Shuumatsu no Izetta – 06
I like pie.
I’ve got mostly mixed feelings about this week’s Izetta.
Convenient Outcome
The workshop.
Last time we ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Jonas learning about Izetta’s secret through some very contrived circumstances. As a result, I was prepared for Jonas to flap his lips to the Germanian spy in this episode. But thankfully, that’s not what happened. Instead, the show changed tracks entirely and provided some character development for Seighart. The gist of things is that the Germanian spy got impatient and sabotaged his chances of coaxing the secret out of Jonas. Then he resorted to threats, which seemed to almost work (even though it was obviously an empty bluff to us viewers) if not for Seighart’s timely intervention. Regardless of what happened to the spy in the end (he was last seen being pursued by Seighart’s agent), the important thing is that there will no longer be some convenient way for Berkman and the Germanian special unit to discover Izetta’s secret. He’ll have to do the investigation himself, which is a plus as that process will undoubtedly be much more interesting. I myself am just as curious as the special agent to see what secrets are locked away in the workshop.
By Any Means
Jonas’s fate is sealed.
And now on to the man in the spotlight, Seighart. Since his introduction, we’ve known that he is an intelligent and pragmatic person, willing to do anything and everything necessary to save his country from the Germanian threat. Remember that he was the one who first proposed using Izetta as both a military weapon and a propaganda tool, even after learning her limitations. So as far as things go, he is essentially Eylstadt’s equivalent of Berkman, or perhaps even Elliot. The events of this episode highlight the extent of his devotion and the darkness that comes with it. When he first learned that Jonas had uncovered Izetta’s secret, Seighart sent an agent to investigate the soldier, perhaps to evaluate if he was someone they could trust to join the select few who knew the truth. But once he got word that a Germanian spy was lurking about in Jonas’s platoon, his attitude changed entirely. Any thought of tolerating Jonas disappeared, and the poor guy became nothing more than a liability. You could tell that the very moment Seighart heard about the spy on the phone, Jonas’s fate was sealed.
Alas, poor Jonas.
Obviously Finé will not agree to his actions when she learns of them. But I do think that Seighart’s less than admirable character is necessary for the story. We already have a white knight in the form of the princess turned archduchess. And if the rest of the show were to be just her and Izetta, who at the moment severely lacks any meaningful depth of character, against an invading empire, things would feel too cut and dry, even boring. So Seighart’s dark knight is a welcome foil to Finé. He provides a much-needed middle ground between the absolute righteousness of the princess and the dark ambitions of the Germanian emperor, while mixing in Berkman’s intellect. And he’s not an entirely morally questionable person either, as we see that he had to alleviate his conscience by asking Jonas if he was willing to do whatever it takes to protect his country before executing the unfortunate fellow. Not to mention, at this point the show is as much a battle of wits between Berkman and Seighart as it is a battle of might between Izetta and the Germanian military.
And then the rest of the episode is mainly a slice of life segment as the girls go to town in disguise to eat some delicious cherry pie. It’s a nice change of pace from the frantic scramble on the front lines and the creeping threat of Berkman’s schemes. But there just isn’t too much to say about it. Lotte squeezes a reluctant Izetta into a corset, which is gag that’s been done countless times before. Finé experiences breast envy when Izetta’s chest doesn’t fit in one of her dresses, which is a situation that could have been entirely avoided since Elvira undoubtedly knows they aren’t the same size after having groped them both. And then the party has a disguised excursion to a bakery for delicious pie, during which their covers are blown due to contrivances, yet another well-worn trope. It was overall a rather disappointing sequence. But hopefully things will pick up again next week as Finé and Izetta set off to convince the allies to renew their struggle against the Germanian empire.
Going on a journey.
About Sumairii
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I like this wrinkle, as it will have to lead to Finé making choices about what her staff and her army do, and what she’ll do with Izetta. So yeah, Jonas was the first domino in that character arc…
By the way, making cherry pie with cherry liquor (like in this ep) is WUNDERBAR!!!!!
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
I doubt Fine will learn about what happened with Jonas any time soon.
Also, it’s not up to Fine to decide what to do with Izetta; it has been made extremely clear that as meek as Izetta behaves, she takes her own decisions.
In that respect I disagree with Sumairii that Izetta lacks any meaningful depth. In fact, I think she has more depth than Fine, who is just a pinnacle of virtue without actual flaws to balance things out. At least Izetta has to deal with her lack of self-esteem as she walks the path of Eylstadt’s legendary hero, which gives room for character growth.
On that note, I loved when the little girl gave Izetta a flower as a sign of gratitude. Fine has been trying to make Izetta see that she’s the hero who saved everyone’s ass, but Izetta has never truly believed that due to her lack of self-esteem. But this moment with the little girl seems to have touched Izetta deeper. Now she’s not doing things for just Fine’s sake; she has decided that she wants to save the people of Eylstadt because she has started to love them on her own, and she might start to gain a greater sense of self-worthy as a result.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think the plot will boil up in the pot nicely for a few more episode that is for sure…
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
I’m not sure. The preview is hinting that Izetta will get involved in some battle next episode. I image Berkman will find out Izetta has left Eylstadt then and all hell will break loose. Rather than boiling up for a few episodes, I think the plot is gonna blow up pretty soon.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It’s war, so a mess on the kitchen wall is fine, too…
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
There’s definitely room for Izetta to grow, but as I said, she hasn’t done any growing yet. At the moment, she’s pretty one-dimensional; she’s overly modest to the point of being self-deprecating, only breaking out of her shell and into action if it is to benefit the ambitions of her treasured friend. And this hasn’t changed for the last half of the show.
Neither is Finé any better, as you noted; she is a Mary Sue of virtue and utterly devoid of any other characterism. Which is the main reason why a focus on just those two against the forces of Germania and its emperor would be so dull. Seighart brings much more to the table with his complicated morality and shrewd schemes.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Izetta’s anime website has a parody manga series which makes fun of events in each week’s episode (there’s a new one every week).
Surprisingly all of them always end morbidly with the mains falling/driving off cliffs, crashing into mountains etc.
http://mangafox.me/manga/shuumatsu_no_izetta/
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
While I had always thought it possible that Seighart would kill Jonas to keep Izetta’s secret, I didn’t think it would really happen. I figured either Jonas would be transferred to the palace guard where an eye could be kept on him or he’d choose death rather than capture by the Germanians to safeguard the secret.
It’s a nice twist to see that one of the good guys can be ruthless if needed. Too many anime, movies, books, etc. avoid that. In reality those in the secret services of their country, even good guy countries, sometimes have to commit acts that could be considered evil or at the least morally questionable.
Now we can watch the much more interesting process of Berkman piecing together the clues to discover Izetta’s weakness rather than having it handed to Germania on a platter.