Episode 3: The Fighting Beast
Summary:
The normal intro plays, newly revealing that when King Je descended, the kingdoms of the land were close to perishing because of the war. As he walked through the land filled with corpses, he was protected by a Beast Lord that normally wasn’t friendly to humans, and the Touda of the rivers made way for him.
The scene switches back over to Ake, mentioning that training for Touda will occur tomorrow. Because the Grand Duke and a high figure from the capital are coming to watch, the village is bustling with activity. After finishing her work, Erin hurries out of a house and happens upon Chok’s mom. She asks where Erin is going so early in the morning, to which Erin reveals that she’s going to see Lulu, the baby Touda. She named it Lulu since it likes making the sound, “Lu~lulu.” After heading out, Chok’s mom talks about how it is amazing the Chief lets Erin go into the Touda Grotto; her husband agrees, saying that there are those that don’t trust her because she’s a child of the Mist People, but because Soyon is her mom, things should be okay.
In the Touda grotto, Erin cleans Lulu’s scales, resulting in a “Lu~lulu” response while her mom works with the Kiba. Erin asks Soyon if she may attend tomorrow’s training with her, but Soyon says she can’t because she needs permission from her grandfather. Erin protests that she’s done all her chores and the ones for tomorrow. Soyon ignores her comments and says it’s time to leave, for the Kiba is about to awaken. After the gate closes, Erin watches the large Touda get up and wander off. She heaves a sigh of relief, asking why the mute whistle doesn’t work on Lulu. Soyon points out that Lulu still has an “ear-web” on its sides preventing the mute whistle from affecting it. Erin wonders if they naturally lose them as they get older, but Soyon says they cut them off before they become adults and develop claws and fangs. Erin reaffirms this by asking if they’ll cut off Lulu’s ear-webs, and Soyon nods. Erin protests, saying it would hurt, but Soyon says that is the only way Touda can live among humans, as specified in the code.
The scene shifts to the castle of the Grand Duke, who is regarded as the most important person protecting the queen. A blonde-haired noble is escorted by the Grand Duke and his sons, greeted by a wave of servants. He approaches a girl that stands out among them and tries to smile charmingly. In the Grand Duke’s room, he thanks Damiya, the noble, for coming all the way out here. Damiya returns his gesture gracefully, thanking the Grand Duke for accepting his sudden request. Damiya takes note of the Grand Duke’s two sons, Shunan and Ngan. The Grand Duke mentions that Shunan, his oldest son and most likely successor, will be given at Touda at tomorrow’s training. Damiya inquires about his age, and Shunan replies with “sixteen.” Damiya then mentions how the Queen and Seimiya-sama, her successor, who live at the capital would be happy to see him. Unlike him, they don’t have as much freedom to leave the castle. Though Damiya says he’ll be happy to report Shunan’s heroic tale to his relatives, Shunan asserts that he would like to express his respect in person. For some reason, Damiya looks displeased at his remark, and then inquires about the Grand Duke’s younger son, Ngan. Damiya suggests that he also participate in the training. He then speaks of a saying that a son of the Grand Duke becomes a true man atop a Touda. Though hesitant, the Grand Duke fulfills his request, allowing Ngan to also join Shunan on the morrow. Ngan simply looks on.
Back in Ake, Erin mischievously looks in a jar, intending to eat one of its contents, but Soyon stops her; had Erin licked it, she would become numb. The herb is “tritip grass,” which is used in benetrophic water to make a Touda’s body bigger and sturdier. Soyon notices they don’t have much left and Erin offers to go collect some, since she can’t watch the training tomorrow anyway. Soyon agrees.
Late that night at the Grand Duke’s quarter, Ngan practices his sword skill under the pale moon. Clouds darken the area as Damiya descends from the Grand Duke’s manor. He expresses his admiration at Ngan’s motivation, and further adds he indeed chose the right man. Ngan says he simply was preparing himself for the important role Damiya had placed upon him, and asks the noble what he is doing out so late. Damiya apparently has a meeting with the female attendant from before, but also claims he wanted to speak with him. To Damiya, he considers men and women the same in that he has an eye of spotting raw form that sparkles when polished; he claims Ngan carries an innate talent and refined aspiration which exceeds his brother’s, like the first Grand Duke, Yaman Hasal. This takes Ngan aback, and before leaving, Damiya tells him not to lose his ‘precious heart’ and hands him a white rose. The portrait of Yaman simply watches in deep silence.
