, and Excel smiles at having been witness to this event, and what "fun" it will enable in future. To quote from page 241: "I see... so that's how you've judged him. Yet you still wish to be at his side, you say. Hmm... that's all well and good, but I do think the loving praise dripping from your writing is going to give me heartburn. Really, now, I must envy your youth." The only reason that Excel did not openly declare her loyalty to Souma before the Ultimatum, was because she wanted as much time to try and persuade Castor to join Souma instead of opposing him. - - Georg: Georg is another Duke that is actually on Souma's side... though not in the same way as Excel. You see, when Halbert caused a ruckus with his antics in the Cafe, his father Glaive (who had personal connections to Georg) was contacted by George. Georg then gives Souma the following statement: Georg saw that Souma's strategy of rooting out corruption in the kingdom, while effective, was halfhearted. Had Souma's strategy been used, the corrupt nobles that he had expelled from the kingdom would have scurried into the darkness like roaches with their stolen wealth and bided their time. Georg has the following objectives: 1. He will gather all the corrupt nobles under his Dukedom, under the guise of rebellion. 2. Because the corrupt nobles are fighting back, they are attempting treason, which comes with the penalty of death. 3. To win against Souma, they will have to expend their ill-gotten gains to buy mercenaries from the country of Zen. Zen is more than happy to send mercs to these nobles, as Souma has severed his contract with them, putting a strain on their relationship. 4. Once all forces have been gathered, Georg will wait for one final push: Souma's ultimatum. 5. Once the ultimatum has been given, Georg will openly defy it. This will cause the Principality of Amidonia to spring into action. This country had been stirring up political unrest in the kingdom by buying off nobles in the Elfrienden Kingdom, though they couldn't all be tracked down due to be dispersed. 6. Once all the above has happened, Georg will "pretend" to fight. He will whittle down the Corrupt Noble's armies, while losing none of his own forces. In essence, he is using his reputation as a way to stall for time. 7. If you recall from Essay One, I mentioned that if a commander is "captured" their armies fall under the other Commander's control. Georg intends to lose on purpose, draw out Amidonia into their country, hand his forces over to Souma, and let him crush Amidonia once and for all. - - You see the above about Georg? The anime cut out a very important character knowing about this: Liscia. To her, Georg is a second father. He is her biggest support, and she owes everything she knows about the military to his teachings. She even asks Souma just before the Ultimatum is issued "if we truly have to fight Georg". by removing her from this scene, we are making it seem like Liscia thinks Georg is attacking Souma for real, when in the Light Novel, she is aware of his plan, and his Loyalty to his country brings her to tears. - The reason that Liscia doesn't want to publicly fight Georg is because of The Penalty for Treason. You remember back in my discussion between Halbert and Souma in the Cafe I mentioned "three degrees of consanguinity will be considered complicit in it"? Well Georg has cut himself off from his family, so they won't be killed...but Georg is sacrificing his very image to bring the corrupt nobles to justice. Even if their plan succeeds, and all the corrupt nobles are captured...Georg has committed treason in the eyes of the public. He has to be killed, and his reputation along with him. Souma cannot overturn this currently, and he cannot tell the citizens the truth. George has to die, even if Liscia and Souma think otherwise. This is the reason that Liscia cuts her hair in the Jewel Broadcast. It is not a declaration of war against Georg, but a declaration of her resolve towards his pure-hearted actions. She is sacrificing a part of herself to symbolize the sacrifice Georg is making himself. - - Castor: Castor is unfortunately the one Duke you could consider "the wild card". He was never accounted for in the grand scheme of things. When Excel and Georg made their plans, neither side calculated that Castor would side with Georg, and defy Souma. Georg couldn't tell Castor his plan, else Amidonia could catch wind and not fall for the trap. Castor siding with Georg is not for any disdain for Souma, but because as far as he knows "he cannot trust Souma". During Castor's talk with Souma at the Ultimatum meeting, he asks Souma if he has gotten to talk to Former King Albert about why he abdicated the throne, and why he didn't try and persuade the Three Dukedom with his own words... We are told two things: 1. Souma himself has not been given an answer by Albert. 2. When asked to persuade the Dukedoms by Liscia herself, Albert states "it would cause undue suspicion. Sir Souma is king now." Castor is not a pawn in anyone's game, but the only side that is "out of the loop", as the saying goes. He is working purely from the heart.... and it may cause him some undue hardship. You see, Castor's straightforward nature has roped in another ally to his cause...his daughter Carla Vargas. She now suffers the same fate as Castor for openly defying Souma. Liscia sent her many many letters to convince her to side with Souma (Carla initially thought that Souma was holding Liscia hostage), to no avail. There is one thing that Castor says to Souma before he declares his support for Georg: He will only be using his personal forces, a mere 100 wyvern knights (his daughter Carla included). Should he be captured or slain, he asks Souma that he not punish his personal troops, or the 900 Wyvern knights that belong to his country for his personal actions, to which Souma agrees. - In regards to the discussion that Hakuya and Souma are having, this is an event that happens in Novel 3. Despite pushing out corrupt nobles in certain areas of the kingdom, there are still a select "fairweather friends" that have evaded his eye. They haven't committed any crimes on the surface, but their allegiances are swaying too much. They are the type of support that are only present when things are going well, and betray you for the other side when fortune favors them. So Souma is electing to give them one final test after the war is over. If they fail this test, they will be executed on the spot. - And that will do it. That is all you need to know about the War of Novel 2. I have left out the results of the war, but if you have learned anything from the actions of individuals in Novel 1, it is that our MC is a resourceful individual, and he's already failed once... and he doesn't want to taste defeat again so soon. Jesus Christ. 5600 words total for this essay. 11,000 total words from Monday's Essay and this Essay for Realist Hero. Why the hell yall put up with me is beyond my comprehension. Me? I drink while I write these. The only reason you guys and gals get proper spelling and grammar is spellcheck... because I'm either drinking when I type Seirei's essay, or Realist...and this week I did on both occasions! |
KANLen09Sep 18, 2021 5:00 AM
|
Sep 18, 2021 4:48 AM
#4
Never thought I would see the day a Cavalry charge is "still pictures". Seriously, this anime is starting to look more like Queen Bee by the episode. Episode 10... pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Edit after episode: Eh, we did ok in some areas. Ludwin's Cavalry charge to take out the enemy cannons wasn't even animated, so that hurt. Georg Carmine's second-in-command looks REALLY BAD. I never imagined that Beowulf would look so... slim. This is a man that works directly with Georg Carmine. I didn't expect him to be as bulky as his Commander... but this? this is definitely a let down. He looks like a puppy when compared to even the corrupt nobles. They got the events surrounding Excel's side more or less right... but that was because they had little to nothing to animate. That's similar to praising an adult for the ability to walk (unless you are handicapped, in which case, my apologies.) From what I can tell of the events of this episode, it looks like we tried to arrange things to make them look "chronological"... but it definitely needed another look over by an editor or director. Animation was more or less what I expected (low effort). There were times when the "fire magic" was just streams of fire with no origin point, as the person was off screen. They really didn't get creative with this "battle", and that is a damn shame. This is supposed to be one of two climatic moments of Novel 2... but I felt more tension watching Miyuki battle Shizu in a School Tournament...when I knew the results years ago. Just get this over with JC Staff. I just got the second Trailer for 86 season 2 and I am not in the mood to tolerate low effort compared to that masterpiece. - - Small update for those looking forward to the Seirei Gensouki essay in two days: The studio has made a drastic change to Aishia's introduction. This may cause the events you see in episode 10 of Seirei Gensouki to go in two directions: a filler episode or we adapt events from novel 5, as this is when Aishia officially comes to the Spirit Folk Village. I cannot express how frustrating it is... I was really, REALLY looking forward to the "chronological events" that were to come in episode 10 of SG... but they may be derailed until episode 11. I may end up having to explain just how much the studio has screwed up Aishia's introduction instead of my anticipated essay about... "certain people I cannot name". Already got the essay done too about this. nearly 3000 words of "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my Essay is ruined." Ruta, play me the clip of Kevin Sorbo yelling "Disappointment!" to the sky. Tis a sad day in the kingdom of SG. May also need to get me a box of tissue for Monday so I don't ruin the leather seats with my tears. - - Now back to Realist Hero! So we're here! Finally got a start to the war of Novel 2! Judging by the preview for episode 10, it looks like we plan to squeeze most of the events of the war into two episodes at most... which I guess is ok. If they get to Novel 3, that would be swell. There is a chance we may hold off on one of the battles between the Three Dukedoms. If that happens, I will put that section under a Spoiler Tag, but still leave it in place. I'm not one to leave out a portion of a whole event, unlike this studio. Seriously, they've left us on so many cliffhangers Mt. Everest is starting to look short in comparison. So let's get to those list of topics! .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel 1. Reviewing the war, and order of events. 2. Excel Walters, Trolling Extraordinaire 3. Castor Vargas, You sunk my Battleship! 