Arslan Senki 07-08
We’ve seen the kettles, now it’s time to meet the pots.
At one point I thought we would be getting more grey tones in this story, but the Lusitanians have decided to take the easy way out and are making themselves as black as they can possibly get to make things simpler for us. I don’t mind a black-and-white tale, I grew up on fairy tales and “good conquers all” stories, and despite having become an adult, I still love them from time to time. And it’s a good thing too, since that seems to be what’s going on here. Despite its king and its employment of the institution of slavery, Pars has been painted as the underdog here, with very little to push Lusitania into a good light.
Yes, Lusitania has pretty much taken over the place after having conquered the royal capital last week. It’s not just soldiers who find themselves dying at the business ends of their swords, but also noncombatants as well. But then again, this is no surprise since the country has been killing indiscriminately for quite some time now. Parsians have been calling the Lusitanians “savages” for a while, and one would think that it was naught but a racial slur. Yet, I have to say that the people in question have done nothing but prove their enemies right. Even after they have taken over, the Lusitanians prove to be no more than vicious bullies. They pillage, ravage, and rape the populace, and show themselves to be no better than what they themselves accused the Parsians of being.
Open wide and say “Ah”.
We are introduced to a few new faces, and are reintroduced to a couple others. We see Lusitania’s ruler for the first time, King Innocentis VII, as well as his younger brother, Prince Guiscard. It’s instantly obvious as to who is doing the real work of actually ruling the nation the moment you see them. I’m sorry Lusitania, but with a king like that, you do not get the right to judge Andragoras. The Parsian king might be a warhawk and a braggart who doesn’t listen to good advice, but his people at least thrived under his rule, he knew how make decisions, was able to fulfill the governmental parts of his position, and also he was proud to lead his armies into battle and fight alongside his men. I highly doubt that your king can even walk without assistance!
I swear, if he says “Let them eat cake.”, I’ll murder him myself.
I have never seen such a night and day difference between two people as Andragoras and Innocentis, and it almost makes me want to take back every bad thing I said about the Parsian king. The foreign monarch is an overly obese man-child who has no control over his own people, no care for anything or anyone other than his own ridiculous, selfish desires, and it’s practically cartoonish in how absurd of a character he is. If it wasn’t for his younger brother doing all the real work (no thanks to his brother), I honestly think Lusitania would have fallen apart years ago.
And Guiscard seems to agree with me as he’s tired of doing everything, only for his brother to get the glory and title, as well as constantly undermining his hard work. His thoughts aren’t particularly treasonous per say, but they are there, and it is these dormant seedling thoughts that the enigmatic General Silvermask nurtures within the prince’s mind. Especially after the king once again gets on his brother’s last nerve by stating that he desires to marry the captured Queen Tahamenay, and on top of that, gives the riches of the conquered Pars to the sadistic archpriest Bodin.
Silvermask himself is quite an enigma. It is obvious here if it wasn’t before, that he has no love for Lusitania, any more than he does Pars. His driving objective seems to be surrounding the royal family of Pars and them alone, and somehow he’s roped the traitorous Kharlan in on his plans as well. He’s clearly using the Lusitanians and is fanning the flames of discontent within the prince in order to create an ever enlarging rift between the Lusitanian royal house. It’s obvious that this will eventually lead to instability and possibly even civil war in Lusitania depending on how far it goes. However, you have to wonder why is Silvermask doing this? He was a driving force in the conquering of the Pars armies and taking over their seat of power, and yet, he’s now trying to throw a pretty heavy wrench into Lusitania’s power seat as well.
The man is obviously very angry, and considering the people he seems to hang around with in the shadows and the rumors of sorcery that seem to be following him, you have to wonder if he has indeed sold his soul for the vengeance he seeks? We’ve been getting hints here and there as to his true motivations and past history, and by the end of episode 8, we get a clearer picture of what’s going on here (more on that later). But I’ll tell you that perhaps the largest clue was given in episode 7, and it wasn’t even in reference to him at all.
Queen Tahamenay decided to stay in the capital, leading to her capture. And it is through exposition from some Lusitanian soldiers as to the woman’s tragic backstory. Tahamenay gives the term “femme fatale” a new meaning, as she is both a doom magnet and has been hit by the “Cartwright Curse”. Every man that has loved and/or become betrothed and/or married her, has been hit by quite a tragic end. And from what I’ve seen thus far, through no fault of her own. Despite being queen, this woman has been treated more like a prize that has been fought over by many men, including her current husband Andragoras, and her now dead brother-in-law, the previous king, Osroes, who was Andragoras’ elder brother that purportedly died of an illness.
