Some Hero, eh?
After escaping from Euria Fan Hulic arrives at Emmental where he is soon accosted by a Lira Florenz She tries to make off with his wallet, but gets caught, she then takes Fan to an employment office where the local Tytania security forces catch him and bring him before the younger Duke of Brown Alses Tytania. Alses cuts Fan a deal which he reluctantly accepts, but the local resistance guys make off with him instead. Now on the Run Fan finds himself with the remnants of the Principality of Casabianca. While Fan plays fugitive Idris becomes head of the Imperial Guard and purges the followers of the late Prime Minister.
Wow she even enjoys playing in the dirt, still what exactly is her contribution going to be though?
I wonder if any one is ever going to try and cosplay a Lira…
Well it was not a very action packed episode but we were given a better picture of how Tytani operates and what kind of person Fan Hulic really is. Fan is no Yan Wenli given his lackadaisical attitude and preference for self preservation. I am pretty sure he meant to take the job he was offered, but it seems that he is a victim of his own success as every rebel group is eager to make use of the hero who defeated Tytania. Unlike most other series there is no clear cut good and evil and even Fan Hulic admits this when he makes a few cutting remarks about the Casabianca Liberation Front. Tytania has brought peace to a lot of people and even alliances with Tytania do not seem terribly oppressive, somewhat like the Empire from LOGH, only in this case it is more of a meritocracy than autocracy. Fan may be lazy but at least he shows a deeper understanding of politics than Lira, liberation is going to be harder than she thinks given how lots of people have benefited from Tytanian power and that even if Tytania is gone eventually something will takes its place. Right now it doesn’t seem as if Lira had even thought about how Tytania could be taken down; it’s not just about a military victory, but she would have to take on the sizable population of Tytania’s supporters too. I like how the rebellion was already subverted as a pipe dream and cast as the foolish venture that it was. All too often the romance of rebelling against something gets played up to the point that it cannot be villified, here the picture is just that gray since Casabianca did not inspire enough loyalty or fervor to be a larger movement, and Tytania is not the evil empire but rather a typical state where carrots and sticks are used to maintain order. Idris is too much of a stick guy, but it seems that Jouslain and Ariabart might be in favor of carrots.
Well this is shaping up to be a modern production.
Fan Hulic spits on your idealism. Pay attention Celestial Being, this is why you lost the first time you dip shits.
While Idris is doing some things that would make Oberstein proud none of the other Dukes seem enthusiastic about purging the Imperial guard so overtly. Ariabart and Jouslain seem to be getting along well, but Salisch is raging all by himself at this juncture. Alses seems to have is own issues with his brother Salisch. Right now I don’t think Salisich is even aware of Alses’ seething indignation at being shut off from the capital and exiled to the frontier. As schemers go I think Salisch is but brute force while Alses is a bit more surreptitious, and undoubtedly Alses is keen on disposing of his idiot brother who keeps him in exile. Alses is not a savory person but at least we know his forces are efficient, perhaps even letting Fan go was part of his plan. At any rate Tytanian mooks are not pushovers and can shoot straight as they killed the boy and made slaughter of the Casabianca Liberation Front. Even if Alses sexual preferences are plain, given his flamboyant style that emulate Alto-hime in terms of girlishly good looks I can see why Salisch would keep his younger brother away from Uraniborg, still even if Alses is a deviant he is still talented it’s rather unfair for Salisch to try and take the credit from Alses. At any rate it seems that even within the five families rivalries are still just as sharp though Salisch seems rather ignorant of the subtleties of running Tytania. Idris is just content with making the Emperor his bitch and no doubt with Idris stalking the halls of the Imperial Palace that things will get a lot more dangerous for the other nobles.