4. Georg Carmine, Nice Kitty. After looking at the episode, the only point I feel the need to put in spoilers will be Georg Carmine and Castor's part. Excel's events are more or less done. - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel So judging by the preview for episode, it looks like we will cover the following chapters: Chapter 4 "The Lord of Altomura" Chapter 5 "The Battle Outside of Randel" Chapter 6 "The Scheming Battle for Red Dragon City" This would be a total of around 70 pages of content (121 to 194), though I suspect there is a chance that we cut it short with a cliffhanger in Chapter 6. We may set up the start of this chapter, then push it into episode 11. I don't expect we will get to Point 4 concerning Georg Carmine in this episode, but who knows... could be wrong on that. We did suddenly push 100 pages in a single episode, and Novel 2 is roughly 320 pages, so who knows, maybe someone lit a fire under JC Staff's butt to finish? A metaphorical fire mind you. Not a fan of Arson. judging by the animation you see in the preview showing spells that are fired against the "Fortress Walls" in the preview... we certainly didn't get a bump in animation for such an important event. Almost looks like that person that accused me of being an elitist about animation just has low standards. Yes, I'm calling you out on this, person I will not name. I mean, not all stories need good animation (looking at you Clannad, and your bug-eyed characters), but I already have the novel of Realist Hero for a good plot (you are not going to beat the level of details in 300 pages of words in your anime, unless you're the 86 anime)... you are in the business of animation from what I have been able to gather JC Staff.... maybe you should start proving it? Just a thought. I can go and get better art in the Manga than your "anime", so you're kinda losing on two fronts now. - - 1. Reviewing the war, and order of events. So it's been a week, and you've had your rounds with your other weekly anime. Let's give a little refresher in case you have forgotten (Or you can go read the second essay of episode 9 if you want the full course): Amidonia has officially invaded the Elfrienden kingdom. They are targeting the Grain-Rich lands of Altomura. Their king, Gaius Amidonia, is using the "civil war" between the Three Dukedoms as a cover to take lands that were previously lost many generations ago when Elfrienden was a warring kingdom. They have sown discord in the kingdom through corrupt nobles, and have finally pounced on Georg Carmine's "rebellion" to enact revenge. but it is all a trap. The Three Dukedoms are in fact not at war with Souma, as 2 of the 3 Dukes are working with Souma to bait Amidonia into their trap. Georg has gathered all the corrupt nobles of the kingdom under his banner, and Excel has been monitoring the situation with Castor Vargas in hopes of turning him to Souma's side. Unfortunately the one person not accounted for is Castor Vargas, the only Duke not working within the expected calculations of the plan established between Souma, Excel Walters, and Georg Carmine. - Our objectives are as follows: 1. Excel Walters is to head to Altomura. She will hold off the 30,000 soldiers of Amidonia to buy time for Souma to get Castor and Georg's armies under his command. 2. Souma will send a force to capture or kill Castor. Once done, he will have command of the Air Forces of Castor (100 are being used to fight Souma, but he has 1,000 total Wyvern Knights) 3. Once Souma has secured Castor's forces, he will then head to Georg Carmine's forces and destroy their "Repeating Bolt Throwers" atop his fortress, thus forcing Carmine to "surrender". 4. Once all Three Dukedoms have come under Souma's command, he will turn his attention to the forces of Amidonia. Whether their forces clash on Amidonians or Elfriendians lands has yet to be seen. One of the things that the author does with this "war" is "muddying the order of events". The anime will look like it is doing things in a "chronological order", when in fact most of events are happening at roughly the same time. The book sets it up as such: 1. Excel's event 2. First half of Georg Carmine's event 3. Castor's event 4. Second half of Georg Carmine's event 5. Amidonia's event starts - - 2. Excel Walters, Trolling Extraordinaire Let me just come right out and say it Excel Walters is by far the best character of this series.. Anytime Excel is involved in event, know that you must protect 1 of 3 (or sometimes all 3) things: 1. Your Wits. 2. Your Courage. 3. Your Chastity. I am not joking about point 3. Excel is scary. I would wear a Chastity Belt around her out of fear for my safety. In novel 5, chapter 3, we learn that Excel drugged Souma to extract secrets from him (the secrets were his inner thoughts about his wives. We're talking anything from how he wants to spoil them, to any feelings of guilt he has towards them, no matter how minor). When Juna first learned that Souma was going to visit Lagoon City, she legit scared. Here is how I processed how scared Juna was about Excel being alone with Souma: "I would sooner trust a brothel of women with Souma's chastity before Excel" The anime is not representing her... "proportions" correctly either.... If I had to give her a cup size, in the manga, Excel Walters is sitting at A G cup, at the very least.. - So what makes Excel Walters such a formidable opponent? Why her 500 years of life! She's a young-looking woman, but she's got centuries of experience in all matters! She's the best tactician you could have to outwit the muscle-headed forces of Amidonia. In episode 9 (and the light novel it covers), we are not told the details on two things: Excel's location Excel's allegiance Of course at the meeting with the Three Dukedoms Excel publicly declares allegiance to Souma, though she had long before this point swore her loyalty to Souma. So why weren't we told of Excel's location? spies. Souma laid a trap for Amidonia. He purposefully made it look like Excel's background image was the same as it would be if she was in Lagoon City... when in reality she had been in Altomura for three days before the army of Amidonia arrived.. Here is what we know of the defenses around Altomura: Low walls, easily scalable. 5,000 troops total. They are outnumbered by Amidonia's 30,000 troops sixfold. - All hope looks lost right? Well that's where you're wrong kiddo! I called Excel a Troll for a reason! A good troll exposes not themselves, but others to tomfoolery! And our unfortunate soul to Excel's trolling goes by the name of Weist! Excel sends him out to talk to the forces of Amidonia to buy time on two separate occasions (keep in mind that Gaius is being advised by his son Prince Julius in regards to his actions on these points): 1. Weist tells Gaius "he will open the gates immediately". He says "if defending ourselves is impossible, we must cling to your mercy". He asks for Gaius to wait as there are two factions in the defending force. One side doesn't trust that Gaius will keep his word to be merciful, and the other wants to surrender. this buys them an entire day, as Amidonia doesn't want to risk a night raid by the enemy forces, so they wait until dawn of the following day for Weist to return. Tip number one of trolling: stroke their ego! - 2. So dawn arrives, and just as Gaius is about to order the troops to advance: "WOOOOOO!" A mighty war cry so loud it forces Gaius to stop rings out. Wiest then comes running out towards Gaius. Weist says "The war cry you heard from Altomura was the voices of those saying, "The Amidonians will never keep their word, so let's take as many of them with us as we can". This stuns Gaius into silence... as he was planning to do just that. Gaius is hesitant to fight crazed warriors as they are described as "machines that would fight ot their last breath, taking as many of the enemy with them". Heavy losses? can't afford that on the opening battle! So Weist is given another chance to persuade the forces... but he adds in a little point that Gaius "should show my magnanimity"... by break the siege around Altomura (the forces were still ready to attack as of dawn). Gaius nearly reaches for his sword to cut Weist's head off for this remark, "Do you take me for a fool!?!?!?" he says... to which Weist says the following: "Perish the thought! Of course, it only needs to be for a short time! If you could break the siege until at least noon, I will use that as a show of Your Princely Highness's magnanimity and persuade the people in the castle". Tip number two of trolling: praise them for falling for your bait! - 3. So we finally get Excel talking to Weist. Turns out she's just casually sipping tea while a force of 30,000 surround her. Turns out Weist was being used by Excel to buy time! He would get instructions on the "what to say" to Gaius, but the "how to say it" was all up to Weist! You see why I like Excel so much? Woman is surrounded by troops, and she just uses a single guy to taunt an entire army. She held off an entire army for two whole days and she didn't move but a single marine! I can see it now, Weist is scared out of his mind to go and enact this plan... and Excel puts her hand on his shoulder and goes: "Yo dawg, so I was thinking you could troll in THIS way now. Oh and make me a new pot of tea. This would has been cold for hours and I don't want to get up". - One last thing to add about Excel Walters: She is known for being one of the strongest Water Mages in the kingdom. One of the key components for transmitting an image over the Jewel Broadcast Network is water fountains, and Excel can generate Water Magic on the scale of a Theater-Sized Screen! - - 3. Castor Vargas, You sunk my Battleship! So we come to Castor Vargas. Bit of a problem assaulting his fortress of a capital: It is built upon a cliffside. With how much Air Power Castor has, he uses Wyverns to get supplies to the areas. With his fortress being so high up, siege weapons are especially vulnerable to his Wyvern Knights from above. - All of a sudden, Castor's daughter Carla comes into the room. Turns out Souma's forces have been sighted! Their numbers? ...one battleship? So how does Souma fix this problem? simple! send in a battleship! ...Boom! All of a sudden Castor's fortress is assaulted by... cannon fire? Even though the fortress is on a cliff and surrounded by plains with no rivers? Turns out Souma retrofitted the only battleship he had with wheels to enable it to be towed Rhinosauruses! Castor is impressed by this, as putting wheels on the battleship means it can no longer be used for its true purpose, but it earns Souma some admiration from Castor! To which Souma says "We had no choice. We were short on manpower after all". That's right, Souma is talking to Castor through a simple receiver as the battleship is peppering the fortress with cannonfire. He knows that Castor will have to send out his 100 Wyvern Knights to take down this threat, or risk his fortress to the onslaught. - So Carla and the 100 Wyvern Knights are sent out to assault the ship. They take some causalities from Repeating Bolt Throwers that were put on the ship... but when they drop on the deck to capture what they thought would be King Souma on board... they find... hands of a mannequin next to the weapons? - This is where spoilers start for Castor. Cut back to the Fortress. Castor stays behind and confronts Souma's attack force: Souma has two of his dolls. Aisha is with Souma, equipped with her Greatsword. A small force of unnamed troops. To be brief, Castor and Aisha exchange many blows, with Souma assisting with his Dolls...until one of the doll's back opens up! Inside is Princess Liscia! This throws Castor off, and allows Liscia to pin him down with her ice magic. Aisha then slams him to the ground, and a slave collar is put on himself and Carla when she returns. Castor then asks Liscia if she considers Souma a good ruler: "Yes. For me, he's a good king. Whether he is good for the country and people is something to be decided once a king has died. There is no end to the number of kings who ruled well at first, only to become tyrants in later years. So, I can only give you my own opinion. Many of Souma's political measures can be roundabout, or downright strange, but I feel at ease watching him. That's because I can feel that this country is slowly but steadily improving. So... call me selfish if you want, but I want Souma to be king. If my father demands his crown back, I'll fight him at Souma's side". It does take a day, but Souma's Minister Hakuya, and Castor's Minister Tolman assemble the Air Force (about 900 strong due to some rebellious soldiers) and head to Randel. Liscia does try to persuade Souma to accept Carla as a Secondary Wife (a woman that is married to the king, but her children will not have rights to inherit the throne) by saying "when Carla strips down, she's even more stacked than me!" Personally, If I was Souma, I would have said "prove it!" