Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen – 16-17
Guess who?
And here it is.
Manly Men
For the girls.
So uhh… in episode 16 stuff happens and Haku cheers up.
History Revealed
Eww
Episode 17 is the big reveal of the series. Those who have seen the first Utawarerumono were probably expecting this to happen at some point, and here it is. The history of the world in the show is nothing new to those who have seen the first season. But for those who have not, the gist of things is that humans did some pretty stupid things, managed to fuck up the world, and then got turned into red jello. The slime-ified humans are called curses by the animal people, who were created by the humans. There’s actually quite a bit of lore from the first season that’s been left out here, and I’m not sure if it will eventually be filled in later on in this season. So I won’t elaborate on why the humans were turned into slimes. One thing we learn here that I don’t think was mentioned in the first season though, is that apparently not every human turned into a slime. From what I remember of the first season, I was under the impression that the entire species as a whole was turned. But now we see that some were spared, like the emperor. So yes, the emperor and Haku are humans. Which explains their lack of animal features. This much was obvious to those who have seen the first season, but the really surprising thing to everyone here is that the two are actually brothers.
The emperor’s real family.
I’m not sure what purpose this revelation really serves for the story. Yes, it reveals why the emperor showed so much favor to Haku. Yes, the story about his wife and daughter explains why Haku found Honoka nostalgic. But then what? I guess this might serve as a kind of contrived way to set up Haku as the next emperor, since he is technically the emperor’s only blood relative. But again, for what purpose? So he can lead Yamato to war against Tusukuru (the nation from the first season), since apparently that might be a thing soon? And then maybe we’d see a clash between the protagonists from both seasons? But that just sounds less interesting than focusing on how Kuon handles a potential war between the two countries, since she has family in Tusukuru and ties in Yamato. So honestly, I feel that this season of Utawarerumono falls into the same pit as the previous one with its revelation of the history of the world. In both cases, the story comes out of nowhere and is completely at odds with the world the shows had been building up until that point. And unfortunately, the backstory was actually much more personally connected to several of the main characters in the first season. Here, it’s just kind of the setting we’re stuck with.
Coming Storm
The creation of the false masks.
Moving on, the story takes a more personal turn as we follow the emperor’s adventures in the wake of the calamity. We see that he found an old research lab after establishing the country of Yamato with the animal people he created. We learn that he was dissatisfied with the animal people and, desiring human companionship, sought to turn the curses back into humans. It is suggested that he created the masks given to the pillar generals from his research. This part of the story establishes yet another link between the two seasons, as the test subject with the mask in the research lab is actually the protagonist of the first Utawarerumono. The derivative masks that the emperor created, then, are copies meant to replicate the powers of the original mask. Again, none of this is explained in detail here, so I will refrain from elaborating for now. Anyway, the emperor’s obsession with turning the curses back into humans by researching the masked man is used as a pretext for a potential conflict between Yamato and Tusukuru. It seems the emperor is interested in studying the masked man again, after the events that transpired in the first season. And the leaders of Tusukuru refuse to reveal the location of his tomb, which puts the two nations in a collision course.
This episode was pretty dense in terms of building the world within the story and explaining Haku’s place within this world. But while the ideas presented here are fine enough on their own, they feel jarringly out of place when associated with what we know so far from the show. As I’ve said before, this is a problem that also plagued the first season. Except that had the added advantage of giving the backstory a real connection to some of the main characters. With this season, the connection is only tangential at best, as the emperor and Haku happen to be members of the human race and the story details the fall of their kind. This gives the impression that the second season is only a side story; an afterthought tacked onto the end of the first season. Which is unfortunate, because the current season, being only marginally connected to the previous one until now, could have stood strong as its own story without this strange backstory tying it to the first season.
Brewing conflict.
About Sumairii
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Re: Episode 16. Cutest Wormy…..and now we move on….
I’m not really feeling the futurism for this show. I might be coming at it from the angle that I didn’t see the original (and have no real desire to at this time) so I might be missing a nuance here or there. But this just feels off.
I’ve enjoyed the show so far, well the war bits are not my cup of tea, but I do like the slice of life/comedy/drama about the animal people. Sure it can have a weird science background but I’m just not sure a full exploration of that adds anything.
It’s feels like I’ve been watching Three’s Company: The Animal Eared Version, but suddenly they’re telling me I should have been playing Spore: The Cautionary Tale all along….
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I’m not really feeling the futurism for this show.
Is it because of how suddenly the futurist twist just pops up without prior foreshadowing? Because the 1st game’s writing was like this too. The plot first plays out like a fantasy epic, and then suddenly near the end it throws out the post-apocalypse world twist at you.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Not only is it out of the blue, the “twist” feels more like a jumble of ideas cobbled together in the most random way possible to elicit the strongest shock response from the audience. That’s just not coherent writing.