Honestly, I can understand a little why Tahamenay can act so cold much of the time, considering what she’s had to go through and what being fought over like a piece of flesh with little regard for what she wants, can do to a person. She’s been passed around so much, she’s barely even allowed herself to form much in terms of bonds, as seen with both her husband and her son. And she continues to act just as cool as a clam, even after her ethereal beauty is once again enrapturing yet another man of power in regards to the king of Lusitania.
The face that caused a thousand deaths…
Outside of the palace, we meet again our catalyst from episode one, as Étoile returns, now three years older and a squire as well. He hasn’t changed much since we last saw him, though he never did figure out Arslan’s true identity. I like this kid, and he’s single-handedly the only one of the Lusitanians that I actually like and care about out of the bunch. He and Arslan will probably meet again at some point, and I’ll be interested in seeing what that reunion will be like now that they are older. Anyway, right now, while on a futile search for his missing comrades from three years ago (who we know are dead), Étoile goes to protect a Parsian girl from being raped by a Lusitanian soldier, only to find that this “girl” doesn’t need as much help as he thought.
I have say that Elam is a pretty convincing “woman” both in acting and in voice, and it seems that he’s been taught some amazing fighting skills to defend himself with. He and Étoile’s fight is cut short however, thanks to slave intervention. Note, I did say slave intervention.
As I suspected considering what we’ve seen of the Lusitanians, they weren’t going to keep their word in regards to what they promised the slaves in return for their assistance. No, they seem to be complete hypocrites all around, not even keeping to their own supposed religion. And so the slaves, now left to fend for themselves with no one to help or provide for them, are understandably angry as things have actually gotten worse for them now that they are under Lusitania, rather than better.
I don’t know about you, but I think they might just be angry.
While this is all going on, we run into that rascally rascal Gieve, who has been doing his best to keep his head down and avoid all unnecessary contact with the Lusitanians. Gieve has basically shown that he is loyal to only one person, and that person has been, and always shall be himself…or at least that is, until he meets a certain young woman along a solitary mountain road.
Yes, I said that out resident “Han Solo” would meet up with his “Princess Leia” sooner rather than later. Our “Princess” and the last of our growing group, is actually a warrior priestess from a foreign principality named Farangis. This is no naive beauty and Gieve quickly finds that this woman needs neither his help nor his charms. She is on a mission to find and aid Prince Arslan in his hour of need, and she has no time for his unoriginal sweet talking. I find myself liking Farangis so far, she is now the only female in the show with a main supporting role and so I’m interested in how she will affect the plot. We already have an idea of her character, considering her words in regards to her past at the temple of her goddess and her dealings with Gieve. This is a woman who knows who and what she is and has such high self-esteem and assurance in herself and her abilities, that the petty jealousies of her peers don’t phase her, and Gieve’s words in regards to her, have little effect. I look forward to seeing more of her despite her ridiculous, implausible, and counter-productive get up (yeah, I’m not a fan of Farangis’ obviously-only-created-for-fanservice outfit). However, she’s a little busy as she has found a clue to the prince’s whereabouts in the form of Kharlan’s men who are in hot pursuit of the royal.
That brings us back to what exactly the cross-dressing Elam was doing in Ecbatana in the first place. Looking out for intel, he finds that the treasonous Kharlan, is being sent out to hunt down Arslan, but not just for the Lusitanians, but also for General Silvermask, in a play to get rid of any future complications. Arslan and his small band quickly figure out that Kharlan will try to drive the prince out by targeting the innocent. And can we talk about Kharlan?
“It just shows, when you’re wicked, you’re left only on your own…”
Turncoats and traitors, depending largely on the circumstances, tend to find themselves in a very particular and uncomfortable position. Kharlan has found himself in that position of a complete outsider, having turned his back on his people and yet still not one of the Lusitanians, he finds himself scorned by both sides. You have to wonder if he ever thought whether everything he’s gone through was going to be worth it in the end? What about his men? Was their loyalty that firm that they were willing to go along with him as he destroyed their country and murdered their fellow countrymen? I had once said that Daryun was “loyal to a fault”, but in retrospect, maybe that character trait would be better applied to the treasonous captain. And now, at the point of his death, and after we finally find out his reasons for what he’s doing, I have to think that perhaps his biggest attribute, ended up being his biggest fault. Instead of taking time to really consider what he was doing and what it was costing, he stayed true to his loyalty to Silverrmask without question. After a certain point, knowing that he’s traded his honor and has forever become despised by his own people, he must have realized that there was no turning back, and that this would most likely lead to his death. I just wonder if at some point he wondered if his diehard loyalty was truly worth it? Was the end result truly going to be worth the bloody price that has been paid?