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - - 4. Georg Carmine, Nice Kitty. So we have the final part of this "civil war" with the Dukedoms. Most of the forces of the Forbidden Army (led by Ludwin and Kaede, with Halbert assisting Kaede) assaulting Georg's fortress of Randel with... a fortress that sprouted overnight? You recall from previous episodes that Souma had the Forbidden army working on various projects around the kingdom? Well one of those many projects was the road construction! Souma created himself a team of combat engineers! And what do they do with those skills? A good ole "One-Night Castle" from Hideyoshi! Turns out Tomoe's ability to recruit Rhinosauruses enabled this plan! Most of the fortress was "half assembled" in the capital, transported on site, soldiers would dig holes or pile up earth, Earth Mages were used to construct the walls, and the "Roman Concrete" from the road construction was used for bricks! As you can see from the anime, the fortress was quite sturdy! We also get to see a bit of Halbert's magical abilities! Turns out he is a pretty good fire mage. I doubt the anime makes it as terrifying as the Light Novel does, but do keep in mind Halbert's flame-coated spears not only pierce opponents, but explode and burn anyone in the vicinity. Not a pretty way to go. - We also get a moment that appears to be the downturn for Halbert and Kaede. Cannons are being pulled out! Halbert can't intercept them, and the walls can only take so many hits! What are we to do? And that's when the Dark Elves arrive! Turns out Souma and Halbert's actions during the landslide moved many of their citizen's hearts. We get an archer by the name of Sur joining Kaede and Halbert! Turns out Halbert saved his daughter's life! ...but Sur admits "Thought I must admit to a slight irritation at the fact that, smitten with the way you looked rescuing people, my daughter started saying, 'Someday, I want to join the Forbidden Army and join in relief operations, like that man'. Ha, ha, ha!" Do keep in mind as this conversation is ongoing, this dark elf is shooting cannonballs out of the sky with a bow and wind-enchanted arrows. This is the redneck equivalent of "loading the shotgun in front of the boyfriend". Sorry Halbert! You better stay on this man's good side, else he could snipe you from half a mile away! We do find out a few paragraphs later that Sur's daughter does end up joining the Forbidden Army under Halbert's command, and eventually arrange to marry him as well (years later. He does not groom a child. This ain't "If it was for my Daughter, I would even defeat a Demon Lord"!)! - - Spoilers for Georg Carmine start here. We also get a few updates about Georg Carmine: 1. He is being awfully passive. The Corrupt Nobles are doing alot of the fighting, but he is not issuing orders. 2. The Nobles are calling him a coward, but his fierce rebuttals shut them up real quick. 3. He is secretly arranging things behind the scenes with his second-in-command Beowulf. 4. When Souma does finally arrive with the Air Force and bomb the Repeating Bolt Throwers, all of Georg's plans have been set. 5. When the Corrupt Nobles demand a plan of action from Carmine, he surrounds them all and places Slave Collars on them. Some go quietly, others are eventually knocked out when the collar tightens due to their disrespect. - It is at this point that Carmine orders Beowulf to put a Slave Collar on him as well. We get a few moments of reflection from Carmine: Georg opened the bottom drawer of the office desk. Inside was a bottle of wine from the year Princess Liscia had been born. It had been given to him by the former king, Albert, with the request, "No matter what should happen, I want you to protect my daughter." He had held onto it dearly ever since that day. After Liscia's graduation from the Officers' Academy, during the time when he had kept her at his side, he had often told her, "On the day of your weeding, I intend to drink myself into a stupor with this wine". her marriage... huh, he thought. Not being able to see the princess on her wedding day is my one regret, but if I think of this as the greatest wedding gift anyone could offer, it doesn't feel so bad. As for this wine... I will have to ask someone to see that it makes its way to that young king. Though, as he is the man who stole the princess from me, I am somewhat loathe to do it. - Before this monologue from Georg, he tells Beowulf to issue the surrender order and merge his forces with Souma's own troops. All appears to be going as planned, and he expects Souma to come to this fortress anytime now... Beowulf comes in to inform him that Souma...is leading the Forbidden Army West!. During the Ultimatum Speech, Souma does state to Carmine that "If you are to be a great tree blocking my path, I will step over you". And Souma makes good on that promise. It brings Carmine great joy to hear this news: "I see! I've been used as a stepping stone! Was this the king's plan? Or was it the black-robed prime minister? Regardless, it was brilliant, young ones! This is the dawn of a new generation! My time has now ended. Now, my king, my princess! Hand in hand, step over this old tree and be on your way! Glory to the new buds, and glory to Elfrienden!" - - And that will be it for me. I don't expect this episode to cover What happens after Souma merges all Three Dukedom's forces, but even if they do, I can always explain that later. I really should stop procrastinating on this stuff... seriously by the time you are reading this, there is about a 6 hour gap between this essay being finished and the episode dropping. Yall should hire me an editor. or a maid. or a maid editor. Female would be best. I don't want to have to question your tastes if you dress a male in a maid outfit. Episode 11... Why Do I Hear Boss Music? You stay out of Van Souma! Only me and Ruta are allowed in here! We’re quite happy, just the two of us! we will not hesitate to use Rutabaga army! - A little 86 Update for yall: oooooh boy, that second trailer that dropped on September 4th for part 2 was awesome! We finally get to see Lena's new outfit! I will be preparing a small little essay for episode 1 to jog your memories, but know this: If you were going to start the Light Novels, you better be quick. Part 2 is going to cover Novels 2 and 3. ALSO, LIVECHART DOES HAVE A SPOILER UP FOR THE POSTER, SO BE AWARE OF THAT. [u]It will spoil the ending of Part 1 if you see that poster. The first episode will drop on October 2nd, so check Livechart for the local time for your area![/u] - EDIT After episode: How dare you! The studio cut another lovey-dovey moment. In the Novel, when Souma is making his speech in the Wyvern Gondola, it is stated that he had to share a blanket with Liscia, as they had to cut a hole in the top of the carriage to fit the Jewel Broadcast Device into the carriage. They are flying in the sky, and it is very cold in the carriage. You see it in this episode very briefly, but those soldiers in black using bows and arrows (they were also noted to have used Ice Magic Spears) are the Marine Corps of the Navy. They are led by Juna Doma. Turns out our little songstress is much tougher than she appears to be. These 2,000 soldiers ambush Gaius and his 30,000 troops in the narrow valley he used to make his way here, under the cover of night, and within the trees. They laid mud traps (water magic) on the road to slow him down. Gaius forced his soldiers as pawns to find the mud traps, use their bodies as bridges, and trampled them underfoot. The 30,000 army he once had was reduced to 15,000. Gaius then reinforces with conscripts from the cities he passes by (back up to 25,000), but he has exhausted troops, no supply wagons (abandoned), and he has a broken command structure due to the conscripts mixed into his forces. Oh jesus... looks like the two armies are meeting next episode...expect the CGI to get horrible. - Alright, well this one will probably be shorter than usual. Looks like we split up the events with the Three Dukedoms into two episodes based on the episode 11 preview. If you want to reread the essay on episode 10, we will be covering the following events this week: 1. Castor's fight with Souma 2. Carmine's fight with Souma 3. Excel Walter shows herself in Altomura I have already covered the conclusion of the first two events in episode 10, so reread that one if you want to see the words for it. The only one I didn't cover last week was point 3. You see, at the time Souma was accomplishing Points 1 and 2, Excel was buying time for him to do so. Why you ask? For the announcement you probably heard in episode 11 when Excel appears before Julius and Gaius. Excel bought a total of Two Days for Souma to bring Castor and Carmine into the fold. Souma is done playing around, and has finally dropped the trap upon the Principality of Amidonia. Souma formally declares the civil war between the Three Dukedoms over, and the war with the Principality of Amidonia has begun. They declare they Elfrieden will march upon the Capital of Van and take it while Gaius is busy taking a minor city. - At this point it is important to note the following: 1. Amidonia has a total of 30,000 troops. 2. Souma has united all the forces of the Three Dukedoms, and has a total of 55,000 troops now (The Forbidden Army was a total of 10,000 of this number) 3. We have not seen them yet, but Excel does lead a small Naval Force of Marines that total 2,000 troops. - There are some things I forgot to mention last week: 1. I mentioned that Liscia had made a comment about Carla being "more stacked than her". I left out the important part of this joke: Liscia was recommending that Carla be accepted into the Royal Harem as a Secondary Wife. You see, the power of the King can shield a person from just about any crime, and if Carla had joined the Royal Harem as a Secondary Wife (their children will have no right to the throne, but are still treated as royalty), she can be absolved of her crimes of treason. She could even have been freed of her slave status, in addition to a stay of her execution for treason. A Secondary Wife can be anyone in the kingdom, from refugees to an enemy leader. At one point, even Tomoe was recommended as a wife, but Souma shut that down quick, with her being all of 10 at the time (just because it is allowed, does not make it right). - 2. As Souma is leaving to meet Georg Carmine with the Air Force, he makes a comment to Carla about "meeting the true mastermind that was pulling everyone's strings". We are not told anything about this at the time, but I will post the spoiler below if you truly want to know: Do keep in mind, if you read this, it will spoil events in Novel 3. The truth of it all, is that Georg Carmine had been pulling the strings, due to information from another individual, who I will not name. You will either have to read the novels or the wiki yourself to find their identity because it is actually a very interesting read in the Light Novel when you get told the secret of the "One Week War". Georg set things up so that the evidence that would damn the corrupt nobles would be found by Souma, and he could push them out. George would then "rebel" as you saw in the anime. - 3. Poncho met with Souma before the war started to verify the food stocks he was asked to secure. Poncho is skeptical of the amount he was tasked with acquiring, as he states "You could feed the entire Forbidden Army for 3 months on this amount". below is a post-war spoiler This is actually a post-war preparation, as Souma expects that he will have to feed the capital city Van if he captures it, given the current leadership is more military-focused, and does not think long term. 4. As Amidonia is marching towards Altomura, Souma sends a quest out to the Adventurer's guild to evacuate citizens in the path of their troops, but disguises the true intent from the Guild. You may remember a minor episode where "Little Mushibo" partied up with some Adventurers. They're back, and have been tasked with elminating the "Flame Pierrots" that are burning down citizens' homes, but these are all puppets controlled by Souma. In reality, Souma is burning down the houses to get the citizens out of the path of Amidonia. Souma does reimburse the losses of the citizens, but the true goal was to prevent civilian deaths as Gaius's army marched to Altomura. - And that is all I have for you this episode. Judging by the preview, it doesn't look like we will wrap up the entire war in episode 11, so there is a good chance we will get a "final battle" (Chapter 9 of Novel 2) in episode 12, with perhaps the introduction of the Two Princesses of The Gran Chaos Empire by the end of it. Personally, I would like to have concluded about half of Novel 3 with this season, as that shows us Souma not only owning Gaius militarily, but he whoops Julius's butt diplomatically too. |
KANLen09Sep 18, 2021 5:00 AM
|
Sep 18, 2021 5:00 AM
#5