Well…
You could use a pony-tail…
Idris is just being casually brutal with his purge, Jouslain and Ariabart think that there will be more trouble ahead because of what Idris is doing, but Ajman seems eager to use Idris to stir up some challenges as he believes that idleness breeds weakness. At least for now we are moving away from LOGH territory and it seems as if Fan Hulic will only be a persistent issue between the Tytanian dukes. I am less inclined to believe that there will be a significant challenge to Tytanian military power for a while given how small these disparate rebel groups appear. Emmental and Euria don’t seem to have much of a problem with becoming allied with Tytania though it seems any alliance with them is going to be inherently unbalanced. Even if Emmental is a democracy I guess that a practical alliance is better than trying to resist vainly, even if they are a protectorate so long as dues to Tytania is paid they can go about their business. Hulic was more of a Tytanian issue and it seems the local authorities don’t particularly hold any illusion that Fan Hulic is going to help them get out of their relationship with Tytania, this is in start contrast with El Facil in LOGH which relied on Yang’s reputation to ensure their freedom. Perhaps the pursuit of Fan is going to be a running plot thread given how politics and not space battles seem to be taking center stage at the moment. Maybe for now it will be rather Clausewitzian in that war will be the continuation of politics through other means. Not sure how Lydia is going to figure into this, but right now Lira seems to be Fan’s female companion for the series, at least unlike LOGH it is for now making room for women to take part and even the trap Alses is brought in to make this less like LOGH.
Idris doesn’t like weeds…
Always make time for tea.
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13 Comments
Teatania. The Epic of Tea.
Also WTF at the trap, when he first appeared I really thought it was a girl until he freaking spoke.
@Panther: Me too!!!! I saw the statue of the dudes… wrestling… and then the screen panned down and I saw the purple lips sipping the red wine, and I was thinking to myself, “Hmm this must be some freaknasty woman!” And then HE spoke, and I almost fell out of my chair! It was terrifying!
@Crusader: “Trap”, indeed. I loved the part when Fan started looking around the premises at the creepy and suspiciously homoerotic statues and artwork (as if the outfit wasn’t enough, Fan
)
But what really left a deep impression on me were the ironies of the episode. There was sooo much irony. For instance, Fan is what he likes to define as the “third type of person”, one who hates to be ruled by others. Looking beyond the obvious definition I take that to mean that he is a nonconformist who has a problem with authority. Yet despite his ideals he is still hesitant to take up arms against the Empire. Some “hero,” eh? You are right, he is no Yang Wenli, and that is a very interesting and dare I say ‘human’ spin to give the archetypal epic tale we have grown so accustomed to — a hero who is equal parts genius and dipstick human.
Episode #03 could have been your formulaic “genius combatant refuses the Empire’s offer and joins the resistance” episode, but it was anything but. The Casabianca faction think their intentions are just, but what they don’t realize is that they are putting many beyond their own numbers in danger by attempting to overthrow Tytania. Even in the process of trying to get the hero to join their side, they are even resorting to mildly coercive tactics. Supposing they gained enough strength and numbers to stand singularly against Tytania, how long would it be before they developed into a hegemony similar to the one they are trying to demolish? This reminds me strongly of LOGH, in the way that the two warring factions had been fighting so long and hard that it became difficult at times to tell who the good guys were.
I am SO looking forward to the next ep!
@ Crusader
“Fan Hulic spits on your idealism. Pay attention Celestial Being, this is why you lost the first time you dip shits.”
You’re the man.
I actually found the part where he joins Tytania and then gets dragged into the resistance to be rather predictable – I found it rather surprising he didn’t know Tytania would be out to get him. I found the Tytania / Roman Empire comparison the most interesting thing – hell they even have Pax Tytania (i.e. Pax Romana, or Roman peace) and that yes, they’re pretty smart even if there is abuse everywhere. Now a bit more pace and scale a la episode one would be nice, and soon, please.
So wine is for victory, coffee is for defeat while tea is peace or complacency.
Man they are making a beverage book comparable to Macross’ recipe book.
Fan I think is a guy whose talent is reading people. A sort of intuitive aptitude.
Makes me wonder if he will be able to read Joslain. Supposedly the most unreadable duke of Tytania.
You’re right, Tytania’s making it pretty clear where it differs from LoGH already. Jouslain and Ariabart might favour carrots over sticks, but I’ve a suspicion Jouslain’s grasp of politics will be subtler than just that. I also can’t quite see how the princess (Lydia, is it?) is going to fit in either – maybe she’ll grow roses 4JUSTICE? – but then I suspect part of the pleasure in this show is not seeing how it’ll pan out.
