Arslan Senki – 17

Gigantic, cold, feels no pain? Yeah…they got a mountain.

Alright men, place your bets, place your bets! It the fight of the century! In this corner, we have the always dashing, undefeated champion, the original dark knight: Daryuuuun, The Helmeted Terror! Annnnd! In this corner, the challenger! The Crusher!

Your will, is my will.

Though jokes aside, this was an excellent climax to this arc. Daryun has no problem fighting for Rajendra if Arslan agrees to it. I like how Daryun has complete confidence in his own abilities, and yet it doesn’t come off as arrogance or over-confidence. He’s actually a pretty humble fellow all things considered.  However, in classic Arslan fashion, he won’t command any in his entourage to do anything, but instead asks. While Rajendra is asking a big deal from Arslan, the Parsians have a large stake in this too. They have willingly gone into foreign territory to help in a coup and they also will need Sindhura’s help in their own fight as well. So, while Arslan does have a choice, it’s not much of one.

But as we’ve seen several times already, Daryun is the strongest warrior in Pars, and we learn the “knight in black” is feared throughout many nations. (And Andragoras was about to throw this one away too?!) So no one is really worried, and Narsus is even beginning to plan ahead for what this means for Arslan’s reputation and that of Pars later on.

Warriors prepare while schemers scheme. 

However, Gadevi, also knowing how infamous Daryun’s reputation is, pulls out the biggest, meanest, most savage thing he can find. And Bahadur is more mountain than even “the mountain” from Game of Thrones.

All the parties gather, Arslan and his party come into the capital to attend but are treated rather coldly. But I’m proud of the way the prince handled it. At first he seemed nervous but quickly shook it off. Arslan tries to find this balance between how he feels as only being a growing young teen, and yet being the current head dignitary of a nation, and many of his scenes show this.

And of course if he every messes up or goes too far, he has a team that helps to bring him back and get him back on track. Right now, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, but he’s barely entered puberty. Let’s see how his temperament is when he’s 17. Especially consider what we glimpse in him this episode.

Where exactly does he get all these outfits? It’s not like he has access to his closet. 

The tournament starts and no one is more nervous than Arslan. More than anyone else, Daryun was by his side even before all this trouble went down. And if you haven’t noticed by now (and if you haven’t, watch any scene with Arslan, Narsus, and/or Daryun all in the same shot) , along with Narsus, the two serve as his left and right hand. He’s going to be a bit unbalanced if he loses one of them.

The fight begins, and all the dignitaries have arrived. Despite everything going one, appearance is still everything in this arena, and so Arslan must turn towards the stately area of his duty, which he hasn’t got much practice in as of late, but he has confidence…

That is slowly chipped away once the fight actually begins. Narsus may not ever meet his equal, but this time, his best friend may not have that same pleasure. Daryun’s opponent is no pushover, and the man quickly finds that he might have met his match.

‘

A gathering of royals.

The actual fight is a tense one, and even though we know Daryun won’t die (sorry guys, no squished eyeballs or skulls this time!), there is nothing that says he won’t be horribly injured in the process. Arslan’s fear  compounds on itself during the match and all of his team try to reassure him as much as themselves. But when Rajendra tells him that the creature Daryun is up against feels no pain and is more beast than man, for the first time this series–Arslan snaps. Showing the brutal roots of his people,  Arslan promises a swift and cruel death for all involved if Daryun falls. It’s an interesting moment, showing that when pushed, the prince of Pars is no weakling. He cares deeply about his people, and if anything happens to them, he takes it personally.

It’s an interesting scene when Gadevi tries to make fun of Arslan and even challenge his validity as crown prince, based on his outburst. And yet, his father doesn’t hate to censure him, saying that if he had a heart like the Parsian prince, he would have been crown prince long ago. And thus we get an understanding that King Karikala isn’t as indecisive or weak as we thought, but instead, wouldn’t obey tradition blindly, especially if he didn’t think either son was ready or even worthy to take his place.

The cub has fangs.

As for Arslan he really has nothing to worry about, as Daryun has been Narsus’ best bro for quite some time, and you have to guess that during all of those years, at least some of that strategic genius rubbed off. Or else the two have a telepathic link and Narsus is feeding him instructions, but way whatever makes most sense to you. (Notice that Narsus is the only one who isn’t worried. Even Elam notices the strange calmness he has.)

And before you can say, “No capes!” it turns out that Daryun’s serves as much more than garment, but also as a weapon, that he uses to brutal effect. Having a secret weapon hidden until the last possible moment to strike is nothing new, but that doesn’t make the scene any less awesome when Daryun reveals that he had a simple but effective ace up his sleeve. And just like that, the fight is over and both Rajendra and Pars have won.

Darling! Edna would like to speak to you, regarding the actual utility of your cape. 

But of course, Gadevi is a pretty sore loser and he can’t wrap his head around the fact that his low-born brother will become king over him. The moment he pulls the sword on his own father, you know that it’s over for him. If there was any wonder if Gadevi would have been a good king over his brother, we get all of our answers here. The man has the temperament of a spoiled child that doesn’t get their way, and so takes it out on everyone else.

I know we’ve been comparing Rajendra/Gadevi with Arslan/Hermes, but honestly, he’s actually a lot worse than Hermes, who actually has a legitimate beef concerning what happened to him and what he’s been through.

What a surprise….

A fight breaks out between the two sides once again, and this time, Arslan and party decide that they’re not going to get involved. But they get pulled in anyway, and are soon locked in combat, with the prince once again in danger. Now, Arslan, we saw that fierce temper only a few moments ago, and I know you’re armed and can at least defend yourself. But I guess maybe your power of insight let you realize it was Jaswant’s time to shine? Well, the black leopard finally returns the favor to the royal cub, saving Arslan’s life, stating that for him to get hurt while a guest of their country, would dishonor their nation.

It’s funny that the person who actually ends the fight is Gadevi himself, by mortally wounding the only good Grand Vizier in storytelling history, Mahendra. I knew that a sad end would come to this guy, if just for the fact that the OP and ED has been telling us that Jaswant will be joining Arslan. Jaswant would never leave Mahendra’s side willingly, and thus the man had to be removed from the equation. But the guy was so beloved by everyone, that all the soldiers stop fighting at his demise.

Daryun, having just fought a duel in order to end all this, isn’t having any of this crap! If anyone wants to do any more fighting, they can fight him! To which the Sindhuran soldiers are so shocked that they drop both their jaws and their weapons, and dub Daryun “Sher Senani”, which is Sindhuran for “Fierce Tiger General”.

The cub has a new protector in his pack. 

And thus everything is settled. Gadevi is arrested and Rajendra is made crown prince. However, it is still a bittersweet end as Mahendra dies with Jaswant by his side. The two were really good people who happened to choose the wrong side and it cost them. But Mahendra asks his adopted son with his dying breath, not to make the same mistake that he did and to choose the correct path for himself.

While we as the audience know what path that will be, we have to wonder what will happen next episode that will make Jaswant choose to go to Pars rather than stay in his homeland? What will happen now with the deal between Rajendra and Arslan now that the Sindhuran prince has what he wants?

Farewell to the only Grand Vizier in history that wasn’t evil. 

While he was definitely the better choice over his brother, Rajendra has a bit of growing up to do himself. Remember that if either prince was truly worthy of being a ruler, their father would have named them the heir apparent long ago. Will Rajendra go back on his deal after all the help that Pars has given to get him to his position? Is he truly that stupid? Does he really want to turn a nation that has Daryun and Narsus in it, as an enemy?

If so, the King Karikala might have to just have to find a daughter or something to become the new ruler of Sindhura.

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.