Episode 12... Eh, not exactly what I had in mind, but not bad. No video on this for now. I can throw one together tonight, but this anime drops when I’m at work, so nothing quick… hell I didn’t even expect the second half of that episode. ... I'm impressed. Genuinely impressed. You've managed to do so much wrong in this episode I am not sure where to start. Let me just get this out of the way: [u[I had very low expectations for this battle, and I still came out of this with a "meh" feeling[/u] I do need to point out when Aishia is wearing the dress for Project Lorelei: Aishia is a DARK ELF. NOT A WOMAN WITH TAN LINES. You drew Aishia's frills around her chest so badly IT LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A WHITE LINE from tanning with a bikini Also, I know the Mic is wooden, but I consider that a plus. In the illustration for the Novel, it does show the Mic the same as in our world… but there would be no need for a Mic, as the Jewel Broadcast is the Mic. Souma of course uses it because that is how he knows showbiz in his world… And I am sorry for this next part: But when I see two wooden Mics, and I remember Souma’s power over inanimate objects, my mind goes places! You should have painted them at least! Rule 34 is a cruel mistress! - For those that watched the Preview for episode 12, do note NOTHING AFTER THE 10 MINUTE MARK WAS HINTED. Kinda ironic, all things considered. The only thing worth mentioning in the "fight with Gaius" is the request that Souma made of Carla. On page 292 of the English Novel, we get Carla's newfound impressions on Souma after he says to her "I will transfer ownership of you as a slave to Liscia: "After saying that, Souma had smiled (Minor skip) 'Carla, I may be a fake, After all... if I can't get into the role of king, I can't send soldiers off to the battlefield' He had to get into the role. That was proof that he was aware he wasn't a king. Souma never wanted to be king If he'd had a carefree attitude and had been able to ignore the responsibility that came with that power, he might have become king without worrying too much about it. However, for one who understood that responsibility, power was nothing but a burden. Souma has managed to bear that burden by playing a role. The thing she thought he had stolen had in fact been forced onto him by others. By Sir Albert, the former king, by Liscia, by his vassals, by the people of this country, he's been forced to bear every kind of burden, Carla thought When I heard Souma speaking so easily about his own death, I thought he might be feeling sick, but... I was wrong. If there's something wrong with him, it's not his body, it's his mind Souma's mind was slowly being eaten away by the pressure. Liscia sensed that. That's why she's been trying so earnestly, so gallantly, to support Souma. - The lesson of Novel 2, as opposed to Novel 1, is that Souma's one failure (The God-Protected Forest) had given him the stark realization that the burden of king is much greater than he had anticipated. It nearly broke him. Had Souma not chosen to take Carla with him, and instead sent her back to the Capital, or not to the battlefield, he would most definitely have gotten the idea to perhaps martyr himself... "because he is king". - Alright, so we need to address that... "Project Lorelei" that you saw in around the 16 minute mark.... Yes that does happen in the Novels (the start of Novel 3), but honestly? We should have saved it for episode 13. The Project Lorelei is a great idea, but the whiplash of going from A bloodbath between two armies with tens of thousands of soldiers, to IDOLS SINGING ON A STAGE. It was cringe. no other way to put it. - So what was the idea behind it? Well JC Staff has cut out alot of the "what happens when Souma enters Van", so let me explain: 1. Poncho was asked to acquire a surplus amount of food provisions because he anticipated having to feed the citizens until the point that the Gran Chaos Empire comes to negotiate for the return of Van. 1.5 As Souma is entering Van, he gives Ludwin a list of names. These names were soldiers in his army that had pillaged, *aped, and murdered a residence while in the Carmine Duchy. He orders them beheaded, and their heads put on pikes above the gates to the city. This was to prevent Souma's soldiers from going berserk and souring the reputation of Elfrienden further. 1.75 Souma also allows his soldiers time in the Red Light District of Van. He knows that he will be occupying the city for a while, and telling shoulders not to be horny for that entire time may lead to... "explosions of lust". Best to let the experts handle it after all! 2. Project Lorelei is meant to show the citizens of Amidonia a softer side to Elfrienden, but it is also meant to inject The Arts into the citizens' hearts. 2.5 Souma had noticed while marching into Van that the citizens were very... bland. Women were covered up, Roofs were dull browns and greys, and the city was... very silent. The idea behind Amidonia being given the freedom of Art is a tactic . He allows them to express themselves with colors, music, dress, and more. 2.75 The anime doesn't portray this very well (this would be in the background art showing the capital of Van), but the capital Van had been set up as a "maze" of sorts. Invading armies would have been lost, but the defending army could use the residences to fight... but Souma saw the sheer amount of waste involved with this setup. A maze for attackers also means a maze for your citizens, and if a fire breaks out? all those homes acting as a "maze" are suddenly a line of fuel. Souma makes a statement when he sees all this: Did you really have to go that far? 3. The last performer, the one that sang Amidonia's National Anthem, was a ploy. He knew that she would try to do that (and she hoped he would behead her while the Jewel Broadcast was live), so letting her live showed a mercy that Amidonian citizens thought was not possible in the enemy country. 4. Souma is "Freeing" the citizens of Amidonia through their own eyewitness accounts. He knows that the Gran Chaos Empire will eventually come and give Van back to Julius... so he is letting the oppressed be free as long as possible, so when they do try "and put the genie back in the lamp", they get resistance. I hate to bring this up, but you see this in nations of the past... and one very recent one... Afghanistan. Freeing citizens by letting them express a side of themselves they weren't allowed before brings more than just freedom...it tells them "there is more to your life than just oppression". The Taliban are trying to crack down on this freedom, and to an extent, they may succeed... but unlike Souma's plan, there won't be a nation to come in and assist them... Reality is a cruel one... and "Responsible Souma" doesn't exist in our world. - Souma knows what he is doing with his actions... and he hopes that when the time comes, and the "oppressed seek freedom" again, they will turn to his nation as an ally, as opposed to their past selves, which would turn to him as an enemy. Does he plan work out as intended? You may get the results in Episode 13... though I doubt it. I suspect that Episode 13 will be about the "negotiation of Van". Julius will come back into the picture... and we should see the Princess General of the Gran Chaos Empire! Episode 13... Euphoria arrives? No video for this last episode. it just ain't worth it. Edit after episode: Well that is weird, we finally get to see Serina (at the 9:30 mark), but they cut how the scene was supposed to go. Serina was supposed to be more "suggestive" with her words. So we are gonna have a new season in 2022... good thing the "war" is behind us, and the only thing they have to focus on is talking... because they certainly didn't throw a budget at this show. It explains why the show was so low-quality looking back now. 26 episodes (assuming 13 in part 2 as well), with a single season in between? Yeah you rushed through this with no regards to capturing the essence of the Source Material Seirei Gensouki may have screwed up two entire novels worth of content, but Realist Hero? You gave less than a Novel's worth of effort, and we just started the events of Novel 3... And it doesn't feel like it. Van got animated by a studio and they cared about as much as a Father in the Pokémon Universe... Seriously, how many single moms can you fit into one show? We deserve better Ruta! - I am keeping in point 2, even though it is spoilers. You can read it if you want to satisfy your curiosity on how the negotiation for Van went. - - Gonna be honest, there are three types of people that will read this title: 1. The first will see this and think "oh it's just a name". 2. The second will see that word and get PTSD from a certain... "website of culture" I pulled out after episode 2, and that ending. 3. If you are looking at us wondering "what are they talking about?"... This is one of those times where the moment you get the answer, you cannot unsee it. - So let's wrap this up. Final episode being what it is, I imagine this will be a relatively uneventful episode 13. I did catch the episode 13 preview, but other than that, I am going to assume we cover two chapters in this final episode: Chapter 2 "Meeting on a Street Corner in Van" and Chapter 4 "Pact"... though that second chapter is merely speculation, as this anime has been "going through the motions", but doesn't feel very vibrant. Topics: .5 Why this anime felt lifeless in my opinion. 1. Souma, Tomoe, and Juna's town outing. 2. The negotiation for Van. - .5 Why this anime felt lifeless in my opinion. I can say this with a degree of certainty, but after looking over the chapters of Novels 1 and 2, and comparing them to our progress in the anime, the reason this adaptation felt so lifeless? The side chapters. One thing I can attest to that made Realist Hero pop as a Light Novel (for the first 10 novels) was that it expanded on more than just "Oh Souma is doing this, Souma is doing that". How did it do that? Simple really: Just focus on things where he doesn't take center stage. Here are some examples: 1. Poncho, our food connoisseur, develops a nightly ritual with the head maid Serina in Volume 1... and it doesn't involve the bedroom. He "tamed her with food" so to speak, and she actually helps him fight off the housewives of Van (they try to offer their daughters as marriage partners) as he presents the "lily root dumplings" to the residents. She comes up to him while he is being pressured and says "I hope you will indulge me tonight as well, and I don't mean only once". 2. Juno and her adventuring party. They develop a bit of a relationship through "Little Mushibo", and in Novel 3 are invited to a Banquet because of their efforts with the "Flame Perriots" that doubled as cover for evacuating citizens during the war with Amidonia. Juno is supposed to be able to understand Little Mushibo's wordless jesters and in the anime? They have gotten less screentime than an episode of the Dogeza 3. Character personalities outside of the main cast. We are supposed to feel more for the supporting characters than "oh they are here to give some dialogue", and it shows throughout these 13 episodes. Did you known Liscia's maid is supposed to be a bit of a sadist? she "buwwys" girls. I did not spell that wrong. She "buwwys" girls by giving them mild does of humiliation, Liscia included. Did you know Hakuya had taken Tomoe as an apprentice? He teaches her in addition to his job as Prime Minister. - I could keep going, but the reason that these episodes were "just there" is this sense of "lifelessness" I felt by episode 5. What reason or reasons this occurred? Funding? Director's choices? JC staff stretched too thin? Sure we couldn't include all of it to be "100% faithful" (gonna be honest, I hate this excuse. Imagine using this excuse for buying any other product such as a car/air conditioner/shoes/etc), but if I told you to point to the character that is Serina, Liscia's maid, would you be able to do it? You've seen her once... maybe. Hell even the first time I thought she would appear (her introduction in novel 1), I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be her or not. Honestly, when I tell you we have covered 3 and a half novels worth of content...does it feel like it has made an impact? I can't say it has to me. Could be my Light Novel Bias, but I could sooner sell this story through my essays before this anime. that's not me being arrogant, it's just that after a certain point I knew not to watch a season I knew would have a "War Arc" for animation... and that's pretty depressing I would say. Imagine if I told you in any other anime "Ok guys, we are about to have a Great Ninja War/Soul Society/Pirate Fleet/DBZ Tournament Arc...so expect the animation to be mediocre". Would you look at me like I have a screw loose? Or would you perhaps think I had misplaced the entire toolbox? - - 1. Souma, Tomoe, and Juna's town outing. Honestly? The outing is cute and all, but the only thing worth mentioning is Roroa