Zetsuen no Tempest – 12
Plot convenience at its finest.
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Here I was waiting for episode 13 to come out so I could do a double post and not look ridiculous, but I guess Zetsuen no Tempest is on a break of sorts. …So this post is coming out at a ridiculous time regardless. In any case, lots of action here and it looks like the story is moving onwards from the dialogue. |
So I guess the Mage of Exodus didn’t come into existence until after the Tree of Exodus started to revive…. That doesn’t seem to be very productive. If the Kursaribe didn’t show interest in reviving Exodus, Genesis would have totally won. Or is there even a Mage of Exodus? From all of the arguments flying around, it seems as though the Mage of Exodus might very well be a trap set by Genesis. …This show is infuriatingly good at avoiding topics and sidestepping explanations.
As yes, the tired argument as to who’s fault it was that Aika died. I guess these things are important in an anime all about fate, but the tides have turned so many times, it’s starting to feel like a tired argument. Was it the Tree of Genesis knowing that Yoshino and Mahiro would be valuable, or was it the Tree of Genesis making use of Yoshino and Mahiro after the Tree of Exodus decided to kill off Aika? …Despite all of this, nobody seems to have asked the question as to why killing Aika would benefit Exodus. They’re distracted by everything else, of course, but as far as we know, Aika was just a mysterious eccentric teenage girl who enjoyed playing with the feelings of her (not blood related) sibling and saying cryptic things that pay off later. Why is she so important? Unless Exodus has some convoluted plan involving Mahiro and Yoshino like Genesis does, I can’t see what it could gain by killing Aika. …Unless the series plans on introducing new characters working for Exodus or something.
Hakaze and Samon might both be pretty arrogant, but this episode proved that they’re both capable of working with others in order to accomplish things. …Or maybe not so much Samon since he just kind of stood there in shock as the world went to hell, but Hakaze applied some pretty quick thinking in the situation. It’s admirable that she immediately put aside the fact that her brother betrayed her (and kind of indirectly tried to kill her)and tried to work with him in order to get better control of the situation. Hakaze has been pretty straightforward before, but this episode made me realize just how straightforward she is. All she’s trying to do is her job as princess of Genesis (or whatever the title is) and it’s just everyone else that’s interfering. If it does turn out to be Genesis’ fault, I have no doubt that Hakaze would fulfil her word and die for Mahiro (though whether or not Genesis would let her die is debatable). Though I guess dedication to the job goes for Samon as well since all he’s trying to do is raise Exodus to make the world better (the difference being that Hakaze didn’t ship Samon off in a barrel). I kind of want to see them outside of a life or death situation now since they’re so similar. Seeing them in a normal lifestyle and acting as siblings would be interesting. …though of course, the plot doesn’t have time for that.
So what exactly is going on with the Tree of Genesis? There’s still a huge chance that it set up Aika’s death for convenience (it’s pretty much 50-50 between Exodus and Genesis right now) and it seems to be making things ridiculously convenient for Hakaze, yet isn’t quite under her control. Admittedly, it’s not quite convenient that Hakaze never stumbled onto Samon’s hidden piece of technology by chance and had to go through Yoshino and Mahiro to figure out how to get off the island, but that missile more then made up for that in convenience. Especially since it seemed to land right where Hakaze was staying the entire time (the barrel there seems to be the same one she came in, as proven by the etching she did a few episodes ago). I don’t think it matters much what Samon’s actual talisman was, though I am kind of curious as to what it actually was. Anyways, back to the Tree of Genesis, it doesn’t seem to be entirely under Hakaze’s control since it’s moving on it’s own now. Maybe it’s just reacting to Exodus’ revival, but the fact that Hakaze needs to rely on talismans to stop it doesn’t exactly seem… safe for anyone. If anything, it makes me suspicious that Hakaze might be offed like everyone else at this point when she’s no longer deemed useful to the Tree. Logic might side with her, but maybe it’s only because she’s useful to logic. Hakaze seems to be the only one in the Kusaribe clan that actually wanted Genesis to be revived, so maybe that’s why it’s still helping her. I wonder what would have happened if she helped with Samon. …Though with that logic, it doesn’t explain why the Tree of Genesis couldn’t have just bitchslapped the rest of the Kusaribe once they rebelled. They seem like a big enough threat.
…Do we actually know why the Trees are fighting in the first place other then the fact that they’re opposites? You’d think the world would run a lot smoother if they worked together or something. All they’re doing now is destroying absolutely everything in their path with little to no regard for anything. …Not even the main characters seem exempt.
