Outbreak Company – 08
Move over, maids in suitcases. It’s time for loli queens in boxes!
Did you know first world problems exist even in medieval fantasy worlds?
Hikikomori Petralka
A sad history.
This episode is basically The Supreme Ruler’s Day Off. Last time Outbreak Company focused on Myucel and her adventures in Japan. So to balance things out, the spotlight shifts over to Petralka. Contrary to the humorous tone from the previous episode, this week brings a more somber and serious tone. We learn that Petralka’s lineage was next in line for the throne, but her parents were murdered in a power struggle with Galious’s own parents. So now the burden of leading a nation falls upon the shoulders of a little 16 year old girl. If you ask me, I don’t see why they had to stick so closely to the rules. Anyone could have seen that putting the older and more experienced Galious in charge would have been better for everyone. Heck, if they really needed to, they could have just made Petralka a puppet figurehead for formality while Galious ran things in the background as the advisor. Which really isn’t too far from the truth with Galious and Zakhar around to be fair, but apparently Petralka shoulders enough responsibility to be stressed out.
Pretty.
Anyway, our favorite Supreme Ruler has finally had enough of sitting on the throne, so she decides to hide in her room. I’m kind of torn between sympathizing with Petralka’s situation and not taking her seriously, as the only “work” we’ve explicitly seen her do is mindlessly stamp papers. A tedious job, but not exactly the worst in the world. But then again we do see that the young girl is very determined to improve her country (enough to shake herself out of her hikikomori stupor), so I’ll give her brownie points for effort until we see her put into effect policies that bring about real change. I suppose she is endorsing Shinichi’s moe evangelization and the guy is doing a lot to help, but there’s only so much an outsider can do. Most people don’t take too kindly to outsiders telling them how to run their country; this has already happened before with the Baydona incident. So really, toppling the establishment of social and racial divisions is an undertaking is best initiated by the one at the top.
Distracted Maids
Don’t question Myucel’s cooking.
With the serious stuff out of the way, there’s still some room left for a few laughs to be squeezed in. It’s beating the dead horse to say that Myucel has strong feelings for Shinichi, but her reaction to hearing he was staying in Petralka’s room for the night was hilarious. Well, it was funny to us, but probably not so funny to our hero’s unfortunate entourage, who go without dinner for two nights in a row. Personally, I think this might have been for the best considering they’d been having omurice non-stop since Shinichi and Myucel returned from Japan. But did none of them think to prepare food themselves? Or can none between a soldier, a gardener, and an artist cook? Even so, couldn’t they just have gone out for food instead? There really was no reason for them to starve, but I guess all of that would have made too much sense and not as much fun for us viewers.
There’s also some elaboration on Shinichi’s own past in this episode. After getting turned down by his childhood friend for “being otaku”, he gets so depressed that he hides in his room and becomes a hikikomori. But we could have pieced that together ourselves from the facts already presented, so it doesn’t really do much other than be relevant to Petralka’s circumstances. Anyway, notice again that the “moe missionary” part of the show has once more taken the backseat, this time to more character development. Which is fine, because I quite like these more personal episodes; they do a lot for the character in the spotlight. And Petralka certainly could have used this, as her character really needs this fleshing out for her to keep becoming more likeable.
About Sumairii
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Is it just me, or am I the only one that has issues with the concept of hikikomori for a day? Isn’t this what you could call a snit? I guess intent counts here, eh?
I guess they didn’t think to import the concept of take out?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think it’s definitely more of a snit. But I think it works because it treats being hikikomori as less of a joke that way. As usual, Outbreak Company takes something here that’s usually made fun of in anime and treated it with a humorous reverence. The fact of Petralka realizing that her problems didn’t really amount to the same thing that would normally drive someone to shut themselves off from the world made it a good message. And Shinichi’s insight about ‘the door getting heavier’ was excellent.
Outbreak Company isn’t amazingly deep, but it does treat the subjects it takes on with respect.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Petrarca adapted to the shut-in lifestyle real quick. For a moment, I started to wonder if Shinichi was losing his way trying to snap her out of her self imposed isolation. Even if it was unintentional, Shinichi was able to self reflect because of her.
Miusel having a mental breakdown that’s affecting her work as a maid because Shinichi hasn’t come home. At least this tells us she has a bit of yandere in her.
Again Outbreak Company does well mixing humourous and serious elements without one overlapping the other. Petrarca and Garius’ parents fighting over the crown to point of wanting to kill one another was a very real factor and possibly when talking about a monarchy that has too many family members. The drawback is if the cycle continued, there would eventually be no one left to rule.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Sumairii’s not real familiar with the politics and power games of a monarchy, is he. And this seems like a fairly well-behaved, albeit with murders, line of succession. Succession is serious business, and a sovereign who is over 12 is going to be in charge (many times they’re assigned a regent to actually rule in their name when underage). But it shows quite a good thing when Galius and Petralka get along the way they do, and also that Galius understands what she does and the burden it is on her.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Yes, no matter how young they are in a monarchy the next in line is the new ruler, although as you say a regent will be named. The only way to replace an underage ruler is by murder. There have been plenty of examples of that in history. In English history alone you have Prince John and Richard III accused of murdering their young nephews and they almost certainly had it done. Luckily for Petralka Galius is an honorable man.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
As I was saying, they could have had Galious take the reins behind the scenes… We don’t know how old Petralka was when she first took the throne, but the flashback indicates she certainly was younger than she is now.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The problem is that that doesn’t work. Petralka would have to be either the obvious ruler or the obvious not-ruler. The only thing they’d do, as I said, is appoint a regent, and those with ties to the throne don’t really want someone else in line with the throne to be the regent. Plus, you don’t really get a regency unless the heir is under 10.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I can think of a few Regency Periods on our own world. Most of them are Not Fun Times for the royalty involved.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Let them eat caek! The people shall have a revolution and from Le Republique! Bring out le guillotine!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Monsieur, Louis XVI and his family suffered that last part for desertion. 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Or Let Them Eat… Something Else
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
GJ HWY! Regency Period Bad: Dowager Empress of China and the Regency following the death of England’s King Henry the VII. Regency Period Controlled Chaos: The Death of King George III. Luckily Parliament had much more control at the time. Maybe a Diet is something the Petracla needs.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, King Henry the VIII. Henry the VII was a much more bitter kettle of sea life.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
they need a demockery! down with the monarchy! America will assist in removing this authoritarian regimes!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
In the other corner, the only person that will save her: Darth Sidious.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Ok, so it doesn’t need to be Galious then. How about Zakhar? Without getting tripped up over the technical details of our own history, I don’t see why they couldn’t install someone more fit for the role than a very young girl.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Because DFC are the best?