Amidonia being in Van and Jeane. In regards to Roroa: She is actually connected to the shop "The Silver Deer" that Souma, Tomoe, and Juna visit in this episode. The "Manager" Sebastian runs the shop in place of Roroa, but our "little tanuki" as he calls her is the one that calls the shots. The sudden change from men's clothing and accessories to feminine products? That is not something a business can do overnight. You would have to have anticipated that shift in fashion. This small detail shows us that Roroa is very business-savvy, even if we have barely laid eyes on her in the anime. - In regards to Jeanne, the outing actually gets really intense when Jeanne shows up. All the marines that had been guarding Souma in the shadows are now pinned down by the Gran Chaos Empire's spies. It is important to note at the point that Souma and Hakuya had discussed the establishment of an intelligence agency of their own, but couldn't get it up and running before the war. Jeanne comes to see the city of Van with her own two eyes, to determine how Souma is ruling it. Is he ruling as a tyrant, and suppressing the people? Or is he ruling with a gentle hand, and allowing the city to flourish. The answer is simple: Van has never been more free. The Roofs are vibrant colors, music is playing in the city, murals are being painted of the Loreleis and Aishia after their first Jewel Broadcast, and the citizens are wearing fashionable clothes. - - 2. The negotiation for Van. Well this is me pretty presumptuous, but I hope they cover this chapter. I like how Souma treats Julius and Jeanne when they first come for the request of Van back. When they first ask? He says Nah Fam. Jeanne is shocked, Julius is stunned silent, before getting angry. Souma's reason? "I ain't gonna take this lying down". Julius is eventually led out of the room, to be entertained by Serina... only for her to come back into the room less than 10 minutes later, as she has given him an alcohol so strong he passed out in a single sip. Let me summarize the Chapter "Pact": 1. Souma takes a Jewel Broadcast Gem from Amidonia. 2. Amidonia will pay 20% of their yearly budget in Imperial Coinage (coins used in the Gran Chaos Empire) for 2 years, over a ten-year period. This is to prevent Julius from paying in low-quality coins. 3. Souma takes all the books from the Archives, at Hakuya's request. - Jeanne and Souma have a few fruitful conversations: 1. Both sides exchange food recipes. Spaghetti buns from Souma, and Monster Meat from Jeanne. Jeanne reveals that Monster Meat is edible, and tastes like fish or chicken. 2. Souma reveals that due to his time in Japan, he cannot tell the difference between the races... and suggests that he also "cannot tell the difference between Demons and Monsters". Souma compares the idea of knowing the difference between "pigs, and pig-nosed creatures like Minotaurs and Orcs". He also says that he cannot tell the difference between the "Kobolds, Mystic Foxes, and Mystic Wolves" This discussion almost causes a breakdown in talks, as Jeanne nearly has to kill all her delegates had they heard their discussion. The reason for Jeanne's reaction is thus: If other countries would adopt Souma's mentality, it could lead to discrimination of various demi-human races, with the logic being the emergence of "race superiority". Of course, the races of the world that had lived their all along can tell the difference... but that logic could be exploited in countries that aren't multi-racial like the Gran Chaos Empire and Elfrienden. - 3. Souma's nation will still not join the Mankind Declaration, but they will form a secret alliance with the Gran Chaos Empire. Souma will send reinforcements to the nation known as "Union of Eastern Nations". The secret Alliance will be communicated between Souma and Jeanne's sister Maria because Souma sends Jeanne with one of Elfrienden's Jewel Broadcast receivers. Jewel Broadcast Gems can be set to a specific frequency, and they cannot be intercepted by other Nations unless they know the right frequency themselves. It is not stated how many frequencies the Jewels have, but assume it is "failproof". 4. Jeanne is so taken with Souma and his forward thinking, that she straight-up asks Liscia "Would you mind putting Albert back on the throne? We would like to take Souma back to our Empire. I will even offer my sister as a wedding partner". Liscia and Aishia are not on board with this idea. Souma calms down Liscia by patting her head, and Aishia is told AISHA, STAY GIRL! 5. In addition to the Jewel Broadcast, Souma and Jeanne also establish an Embassy in both their nations. - - And that will do it. I don't know if the anime covered that Point 2 "The negotiation for Van", but I hope so. It would end on less of a cliffhanger. And if they didn't? Well you got this to read for yourself! If you want to start reading after episode 13, you can start at the beginning of Novel 3. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND starting from Novel 3, as the Prologue for this chapter starts a big mystery between the former king and queen Albert and Elisha. |
KANLen09Sep 25, 2021 1:10 PM
|
Sep 18, 2021 6:35 AM
#6
KANLen09 said: it may get season twoEpisodes 12 analysis will come out next Saturday, 13 (final episode 2 Saturdays from now). Placeholder post |
Sep 18, 2021 10:49 PM
#7
| Don't know if it may get a second season or not.. but i liked it.. 👍 |
Sep 25, 2021 1:03 PM
#8
Sayan_Pal said: KANLen09 said: it may get season twoEpisodes 12 analysis will come out next Saturday, 13 (final episode 2 Saturdays from now). Placeholder post Brendansmk said: It just did.Don't know if it may get a second season or not.. but i liked it.. 👍 https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1959323 |
|
Sep 25, 2021 7:19 PM
#9
KANLen09 said: yes,i am happy, i also think they announced a season three after twoSayan_Pal said: KANLen09 said: Episodes 12 analysis will come out next Saturday, 13 (final episode 2 Saturdays from now). Placeholder post Brendansmk said: It just did.Don't know if it may get a second season or not.. but i liked it.. 👍 https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1959323 |
May 16, 2022 4:06 PM
#10
KANLen09 said: Episode 8... In time, you will know the tragic extent of my failings... EDIT AFTER EPISODE: ....how. How do you manage to take the gravity of a landslide and make it look so cheap... Jesus Christ I know I sound bitchy, but there is this little, tiny, oh-so-small wish when I watch an anime for a novel I like: I WANT BETTER. So let's talk about what was changed/removed this time! 1. Kaede doesn't offer the lap pillow. fine. I can accept this. 2. Aisha doesn't just "cry for a few seconds"... Souma had to comfort her the entire time they were unloading the transport to go to the Elf Village. You mean to tell me you couldn't spare enough animation for an extended crying scene? Novel shows us Aisha was so distraught Souma held her for a long time. 3. Where the meeting takes place with the Dark Elves. It is never suggested they talked inside a building, but that everyone was constantly on the disaster grounds. It's a race against time... As it is suggested that Souma and the First Team try to save lives for 24-36 hours (assuming it took them a full day after the disaster struck to get there). Will explain more in point 4. 3.5 The Wooden Mice are consistent, so that is good. The Souma/Halbert team up is something I feel worked in both regards. Halbert is going to be our go to for the "straight man" so to speak. He's a bit of a blockhead, but his straightforward nature helps to contrast all the talented individuals he is surrounded by constantly. 4. The biggest reason we have to believe this about Point 3 is the alteration they did to Robthor Udgard, the elf that was crying over the loss of his family. In the Novel, he is on his hands and knees looking at the place where his house used to be, shouting at the sky. They altered this part heavily, as the combined efforts of Souma's mice and Halbert's digging save his daughter. This would lead to the daughter falling in love with Halbert. Now don't think Halbert just took her as a child. They do eventually get married, but it is decades later. - - Another week behind us, and we are back to Saturday. For those that know what the title of this essay is from, congratulations. I hate that game with a passion. I am a very "controlling" player when it comes to my rpg games, so when Darkest Dungeon throws me curve balls in the sense of "you missed 3 times on a 90% attack, against the Shambler, sucks to be you scrub", I ragequit so damn hard. I have thrown out three different runs of that game because of the RNG. I am not what you would call a "patient" individual when it comes to games of this nature. So why a quote about Darkest Dungeon? Well that is because of the events you witnessed in what I would imagine was the second half of episode 8...the landslide that hit the God-Protected Forest. - Here are your list of topics: .5 Where we would be in the Light Novels 1. Highway work ahead, merge right 2. Ruin has come to our family - With the encounter with the "Old Man" in episode 7, we have started Chapter 6, page 269 titled "Relief". I expect us to go to the end of page 302, but there is a chance we could cover the events of the final chapter of Novel 1 titled "Epilogue". If we cover this chapter in episode 8, the hint will be The Three Dukedoms will be meeting to discuss Souma, possible war declarations, the current events happening in their dukedoms, and the Principality of Amidonia and their "letter of aid". - 1. Highway work ahead, merge right During chapter 6, we get the following events: 1. Road work is being undertaken in the kingdom. This is to connect the new Coastal City to other parts of the kingdom, as seafood can be sent inland with more speed with a stable road network. Souma is using the road and seafood both to solve the immediate food crisis, but also to push long-term maritime trade, as one of the more expensive foods for the Kingdom is seafood, as it has a short shelf life. 2.We get a little banter between Halbert and Kaede before being the two are joined by Souma and Liscia. Turns out the gossip about Liscia offering Souma a "lap pillow" on their date has spread, as the word is "We are could get a royal heir by next year, but the betting pool on names is varied, due to Souma's otherworld origins". Kaede is apparently revered as an Idol in Forbidden Army, as when she offers a "lap pillow" to Halbert, he gets many, many "drop dead you bastard" glares. 2.5 This is when Souma and Liscia walk into the tent, Souma saying "You sure are talking alot about things you have no business discussing". Liscia? She's as Red as an apple! One of the things Halbert does specifically when he sees Souma is look for "the blue haired girl". Turns out he has a bit of PTSD from his encounter in the cafe, and that woman scares him! 3. Souma asks Halbert to walk him through the process that is used to construct the road, with Liscia paying attention to the demonstration. During this demonstration, we get told a few bits of technology used to construct the road and keep it safe: A. The road is made of bricks filled with "Roman Concrete", a mix of Volcanic Ash and Lime. It is demonstrated as being capable of surviving a Rhinosaurus (equivalent to a Semi Truck in terms of transportation capabilities), as it doesn't tank the hit, but "distributes the hit". B. Trees known as "warding trees" are placed along the road. These emit waves that wild animals and monsters dislike. C. Souma states that while Warding Trees are placed along the road, gaps are left at set intervals. This is to prevent changes to the local ecosystem, as suddenly cutting of the territory of the local wildlife could lead to unexpected consequences (imagine it like cutting off the migratory path of an animal like the Rhinosaurus, but it now migrates through a village instead) 4. While all this is insightful, Halbert shows an interest in the food Souma provides the Forbidden Army. Turns out Souma uses them as a sort of "Guinea Pig" to test his special menu of recipes. Nothing that would kill them mind you. Halbert finds the food to be the best reason ever that he joined the Forbidden Army, and he especially jumps at the chance when Souma mentions the possibility of "Instant Gel Udon" that be prepared on the battlefield... turns out the Kingdom likes Udon so much it is the National Food of the Kingdom. All of the above is pretty stock standard for Souma. He makes a plan, sees it carried out, demonstrates it to Liscia, and quizzes her on the merits of said plan. It's what comes later that shows a new side to Souma...what happens when he fails. - - 2. Ruin has come to our family While Souma is discussing the events of Point 1, Aisha should get a message from a bird... and it informs of her of a landslide that has struck a portion of the Dark Elf Village. Souma is quick to act on this, ordering the dumping of all the construction materials a Rhinosaurus is hauling, and bringing food supplies and 50 of the Forbidden Army Personnel to the Dark Elf Village (Kaede and Halbert included). Liscia is sent back to the Capital to request a second relief team, as this first team being assembled is lightly equipped, and they can only do so much to aid them. - To put the Souma part at the forefront, we get some insight into where he feels he failed: 1. Souma did not leave a "living poltergeist" back at the capital. While he can use a doll at unlimited range, his Quills only have a range of 100 meters... and he unfortunately didn't leave a doll behind. 