Seirei no Moribito Episode 19 Discussion

What did you think of this episode?

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Oct 20, 2017 4:01 AM

#51

Sugram22

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Sep 2012

6745

Tomislavr7 said:

Sugram22 said:
lol so u would trust enemy that has hunted u to kill u & the one ur protecting for long time? that's asking to get killed

how u know they are not laying a trap for u? dummy

You can see whole countries cooperating after a war, yet you don't see a few small parties doing so after a (possible) change in circumstances, really? Also, as I said, you're going to extremes - fully trusting them and going on your own aren't the only two options. You can be cautious and still try to cooperate with them. How do you think people do business?

Cheers.

at this point of the anime she can't trust them cause they were just resonantly after their lives

countries cooperating after war is not just one bodyguard protecting 1 person he cant afford trusting them its totally different thing

also countries have spies & stuff reliable resources of information so they know if other side is lying & setting a trap

if they would be really bad & she would trust them it would end badly for both, her vs 6 + trap when she lowers her guard, bodyguard can't afford to trust ppl that are after him & the ones hes protecting, he relies on reliable sources not on the hunters words

Sugram22Oct 20, 2017 4:07 AM

Oct 20, 2017 4:15 AM

#52

Tomislavr7

Offline

Nov 2010

1937

Sugram22 said:
at this point of the anime she can't trust them cause they were just resonantly after their lives

countries cooperating after war is not just one bodyguard protecting 1 person he cant afford trusting them its totally different thing

also countries have spies & stuff reliable resources of information so they know if other side is lying & setting a trap

if they would be really bad & she would trust them it would end badly for both, her vs 6 + trap when she lowers her guard, bodyguard can't afford to trust ppl that are after him & the ones hes protecting, he relies on reliable sources not on the hunters words

At this point of the anime, she can't try to cooperate with them (as in, probing them, thinking about whether they're lying or not and so on) despite the change in circumstances because it is bad writing.

She is definitely not certain that they are lying to her, and should not act like she is. You know what happens later in the anime, too.

I see no need to keep repeating this, so this will be my last reply to you here.

Cheers.

Sep 27, 2018 10:25 AM

#53

Fayrin

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Sep 2011

2632

What a powerful, and emotional episode! Chagum is overwhelmed knowing that he's fated to die, he can't help but wonder why it had to be him. He just wanted to run away, to see his mom, Shuga, but Balsa couldn't allow it because everyone would die anyway if the egg doesn't hatch, and all that she could do was to confront him, and to be honest by saying that she would die before letting any harm befall him. I know that together with Torogai she's going to try and find a way to fend off La Lunga in order to save Chagum somehow. After all, she already sees him like her own child.

But the legends, and the tradition weren't the only things that were lost during the last century, even a bird that is part of the tales isn't as common as it used to be because of the Yogo Empire, but I guess this bird is one like the one that Sagum released, so maybe even the same bird can help, I don't know. Torogai confronting Shuga. and the hunters alone by the end was really epic too, she's great.

Apr 11, 2019 10:54 AM

#54

trenchantbaka

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Oct 2017

261

Tomislavr7 said:

Lol this conversation, poor guy...

The whole 'emotional' scene seemed fully senseless to me, they never connected at any point. Chagum accuses Balsa of not understanding his emotions while his mother would, he even musters up the willpower to run through Balsa and what's Balsa's reply? "How dare you wield a weapon against your parent?". Kid just implied that she doesn't understand him and then what she does doesn't confront that at all. If anything the only message she delivered at the end was "You HAVE to bear with us". I've seen quite a few "harsh treatment for betterment" in both reality and fictions but not one as poinless, and even cruel, from one perspective, like this. Moreover, there isn't even a solid reason for the conflict between Balsa and the empire to go on. I was already losing faith in this anime and at this point I feel like I'll drop it.

May 18, 2019 3:10 PM

#55

pip25

Offline

Jan 2016

I am somewhat surprised that people view Balsa's handling of this situation as anything anywhere near good parenting. It was the actions of Balsa and co. that led to this in the first place. It's easy to say that they were keeping the information about the egg-eater from Chagum because they did not want to cause him needless distress, but in the end that is exactly what they did. I think the real reason is plain to see: they were afraid of how he'd react. They were afraid that he would snap, which is indeed what happened - but, you know, I think it still would have been easier for Chagum to handle the news if he was let in on the danger gradually, instead of everything being dumped on him all at once.
Chagum is a child, yes. And as a child, one tries to keep him from harm. But the role of the Nyunga Ro Chaga, the role that Balsa feels Chagum must not forsake, is not fit for a child. It would be daunting even for a full-grown man. She cannot treat him like a child and ask him to make this sacrifice at the same time.