Life currently sucks for Mahiro since just as he was just about to find out who Aika’s boyfriend was, the Trees decided to wage war on each other. …Oh yeah, and also the fact that a tree root (…branch? …tendril?) has impaled him. Yoshino isn’t doing too well either since he now has a giant hole where his internal organs used to be. We’ve seen Hakaze’s powers before, but …can she fix this? Both wounds look pretty damn fatal and we already know that magic can’t bring back the dead. I’m kind of scared that Yoshino and Mahiro might be gone for good and the fact that SAmon pointed out that they were killed immidiately after they fulfilled their purpose doesn’t exactly make me feel better. Zetsuen absolutely loves it’s plot twists and what better twist then to kill off most of it’s main characters? Though there’s still hope that this situation can be saved, since Mahiro still hasn’t had his freak out over Yoshino and Aika yet. Plus, Mahiro and Yoshino were the ones actively pulling Aika into plot relevance. If they were gone, Aika wouldn’t be referenced as often and we know that she’s important somehow. I mean, she had her own mini monologue of quotes as the world was going to hell and she didn’t even have any relevance to the events of this episode.
…Well, not that our two main characters seem to be expendable, there are just so many new directions this story could go. From the first few episodes, Tempest has turned awfully unpredictable. I’m surprised they can keep up with this many plot twists and still have a storyline that works okay. Though on the other hand, I guess you could complain that the plot is just unnecessarily complicated. Personally, this is still a pretty fun ride and I’m looking forward to what they bring us next since Hakaze is back. …Not to mention there seems to be something blooming between Evangeline and Nakamura (or maybe that’s just me shipping characters together again). So yeah, it seems like a decent conclusion for part one (aka, setting up the plot and bringing all of the main characters into play) and I’m looking forward to seeing what part 2 brings.
Though for now, it seems like Mahiro is still alive (or maybe in some state between life and death). Maybe this is how Yoshino gets out of telling him the truth. By dying.
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.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha, you should take this as an advantage during the anime break. I can only imagine how many shows you’re trying to catch up with.
What I can say about this episode is that things have really hit the fan. People turning into metal statues, all logic is being overturned, natural disasters all over the place and a rampaging battle between two magical trees (ridiculous by the sound of it but strangely epic by sight). If were there, I’d already go insane or end up dead.
Mahiro’s frustration is understandable. All that effort just to come to the conclusion that you’re way off the mark would boil anyone’s blood. All the theories surrounding the Tree and Genesis and Aika’s death makes one wonder if a tree really has the intelligence to plan something as complex as this just assure its revival. It’s all too calculated and precise so it’s got be a human bending all the rules for this outcome. Even Hakaze isn’t convinced by the series of events. This show is good at leading the viewers astray with possible false clues and unpredictability.
What’s on my mind right now is that Aika probably faked her own death and may actually be the Mage of Exodus. I mean, yeah, they showed her corpse but not what happened immediately afterwards and the things she said in the past are fitting perfectly here. But if so, the question would be as to why it’s like that. Also, there’s the sudden disappearance of Junichirou when things have gotten bad which also raises suspicions.
The script isn’t too good at hiding convenient things for the characters. Seriously, a missile suddenly appears on the island the moment Hakaze needed to find the offering? That’s too cliché even for my taste. One this is sure is that Hakaze isn’t self conscious about her body. She’s one of the few female characters I’ve seen who isn’t afraid to be seen naked. I haven’t seen someone with that kind of confidence since Lisara from Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai.
The ending was the surprising part. Trying to kill off both leads is a bold move, one I didn’t see coming. It’s like they were used and thrown away as if they were a means to an end. But since they are the leads, there may be hope for them yet though it might be a very painful recovery process. Anyone else would have died on contact.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
With Code:Breaker done, I’m actually caught up with everything post-wise (minus like, 3 half written otome game posts)~ Now I’m making my way through Red Garden and Evangelion (the very first one).
LOL If anyone asks me what Tempest is about, I’m going to tell them it’s about two magical fighting trees. Things have turned upside down and everyone is screwed. Definitely the kind of thing I like to watch xD
Again, I bring up the point about Japanese cremating their dead, but hey. Maybe this is why nobody can find her killer. She doesn’t even have to be the Mage of Exodus if she’s alive. Of course, someone magical must have been involved if she faked her death, but if she’s not dead, nobody can tell who killed her. …I’m sure there’s a plot hole here somewhere, but it sounds like a feasible idea at the moment.
I’m pretty sure that the plot conveniences aren’t hiding on purpose just to show how ridiculously overpowered the Tree of Genesis is. Everything happens for Hakaze JUST at the right time and the plot can brush them off saying ‘it’s because of the Tree of Genesis’. …I think that’s actually pretty clever sinc most stories rely on this kind of timing at some point. Why not make it plot relevant. Ahahah I had to laugh at Hakaze casually posing while naked. she’s so self assured. Plus she was flying around in just a jacket. That takes guts.
Yeah, I don’t think anyone would have survived that. …But apparently Hakaze thinks she can salvage the situation, so I assume they’re not quite dead.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
The plot convenience is awkward. But it’s poked at in some ways because everyone knows it will go towards Hakaze, yet we see Samon trying to defy that (and it doesn’t go well.)
The ending was pretty crazy here in the anime. Yoshino was cut open with his back facing to the reader, rather than his face, so the initial wound was covered up (but still crazy.)