The next day, Erin, Chok, and Saju are searching for tritip grass. Saju gets frustrated when Erin points out that the batch she has collected so far isn’t actually tritrip grass. Meanwhile, the Grand Duke and Damiya arrive at Ake village, greeted by the Chief while Soyon and the other villages bow in respect. Damiya makes various observations about the village, and requests that he be taken to the training grounds. He also mentions providing the people with the goods he brought, though the Grand Duke says such things aren’t necessary for ‘these people.’ However, Damiya persists and has his way, spraying some perfume-like substance since he is not accustomed to the Touda “stench.”
A gong resonates throughout the area, catching Erin and the others’ attention. They look down from a nearby cliff to see a mass group of Touda lined up at what appears to be the training grounds. Damiya and the Grand Duke observe the scene on a red carpet slightly above the grounds, and Erin takes notice of Damiya’s strange clothes. Erin turns their attention to soldiers lined up on Kiba in a cave above them. All of the soldiers are equipped with mute whistles. Saju compliments the Touda on how smart they are acting, but Chok points out that it is the soldiers manipulating them through their horns that control their movement. Erin appears saddened by this revelation. Just then, Shunan demonstrates the power of the mute whistle and his Kiba drops onto the ground. Everything appears successful, but one of the Kiba suddenly lashes out. All but Soyon hesitate from the sidelines, though the Chief tells them to stop the Touda’s movements. Damiya makes his leave, but notices Soyon on the grounds, requesting them to open its ear covering so the mute whistle affects it. Shunan and Ngan work together to successfully open the covering and suppress the Touda. Erin looks on in dismay. As Soyon helps the fallen soldier, she notices Erin on the hill above. The Grand Duke apologizes for the mishap, but Damiya expresses his pleasure in seeing Ngan and Shunan’s growth.
Back in Touda Grotto, the Chief and the others discuss how it will take time for the injured Touda to heal, meaning they will need to raise more Touda. Wadan proposes they cut off the ear-webs of Lulu to speed up the breeding process. Soyan listens, sadly realizing the implications and informs Erin back home. Erin expresses her disapproval, but Soyon is unable to do anything. As Lulu is shown getting its ear-webs cut off, Soyon explains how this is necessary since it will go to war someday. Erin fights through her tears and tells her mother how she doesn’t want the same thing that occurred to the Touda today to happen to Lola. Erin wonders aloud whether going to war is really the true nature of the Touda. She wishes she could hear their words so she could understand. Soyon can do nothing but comfort Erin, fully understanding that one cannot live in Ake without using Touda as tools of war. A silent night sky can only bear witness to these unfolding events.
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My Thoughts:
It’s becoming clearer that Erin is touching on things that perhaps bothers her mom about Touda. I felt bad seeing how they could do nothing for Lulu as it lost its ear-webs. I wonder how Erin and its relationship will be now, especially since it saw no trace of her when it happened; it might think she abandoned it. We’ve gone from seeing Touda as great, but fearful, beasts to more sympathetic issues surrounding them. Perhaps this will prompt Erin to leave Ake and follow her own moral code. She should should also learn martial arts to kick Wadan’s butt for recommending they cut off Lulu’s ear-webs.
On another note several key characters were introduced officially: the Grand Duke’s two sons, Shunan and Ygan, Damiya, and the Queen’s successor, Seimiya. It’s easy to see some tension in the Grand Duke’s family, since Shunan is in a favorable position with his father. Ygan must feel some bitterness, and Damiya appears to manipulating that emotion well. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ygan ended up assassinating either his father or Shunan (or both) for power, but the two brothers seem to be on good terms. I’m sure Seimiya will appear more frequently in the future. As for Damiya, the eerie music surrounding him and his conspicuous looks from time-to-time makes him out to be the bad guy. It’s creepy that he looks pretty old but is going after young attendant girls. But hey, I suppose that’s how they do it in Erin’s time. The Grand Duke for the most part appears level-headed, though I didn’t like his comment on how Damiya didn’t need to provide gifts for “these people.” True, his army maintains the peace in the country but Ake and its people are key to supplying the Touda. The Grand Duke even admits the importance of Touda breeding when responding to Damiya’s remark on the high level of security around the area. I’m also curious on how Damiya noticing Soyon is of the Mist People will affect things. Does the Grand Duke know? What would he do if he didn’t and found out? He probably does, though. She was at the gate.
Looks like next episode we finally touch on Saju’s sister’s marriage. Last time Saju mentioned it, her sister appeared sad. Wonder why that is. Guess we’ll find out next time, on Kemono no Souja Erin: Secret Within the Mist! Oh yeah, looks like we’ll learn some stuff about the Mist People, too.
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