2. Souma is part of the relief party, but he states "in times of crisis, giving commands in the field isn't the king's duty. A king's duty is to prepare for a crisis before it happens. In a way, Souma is right. If you note what Souma has done so far with issues he addresses, he does not "sit on his hands" as the saying goes. Many of the problems Souma has addressed in the past have been problems both short and long term. If you look at the timetable he had between meeting Aishia and hearing her request to go to the God-Protected Forest to teach the elves "periodic thinning", he put off that issue compared to his usual method of meeting it head-on. Souma has also talked about issues and solutions, but being hands-on in the process is not his usual style(sending his dolls out to cull monsters and doing paperwork are more personal endeavors that only he can do) . The Relief effort I feel is more of a "knee-jerk reaction", although one could say it was the correct one. Sending Liscia back to the castle as opposed to himself means that when orders come from him, there's no need to have to confirm them. Souma sent orders through Liscia. Had it been the other way around (Liscia leads the relief efforts as Souma sends for more people/supplies), it could have led to more panic. 3. Souma lists off a number of issues that he notes after the first relief party he is a part of is relieved: Means of Communication, long-distance shipping, accumulation of aid supplies in each area, medical teams attached to the relief party, psychiatrists to treat patients with PTSD. This part of Souma I can relate with most. There are times when I look back on conversations or actions and think to myself "I should have said or done this instead". Of course as the saying goes "hindsight is 20/20", but you will note in this episode that Souma is being especially hard on himself, and this "mindset" will carry on into the events of Novel 2. - - The biggest revelation that we get from the Landslide is one of guilt. So far Souma has been in control with scenarios we have encountered, but the Landslide is the first instance where Souma does fail to address an issue that was put on the backburner for too long. One could say he couldn't have predicted the landslide sure, but from what we have seen from Souma's actions with the Old Man the "tale of the Sea God's Wrath", Souma doesn't put off any issue if he feels he can address it immediately. Another take could be that Souma just has too much on his plate. Food Crisis, possible impending war with The Three Dukedoms, possible invasion from any number of border nations, road construction, coastal city construction, paperwork, dolls being sent out to cull monsters, etc. Souma finally failed a task because...well of course he would eventually. Even for a man that can split his consciousness to inanimate objects, there is only so much one can do, special abilities notwithstanding. - - If we leave the "Epilogue" of Novel 1 for episode 9, then we will have quiet a few things to discuss come next week. Once we hit Novel 2, We get some action for a change! Bout damn time I would say! If it was me making this anime, I would have been in Novel 2 a week or two ago! In my ideal world, we end the anime on the events of Novel 3 because of how it concludes the "arc" of novels 1-3. Will we get there? probably not... which I would love to be wrong about. Not gonna hold my breath on that wish though, studio pacing being what it is. I'll be unconscious within a couple of minutes. If we start on the events of Novel 2 in episode 9, I will also tell yall what Juna and Glaive Magna said to Souma a few episodes back! Episode 9...War, huh, yeah What is it good for? Edit After Episode: I personally don't feel they got Georg Carmine's appearance right. The way he looks in the Light Novel, I envisioned him to be much bigger...Think Louis Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist big. I mean... the guy is a literal Lion of a Man. Also, you changed another scene yet again.... Why would you have Poncho and Tomoe sitting in the meeting where you have an exchange between the Three Dukedoms? feels like it is a way to have an information leak. This is going to sound like another Nit Pick, but they didn't even get Liscia's hair right when she cut it with her Rapier. You see the two points of her hair that are still draped over her shoulders? Those are gone too....She also points her Rapier directly at Georg's image. I was rather worried about this, but now all of a sudden the Studio is burning through pages. This one episode alone covered 100 pages of Novel 2... when before we took 8 episodes to cover 300. Bit of a difference in speed wouldn't you say? It could be that they are doing this because of the action to come... but their track record on animation for this has been shotty. Expect episode 10 to be a little of the war... and hopefully more animation than Queen Bee. Seriously, when Souma got up from his desk in this episode, and they did that camera turn... I felt fear. I haven't seen an FPS drop that fast since I watched FF14 raid with all the particule effects turned on. - So here we are. Another Saturday upon us, another episode of Realist Hero. So looking at the preview for Volume 2, it looks like we have started the following: 1. Souma has returned to the castle, and is working with the same vigor as when he first came to this world. 2. Liscia is very worried about Souma, and has asked Juna to assist her. 3. Juna has come to Souma's room to comfort him. 4. Liscia has discussed military tactics with Souma. 5. We are given a brief overview of the Principality of Amidonia, from Princess Roroa. 6. A discussion is held between King Souma, George Carmine, Excel Walter, and Castor Vargas. Castor's daughter Carla, and Princess Liscia are also in attendance. 7. After a discussion with the Three Dukedoms, two things occur: a. George Carmine and Castor Vargas declare a "challenge" with Souma. This Challenge is to defeat (this can include death as defeat) or capture the Commanders of each of their forces (in this case, Carmine, Castor, and Souma). If defeated or captured, the armies they control will submit to their control. In regards to capture, if a slave collar is put on the Commander, that also counts. Slave Collars work with the idea like most isekai: if the person with the Collar tries to harm the registered owner, they are killed. Disobey a command and they are inflicted with pain. b. Liscia declares her resolve in front of the Three Dukedoms, but most importantly to George Carmine. She then cuts her hair with her signature Rapier to demonstrate her resolve, shocking all involved parties. - - Here are your list of topics for the above. Note at the end of the "war discussion" phase, I will be posting what could be considered spoilers for the events of the war, so when I get to this point, you have to stop reading yourself if you don't want to know that. I will be sure to make it really obvious when we get to these points. The "War Discussion" will include the private discussion that Souma had with Juna, and the later discussion he had with Glaive Magna. - - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel. 1. Souma returns to the castle... but not all of him. 2. A breakdown of the Three Dukedoms. 3. Princess Roroa and the situation in Amidonia. 4. Souma's standoff with the Three Dukedoms. Due to hitting the character limit... again, I will be attaching the last point to its own essay. 5. The "War Discussion". spoilers ahead. - - .5 Where we would be in the Light Novel. Based on the preview trailer, it seems we have covered a fair chunk of Novel 2 with a single episode. The events of Episode 9 cover chapters Prologue, Chapter 1 "A Sign", Chapter 2 "The Casts of Two Nations", and Chapter 3 "Ultimatum". If we keep this pace, come episode 10...The war will have started. If JC staff was going to turn around the anime, these are the episodes to do so. Novel 2 is a big moment of character growth for Souma, as it has him and the girls around him (Aisha, Juna, and Liscia) address how his form of "being the king" is starting to affect him on a physical and mental level. <--- will explain more about this in Point 1. - - 1. Souma returns to the castle... but not all of him. The start of Novel 2 has a Prologue titled "On Your Side". This is only 12 pages, but it sheds a great deal of light on Souma, Liscia, and Juna. We start with Souma returning from the landslide (about 2 weeks ago)... but this chapter is being reflected from the eyes of Liscia. Liscia notes that "Souma had been working on paperwork with even greater zeal and enthusiasm than before". The before being when he first entered this world, and had to "fight the budget" so to speak to get his reforms passed. In other words, Souma has regressed. No longer is he working because he is busy, but he is working to an extent that is "seeking out work and packing in more of it than he reasonably could". When Souma does have free time, no longer is he coming to Liscia's room and sewing his dolls, or making dresses for Tomoe. Liscia then leaves the room: "I could hear Souma's voice from behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to turn back. Or, rather, I couldn't bear to look at Souma as he was now". - We then cut to that night. Juna has been summoned to Liscia's room. She is unsure why, until Liscia explains: 1. Souma seems to be distracted in Liscia's eyes. At times he's absorbed in his work, but then he can switch to having his head in the clouds. 2. Juna has noted the same thing, as whenever Souma comes to discuss her Broadcast Programs, his mind seems to be elsewhere. 3. Juna and Liscia both feel his changed happened after the incident in the God-Protected Forest (the landslide), but from Juna's perspective, she only heard second-hand that he accomplished a fair deal, to which Liscia states "Souma saw so many bodies, he feels 'Couldn't I have handled things better?'" 4. It is at this point that Liscia gives Juna an important request: I want you to encourage him for me. 5. Juna is obviously confused by this... wondering why Liscia herself doesn't undertake this task. Liscia responds with "I am younger than Souma, if I tried Souma would probably respond with "As a man, I don't want to show her my weakness". When he's in front of me, Souma puts up a strong front". 6. Juna does counter, saying she is the same age as Souma, but Liscia states that Juna gives off a "more mature aura", stating "You would do a fine job of indulging a young boy who's trying to put up a strong front". - So Juna accepts the task given to her, and proceeds to the Governmental Affairs office that Souma is still working within. We are informed of the following: 1. Aisha is not outside, but two guards. Small difference yes, but it shows that it's unnatural to not be by Souma's side. 2. The Guards have been informed by Liscia ahead of time, and make no attempt to stop her from entering. 