Zetsuen no Tempest - 09 - Lost in Anime

That was quite simply another example of magnificent theater from Zetsuen no Tempest.

There’s absolutely nothing else like this series, and there hasn’t been for a while. It’s old-school anime for sure, classic BONES, but it’s so old-school that it feels as much like Shakespeare of even Sophocles – and in operatic form, to boot. I think the term “spoken-word opera” still comes closer to capturing the nature of Zetsuen for me than anything else I’ve heard, and this episode was a perfect example of just how it manages to achieve that effect.

I’ve mentioned before how I tend to be a bit detached in the first half of the episode with this show, and then something happens and all of a sudden I’m completely transported into its world and the next thing I know, the end credits are rolling. We seem to get one brilliant scene every week – last week was the confrontation where Samon kept pounding his sword on the rock – and this time it was Yoshino’s recollection of his conversation on the beach with Aika, prompted by Hakaze’s fatalistic observation that she had no lines of “Hamlet” to quote. It was, in a word, spectacular – in every respect, starting with the fact that the whole thing was set to an orchestral arrangement of Beethoven’s “Tempest” sonata, which gave the whole thing an operatic sweep and grandeur I’ve rarely seen equaled by any scene in anime.

As beautiful as the scene was – and with the music (which lives as a character in its own right in ZnT) it was pretty damn beautiful – what makes it even better is the breathtaking way it transitioned the story with the introduction of “The Tempest” – this time Shakespeare’s, not Beethoven’s. It never occurred to me that the story was setting “Hamlet” and “The Tempest” off as opposite poles, and that by recalling that moment Yoshino was symbolically trying to change the course of fate. Will “The Tempest” dominate the next phase of the series as “Hamlet” dominated the first? It’s not coincidental that these two plays are quite often measured against each other by critics for their similarities and fascinating differences, and it’s also interesting to note that “The Tempest” is believed by most scholars to be The Bard’s last play, and its ending (which Aika refers to as “everyone lived happily ever after”) speculated by some to be Shakespeare’s statement that he’d gotten all he could out of his pen, and that his life as a writer was effectively over.

The riddle of these two Shakespeare-quoting siblings is still a puzzle, especially Aika’s death and how it fits into the larger picture. But the other element of the episode that stands out is Mahiro’s (Toyonaga Toshiyuki is playing against type here to an astonishing degree) single-minded determination to find Aika’s killer even if it means the world is destroyed, especially the way it impacts Samon. There’s real, genuine humor here – something Zetsuen uses sparingly – in Samon’s flabbergasted facial expressions as first Mahiro and then Yoshino act in stark defiance of logic. I really feel sorry for Samon here – I think his belief that his path is best for the world is sincere, and he’s such a creature of reason and probability that the behavior of the boys – caught in the midst of their own tragedy playing out – utterly baffles him. “How did I get caught in the middle of a fight between children?” indeed.

The pinnacle of all this of course is when Yoshino plays the boyfriend card – surely the most dramatic (and comedic) use of the term since Cloris Leachman in Young Frankenstein. Samon’s thoughts here again rise to the level of high comedy – “He’s willing to abandon the deal he made with me because he might find out about a boyfriend? Inconceivable!” Even Hakaze is bemused enough by this turn to break out of her stupor a bit – the fate of everything in the world set aside by Mahiro over the chance to learn the identity of his sister’s boyfriend.

In the end, none of the other shoes dropped. Yoshino reserved the biggest secret in his arsenal – the fact that he’s Aika’s boyfriend – and the episode ended on a marvelous cliffhanger just as he was about to reveal his plan to bring Hakaze back from the dead (or back in time, or both). I agree with Mahiro that Samon seemed a little too nervous considering how confident he’d seemed that Hakaze was surely dead, but to be honest I’m not sure that bringing Hakaze back is for the best – at this point, there seems to be more weight to the argument that Samon is right about the world’s fate than the one that Hakaze is, at least based on what we’ve been told. Is Yoshino doing what he’s doing out of a sense of loyalty to Hakaze, a purely idealistic move – which I would argue would be somewhat out of character – or does he truly believe that she’s a better custodian of the world’s fate than Samon is?

