Sometimes in war, fleeing is winning. Peace too – but it’s war that’s more the focus this week. If the message of Godzilla Minus One was that it’s okay to survive (which in Japan is quite subversive), one of the messages of Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi is that it’s OK to run away when you’re outmatched. A ten year-old is outmatched in a lot of situations, obviously. It’s not so easy for a general – but sometimes a general too has to know when not to fight.
Happily for Ayako her father is one such general. Rather than sacrifice everything defending a fort of limited value, he prioritizes something far more valuable – lives. The lives of the besieged soldiers defending it against Shinzaburou’s army, and his own life too. Mochizuki uses his power to open up a gap in the siege so that the defenders can escape the fort, and the two armies flee together. That’s how the Elusive Warriors find them, and their focus can now turn to the battles still to come rather than the one they’ve just avoided.
This is a complicated battlefield, but I commend – once again – this adaptation for the extremely clever way it’s being depicted. Snippets of live action, pieces on a shogi board, even puppets. Taking inspiration from Matsui Yuusei’s penchant for zaniness the anime is putting a surrealistic spin on these quasi-historical events. The next step is for Mochizuki’s army to join up with Shinomiya’s and put the squeeze on the enemy as they try and cross the river. But to create that pincer they need to disseminate information, and that’s the job of the little messengers knitting the Suwa forces together.
One problem – Sadamune is no fool. In fact he’s crazy smart and extremely experienced in warfare. He’s dispatched a hundred of his best troops – under his own command – who were unneeded as the main battle slumbered to the center of the battle lines. There they intercept the Elusive Warriors and – quite rightly – Sadamune reminds Chojumaru that he will show him no mercy in battle. If captured he can be tortured and whatever he knows about Suwa Yorishige (and himself) dragged out of him. It’s a moment made for Genba and he almost manages to allow the Elusives to escape, but Sadamune sees further than anyone else as usual.
Well – almost anyone. Yorishige has long vision, that’s for certain. He styles himself “Shimano Kamen” but that’s certainly not fooling anybody. Once more Sadamune shows that his intelligence and cunning far outweigh his pride – with the enemy on the high ground, there’s no advantage for him in pressing ahead here. Losing the shrine messenger is a galling result but it’s better than losing half his men (and maybe his own life) fighting to capture the lad. He calls a retreat, knowing he won’t have to wait long for a chance to exact his revenge.
In short, Sadamune values his own life – and given his importance, he should. Tokiyuki is even more essential to the Hojo side of course. And he really should have accepted Yorishige’s command to stand down and return to the relative safety of the shrine. But Yorishige, among other things, is trying to develop this wisp of a child into a young man capable of leading a country, and it’s difficult for him to deny the boy’s desire to keep being useful and not just an object to be protected. With Kiyohara and his battle mikoshi about to join the fray it’s dangerous to be anywhere near the battlefield, but Yorishige chooses to let the Young Lord continue playing his role.
