Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen – 11-12

It was at this moment that Nosuri knew… She fucked up.

There isn’t very much to talk about in episode 11, so I’ll just get it over with quickly and move on to episode 12.

 

 

Stuff Happens

It was at this moment that Anzu knew… She fucked up.

In episode 11, Anzu learns an important lesson about the responsibilities of her position as princess of Yamato. The end.

Priestesses

Priestesses of Chains.

In episode 12, the emperor gifts Haku the two Priestesses of Chains, Uruuru and Saraana, as thanks for “rescuing” Anzu from the “bandits.” The two happen to be the daughters of Honoka, whom you may recall is the emperor’s personal attendant. Now that we know her daughters are apparently important priestesses, it comes as no surprise to learn that Honoka herself is the high priestess of Yamato. Whatever that means… The only things we know so far about the priestesses are that they are gifted magic users and are trained to serve all the needs of their master. For Honoka, said service appears to mainly consist of serving tea and wheeling the wheelchair-bound emperor around. But for Uruuru and Saraana, there appears to be a strange emphasis on sexual service, most likely for comedic effect. Which actually didn’t amuse me very much. It’s more awkward when they start rubbing their bodies all over Haku and repeatedly mention doing sexual favors for him, to be honest. At least they’re good dancers though. Anyway, it’s interesting to note that none of the priestesses possess any immediately obvious animal characteristics, like animal ears or a tail. But they do have a single horn at the front of their head, or at least wear a headband that gives that impression. Whatever the case, the horn invokes the imagery of an oni (the one-horned variety). The significance of this, if there is any, remains to be seen.

Oh Nekone…

In other news, it is revealed that the candy stall owner (named Sakon) we’ve frequently seen around the capital is actually Mikazuchi, General of the Left, in disguise. Much like Oshutoru, he takes up this false identity and spends time among the common-folk of Yamato. But while this appears to give the two generals a nice, personal touch, I have to wonder how much sense it really makes. I would imagine it’s a full-time job to be a high-ranking general of a country. So how do they find the time to take on a second life? And moving on to other strange things, it would seem that Dekoponpo is still a member of the Eight Pillar Generals. I thought his corrupt behavior, which directly endangered the citizens of Yamato, was already exposed following the events of episode 8. What gives?

Extra Dancing

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Utawarerumono has honestly lost a lot of steam in the last few episodes. As I’ve said before, it really needs to move on from these attempts at episodic humor and focus more on moving the plot ahead. In that regard, episode 12 is a half-step in the right direction. The introduction of Uruuru and Saraana, and the concept of magical priestesses, is a sign of important things to come. But still, the episode stumbles on needless fanservice and jokes that don’t quite hit the mark. Having 25 episodes to work with may mean that a show can take its time and be a little slower with its story-telling. But that’s still no excuse for tossing in fat that should have been trimmed.

What’s next for the bros?