17 comments

Anonymous

December 1, 2012 at 4:29 pm

If i were to speak on why Yoshino is helping Hakaze i'd say its because of Aika ad her wish for a happy ending and in Yoshino's mind Hakaze being abandoned and left for dead is not a happy ending even if the world is saved. What i;m trying to say is that Yoshino is doing this out of loyalty to Aika and not a real sense of comradeship with Hakaze..he might feel sorry for her but again its directly related to what Aika wanted….thats how i saw it anyway 😛

admin

December 1, 2012 at 4:34 pm

If I were to guess, that does seem most likely – that would be what I'd call a "purely idealistic" move. But I still feel it seems a bit out of character for Yoshino to risk the fate of the world on that – he seems like a supremely practical person in most ways.

Son Gohan

December 3, 2012 at 4:33 pm

IMHO Yoshino is far more compassionate than you think.
Remember when he tried to save a pair of children from the black iron curse? A supremely practical person wouldn't have wasted a talisman and an umbrella for two random children.

hadoken

December 1, 2012 at 6:54 pm

Judging on Japanese anime writers' traditional bias, I'm afraid that they will write the plot so that "Hakaze would be a better custodian of the world’s fate than Samon is". Personally Salmon being right would make this story and anime unbelievably great, but this is japanese anime after all; whenever has a grown-man character with not much bishie appeal ever won against a protagonist moe girl, in terms of righteousness?? Never. Sad, but true even at the cost of preventing the show from that much more greatness.

Steelman

December 1, 2012 at 8:29 pm

Actually, this is exactly what happens in Shakugan no Shana. Pity nobody gave the third season a chance due to how much the second sucked.

hoiut

December 3, 2012 at 5:19 am

You absolutely have a point there. But I would argue until the end of the world (and the creation of another) the point that Yuuji doesn't have significant bishie appeal. Oh boy…

Chiaki

December 2, 2012 at 12:48 am

As much as I like the licensed classical music in ZnT, it still feels like "shoving a violin in your face" that drowns out some of the dialogue rather than an appropriate orchestral accompaniment that elevates the dialogue.

admin

December 2, 2012 at 12:58 am

Heh, I totally disagree on that. Feels to me like it stands as a distinct part of the story in its own right, and gives the whole enterprise an operatic feel.

Chiaki

December 2, 2012 at 2:03 am

Fair enough. On a different note, is there any chance of Opera Hen being animated? (maybe a few OVAs)

admin

December 2, 2012 at 2:27 am

I certainly don't know, but my guess is it would be pretty unlikely.

Taara535

December 2, 2012 at 8:27 am

Straight-up – I didn't drop this show in the beginning because of the music. It's like you are listening to a symphony every time you watch the show! Speaking of that, I'll be going to a symphony tomorrow 🙂

Beckett

December 2, 2012 at 6:37 am

Samon's facial expressions made the episode for me haha, I was laughing each time the poor bastard got that "WTF is happening" look on his face.

Anonymous

December 2, 2012 at 6:23 pm

I had the same reaction…Samon cracked me up so badly, and Koyama Rikiya did a brilliant work. I have never imagined Zetsuen no Tempest would give such comedic moments to its audience, and out of all the characters, it's Samon who made me laugh so much.

~Ronbb

Anonymous

December 2, 2012 at 1:25 pm

This shit is finally hitting its stride.

hoiut

December 3, 2012 at 5:21 am

Amen, anon. This show has finally been hitting its stride…ever since the first minute of its airing over 9 weeks ago.

Rita

December 4, 2012 at 6:59 am

I….actually felt kinda sorry for Samon, because the sheer absurdity of the situation was pretty true. The fate of the world is essentially resting a child's quarrel between best friends and a love triangle.

But it was pretty damn hilarious to watch.

vomitaftertaste

May 18, 2013 at 3:07 am

I always had a question hanging over about ZnT. Why is the tree of genesis, which is supposed to protect logic of the world, allowed something like time travel? Going back in time is something that doesn't really make sense after all.
I thought it will be explained by the fact that the tree of genesis' nature is something different than we all thought, but in the end it still doesn't get explained. It seems I missed something big.

Zetsuen no Tempest – 09

Guardian Enzo

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admin

Son Gohan

hadoken

Steelman

hoiut

Chiaki

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Chiaki

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Taara535

Beckett

Anonymous

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hoiut

Rita

vomitaftertaste

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17 comments

Anonymous

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Son Gohan

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Chiaki

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Beckett

Anonymous

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Rita

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