Dantalian no Shoka – 11

Friends don’t let friends fly planes and read books at the same time.

Whoa, the week went by so fast, I didn’t even realize that Dantalian comes out again in a couple of days. Since I hate putting multiple episodes into one post, I’ll just shove this one in now. Better late than never, right?

So travelling back in time when Huey was in the army (1917), the episode starts off with some fancy plane flying. The captain military guy (who looks like a blonde verson of Hal minus the glasses) is impressed because the guy who’s flying the plane so well is new. Guess what, it’s Huey.

The captain talks to Huey, who then says that he’ll kill more people than the captain has in just 3 months. He then tells Huey the he shouldn’t count how many people he’s killed (which may be an explanation as to why Huey never cares about the houses of dead people he leaves in his wake) and then says that Huey is just a boy who loves to fly. How does he know this? It’s because apparently he can read the minds of whomever he sees fly. Also, his name is Ilas.

Isn’t bromance beautiful?

Fast forward to 1918, Ilas has apparently defected from the English army and shoots down his former comrades while reciting poetry. He goes after Huey too, but Huey’s grabs for his falling key and by a lucky chance, manages to get out of the way in time.

I highly suggest not trying this at home.

In a bar, Ilas explains that he’s writing a book and that he likes the war because then he can fight. Like most fight crazed anime characters, for him fighting=being alive. Scene change again and Ilas is standing by a burning house and there’s a loli in a red dress in front of him.

Another scene change and Ilas is in a house and the red loli is there again. She tells him that she’s interested in his writing and asks him if he knows about Phantom Books (which is more of a rhetorical question because EVERYONE knows about them apparently). While the loli twirls around on nearby chairs, she explains that since Phantom Books are books, they have to be written by someone. However, they need a strong emotion or madness to be born. Apparently Ilas’ book is almost a Phantom Book, but not quite one yet. The loli finally introduces herself as the library of the archangel Raziel (yeah, it’s ‘Raziel’ with a ‘z’. I’ve been romanizing it wrong the entire time, my bad).  She also throws random German into her sentences.

Huey wonders about where his former bromance partner went, and there’s a flasheback to Ilas’ childhood. He worked in coal mines and then one day came across a newspaper clipping. Despite not knowing how to read, apparently he instinctively knew that it was about the Wright Brothers and airplanes (hey, it makes as much sense as anything else here).

You should have seen yesterday’s article about the moving vehicle that moves

More flashbacks and Huey and Ilas show off their airplane otakuness while playing basketball in half unbuttoned shirts. Then suddenly there’s more airplane fighting and Ilas turns into a giant cloud monster thing (via reading his unfinished Phantom Book) and starts attacking everyone. Then suddenly Huey shows up reading his part of the Phantom Book that Ilas gave him back when they were still on the same side, getting rid of the clouds. Huey tells Ilas that he died back in a fire, but Ilas doesn’t believe him and says not to get in his way. Huey says he wanted to say one last goodbye and then shoots him down.

Near the wreckage stand Raziel and Professer (who is also to bartender Ilas was talking to earlier), who never thought that someone else could use an incomplete Phantom Book. They wonder if the other user is a key holder as Ilas emerges from the burning aircraft completely unharmed. Ilas lost the book in the process, but he figures he can just write more. However, Raziel says that it’s the end for Ilas and pokes him, causing him to collapse.

It turns out that Ilas DID die in a fire and that the Professor resurrected him using (what a surprise) a Phantom Book. Ilas’ last words are that he just wanted to fly and then he turns into floating bubbles.

Back at whatever camp he’s at, Huey accidentally drops his copy of the incomplete Phantom Book in a fire. Armand yells at Huey for blatantly ignoring the sign next to him and delivers a letter. Huey reads said letter and then leaves because of the important contents. Sound familiar yet? Well it should because next thing you know, Huey is at his grandfather’s house only minutes before his first encounter with Dalian.

End Thoughts: ….What just happened? Okay, I understand now after thinking about it for a bit, but those flashbacks were confusing at first. Was I the only one confused? Though I like how they looped it around and made it kind of like a prequel to the first episode. When I knew Raziel was going to be in this, I assumed Dalian would be there as well. I guess she was busy being a hikkikomori in Wes’ basement at the time. Will any of the key holders/libraries ever meet up before this anime is over? Anyways, I’m sure this episode devoid of Dalian was a breath of fresh air for some of you who can’t stand her guts. I was too busy trying to piece together what was happening when to even notice that she wasn’t there until the end.

What the heck is Raziel on that makes her all floaty like that? She can’t be that light on her feet, can she? Though it gives her a more playful and graceful character as opposed to Dalian’s. I don’t think anyone could picture Dalian spinning about like that. Actually, her colour scheme and twirling reminded me a lot of Kagiyama Hina from the Touhou games. Though I suppose green hair is better than the blonde we’ve been getting thus far. Not sure if I like the Professor’s braid either, but it makes him an interesting character at least. On the plus/minus side, there was no unlocking scene this episode with Raziel. As awesome as it would be to see another variation, if shoving a key into a loli’s chest wasn’t awkward enough, I can only imagine how awkward shoving a key into a loli’s eye would be. And just how many reviving the dead books do these people have anyways?

This has nothing to do with anything in this episode, but remember how I thought I heard Kana Hanazawa’s voice in a preview near the beginning of the series? I WASN’T HALLUCINATING (hooray!). She’s been voicing child Huey (who is actually listed as child Huey, so it’s not his grandfather) THE ENTIRE TIME AND I NEVER NOTICED. Hanazawa virus indeed. She’s been invading anime everywhere and I didn’t even notice. Anyways, the lesson from this episode? DON’T TRY TO READ BOOKS AND FLY PLANES AT THE SAME TIME. That’s just asking for trouble.

Preview: Episode 14 is the last one? Again, whatever happened to episodes 11 and 12?

About Karakuri

University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.