Dammit, I was this close to making a commitment but this episode had that one really sharp pebble in the shoe. The other remaining bubble series popped (in the other direction) so Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi is my last holdout. This is certainly a very interesting show in what’s generally a boring season, and this episode did nothing to change that. But it’s playing with fire in a big way with one of its developing themes, and I want a better feel for which way that angle is going to play out.
One interesting angle here is the notion that Idaten may be playing a false protagonists angle, at least to an extent. There are some interesting (speeded up) revelations this week in that vein. We now know that the intelligent demons are half-human – which makes them more human than the Idaten, at least physically. We also know that Ysley (who I’m more convinced than ever is the main character, and less than ever if he’s protagonist or antagonist) has no qualms about live dissection on both demons and humans. I haven’t seen any signs of empathy from the Idaten at all, really. Hayato and Paula are the two least unsympathetic so far, but that’s largely due to their lack of intellectual ambition.
As an old D & D guy, it definitely seems to me that the Idaten are neutral – probably true neutral. And any geek can tell you true neutral is the scariest alignment there is. They do have an express “lawful” purpose, theoretically – to prevent the extinction of humanity – but they thrive on and prefer chaos and like to act as lone wolves. The demons have an agenda – Obami’s agenda – but they also have a shared interest with the Idaten in preventing the chaos of 800 years earlier from returning. It’s a pretty fascinating dynamic, really, and it makes it very hard to know who to root for.
I know this much, Corey was trying to surrender and Hayato had no interest in accepting it. That said Prontea could certainly have killed Neput and didn’t, perhaps in mind of what Ysley had planned for the pair of them after. Ysely’s victory over Piscalet was the most interesting, especially the way he analyzed how intelligence was actually a vulnerability for her. But that’s also where the ep veered off into the minefield, with this whole business about how while the demons’ human brains could withstand pain, they had no defense against pleasure.
And that’s where any sympathy for the demons really loses steam. Zoble can at this point be thought of as a demon nation, for all intents and purposes – its emperor and empress are demons, and it’s Obami’s agenda that drives its actions. And their strategy is based around the sexual humiliation and abuse of female prisoners, to the point where that seems to be the main draw for its soldiers to join up. Justifying that by making it the basis for how new intelligent demons are created doesn’t make it any less revolting. And the whole scene between Miku and Gil (the nun) was crass and skeevy – veering way too close to the vile “if it’s inevitable just lie back and enjoy it” trope.
How Idaten chooses to pursue this whole Zoble angle is going to tell us a lot. And in terms of plot, Obami’s true identity is obviously going to prove pretty crucial as well. I kind of liked Paula’s idea that he was actually an Idaten created by demon thoughts – her first real stab at insight and an intriguing notion – but Ysley’s actions suggest the truth is something different. It’s all a very interesting stew, and the execution remains excellent (especially with all these legendary seiyuu). I just need to understand a little more about just what sort of perspective we’re dealing with before I make a decision on whether I can buy in unreservedly.
