Arslan Senki – 23

You fly down a street on the chance that you’ll meet,

And you meet — not really by chance.

A cookie for the first one to recognize those lyrics (and using Google is cheating).

Well, we’ve entered the climax of the series as Arslan make his stand against his cousin and the Lusitanian forces at the Keep of St. Emmanuel. I wish there was a lot more to talk about, but this being primarily a battle episode, which means there’s mostly just a lot of fighting going on for course of the runtime. However, even then, we have some interesting things to take note of.

Arslan is a pillar of strength this episode, much more confident in this battle than he was during the Battle of Atropatene. He’s relegated to staying at the base and coordinating the war effort. He wants to go out with his men, but his vassal/guardian Narsus reminds him that there he is the “banner” for their army and that him being the spirit of their army and staying in the back is just as important to the job of being a commander as fighting. When I heard that and saw the look on Arslan’s face, I cracked up laughing. Narsus might have a way with words, but anyone could see through that flowery explanation. Arslan has basically been relegated to “mascot” status.

This talk has happened several times this series so I might as well address it. Arslan has constantly wanted to be out there with his men and to do more. He wants to feel more useful. But every time he expresses this desire, Narsus, Daryun, or both will tell him that him being out in the field is unnecessary and that it would be better for him to be stay back and be the inspiration and raison d’etre for his men to fight for.

Arslan is like a young child that always asks to do something to help, but as a parent, you know they aren’t old enough to handle the task yet, and so as not to discourage them, you tell them to do something smaller or that them just “being there” is being a big help. As much as Arslan is growing, I don’t think he’s ready to fight on the battlefield yet, and Narsus, Daryun, and the older members of his entourage know this. And despite the importance of this battle, his life means vastly more. As long as he’s alive, there will be a chance for Pars. Without him, it doesn’t matter how many battles they win, all is lost. Because Arslan isn’t actively doing something, he feels useless, and doesn’t realize that him simply living is the most important job of all.

“So everybody know what they’re doing? Great, I’ll just sit here and wait for you to get back.”

Going back to the battlefield, Hermes has driven the Lusitanians into a frenzy by charismatically regurgitating their beliefs and dogma back at them. He doesn’t believe anything he says and is lying through his teeth while wishing all the Lusitanians dead, but of course, none of them know that.  The battle gets underway and we can easily see that it will be one of the hardest battle that Arslan’s forces have ever gone against.

“What a bunch of maroons.”

Not only do they have to fight against the superior numbers of their enemy, but they are also realizing that they are fighting against their own countrymen as well.  This fact has caused the morale in the troops to wobble a bit, but their commanders keep them unified. Despite how bad it looks, everything is still going according to plan, as Narsus watches with Arslan back at their base. The dummy base was a stroke of genius and laughed aloud when Xandes and his men figured out they had been tricked. Sorry dude, we couldn’t help you, the audience was tricked too!

Speaking of Xandes, he’s part of one of the two main duels that occur during this episode. Xandes finds his man, and he tries to exact revenge on Daryun for his father’s death. Actually, as we watch this fight and the two men talk about their reasons for why they are doing what they are doing, And I have to admit, Xandes was a much more nuanced and grey character than I had first thought. For him it’s not really about what’s better for the nation, his wanting Hermes to take the throne is necessary for a much more selfish desire than that. His father played the traitor in order to bring who he believed was the rightful heir to the throne, and he died for those beliefs. And honestly, I can’t really blame Kharlan for doing such.

He didn’t know Arslan very well, and Hermes is the rightful heir by blood, so it made perfect sense for him. Yet, despite that, in the eyes of all of Pars, he died a traitor, and so his son will complete his vision so that once he takes the throne, Hermes can clear his father and his family’s name. It’s a simple desire and one that we can easily understand and sympathize with. Daryun understands his desire and even sees a kindred spirit in him, and yet– he also knows that he must battle this embittered young man to the death. This war between cousins has caused brother to fight against brother, with everyone having to take the side that they believe in the most. For as Kishward says, there can be only one king over Pars, and so they must fight.

The twin blade wielding general has the second featured duel against Sam in the underground aqueducts. Sam’s reason for staying with Hermes is actually much more somber and yet pathetic. He honestly doesn’t really believe in Hermes at all. He’s only with him out of utter sympathy and believes that one day he will leave his anger and rage behind and become a king that can lead their nation.

On the surface this sounds nice and all, but if you take the time to think about it, it’s gotta be one of the weakest reasons that I have ever heard, and one I highly doubt the masked prince wants to hear. You’re with him only because nobody else is? You’re hoping that he’ll someday change and magically become the king you want him to be? I’m starting to wonder who’s more delusional Hermes or you! Xandes’ reasoning at least makes me sympathize with him, your reasoning just makes me pity you.

Both duels end darkly, with Kishward being surrounded by the enemy and Xandes being unseated from his horse and impaled by Daryun’s spear. I would say the guy was actually “killed” if not for the shadow sorcerers showing up once again and making off with the body! and everyone knows the rule of anime:If there’s no body, he’s not dead. So, I’m thinking it’s pretty likely that we’ll see Xandes again after this second near-death experience.

But going back to the sorcerers, we haven’t seen those guys in a while, but when they do show up, they definitely make an impression. They are the only real showy force of magic and otherworldliness that we have in this show, so it’s always jarring when they show up. But something the guy said really struck me. He said something about “not enough blood has been spilt yet”? Other than giving me flashbacks to FMA, it also reminded me of Andragoras’ prophecy. Did he also not mention something about blood in relation to the cursed Pars royal house? Could these two separate lines of dialogue be connected? Could the sorcerers know about the prophecy and that’s why they are helping Hermes? Those shadowy bastards have to have some kind of ulterior motive, I can’t see them just serving Hermes for the heck of it.