Narsus, proving his strategic mettle once again, pulls an age-old trick of how a small fighting force can take down an army of thousands by doing a mix of “king-of-the-hill” and disabling the armies by tricking them into thinking they are facing bigger and fiercer odds than they actually are. Arslan, Elam, and the newly joined Farangis and Gieve, do an excellent job of psyching out Kharlan’s forces, who didn’t have a strong morale to begin with. In the end it’s Daryun vs. Kharlan, and the man still refuses to say anything, that is until Daryun causes what would have been a cowardly strike to the back, as an opportunity to dehorse his opponent, and through a chain of following events, Kharlan ends up mortally wounded, having fallen on the sharp end of his own spear-like partisan.
Bleeding out, he decides to only tell the prince’s group a cryptic clue in that King Andragoras is indeed alive, but that the throne is no longer within his reach. He say that the “rightful king” will ascend to that throne. At this point, Arslan is too far away to hear this, but it’s interesting that neither Daryun nor Narus tell him about this second part regarding a “rightful king”. They themselves don’t know yet what to make out of his words, and they don’t want to burden the already overwhelmed boy. They are right in that Arslan is weak and soft and still a child (even by their own culture’s standards), with not a hateful bone in his body, as even after Kharlan’s treachery and the fact that the man has tried to murder him several times, he still demands that he live and not die, and even after that proves to be an impossible request, asks Farangis to say an elegy for Kharlan and his fallen men.
Kharlan is surprised by this and also how such a boy can end up gathering so many people from all different paths of life to come to his aid. I think that maybe in that moment, just a little, Kharlan learned what true loyalty is, and that it means nothing if the person you are loyal to and following, isn’t worthy of it. The scene of him reaching out and touching Arslan’s knee in comfort was a nice ending moment for a man that might have learned too late, but accepted that and took it in stride.
At the same time, while everyone else is also surprised at Arslan’s forgiveness and compassion, most of them most likely realize it as the show of personal strength that it was meant to be. It is only the more worldly and jaded Gieve, that thinks of it as a weakness and a failing within the prince, dismissing the entire royal family of Pars at this point. He’s only in this because Farangis has caught his eye as that “unreachable woman”, and he is fascinated by her. Also, he doesn’t care for the Lusitanians and he’s not doing anything right now, so he has no problem hanging around with the prince and his band of merry men, at least until things get hairy and then he can always ditch them. Right?
Gieve’s character is a pretty standard archetype, and we can all probably guess exactly how he’s going to grow as the story continues. The same can probably be said of other characters like Arslan and Étoile, who also have pretty standard archetypes as well, but then there are some characters like Daryun, Narsus, and Faragis that pretty much have their act together, that you’re wondering where they will be by the end of this journey? But then again, it’s really more about the journey isn’t it? And quite a journey it’s going to be with the new reveals that are coming out of the woodwork at this point.
You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring boy who will be king.
If you haven’t figured it out by this point, these last couple of episodes decided to reveal a few of its cards by telling the audience exactly what Kharlan’s reasons were, and also the reason for the huge amount of hated that Silvermask has for Andragoras and why he’s doing what he’s doing. I wasn’t lying when I said there were going to be Game-of-Thrones-esque vibes in this story.
Remember back when I was talking about Tahamenay being passed around like piece of meat between men of power? Well, if you go to about Man #3, I mentioned that this was one called Osroes, who was not only the previous king of Pars but Andragoras’ older brother. Osroes supposedly died of an illness about 16 years prior to present day, leaving Andragoras conveniently with not only the throne, but Tahamenay as well, who Osroes has taken from another principality that he had conquered, but whom Andragoras also desired. Silvermask was burned in an incident that occurred 16 years ago in which he fully blames Andragoras, and Kharlan’s dying words were of a “rightful king that would ascend to the throne”. And considering Silvermask’s perspective age and countenance….
Have you figured it out yet?
“You wanna know how I got these scars?”