3. It is here that Juna notes a few... "problematic issues": a. "It is a rather bold move for the princess to be sending a lady to her betrothed's chambers late at night". b. Juna contemplates that if "something" happens (the implication being that in a moment of weakness, Souma has sex with Juna), Was Liscia ready to accept the consequences? She concludes yes. c. Juna then remarks on Liscia making progress as a woman and future queen. Her willingness to prioritize the needs of Souma, even at the risk of... "an incident", leaves quite the impression on her. 4. We then get Juna entering the office. We are reminded of all the pressures that Souma has on his shoulders: getting the country back on its feet; the food crisis; and providing relief to the disaster area. Souma also had additional burdens now: the friction between the Three Dukedoms; and the Principality of Amidonia's maneuvering in the shadows. 5. Juna then takes Souma by the hand, and leads him to the simple bed he has in the office. She forcibly sits him in the bed, tucks him in... and tells him to try sleeping. She states that Liscia has seen through his strong front and has sent her because she is worried. 6. Juna then starts singing a song to Souma: Go to sleep, for tonight. Sleep until Tomorrow. When you wake, walk. When you tire, sleep. The longer you walk, the more hands there will be to support you. The above song is stated as being a children's lullaby. 7. The moment gets to the "more hands to support you", the dam in Souma's heart breaks, and he starts shedding tears. Juna says that it is alright to be weak around her. 8. As Souma is fallen asleep after finally lifting the burden off his heart, Juna is at the door to leave... when she turns around, and whispers something into Souma's ear: It's okay. I am on your side. If the princess brings out your strengths, then I will hide your weaknesses. - - You see all that? A mere 12 pages of text, and we have A TON OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1. Souma has overburdened himself, and worried both Liscia and Juna. 2. Liscia is willing to forego the task of lifting the burden on Souma, and given it to Juna, but not because she is incapable, but because Juna is the better person for the job. 3. Juna, despite having reservations at first, not only accepts the job, but does it for Liscia in admiration, not out of obligation. She truly values both Liscia and Souma for the strength they are bringing out in one another... and she will do what she can to lift the burdens on both of them. ^This is what I have been seeking when we started Realist Hero. It is not just about Oh Souma is doing things, and those things are good. It's the "heart" of it. The characters of Realist Hero don't work together because "The Novel says so", but out of a sense of "Togetherness". Souma has at no point forced anyone by his side... they are there 100% because they want to be. These 12 pages have demonstrated that in the mere months that Souma has been appointed king, People care so deeply for him they are willing to do as much for him as he is doing for the nation. IMPACT. that is what I seek in this work. Make me feel that these characters form a relationship not out of Obligation, but Love, Affection, and Admiration. - - 2. A breakdown of the Three Dukedoms. The following Chapter "A Sign" is pretty much a breakdown of the Three Dukedoms, and how combat with armies works. Souma is given this lecture by Liscia, as the novel inserts some references to Sun Tzu, Sun Bin, and works like "Records of the Grand Historian" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". To break it all down (Liscia states that she is unfamiliar with naval battles, so she does not cover those): 1. Battle between land forces comprise of infantry (think anything from common footsoldiers to knights on the ground and horseback), cavalry, and archers, with the fantasy element being the addition of mages (mages can range from wind, fire, or earth mages on land). 2. Mages and Archers do long range attacks, with infantry and cavalry looking for breaks to advance and push in. Liscia breaks the technique down into two terms: a. Cutting- tactics that shave off a portion of an enemy force. b. Breaking- tactics that cause an enemy force to be pierced/broken apart. 3. Souma does ask "why doesn't the air force assist?", to which Liscia states that the Air Force (this can be either Wyverns or Griffons) of each army is meant not as the primary attack force, but as a preventative force. [b]Denying your opponent control of the sky takes precedent over going on the offensive.[/u] 3.5 Liscia does state that the Denial of Air Control does not apply if there is a huge gap in the numbers of each air force. For example, if it was 100 vs 10,000, The Air Force can be used much more liberally. 4. If the clashing of air forces causes one side to lose their air advantage, Air Forces can fly high enough that they can drop bombs on the enemy army or fortifications. 5. We are informed of two types of Air units: Wyverns are considered "bomber" types. Griffons are seen as the "fighter" types. Wyverns have more stamina for flying, but Griffons are more agile, and can overwhelm Wyverns in fights. 6. We are then informed of a third type of Super-Air unit: The Dragon Knight. These units are from the nation known as "The Star Dragon Mountain". Dragons will choose a Knight as their partner. In exchange for producing offspring for the Dragons, Knights are given the power of the Dragon to use in battle. In terms of power, a single Dragon Knight is considered the same combat strength as 1,000 ground soldiers. 6.5 The offspring between a Dragon and her Knight can be: A dragon, the race of the knight, or a race known as "Dragonnewt". It is stated that a Dragonnewt cannot produce a Dragon if they were to marry (50% chance of a Dragonnewt or the race of the partner) 7. Once Air Control has been obtained, the Air Force still has to wait before bombarding a fortification because of an anti-air defense: The Anti-Air Repeating Bolt Thrower (RBT). This device hurls "homing spears" that are enchanted with additional range, and if an Air Force unit is hit with these, they are done for. 8. If the Ground Forces remove the RBT, only then can an Air Force then proceed to bombard. This might sound too late to matter, but it is stated that it takes longer to train a single Wyvern Knight than it does the average foot soldier, so the risk is not worth the reward. 9. We are then given a breakdown of the Various armies: A. 10,000 for the Forbidden Army under Souma (it is stated as 40,000 publicly, but due to various circumstances, Souma can only count on this number to be trustworthy) B. 10,000 in the Navy, (with 2000 of those being Marines capable of fighting on land), led by Duchess Excel Walter. C. 1,000 in the Air Force (these are a pair of soldier and wyvern) led by Duke Castor Vargas D. 40,000 in the Army, led by Duke Georg Carmine. 10. We are then given a breakdown of the style of command of each of the Three Dukedoms: A. Excel Walter is seen as a "trickster" commander, poking at the weaknesses of the enemy with her 500 years of wisdom, courage, and political savvy. B. Castor is seen as a "hot-blooded" commander that dislikes anything but straightforward tactics. He disdains using tricks and deception. C. Georg Carmine is the "War Veteran" of the group. The equipment of his army is seen as superior, with the Commander being regarded as a man capable of making level-headed decisions with his past experiences. 11. After the talk of the Commanders, Tomoe interrupts the meeting to inform Souma that Hakuya has requested his presence.... This isn't anything out of the ordinary, until Liscia overhears Souma makes a statement: Because I'm the King now. This startles Liscia. Before this point, whenever it came to a task, Souma would usually state "I am just holding onto the crown temporarily" or would say "I'll give it back to you, Liscia". Liscia states I don't know... for some reason, there's an uneasiness in my heart. What could this change in Souma's demeanor entail? That has yet to be seen... but it is worrisome. - - 3. Princess Roroa and the situation in Amidonia. The next chapter "The Casts of Two Nations", covers many points, but I will be addressing only one point here (Roroa and Amidonia), and dropping the other (Castor's commentary). The discussion between Liscia and Souma concerning Georg Carmine I will be moving to point 5. Roroa is third princess of Amidonia, and has a very negative opinion of both the war and her father. She believes that her father Gaius Amidonia is not considering what would happen if they lose. You see, Amidonia is surrounded by just as many nations as Elfrienden, but unlike Elfrienden, it is hanging on only because of military might, not because of a stable nation. If they lose, the potential to be invaded by three nations is a very real possibility. Roroa sees "the writing on the wall" so to speak, and plans to move all the talented individuals in the nation as well as the ones opposed to the war, out of Amidonia before the war starts. This is not so much that she fears what her father would do, but more along the lines of not wanting to be here should Souma's forces take over. Not that she distrusts him or anything, but she has more "cards to play" so to speak if she is not in the capital, as that is the place that will be targeted first for capture, should Gaius's army fall. - We then cut to a discussion between Gaius, his son Julius, and an advisor called "Colbert". Colbert is pleading with the king to not go to war, and Gaius is having none of it. Gaius sees this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The moment Georg rebels against Souma, he can swoop in under the guise of "helping both sides", and claim the food-rich lands for their kingdom that had been lost many reigns ago. We are then told of the rules of "Mankind Declaration" (this is the treaty that has the nations working together against the forces of the Demon Lord's Domain): 1. The acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind is deemed inadmissible. 2. The right of all peoples to equality and self-determination will be respected. 3. Countries that are distant from the Demon Lord's Domain will provide support to those nations that are adjacent to it and are acting as a defensive wall. ...Do you see the flaw in these three acts? I didn't upon my first time viewing it. The flaw is such: If a nation that has signed this document, takes land from a nation that hasn't signed this document...It is perfectly allowed. But if the nation that didn't sign the document pushes back the attacking force, and seizes territory, then that is in violation of the document.... and it requires the SuperNation of the Gran Chaos Empire to step in. and the Elfrienden kingdom has not signed the Mankind Declaration. Amidonia is using a loophole to attack a nation, with the Mankind Declaration being used as a shield should they lose. If they win? nothing in the rules states a punishment for this, so it is perfectly legal. - - 4. Souma's standoff with the Three Dukedoms. Alright, so we are finally here, Chapter 3 titled "Ultimatum". Many months of no agreement, and finally Souma has no choice. He must confront the Three Dukedoms over the Jewel Broadcast. I will give you the rundown from the Three Dukedoms first, then Souma's response to each of them. Excel Walters is worried about two points: 1. She asks what Souma plans to do with each of the Duchies the Dukes control, and their armies. 