And having seen the first season, I don’t find the reveal any better the second time around.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
The slime-ified humans are called curses by the animal people.
Sumairii : Ewww.
Hannibal Lecter : Mmm…jelly dessert.
On a more serious note, the slimes were enemies you could fight in the game. It’s implied they still have human sentience – they’d say things like “It hurts, Mother” and so on.
The games also explain that the Emperor did try reconnect with his subjects the 2nd time he emerged from his labs (he was quite surprised they were able to make Yamato such a thriving city). He provided them with resources and tech in exchange for intelligence on more ruins, but some animal people got greedy and tried to press him for more tech. Feeling betrayed, he shut himself off again.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
See, it’s details like these that should not be cut. We’d get a better understanding of the emperor besides “he just doesn’t like the animal people because they’re not humans.”
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
So uhh…in episode 16 stuff happens and Haku cheers up.
The nude party’s an in-game (fluff) event; it’s not anime-original fluff.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It’s Hakuoru! 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I feel like the whole of episode 17 was just a complete mistake, solely put in because the writers like it, or feel like they spent a lot of time coming up with this worldbuilding. It’s pretty much “Cool Story, Bro”. It has almost no bearing on the story that’s been told so far, and making it relevant to the story as it goes forward is like a hammer in search of a nail.
Are we supposed to think less of Kuon, Honoka, or Ukon because they aren’t ‘real’ people? They certainly are, as far as I’m concerned.
This is probably the worst attempt to work in some futuristic apocalypse (whether it happened in the future or the past) in an anime that I’ve seen. It’s the least relevant, most out of place, and feels like it’s just stroking the writer’s ego because he worked so hard to come up with it, he wants to talk about it whether we care or not. If you have to do this, work it in throughout. Make it interesting and relevant and part of the world and the characters. Don’t just drop it in 3/4 of the way through the show as if it’s a “Well, what I *really* want the story to be is…”
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Pretty much this. Both times around (in the first season and in this one), the backstory manages to blindside the viewer. And it’s such a weirdly unnecessary contrast to the feudal fantasy world that’s been built so far.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I have no problem with the post-apocalyptic storyline nor that the animal people were created by humans. But I agree that it should have come in much earlier in the story. Wouldn’t they have tales about their creators and how they came to be? They could have told Haku stories about their origin, somewhat different from what actually happened, and now the Emperor could tell him the true story. Then it could have played a part throughout the series rather than suddenly being sprung upon us so late.
Not that it should matter one way or the other, but I have seen the first season so I was aware of the origin of the animal people.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
I have no problem with the post-apocalyptic storyline… But I agree that it should have come in much earlier in the story.
IIRC, the 1st source game’s story did suddenly spring the post apocalyptic storyline right near the end. Perhaps the writers are just following precedent to tie things back to Game 1 and attract Game 1’s fans.
But in Game 2’s 1st half, Haku would originally get flashbacks of his earlier life and family. This was cut from the anime’s story.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I’m guessing the same thing as you that the writers decided to try for the same pattern as the first season (and the game it was adapted from). Unfortunately, this was really not a particularly strong point to pursue.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
So the truth behind the animal eared and tailed people is on the table. Looks like whatever was intended for them were successful enough in light of the civilization they have. It still leaves to question how Haku has not aged and how his older brother is still alive at all. The brother implied he was around when the last war happened 200 years prior. So yeah, you’d have to expect he’d be a pile of brittle bones by now.
When taken in a certain perspective, it’s like the planet had a chance to start over. No doubt in the time that’s led up to now, it’s recovered from the after-effects of various human actions.
Where this mysterious affliction on the humans is concerned. It has to be something beyond natural if the older brother hasn’t found a counter after all the years he’s been alive.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
IIRC,the game explains that the brother had also dosed himself with an experimental serum to prevent slimification. (I think it was derived from his New Human research.) His longevity was a major side effect, meaning he’ll live veery long, but will still age and die.
The affliction is due to events happening in Season 1/Game 1 of Utawarerumono.
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POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
And thus, kemonomimi shall inherit the Earth!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I’m mostly caught up now~~~ well, at least to this post.
Season 2 has been pretty disappointing, because it feels like all fluff. I agree with you Sumairii, it really feels like a side story or a couple of omake chapters strung together. The S1 characters have cameos, because why not.
It feels almost like slice-of-life, but it’s not, so the end result is a mixed-bag. And Haku is the most “not ready for Main Character” character. As if Bystander A suddenly got promoted to Main Character and has no idea what to do.
I’ll still keep following it, because I enjoyed S1, and if I toss out all my expectations it’s passable. And it has animal people! Funny that one… it took me so long to watch Spice & Wolf because animal people made me stay far away… then I watched Holo and became a fan.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Although I do find myself more and more wanting to club Haku. His character does get on my nerves.