I haven’t seen LOGH yet so I can’t make the comparisons. However, I am intrigued by the internal decay theme and am enjoying the conflict for succession. Oh goodness I’m eating it all up. It’s far more plausible and interesting to have such a powerful force decay from within rather than be challenged by an even more powerful force in this case. Tragedy is afoot, and I don’t mind it at all.
You know, given how the circumstances are very different I don’t think you can compare Fan to Yan.Also Yan has this attitude too, he would prefer if he didn’t have to fight,he was just thrust in the position again and again.Given that Fan HAD a choice I don’t see why it is so curious that he rejected it,because frankly I’m not sure if Wenli wouldn’t (if he was given a chance like that)…
@Panther
Indeed the horror the horror!
@Maipeisu
Right now Fan Hulic is becoming more of a symbol rather than a genius military commander, the longer this drags on the greater his reputation will swell, and with that allies will be expecting a lot more than he can actually deliver.
@skoll
Nay, Fan is the man.
@YpoCaramel
Tytania is no worse than Euria or Emmental it seems, even the other nobles seem little better than Tytania. The Emperor might be a decent bloke but if he lacks the courage to stand up he is merely complying. Fan was probably surprised that they would hire him, rather than shoot him on the spot, he had to run away, but I guess being on the frontier was no protection against the vast might of Tytania.
@ReddyRedWolf
Fan Hulic vs. Jouslain seems to hold promise as a real big showdown, Idris and Sailsch seem to be a bit more conventional than Jouslain.
@IKnight
Jouslain may yet prove he has a better grasp of politics, but Fan Hulic seems to be pretty savvy at this political game as well. Lydia must be of some importance, perhaps she will be this series Helen, whose face will launch a thousand ships… Otherwise she runs the risk of just being a fanservice character, hopefully her prominence in the PR material is a hint at her eventual importance. I wonder if the alliance between Ariabart and Jouslain will hold though, if Jouslain gets humbled along with everyone else that would put them all on an equal footing again.
@ghostlightning
Tytanian power is still going strong, its just that for some time there was no significant threat until Fan Hulic beat Ariabart. Whether or not there is any other power that can supplant Tytania remains to be seen, but Fan Hulic might just be the symbol for all of Tytania’s enemies to rally to even if Fan was lucky the first time it will be the biggest conflict that Tytania will have fought for some time.
@Zentari
Yang rejected Reinhard’s offer of employment if you recall, though he did get his pension back. Fan’s set of principles is certainly less than that of Yang’s since the latter did believe in democracy even if his was marred by corruption. Yang had something to fight for and even if he did not want to fight he was willing to do so for his cause, but Fan has no cause and thus was able to accept employment in Tytania. For Fan Hulic it seems a universe without Tytania is not something he is going to see in his life time so he doesn’t even try to take them down. All Yang wanted to do was create a place for democracy to continue hence why his main goal was merely peaceful co-existence with the Empire which is why his evacuation of Iserlohn was a temporary thing, he anticipated a long fight and did not flinch from it. Fan’s only duty is to himself Yang never had that luxury.
@Crusader: Once again, I agree to disagree with you.
That’s not a trap! It’s a drag! I know, because I was not sexually aroused by Alses like I normally would when it comes to other cross-dressing effeminate males. Lydia seriously needs more screentime than just a brief moe moment, and especially since she’s also voiced by Nunnally’s seiyuu, my nutbladder is in constant overload each time she opens her mouth. HHNNNNNNNNNNG!
Totally off topic comment, but after seeing your twitter I’m very curious to hear what you think of Fallout 3.
Right now I have time for one more game, and I can’t decide between Bioshock or Fallout 3.
This episode highlighted Huric’s perspective on the world. He is not interested in revolutions and accepted Tytania’s offer. However, people want him to be their leader and hero – he is their hope. I wonder how events in the next few episode will change his view…
This was a nice contrast:
Idris: “Weeds will grow without bounds if even a little is left”
Grandma: “If you crush the berries too hard, the bitterness seeps out”