Yes, Silvermask (né Hermes) is of the royal house of Pars, being the son of Osroes, the previous king of Pars, making him both Andragoras’ nephew and Arslan’s cousin. It is extremely likely that his father and his family were assassinated on Andragoras’ orders (or even by his own hand) and he seems to be the only one that somehow survived to tell the tale and take revenge. And by all accounts, as the only living son of Osroes, he is legally the rightful heir to the throne that his uncle stole from him.
Yes, it is quite a pickle, especially for someone like Arslan who is only going to end up the victim of the actions of the past. He didn’t ask for any of this, and now it’s all being laid in his lap for him to clean up. And if he’s willing to care and pray for those nameless soldiers who betrayed him and his people, how the heck is he going to handle the fact that he has a cousin out there who he never knew existed and now wants his throne back?
Well, it’ll probably be a bit before Arslan finds out everything that happened, since I don’t think Silvermask is going to be very forthcoming and Andragoras is currently locked up in his own dungeons in the royal capital. But whenever the situation does reveal itself to our heroes, it’s still going to be quite a mess to figure out. And I highly doubt that this will be the end of the surprises that are in store for us going forward.
We can figure that Kharlan recognized Silvermask/Hermes as the considered-dead previous crown prince and thus pledged his loyalty to him and helped him in his plot to get vengeance and dethrone Andragoras. Hermes is using the Lusitanians to take Andragoras and his ruling house out of power and then will work to topple Lusitania itself once he’s done with them, which will leave him as ruler of Pars. It’s a plan that does make sense logistically, and I would actually be all behind Silvermask trying to get his throne back…if I thought he deserved it.
If anyone has embraced and let his anger “flow through him”, it’s Hermes. This man has been living on hatred and vengeance for the past sixteen years, to the point that I honestly think his blood has turned acrid and he doesn’t think of anything else. It has destroyed most, if not all of the good man that might have been there. He has become cruel, callous, cold, and mentally unbalanced. His desire to destroy his uncle and everything that he stands for, has caused him to destroy Pars in the process, and despite his blood claim to the throne, I can’t agree that he is in any way worthy to rule. He crossed a line somewhere long ago, and I don’t know if he can or wants to find his way back.
About IreneSharda
A Chicagoan biochemist, teacher, and an aspiring virologist, with a love for science only rivaled by my love for movies, animation, and anime. Both a lover of action/adventure and romance, I'm a girl who walks the entire spectrum. Mecha, Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller, Romantic Period Piece, if it's has a good story, I'm there.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Bread is tasty and goes well with wine. ESPECIALLY when you are pretending to work. 😛
He will say, LET THEM EAT SWEETMEATS! *runs*
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
So the Lusitanians claim all men are equal? I guess Innocentis VII proves “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” He is rather pig-like.
Farangis’s outfit is pure fanservice, but with all the Bishies in this anime I suppose there had to be something for the male fans (although Yona of the Dawn didn’t think she needed a fanservice outfit). Good to see there’s going to be at least one strong, independent female character in the show.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Well, so far we’ve only had two prominent female characters in total with Farangis and Tahamenay. I honestly think that both are rather strong and independent, even if Tahamenay goes from man to man.
The woman seems to have a very strong confidence, she is not afraid to spurn her husband or any man for that matter, and she knows what authority she holds and doesn’t back down. Even while captured, she doesn’t stray from that sense of placid, icy calmness. She’s a queen, and she will continue to act as such, captive or no captive.
Also interesting is that though they did have a decoy make it look like the queen ran, she actually decided to stay with her people regardless.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Queen Tahamenay is strong, but I wouldn’t exactly call her independent. Her position has depended upon men lusting after her and it still does with Innocentis wanting to marry her. She does have some control over the men who want her, but she still depends upon them for her place in society.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
In other words, beside her strong will, her beauty is her weapon. A fierce, effective and frightening weapon, indeed. And men easily bend backwards when a woman is involved.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I think of her as more independent of mind and spirit. She does depend on her husband for status and security, but that was practically all women at the time. but you have to admit that she tends to bend men to her will, more than the other way around.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
@HannoX: Arakawa Hiroku DID say she was going to make some changes to the source story (with the author’s approval), plus she just enjoys drawing her woman characters sexy. She famously said “Men should be buff! Women should be vavoom!”
For comparison, here’s Farangis from the 90s OVA, based on Amano Yoshitaka:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEGhhl9UEAA1V01.jpg
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That way of thinking I have no problem supporting.