As for the whole slapping scene, it was indeed emotional, but to me for different reasons. As a bodyguard, Balsa would not have been able to do her job with her charge sabotaging her efforts. For a moment, it might have indeed gone through her mind that the only way out of this situation is to either make Chagum give up on his plan of returning to the palace, or make him kill her as a (roundabout) way of fulfilling her vow to the Empress. But in the end, even as the desperate Chagum looked almost willing to go through with it, Balsa realized that she cannot give up on Chagum no matter what. In my opinion, it was then and there that she realized that she now cares for Chagum as a mother, and treats him as if he's her own child. To hell with the vows - letting Chagum go is simply not an option. It also explains why she's so adamant on keeping him near her, even though the palace also has resources and information in those tablets on the previous egg bearers that should not be underestimated. Balsa's love for Chagum is beyond doubt - even if she does not always show it in the best ways possible.
Props to the story for making it so that the main protagonist really does feel like a real person with flaws and bad decisions; it makes Balsa's good traits shine that much brighter, I feel. :)

Sep 13, 2019 10:14 AM

#56

FrozenRaider

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May 2015

6002

That bitchslap was so satisfying.

"The future is always blank. Only your willpower can leave footsteps there."

"Ruling over death means ruling over life. Death is the climax of life. To have the best death, you must honor life."

May 26, 2020 5:42 PM

#57

Punkero

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Feb 2014

7792

The slap sent him flying throught the room (well, there wasn't a room, but you get the point).

Jan 21, 2021 5:24 PM

#58

animejas

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Jul 2017

6749

Before I go into detail with my reflection for this episode, I have to say that Naomi Shindo's performance of Balsa during the scene where she confronted a mentally exhausted Chagum who didn't acknowledge her as a parent and wanted to run back to the palace due to fear, was fucking brilliant and incredibly powerful in its emotional delivery. For a scene, one of the best voice acting performances I've heard in anime. Simple and short, but sends shivers down my spine with such raw anger and sadness on full display.

Balsa in this particular situation has it tough, alongside Chagum. As a warrior, despite her extensive combat skills and training she's done over the years, she cannot fight invisible monsters whose giant claws emerge from the ground up, to rip the Nyunga ro Chaga in half due to her lack of connection to the other world. As a parent, she doesn't know how to exactly answer Chagum's pleas since she doesn't know how to fight, or doesn't know if she can truly save him or not. There's no clarity or painting an optimistic viewpoint of the situation here, both Chagum and Balsa have no answers at the moment.

But for Balsa, she's trying really damn hard to look for solutions without giving up. She could just give up and let Chagum go back home to be a prince again without any qualms and retire being his bodyguard since he would be returning to his mother anyway. But she made a promise, to stick with Chagum for the rest of his life and be the parent that Chagum wishes to have despite him unable to see his actual mother for a very long time.

Balsa's parenting maybe flawed and rough, but she's giving it her all for the kid. So much that she tossed the spear towards him and gave him the option to kill her so that she didn't break her vows, and that he could go through to the palace without her stopping her then, or at least that's what it looks like until she stopped him and gave him a slap, reminding him of how much he cares for her and how she views him truly as a son in this situation. It's not a good approach to parenting, but it's the approach that she grew up with and is transferring her knowledge and affection from there, to this situation right here. The show doesn't glorify the situation or make it feel cheesy, it shows the rough sides of the spectrum and embraces it fully with gripping performances to make it feel even more impactful and real to the bone. Plus the flawed side of Balsa only makes her to be a more compelling and fascinating female protagonist who comes across as a genuine one too.

While all that is happening, the Hunters arrive at the Toumei Village and immediately, their true colors are shown after the head of the village declined to have him meet the prince. Sure their goals are the same, but the Hunters who work for the palace still clearly are self-serving and won't mind erasing the village out of existence if it means getting closer to the prince, even if these villagers have the knowledge and experience with these kinds of situations surrounding the egg, at least more than the palace blokes.

The intense cliffhanger with Torogai yelling out towards them and confronting them head on while they're meant to be hiding was awesome and I can't wait to see what happens in the next episode. Good thing Balsa, Chagum and even Nimka (who initially ran away with Chagum to help him reach the palace out of pity in a sense since she had no other idea how to help him out after telling him the story that traumatized him a bit) are away from the village for now and safe in comparison to Tanda and Torogai.

May 3, 2021 1:25 PM

#59

LiTZiro

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Jan 2020

108

im so hype. this is sooo coool. love it

Sep 7, 2023 5:00 PM

#60

JoestarEISH_020

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Oct 2021

581

SLUMBERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [18:15]

Aug 22, 6:26 AM

#61

LuxuriousHeart

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Apr 2017

978

Reply to Dopu

Oh Balsa, you wonderful wonderful woman. That slap. It would make captain Bright proud.

I don't think Chagum really wanted to go to his mother so she could protect him. I think he just wanted someone who would tell him everything would be alright. And Balsa eventually did that, in her own way.

@Dopu I think he wanted someone he could trust. Balsa had been lying to him for a while and wouldn't answer his questions. Instead, she had someone else answer them. His mother was different. She was honest about his situation. Even when he was there, his mother explained the situation outright.

Oct 16, 9:08 PM

#62

Safrichh

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Apr 2016

2203

Such a great scene between Balsa and Chagum, it's sad for the situation he was born into but heartwarming that he has found someone who is willing to protect him no matter what.
Looking forward to what Torogai will say to the hunters.

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