So there I was, enjoying this week’s episode of “Douwa Through the Back Door”, when a whole lot of plot broke out. But in typical fashion, ACCA dished out its blockbuster information in utterly deadpan fashion – and didn’t stop dishing out the regional specialites de cuisine as it was doing so. The funny thing is, I feel as if both it and Jean legitimately feel that finding the best place to buy omiyage choco is more important than potential coups and life-changing family secrets.
This might have been the week that ACCA spilled the beans on most of the major mysteries we’ve been speculating about, but it probably spent more time obsessing over yukinotama – the “snowballs” that were Lotta’s request for Jean’s audit to the capitol (and they do look good). And in the end I guess that’s a big part of the series’ charm – it’s nice that Niino and Jean can find time to talk about desserts even after Niino was caught out in his betrayal and Jean has finally immersed himself in trying to figure out what’s going on around him. The matter-of-fact way ACCA deals with- well, everything- is a perfect mirror for Jean himself. And as I’ve noted before, I rarely remember a series that was so epitomized by its main character.
So what did we find out here – besides the best place to buy yukinotama? Perhaps most sexy is the revelation that Lotta is indeed a member of the royal family – or if she’s not, ACCA is pulling one of the great head-fakes in anime. The portrait Schawn stares at looks exactly like her – and it captures his deceased aunt at the age of 16. She was said to have died in the tragic incident 33 years earlier that was referred to last week – the sinking of a royal ship, where she supposedly perished along with her loyal “white-haired” guard, Abend. But the evidence is that they in fact died some twenty years later – in the train accident we learned of last week.
There are plot implications both subtle and gross here, of course. First off it should be noted that if this development was suspected on these pages, so was the fact that Schwan is not nearly as dim as he seems – indeed, he seems to intentionally play up the baka prince persona to cast suspicion away from himself where political machinations (and perhaps treason) are concerned. The prince wasn’t interested in Lotta as a romantic target – he spotted the family resemblance and freaked out. If in fact Lotta is the daughter of this dead princess, that would of course also mean that Jean is a direct descendant of the king – and as he’s older than Schwan and Douwa (like Japan) allows only male monarchs, that would make Jean first in-line to the throne.
It seems reasonable to suppose (though I’m not assuming anything) that the false rumors about Jean being an intermediary for coup plotters were contrived to disgrace a potential rival for the throne. But by whom? Not Schwan, obviously, as he had no idea who Jean was until Magie t0ld him. And why would the death of the princess and her presumed future husband (and Jean and Lotta’s father) have been faked 33 years ago? And just who is Niino reporting to after he reports to Grossular? If I were to hazard a guess, I wonder if Niino isn’t ultimately working for the king himself (and/or his sideman Kuvarum, played by the great Ishizuka Unshou), testing Jean to see if he’s fit for the throne.
For my part I don’t believe Grossular is plotting a coup himself – though one has to wonder if the mention of Abend having white hair connects with him, somehow. My instincts are telling me that Mauve might actually be the one behind the plot, though that’s more a hunch I can’t quite justify yet. I wouldn’t be surprised, in fact, if the amiable king were the one plotting something nefarious for ACCA and the country and the acerbic prince the one thinking of the common good. But I think the big question that remains on everyone’s mind is obvious – was Jean able to find the best chocolate shop in Korore, or not?
Flower
February 21, 2017 at 9:02 pmNo doubt the chocolate shop is a cliffhanger to be revealed next episode.
I think one of the most interesting things behind Jean finding out is what exactly he is going to do with the situation. My impression is that the elderly king is behind the coup rumors, because through them he wants to put a king on the throne who will continue to keep the peace the way things are now and yet possess a shrewdness in dealing with the districts …both on the level of business contacts, personal contacts and dealing with corruption. In that sense the coup is mainly for the current prince rather than the king himself.
If this is so then Jean working for ACCA the way he does and living where he does is a brilliant setup of slowly grooming the next ruler … still, this series is excellent with being vague (except this episode) and part of me still thinks Jean knows more than he is letting on. (At times I even wonder if he actually IS in on the plot (the one I posited) with the king or … if the actual grand schemer in all this is actually … Lotta. (Part of me kinda hopes that she is the actual mastermind for some reason. XD)
Guardian Enzo
February 21, 2017 at 10:59 pmYeah, I definitely hope that doesn’t happen! That would be a pretty gimmicky cop-out, imho…
KayDat
February 22, 2017 at 12:29 amWould definitely be the biggest fake-out this season. Looking back, hints are all over the place. Both Jean and Lotte take after the King, heavy smoking and love of sweets respectively.
Bel
February 22, 2017 at 7:59 amI never thought ACCA would turn out to be the food anime of the season.
Anyway, I’m now having all sorts of wild conspiracy theories about what’s going on. Maybe Jean’s department chief, who seems to share Lotta’s love for desserts, is involved in the whole thing somehow. Maybe Jean and Lotta’s parents faked their death in the train accident, and Grossular covered for them. Maybe the train accident was an assassination attempt etc.
Crazy theories aside, Nino is probably working for the king in some capacity, but I think the one he’s directly reporting to isn’t the king or his adviser. The king doesn’t look like the type of person who would tell people off. Also, near the end of the episode, when Nino is on the phone with someone, he mentions that the person on the phone doesn’t have time to consult the privy council president (Kuvarum or Qualm?). And we still don’t know who the landlord is, or who Nino is hiding from during his stay in Dowa.
dreamyklutz
February 22, 2017 at 9:59 amDouwa makes me think of Sweden a bit , those snowballs really look like a version of the Swedish kardemmumabullars ( and made me crave them very, very much). I personally don’t see Mauve behind the coup ( she seems pretty straight forward and supposedly inspired the Korore administration to be efficient, transparant and no-frilly, ), but maybe I’m too blinded by her sheer awesomeness ( her relationship with Grossular seems a bit complicated) It’s not often that you get to see a female character who is meant to be seen as beautiful, powerful, competent, smart and admirable and also actually is (narratively speaking). She also is not sexualised or reduced to a love object. You can probably guess she is my fave here haha
Bel
February 22, 2017 at 10:35 amI don’t think Mauve has anything to do with the coup either. Now that she knows what’s going on though, perhaps she’ll do something about it. IMHO Nino is far more likely to be involved in the coup. After all, Jean isn’t the only one who’s been travelling around a lot…
Rita
February 22, 2017 at 2:12 pmThe thing is, I think prince Schwan is legitimately both keener than he seems on important political machinations while also being, quite literally, a baka prince. There are people in real life who are incredibly competent in a specific field or facet of their life but so incredibly ignorant or arrogant or just out of the loop aside from that. I don’t think Schwan’s grandiose behavior is an act, rather I get the impression it’s actually his default and because of the picture it paints most people have decided that he’s an absolute idiot (which, honestly, in some senses he is). But he’s also not completely tonedeaf to the stuff happening around him, which clashes nicely with his idiot prince personality.
It’s like if pre-character development Raj from Akagami no Shirayukihime was actually somewhat smart when it came to the political side of things.
Karmafan
February 22, 2017 at 7:06 pmI’m guessing Nino is reporting to the King and he is supposed to “spy” on Jean but also to keep him safe.