As for the picture, like I said in a comment below, the OVA version of Farangis looks tame compared to her current counterpart. That and she doesn’t look so appealing. If Gieve were to pass judgment on both of them, he’d take the white clad version hands down.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Hmm, really? As a straight woman I can’t see through the eyes of a man very well, but honestly I find her new outfit to be kind of cheap. It would be useless for protection, very uncomfortable for riding, and honestly quite hard to put on. Farangis is a refined woman, both sensible and beautiful. I think she can look both armored and lovely without having to bare her chest. And they could have shown a little cleavage without having her entire middle bare where a sword, arrow, or spear could easily pierce it.
OVA Farangis actually hooked Gieve more from her conversation and insight in regards to him, more so than just looks, though he did notice those first.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Some of the changes made, like fat Innocentis or barely clothed Farangis I cringe at. But there are other changes, like the fact that Kharlan doesn’t kill himself on purpose, or when he does have that moment in regards to Arslan as he lays dying, that I really did like.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Innocentis VII is very unsightly in my opinion. He’s so pig-like I can’t look at him without feeling some form of disgust. And he wants to marry Arslan’s mother. *shivers* The way he is indulged by Lustanians at every turn isn’t helping, either.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, history is such a bummer. Thomas Jefferson owned people, and made a great deal of money in that trade.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
In the novels, King Innocentius is described as being somewhat plump “with a bad complexion, and his skin lacked the sheen of vitality”.
The novels also point out although he is VERY religious (prays 3 times a day, doesn’t take meat or alcohol, took vow of celibacy), he is a boring character who is completely useless as a king and leader.
I think the obese man-child look is Arakawa’s take on the character to exaggerate his uselessness even further.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Yeah, I know originally he looked pretty different, and in the old OVA he looks like a normal dude. This one was rather cartoony, but then again, they seem to be simplifying the story here, so it works.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Based on that description, I’d say he was a very ill individual.
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He came down with a serious illness at age 10, implied to be deadly. His religious fervour started after he recovered, where he took a vow to never marry until all the heathens were destroyed and Ialdaboath temples were erected in all their capitals.
Innocentius has been very successful in resisting lust, which is why he finds it very unusual to be attracted to the Parsian Queen.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
To me, Innocentus seems to retain the mind of a child. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t understand his attraction.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Fun facts from the novels:
1) The Lusitanian soldiers hate priest Bodin too. They booed him when he was torturing Shapur, as they felt it undignified for him to treat a brave warrior that way.
2)Some of the looting and raping were committed by Kharlan’s men, who thought they’s blend in with the Lusitanians for some “fun”.
3)Each character speaks in their own nation’s language. Some are also bilingual. Priest Bodin can speak Parsian (with a thick Lusitanian accent).
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
1) It’s interesting how such a guy can stay in power if even his own people don’t like him. They had all the Lusitanian’s cheering here, though I do think in the OVA, they at least showed the soldiers that were around Shapur, turning away and wincing at his pain.
2)I place traitors even lower than the actual enemy in my book, so I’m not surprised.
3) Makes perfect sense that they would all have different languages. But of course they can’t do that in the show or we’d just have subtitles upon subtitles which would be very irritating. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I place traitors as non-existant scum that even Hell wouldn’t even admit. Quote Rin: Show ▼
Even Damnation Memoriae is too good a punishment for them. Traitors should die slowly and excruiciatingly painfully.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A Jack Sparrow quote from “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”: “The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers”.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Hell would be most horrified at the things I do to traitors.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I wonder what that would be.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
That idea comes from Dante’s The Inferno.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah, I saw the animated movie “Dante’s Inferno”. That stuck to mind for a while.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Episode 7’s endcard is by mangaka Oshimi Shuzou, who penned psychological thriller Aku no Hana/The Flowers of Evil.
http://i.imgur.com/DzGg3HE.png
Who here still remembers the rotoscoped anime version, and how the Japanese otaku completely hated it? Would you want a Season 2 of it?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Of course I remember Aku no Hana, it wasn’t only Japanese otaku that were put off by it. Western otaku too were outraged when it first came out. The presales plunges and the MAL rating took a giant hit. I didn’t really care for either the story or the animation so I didn’t bother with it.
However, I heard the manga looked nice, and seeing the endcard of this, I agree.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I couldn’t even make it through one episode of Aku no Hana. I found the art far too off-putting.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I was kind of fascinated by the anime. I thought it had a certain arthouse quality to it, especially with the moody music.