2. She asks what Souma's intentions are with the new coastal city he is building. Castor has two concerns: 1. Point 1 of Excel's concerns, but he states what the Three Duchies' armies are for. 2. He asks Souma what would be able to prevent him from becoming a Tyrant once he integrates the armies of the Three Duchies. Georg Carmine has nothing to say to Souma, but Souma does respond to him. - Souma's responses to the Dukes. Refer to the above points for each individual character if I say "Point 1/Point 2". Excel: In regards to Point 1, Souma will combine their forces with the Forbidden Army. There are too many Chains of Command for the individual armies to go through to work together. With mankind currently at war with the Demon Race, now is not the time to be divided. In regards to Point 2, Souma will have his new Coastal City be a trade port, and Excel's city known as Lagoon City will serve as a military port, and still produce warships. After hearing these points, Excel swears to serve Souma. - Castor: In regards to point 1, we are informed that the purpose of the Three Dukedoms was to prevent discrimination against the races of nonhumans in the country. The ruler of the nation as always been a human, with the other races serving as Dukes/Duchesses. For Americans, think of it similar to how our Three Branches of Government are supposed to have "Checks and Balances" against one another. In regards to point 2, should the king ever become a Tyrant under Souma's new "fully integrated Forbidden Army", what is there to prevent Souma from falling to corruption? Souma states several lines from Machiavelli, but one that sticks out the most: "The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people" Then Souma states: "If I were to become a tyrant, causing the people to abandon me, a rebellion would easily succeed" After hearing these points (and one additional one I will address in Number 5), Castor chooses not to serve Souma, and sides with Georg Carmine. - Georg: Souma and Georg do not try to reason with one another. Souma openly declares that persuasion would not work on him, as he is sheltering the very nobles he expelled for corruption. When Souma asks George why he is doing this, he responds with the following (putting it all together from various paragraphs): "My pride as a warrior. I will decide the fate of Elfrienden with my own talents. It is every warrior's wish to accomplish something once in his lifetime that will be remembered by later generations." (Souma asks Georg if he is a fool) "It was a silly question. One cannot be a warrior without also being a fool. I will have you bear witness to the way I live. (Souma responds with "don't you mean the way you will die?") "They are one and the same. Those who wish to live, die; those who wish to die, live. That is what it is to be a warrior." - After hearing Georg's declaration. Liscia steps forth.... and declares he resolve to fight with Souma against George...by cutting her blonde hair! ...I gotta admit, I am into short hair, but not I will take the Rapier look, thank you very much - Oh dear lord shoot me now.... I have to split this up again because I am in danger of hitting another character limit essay. Two 5000 word essays in a week, here we come! 5. The "War Discussion". spoilers ahead. So we're here. finally made it through all the wordy words. We can finally "get down to brass tacks" as the saying goes. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING. I WILL BE REVEALING MANY SECRETS IN THIS ESSAY ABOUT PAST AND FUTURE EVENTS OF NOVEL 1 AND 2. - - Alright, let me just be upfront about the whole affair between Souma and the Three Dukedoms: It's a trap. An Act. 2 of the 3 Dukes are actually cooperating with Souma to set a trap for Amidonia. All of them know that Amidonia has been sowing dissent in their kingdom, and they are turning the tables on them. They want to appear divided, so by the time Gaius realizes the truth, it will be too late. To explain how this has come about, I need to break it down in terms of each Duke. I will explain how each Duke cooperated with Souma, while still maintaining the "act" of defying him publicly. - Excel: Excel has actually been loyal to Souma since he went to the Cafe and met Juna. You remember the confrontation Souma had with Halbert Magna there? The declaration he made to Halbert in front of Juna... It convinced her of something. You see, when Excel first heard the news that Albert had abdicated the throne, and given it to Souma, she was of course very suspicious of this. So she sent her granddaughter, Juna, to participate in the "Gathering of Talent". Juna had two tasks: 1. Assess Souma's leadership as king. Is he ruling well? How is Liscia? Does she look like she is a fiancée, or a hostage? 2. After assess Souma's worthy or unworthiness to rule, she is to report back to Excel. This is when we get a special interlude chapter in Novel 1 titled "The Sighs of Duchess Excel Walter". Excel receives a letter from Juna, and notes two things: 1. Juna has deemed Souma worthy of ruling. 2. Excel detects something else in Juna's words... and Excel is quite familiar with this feeling, as she has experienced it many times over her 500 years of life. Juna has fallen in love with Souma. Souma's speech to Halbert in the Cafe has ignited a flame in Juna, and Excel smiles at having been witness to this event, and what "fun" it will enable in future. To quote from page 241: "I see... so that's how you've judged him. Yet you still wish to be at his side, you say. Hmm... that's all well and good, but I do think the loving praise dripping from your writing is going to give me heartburn. Really, now, I must envy your youth." The only reason that Excel did not openly declare her loyalty to Souma before the Ultimatum, was because she wanted as much time to try and persuade Castor to join Souma instead of opposing him. - - Georg: Georg is another Duke that is actually on Souma's side... though not in the same way as Excel. You see, when Halbert caused a ruckus with his antics in the Cafe, his father Glaive (who had personal connections to Georg) was contacted by George. Georg then gives Souma the following statement: Georg saw that Souma's strategy of rooting out corruption in the kingdom, while effective, was halfhearted. Had Souma's strategy been used, the corrupt nobles that he had expelled from the kingdom would have scurried into the darkness like roaches with their stolen wealth and bided their time. Georg has the following objectives: 1. He will gather all the corrupt nobles under his Dukedom, under the guise of rebellion. 2. Because the corrupt nobles are fighting back, they are attempting treason, which comes with the penalty of death. 3. To win against Souma, they will have to expend their ill-gotten gains to buy mercenaries from the country of Zen. Zen is more than happy to send mercs to these nobles, as Souma has severed his contract with them, putting a strain on their relationship. 4. Once all forces have been gathered, Georg will wait for one final push: Souma's ultimatum. 5. Once the ultimatum has been given, Georg will openly defy it. This will cause the Principality of Amidonia to spring into action. This country had been stirring up political unrest in the kingdom by buying off nobles in the Elfrienden Kingdom, though they couldn't all be tracked down due to be dispersed. 6. Once all the above has happened, Georg will "pretend" to fight. He will whittle down the Corrupt Noble's armies, while losing none of his own forces. In essence, he is using his reputation as a way to stall for time. 7. If you recall from Essay One, I mentioned that if a commander is "captured" their armies fall under the other Commander's control. Georg intends to lose on purpose, draw out Amidonia into their country, hand his forces over to Souma, and let him crush Amidonia once and for all. - - You see the above about Georg? The anime cut out a very important character knowing about this: Liscia. To her, Georg is a second father. He is her biggest support, and she owes everything she knows about the military to his teachings. She even asks Souma just before the Ultimatum is issued "if we truly have to fight Georg". by removing her from this scene, we are making it seem like Liscia thinks Georg is attacking Souma for real, when in the Light Novel, she is aware of his plan, and his Loyalty to his country brings her to tears. - The reason that Liscia doesn't want to publicly fight Georg is because of The Penalty for Treason. You remember back in my discussion between Halbert and Souma in the Cafe I mentioned "three degrees of consanguinity will be considered complicit in it"? Well Georg has cut himself off from his family, so they won't be killed...but Georg is sacrificing his very image to bring the corrupt nobles to justice. Even if their plan succeeds, and all the corrupt nobles are captured...Georg has committed treason in the eyes of the public. He has to be killed, and his reputation along with him. Souma cannot overturn this currently, and he cannot tell the citizens the truth. George has to die, even if Liscia and Souma think otherwise. This is the reason that Liscia cuts her hair in the Jewel Broadcast. It is not a declaration of war against Georg, but a declaration of her resolve towards his pure-hearted actions. She is sacrificing a part of herself to symbolize the sacrifice Georg is making himself. - - Castor: Castor is unfortunately the one Duke you could consider "the wild card". He was never accounted for in the grand scheme of things. When Excel and Georg made their plans, neither side calculated that Castor would side with Georg, and defy Souma. Georg couldn't tell Castor his plan, else Amidonia could catch wind and not fall for the trap. Castor siding with Georg is not for any disdain for Souma, but because as far as he knows "he cannot trust Souma". During Castor's talk with Souma at the Ultimatum meeting, he asks Souma if he has gotten to talk to Former King Albert about why he abdicated the throne, and why he didn't try and persuade the Three Dukedom with his own words... We are told two things: 1. Souma himself has not been given an answer by Albert. 2. When asked to persuade the Dukedoms by Liscia herself, Albert states "it would cause undue suspicion. Sir Souma is king now." Castor is not a pawn in anyone's game, but the only side that is "out of the loop", as the saying goes. He is working purely from the heart.... and it may cause him some undue hardship. You see, Castor's straightforward nature has roped in another ally to his cause...his daughter Carla Vargas. She now suffers the same fate as Castor for openly defying Souma. Liscia sent her many many letters to convince her to side with Souma (Carla initially thought that Souma was holding Liscia hostage), to no avail. There is one thing that Castor says to Souma before he declares his support for Georg: He will only be using his personal forces, a mere 100 wyvern knights (his daughter Carla included). Should he be captured or slain, he asks Souma that he not punish his personal troops, or the 900 Wyvern knights that belong to his country for his personal actions, to which Souma agrees. - In regards to the discussion that Hakuya and Souma are having, this is an event that happens in Novel 3. Despite pushing out corrupt nobles in certain areas of the kingdom, there are still a select "fairweather friends" that have evaded his eye. They haven't committed any crimes on the surface, but their allegiances are swaying too much. They are the type of support that are only present when things are going well, and betray you for the other side when fortune favors them. So Souma is electing to give them one final test after the war is over. If they fail this test, they will be executed on the spot. - And that will do it. That is all you need to know about the War of Novel 2. I have left out the results of the war, but if you have learned anything from the actions of individuals in Novel 1, it is that our MC is a resourceful individual, and he's already failed once... and he doesn't want to taste defeat again so soon. Jesus Christ. 5600 words total for this essay. 11,000 total words from Monday's Essay and this Essay for Realist Hero. Why the hell yall put up with me is beyond my comprehension. Me? I drink while I write these. The only reason you guys and gals get proper spelling and grammar is spellcheck... because I'm either drinking when I type Seirei's essay, or Realist...and this week I did on both occasions! Just finished part 1 of the anime today, then I found these essays. I'm loving it. |
Graduated High School in May of 2022. Summer vacation has finally arrived. I have once again regained the power of a new anime fan, being able to watch multiple anime episodes in a day. Time to binge-watch every single anime I can into the night until college arrives. SADGE. SUPER SADGE... College has begun as of Monday, August 30, 2022, so you won't be seeing me much around these parks. See you on weekends, I guess... School me is back. Sigh! I'll at least try for one anime a day with all this course load. |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )Stark700 - Jul 17, 2021 |
141 |
by ELGarrincha
»»
Oct 24, 9:46 AM |
|
Poll: » Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )Stark700 - Jul 24, 2021 |
101 |
by BigBoyAdvance
»»
Oct 8, 12:02 PM |
|
Poll: » Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Aug 28, 2021 |
76 |
by Tsinelas
»»
Jun 20, 2:36 AM |
|
Poll: » Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Aug 14, 2021 |
62 |
by Tsinelas
»»
Jun 13, 6:52 AM |
|
Poll: » Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Aug 7, 2021 |
73 |
by Tsinelas
»»
Jun 8, 9:38 PM |