Hatenkou Yuugi Episode 3 – “An act in a circus”

Rahzel, Alzeid and Heat’s journey is anchoring for a bit of fun as the three took some time off from their random traveling to enjoy some idle time. However, it seems that they will not be able to relax that much when something happens during the time that they are in the amusement park. Something is brewing within the circus located inside the amusement park, and it is time for our three protagonists to play their roles!

Hatenkou Yuugi continues on its somewhat interesting mix of cute conversations and character development.

Episode summary

Rahzel remembered how she felt betrayed when she was young. She was told by someone to wait inside a drawn circle in the forest while they played hide and seek. However, the other person never returned. Rahzel and Alzeid are now helping a lost boy, Romario, to find his mother. Rahzel clearly enjoys the amusement park as she gives a balloon to Romario to cheer him up. They eventually found his mother, and Romario’s mother gives them tickets for a reward of returning Romario to her. They saw a wonderful clown show, as the clowns threw the dagger at one clown, but the clown catches the dagger easily. He then went toward Rahzel, transforming the daggers to flowers. It is Heat.

Rahzel was surprised that Heat’s part time work is a clown, and Heat says that he actually used to work in the circus as a magician and a clown. Alzeid says that it is a role to make a fool out of themselves, and fits Heat perfectly. Heat remarks that Alzeid really hates him, but Romario adds that the clown is perhaps the most skilled in the circus. When asked why he stopped, Heat says that he realizes that doing strip dances earns him more money. Rahzel says Heat’s background is extremely mysterious and feels a bit annoyed at the lack of knowledge about him. The circus’s chief, a beautiful woman, carries out the last disappearing act within a cage and chooses Romario for it. The circus’s leader notes that Romario’s hands are very smooth.

After Romario enters the cage and it is covered with cloth, the clowns stabbed swords within it. As they revealed the cage, Romario is not inside. At the end of the show, Romario is missing. Rahzel asks the circus’s leader but she says that she personally guides Romario off the back door. The circus’s leader also says that she is quitting after today as she is going to have a child. Rahzel notices something wrong in the background, with a green tinge. A humanoid figure is submerged within a greenish tank as she tells the figure that she will keep the “hands” safe.

Rahzel is worried about Romario, who is not found yet. Heat says she looks listless and wonders if she did not enjoy the amusement park. On the contrary, Rahzel says that this is the first time the three of them deliberately went on a destination for fun. Late at night, Rahzel left the hotel, as the other two wonders what she is doing. Heat asks what Alzeid wants to do, only to see Alzeid tuck in his blanket. Rahzel went to the circus, and notices Romario’s mother finding him still. Rahzel goes to the backstage, and finds something strange behind the curtains. Two hands suddenly assaulted and covers her mouth. She flings the “clown” away easily.

The circus’s leader enters, as she reveals a gruesome sight of a patched up humanoid. She pinpoints to Rahzel about the hand, and it is clear that the leader killed Romario for his hands. The circus’s leader says that she had a miscarriage and says that her child has the right to survive. Hence, she wants to give him the best body ever, as it is a blessing given by her as a mother. Rahzel says she does not understand, but the leader says that Romario’s mother let go of Romario’s hand as though she does not need the child anymore. As they continues to discuss, the clowns appear to attack Rahzel. She uses her magic to demolish them, but the clowns got up. She tries to run away, but she is surrounded by them.

From the top, a clown aims his daggers at Rahzel, only for gunshots to destroy the daggers. Rahzel asks why they are here. Heat says that she will be punished for acting alone, and Alzeid asks if she does not know how to ask for help. She reprimands them verbally for being nosy. However, she gets them close and thanks them for coming. They worked together to attack the clowns, and Heat takes care of the clown above by climbing the leader. Rahzel compliments him as a “idiot general” and Alzeid wonders if she is complimenting him. They realize that the clowns are weaved together by magic as the clowns are made by some form of tree bark.

She says that it is true, and asks Viola, the humanoid to help her. The three realizes that they cannot control themselves, as they are about to attack themselves until Rahzel shouts to stop. When the circus leader asks Viola what he is doing, and asks to kill, he kills the leader instead. Alzeid explains that the doll only follows the orders exactly. That is why it stopped when Rahzels says “stop”, and attack the nearest person around it. Heat took Rahzel away, as he does not want Rahzel to see that pain while Alzeid ends the life of the humanoid. Rahzel says that it is still a life and iconsiders the humanoid to be just a poor little child. However, Alzeid shot it dead when she gets away from the grasp of Heat. Rahzel continues to be sad until the two proposes to go out for some fun. Rahzel cheers up and decides to go.

Thoughts

It is a really complicated feeling when you see an argument that is closely related to you. It is not certain whether Rahzel let the person in the flashback go, or she is abandoned instead. However, with the theme of betrayal close in mind, it is clear that she has been abandoned once by a certain person. Somehow, I wonder whether we will soon have some back story about Rahzel because I do not think that being a magician is that common in those times. Maybe, the person who abandons Rahzel is her teacher in magic. It’s a wild speculation.

Heat is yet another interesting character where little is really known about him. He seems to have some form of magic weaponry, and the butterfly is perhaps a symbolization of something. It might be that he is from a certain clan, or that it is a mark that reminds him of something in the past, or a tattoo that is a symbol of his heritage. I really wonder more about him because unlike Alzeid who is cool but a rather open book, Heat looks to be extroverted but is so distant somewhat. He is definitely a very kind person to Rahzel, but yet you wonder if everything that is done by him is real or not.

I might be over interpreting it though, but I cannot imagine Heat to be that simple a person compared to Alzeid. Alzeid also shows his liking of the journey as he smiles and asks Rahzel to go out and play. It is quite a nice change to see the cold blooded (well, not really) Alzeid smile warmly for a change. Rahzel also shows signs of weaknesses, in which she is apathetic to children who looks in despair and in pain. In a way, both Alzeid and Rahzel are somewhat disturbed by their past, and needs to go through such an event to understand themselves more. I am sure that Rahzel will grow from this experience.

On the episode itself, I feel that the plot is more tingling compared to the second episode. It is much heavier despite the fact that the protagonists got through with this episode (obviously) but it seems somewhat of a bittersweet end. They are not able to solve any problem for anyone, since Romario died way before they can do anything. They cannot even truly save the humanoid because it is not human, not without a true mind to comprehend what is right or wrong. It is as Alzeid says, a monster, that should not even be alive.

Lastly, on a silly note, Rahzel does look really cute in that blue little dress of hers. They should really make her wear more frilly stuff and the likes. Ok, I will shut up now.