I heard even the mangaka supported the rotoscope idea.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I watched through 3 or 4 episodes. The art style didn’t bother me that much, it was the idiot characters that did. Yes, they were supposed to be idiots, and they played it pretty much exactly like they should. It just turned me off.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…the rotoscoping wasn’t a bad idea. But using it for all the production, instead of the moments where it could have provided some visual depth made it feel artificial. I felt the same way for A Scanner Darkly, both it and Aku were unwatchable as a result. Same thing happened with the Les Mis film. On the spot recording for a sung through non-static stage performance made aural mud….
…and saying the mangaka supported it? That’s only mildly better than saying the studio’s janitor thought it was a good idea…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I remember that series. Fortunately, I bailed on it as early as possible. Aside from the god awful, off-putting choice of animation, the first two episodes utterly had me nodding off at their boring, uninteresting story that making any distinction proved an insurmountable task. So I couldn’t care less if a second season crops up.
Though if it has so many stigmas from nearly all directions, especially from Japan, who is the final deciding factor for any series, I wonder why the idea of a second season is even being entertained. As far as the majority vote is concerned, Aku no Hana is on the anime community blacklist as much as Glasslip.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Sounds like Haibane Renmei to me… And Mahoutsukai ni taisetsuna koto… and clannand and…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It’s one thing to have artistic license. It’s another to butcher the spirit and the feel of a series in the name of so-called “artistic license”.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That’s why “slice of life” type of shows that put too much effort into trying to be artistic fall flat and fail about 95% of the time. Already, slice of life isn’t very appealing to begin with.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Ssshhh! Not too loud! Some here object!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Between Arslan and Seraph, I’m getting used to that “Universal” intro. Contemplating whether that’s a good thing or not. This season’s going so fast that I’m reluctant to accept this show is already 1/3 of the way over.
Well, things certainly didn’t go within expectations. After the crushing defeat of the Pars army, I was under the impression Andragoras was long dead with his remains possibly showcased as some morbid trophy of a grand achievement. Even more surprising that Silvermask/Hermes and Arslan, who are enemies are bitterly related thanks to bad blood from their fathers. In other words, this was ultimately one big family feud now intensified since a third party is brought in and most likely under false pretenses.
Hermes would go this far to get back at his own family members, so it isn’t farfetched to assume he’d eventually stab Lustania in back if their usefulness ever ran its course.
Gieve and Farangis will be nice additions to an already entertaining bunch as he futilely tries to appeal to her. And I will assume he’s smart enough to realize she’s the type of woman who won’t be easily swayed so he’ll have to put more effort on her than he’s ever done with any other girl. Best of luck to him.
Pfft, hahaha!! That comes with the territory. A lot of women’s outfits back in those times showed a considerable amount of skin. So this is nothing new and is to be expected. Some say for female warriors, it’s for them to fight more freely without being restricted. Same principal was used in the anime “Burst Angel”. Want something to compare that to? Try Saber and her armor from Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works.
Oh, ho! I know that line like the back of my hand. I thought you didn’t care for “The Dark Knight” after the comment I left on Death Parade’s First Impression. 😉
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Well, I kind of expect that out of those kind of shows. The sword/fantasy anime genre can have quite implausible fighting outfits for both women and men. However, Arslan is in that area of sword-and-sandal genre that tends to be a little more believable and accurate when it comes to warriors and their apparel. It’s in the same vein as Kingdom and Akatsuki no Yona, and having a female character that supposed to be a warrior, dressed in nothing that could possibly protect her body, sticks out like a sore thumb considering everyone else in the show is more appropriately dressed.
And I know that this was just Arakawa’s way of trying to put in some unnecessary fanservice (by her own admission, she like to have her women be “vavavoom”), since it’s nothing of Tanaka’s design. If you want an idea of what Farangis originally looked like, here’s the way she looked in the OVA.
I don’t, but I thought the line worked here. I’ve see Dark Knight 1 and a half times, everyone talks about it, but it just wasn’t for me. However, I still know quite a bit of quotes from the film.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Saber has a P0N0S.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Ok, that’s going way too far! Knock it off!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hmmm…. she seems rather tame in the OVA compared to this version. One would be hard pressed to say it’s the same person, to put it bluntly.
Yeah, “The Dark Knight” has a lot of memorable quotes. A shame you’re not into it after how well made it was.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Honestly, it’s just a little too dark for my tastes. I was just never into that much grit.