Do you see a body? No? Then he’s not dead.

Back in the battle, everything is going along with Narsus’ plan despite it being more difficult this time around. The fake base ploy was a work of genius and one that I have come to expect of the tactician. I’m actually surprised that the blond didn’t take to the field this time, since he usually likes to observe, study, and strategize while in the midst of the action. However, I guess he thought that there’s enough warlords on the battlefield as is, and he can’t leave Arslan alone with practically everyone else of merit out fighting. He can just send Elam as a scout to run back and forth and tell him the new turns in the battle.

And unfortunately that ends up being his undoing, as Elam leads a very interesting certain someone back to the camp…

“I think someone might have been following me…and here they come right now…darn it.”

A Feisty Star and a Heathen Prince…

Let’s talk about the largest talking point of this episode, and that surrounds our Lusitanian tomboy, Étoile. This is one girl that sometimes I love her, and sometimes I want to slap her. She’s so zealous in her beliefs, and yet really doesn’t know the answer why. She speaks really on-the-nose advice, and yet, I think is even more naive than Arslan himself! Her guardian Barcacion wants to protect her, both from the world and from her own impetuousness. The more I look at his silent looks when Étoile preaches on and on about “heathens” and their “righteous” duty, the reminds me more of a parent silently listening to their kid’s silly complaints while thinking to themselves that the child knows nothing about how the world really works.

It also makes me wonder about Étoile’s backstory and what she’s so stalwart in her beliefs. She’s so wide-eyed and ignorant of the world, and yet thinks that she knows what she’s talking about, that it’s rather sad. No one can say anything to her that she will listen to, so the only thing you can do is wait patiently and silently, and let life teach her the lessons on its own. And school is already in session…

Out on the front line in the midst of battle is the last place that you want to try to convert the enemy to your beliefs, and especially in such a hamfisted, arrogant, and ignorant way as Étoile tries to do. And then she can’t understand why the Parsians won’t listen, to her it seems so simple, and yet everyone around her and in the audience know why and are just waiting for her to eventually learn as well.

I was actually very surprised to see that this is Étoile’s first battle. Her nature at her introduction and as a commander later on, seemed to suggest that she’s no stranger to war. However, her combat abilities are actually quite rudimentary and weak and show very little experience outside of combat practice. Her reaction to killing a man, also plainly shows that she has never killed a man before. She’s obviously been protected up until this point, but then I have to wonder what she was doing in the battle when she got captured in the first episode? She stated that she was a warrior, but that was obviously a lie. At this point, even Arslan (the supposed pampered rich boy that she likes to refer to him as) has more combat and warfare experience than her, and is probably much better with a sword at this point as well.

Yes, Étoile…people do indeed die when they are killed.

And we may well see that in this coming episode, as in the button scene this episode that everyone is talking about, is the last few minutes of the last scene. The moment that we’ve been waiting for and wondering about has finally come. It’s honestly amazing how fate has thrown these two together this many times, and yet circumstances never allowed for them to have ever exchanged names. And so now, when Étoile in her foolishness takes only a few soldiers and storms the real Parsian base, sees the young boy that she’s known since she was 11 standing in that room, her heart tries to tell her the truth, but her mind refuses to believe it.

The rich pampered boy that has amazing luck and who she freely admits taught her that not all Parsians are as “bad” as she thought, and one that she might even have admitted to having a friendship with…there’s no way that he can be…

A fated meeting…

…and yet it is. The boy she knew has been revealed to be the prince that in her mind she’s always hated. How does one merge their expectations with the actual reality? Arslan never lied to her about who he was, that part just never really came up before. And now, he knows that he has to face her with the blunt truth of his identity.

Some complain about how he came up to her unarmed, when she or especially the Lusitanian soldier next to her, can be an imminent danger to his life. And yet, I like the way he faced her, to me, Arslan is making a silent point. He’s never held a naked weapon against Étoile before and I guess he won’t do so now. Also, he knows what Étoile’s views of him are, he’s not going to reinforce those negative views by acting like the “savage” she expects him to be.

Him approaching casually also shows his position and authority of a royal. Every Parsian in that room is willing to die for him and he can command them all with ease. He can communicate that kind of power simply in his casual walk, showing that he seemingly is unfazed by the danger being presented. If he cowers away from a couple Lusitanian soldiers, what sort of example is that to his men? And even if somebody does attack, I think Arslan (having trained for a while with Daryun and having fought on the run this whole time) can easily disarm both of them. She’s the one in shock, not him. Arslan has gotten used to fighting and killing his enemies and he’s probably been expecting this to happen one day. So, even if she or the other guy try something, he can take her.

My question is what will the outcome be to this? Will she try to attack him? Will a fight break out and will she run from the situation during the confusion? Will Arslan let her go? Will he simply have her captured as a POW? We’ll have to wait until next week to see, as well as to see how this battle will end between Hermes and Arslan. A confrontation is upon us and the finale is in view, how will it all end?

The ending is coming in two episodes, and we still have quite a few loose ends. Even after this battle, will taking back the actual capital then be a cakewalk? Will they take back the capital in a single episode? Because in case everyone forgets, this is the battle for the Keep of St. Emmanuel, not Ecbatana, we haven’t even gotten there yet. And even if we do get there, there’s still so many questions left to answer as well. I have an idea of how things will end next week. Arslan will of course win, but I can’t see Hermes dying either. At this point in the story, we’re actually not even a third of the way through the original source material, so I can’t believe as important a figure as Hermes will be taken out to the story this early. And if Xandes is going to live to see another day, you can bet your bottom dollar that Hermes will as well. But despite all the action, my real interest is going to be what will happen with Étoile and how she’s going to change and mature now that she knows who Arslan really is.

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.