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I thought that was the entire point of the ‘plot conveniences’, that they are lampshading them because the Tree of Genesis is pulling strings for Hakaze. At first I pooh-pooh’d the idea that the Tree of Genesis has that much influence in the ways of things happening, when they were talking about the possibility that it had arranged for Aika’s murder somehow to get Mahiro interested in finding her killer making him receptive to Hakaze’s offer and leading him to find the doll on the beach, etc. And now that Hakaze’s back, it apparently decides that Mahiro and Yoshino are expendable, cause those weren’t coincidences.
The thing they’re apparently not going to explain is ‘how does the doll actually allow for time travel of voices?’ I don’t get why the doll would let Mahiro talk to Hakaze at some random point back in the past. Did it just pick a day to say “Ok, now’s when he’s talking to you.”? That makes very little sense.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
The time travel of voices wasn’t explained in the anime, but it did get some time in the manga.
Basically, Hakaze made the dolls, and the one she sent out got lost/damaged/ruined. So the magic (conveniently) looked for a doll in a time period that was still working. (It had something to do with parallel worlds/times.) Hakaze’s doll then connected to the doll in Mahiro’s time and allowed them to talk to each other.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
You should do this every post. This makes a hell of a lot more sense then what the anime gives us. …Or maybe I should just give up and read the manga.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I’ve always thought of the plot conveniences (or really obvious coincidences) as purposeful since they can all be blamed on one of the trees. Or at least I’ve always thought they were cleverly incorporated into the plot. Most stories have some form of plot convenience, but I don’t know many that can boast that it can be attributed to plot itself. Most are just there to move the plot forward.
Gekco answered it above, but I’ve always just brushed it off as Hakaze’s good luck again.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
So what do people think Mahiro’s reaction to finding out that Yoshino was Aika’s boyfriend would be?
I mean, they’re not friends, and Mahiro’s a pretty jealous guy, but he’s also pretty given to latitude when it comes to Yoshino. And in other ‘buddy’ stories, there would be an element of broken trust, finding out that your best friend was secretly dating your adopted sister that you have a crush on. But between Yoshino and Mahiro, whatever trust they have between each other is far more pragmatic, and that leads me to believe that Mahiro won’t really view their relationship as as much of a ‘betrayal’ as would be common in so many similar stories.
I also think a lot of Mahiro’s attitude about Aika is “I want her, but I don’t, but I don’t want anyone else to have her either.” Not a particularly healthy attitude, but Mahiro’s not a particularly healthy person. Not to make too light of it, but I think their relationship is somewhat similar to Akito and Akiko Himenokouji, where both like the other, but wouldn’t get together because of what others would think and it just feels wrong.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Mahiro always seems to overreact with regards to Aika, but like you said, he’s pretty lenient when it comes to Yoshino. As far as I can predict, Mahiro won’t brush it off as a lie (or if he does, it won’t be for long) since he knows Yoshino well enough to know that he wouldn’t lie about these things. I also predict some level of the typical Mahiro anger but as for the rest, it’s hard to say. Mahiro doesn’t give a damn about any other character besides Yoshino (and Aika), so I don’t even know how he acts to mundane non-Aika related betrayal.
Yeah, I totally see where you’re coming from there with the “I want her, but I don’t”. Mahiro is fairly possessive. As for Aika, who knows whats going on in her head.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Well, the anime continues to do well with the manga, although I get the feeling the next part of the story is going to throw off a lot of people.
The deal with the trees is that they are opposites and both want to “rule” the world in some way or another. (The manga has the explanations, which made this entire argument/saving Hakaze take forever rather than 3 episodes.) The tree of Genesis has a lot of logic/peace stuff to rule the world. This ties into how it gives the Kusaribe clan a defensive magic. But Samon & co. want offensive magic as well, so they went to get the tree of Exodus (in Japanese, Zetsuen, which doesn’t really mean Exodus) which gives offensive power. Exodus was spitting out the red disks that hurt Genesis, showing the offensive magic of Exodus. Genesis had to pull apart Exodus physically because there was little magic to help it out.
So Hakaze likes Genesis because of the peace implications and the idea that the tree would “return the world to logic.” Samon thinks that reviving Genesis completely means destroying the world and starting over completely. Of course, Hakaze thinks that Exodus will destroy the world, but Samon thinks that Exodus will not destroy the world.
In the manga, the translation is also different for the trees’ names, and it sounds a lot less religious: tree of Beginnings (for Genesis) and tree of Zetsuen (in a note, it was noted that it was “the end of the garden” or something similar. Zetsuen isn’t even a word.) I prefer the manga’s translation to the anime’s as “Exodus” makes little sense.
…Hopefully this makes some sense.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
The subtitle/translation people probably went with Exodus/Genesis as references to the bible (the book of Genesis being the beginning and I’m fairly sure the book of Exodus is at the end). Or at least that’s my assumption. To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea which tree was which during that battle, but at least your explanation about the magic makes more sense.
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POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Yessss I finally started to feel like watching ZnT again…. And wow wht a ride :O Where Neutral route when you need ’em?