Episode 16: Ial the Sezan
Summary:
One evening, Ial passes by a harp shop in the capital. As he is browsing the harps an old friend emerges from the shop. He’s about to leave without a word until his friend asks whether he’d like to know about his family’s condition.
At the mountain cabin, Jone reads Esal’s answer to Erin: the Trial of Entrees has already ended, but since this request came from Jone, she will administer a special trial. Since it is a unique case, Esal has great expectations, but Erin remains resolved. They, along with Nukku and Mokku, head to the capital.
Once there, Jone points out a white building, which is part of the palace in which the Queen lives. Erin wonders if he’s been there, and he says he was a tutor for Princess Seimiya for a short time. A merchant interrupts them, and as she and Jone interact, Erin walks over to a man playing the Bird of Dawn. This reminds her of Ial. She then accidentally drops her harp when a bag hits her from behind, causing its wood to splinter. She is directed to a shop owned by a man named Yantoku at the outskirts of the city to get it fixed.
Before she arrives, Ial talks with his friend, who happens to be Yantoku, at the shop. A mention of his father brings back memories of the past. A younger Ial tells Yantoku how he’ll succeed his father as a harp maker. However, a fire breaks out from his father’s shop and Ial rushes to the scene. he happens to catch the attention of a Sezan– who is his future supervisor. His father dies in the fire as he tries to save the instruments.
He is drawn back to the present as Erin knocks on the door. Yantoku answers it and takes her harp for repair. Ial realizes she is the girl from the past. Yantoku notices the inscription on the harp, indicating it belongs to Ial, and asks where she got it. Erin tells him someone gave it to her, and that if she ever met him again she’d like to thank him. When she leaves, Yantoku asks what Ial’s connection is to Erin. He recalls the past when he confronted Erin with her friends.
That night, Ial is given a mission to hunt down Hagal, since he disobeyed the Sezan code. He happens to be his ex-supervisor and was the man who provided funds to his family in exchange for Ial’s service after his father’s death. This greatly helped them since his mother was sick and his sister was still a baby. Ial wonders why he went against the code, visibly reluctant to carry out the mission.
The next evening, Ial leaves the fixed harp next to Yantoku’s doorstep, along with a note that says he regrets having met with him, and says he will never return since he is a Sezan. He also requests that Yantoku return the harp to Erin.
That night, Hagal is walking in the street and see three approaching Sezan, causing him to take a detour in an alley. Now next to the river, he encounters Ial. Seeing him draw his sword, Hagal asks that he not go through with this. Ial states though he saved his family, the mission must be carried out since he is a Sezan. Hagal draws his sword and the two engage in a quick match. The result is not yet revealed, switching over to Erin obtaining her repaired harp. Back at the fight, it’s revealed Ial is still standing while Hagal is on the floor. The scene again switches, this time to Nukku and Mokku, who are bullied by two larger brutes. Ial and his subordinate happen to walk by. His subordinate asks if they should help but Ial says they should not stand out because they’re Sezans. He argues that they are off duty, but Ial persists that it’s none of their business. The subordinate tells him how he’s heartless and throws up a pair of dice. Seeing that they match, he considers himself lucky, and skillfully hurls them into the bullies’ foreheads, knocking them down. Nukku and Mokku run off in horror.
Ial tells his subordinate, Kyle, to stay out of external affairs. Kyle argues that they risk their lives for the Queen, yet ignore the evil on the streets. Ial states how kindness is easily exploited; if one has loved ones, he should stay away from them. Kyle wonders if he’s felt sympathy for others, and Ial recalls the last moments with Hagal. He says he’s killed too many to feel sympathy.
At the palace, the Queen and Seimiya walk around while Ial stays on guard. Back in the city, Jone is glad to see the harp fixed, and marvels at how perfectly the craftsman fixed it; it’s almost as if the actual owner of the harp repaired it. Erin wonders if Ial was the one who fixed it, thinking she may be able to meet him again. The two then head to Kazalm.
Next Episode Preview:
My Thoughts:
We get to see Ial’s past and the reasons behind him becoming a Sezan. It was sad to his father die like that, even though he didn’t get much screen time. He’s similar to Erin in the sense he lost a parent when he was still young, and was forced to grow up quickly. However, Erin does have Jone, which is good, while Ial only has his companion Sezans. We get a new character in the mix, Kyle, who will probably be a recurring sidekick character whenever we see Ial. It would have been nice to see his mother and sister, but like he said, “we’re Sezans,” those who cut ties with their family and friends. I do wonder what Hagal did to break the “Sezan code.” There we go with the “code” again. I wonder if they have these things written down somewhere…
Oh, for the record, as mentioned in the episode, Erin is fourteen.
Next episode looks pretty interesting. I anticipate some character development for Shunan and Princess Seimiya. It looks like the Queen might be in danger, too. Could this be the work of the “Saigamuru?” Guess we’ll find out next time, on Kemono no Souja Erin: “The Targeted Queen!”
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
