Episode 28: Death of Jone
Summary:
One cloudy day, Erin is out plucking weeds as the rain starts to pour. Nukku and Mokku arrive, stating that Esal-sensei wants to see her right away.
When she arrives at her office, Erin gets the feeling something is wrong. A large box-like object with an envelope is on her desk. Esal-sensei takes a moment and hands her a letter from Asan, Jone’s son. Erin opens it and reads how Jone passed away early yesterday morning due to heart disease. She clutches the letter and Esal-sensei tells her to stay strong. Erin somberly says that she’s only been thinking of Lilan this entire time, and didn’t even bother visiting Jone during summer break. Esal-sensei reassures her that Jone wanted her to pursue academics here at Kazalm, and reveals that the stack in front of them are the books he left behind; they are all books he read to Erin when she was younger.
A sobbing Nukku and Mokku help carry the books to her room. Erin does not yet show any tears. Once they leave, Erin looks out the window and spots a bee, which makes her think about Jone. The next day, she plays around with Lilan. As Erin pauses to catch a breath, she spots yet another bee and also notices that Esal-sensei is watching her. She asks if anything is the matter, and a hesitant Esal-sensei wonders if Lilan is alright. Erin understands her real reason for being here, and tells Esal-sensei that she’s okay now. However, she offers her a replacement. Erin tells her that she’ll be fine, but Esal-sensei is still skeptical.
When walking back to the school building, Erin notices a dead bee and decides to bury it. Tomura greets her as she stares at the bee’s burial site. He’s just returned from summer break. In the cafeteria, he presents her with a gift: a small wooden beast-lord statue. As Erin eats with Nukku and Mokku, Tomura asks how Lilan is doing. She says it’s fine, but Tomura notices her subsequent silence. Her rush in going back to Lilan raises another red flag. He wonders if she didn’t like the gift, but Nukku, Mokku, and Karisa inform him of the depressing news.
In Lilan’s cage, Erin shows it the statue, but it bites its head off. She laughs in response but ends up crying. Lilan realizes her sadness and tries to comfort her. Later, as Lilan naps in its cage, a depressed Erin is greeted by Tomura. He notices the broken statue. She apologizes for its state, but he instead tells her he knows about Jone. Erin tells him not to worry and that she has to remain strong. In Esal-sensei’s office, he informs her that Erin seems to be forcing herself. He wonders if anything can be done, and she has an idea. Early the next morning, Erin is roused by Esal-sensei. She tells her to pack up and prepare to leave, saying she left Tomura in charge of Lilan and they’ll be back by tomorrow night. Erin wonders where they are going and Esal-sensei responds, “to see Jone.”
She transports them with a wagon and they stay at an inn that night. She repeatedly struggles with a mount in the wall that falls off whenever she puts her hat on it. Erin wonders where they’re going tomorrow, and she mentions something about a “secret base” she and Jone used to share. As they eat, Esal-sensei remarks on the mediocre food; however, Erin tells her that it’s still nice to get out of Kazalm once and awhile. The two then bathe in the inn’s fabled bath. Erin chuckles and tells her how this reminds her of Ake’s bath. She recalls the times with Soyon and, as she thinks, Esal-sensei splashes her with water. Her childhood village had one too, and they used to play in the water like this. Erin returns with her own splash as Esal-sensei thinks on the past, and the two enjoy a splash battle. Once dry and clothed, the two drink some hot-chocolate-like drink with honey. Esal-sensei recollects on her younger days with Jone. She says that he would always gather up the students in danger of failing and tutor them. When she asked why he did this, Jone told her that he enjoyed discovering people’s potential. Erin is glad to hear how his ideals hadn’t changed over time.
Because of his passion for teaching, Esal-sensei was surprised he quit being a teacher so suddenly. She also goes into her own past, saying how when a position opened up at Kazalm, she remembered his words. Thus, she perhaps would not be here with Erin if it were not for Jone. Erin then follows with her own past, saying how he had adopted her without even knowing who she was. She says she wanted to thank him one day, but now she can’t give him anything. Esal-sensei shakes her head and says pursuing her own path is enough; she states he must have been able to live his way because of her. Erin then starts crying and Esal starts to comfort her, but decides to let things pass. As she wipes away her tears, Erin asks Esal-sensei to tell her more about Jone. She explains how the “secret base” was their favorite place: a hut in the middle of a beautiful field with flowers.
The next day, the two visit this “secret base.” She and Jone often studied here. Esal-sensei says that nothing has really changed, and had the feeling he’d be here. Erin then sees Jone’s spirit sitting near a window. He smiles towards her and at that point, she decides to continue expanding the potential Jone saw in her and live a life that would not shame him. His spirit calls her name and Erin thinks back on all the good times. She once again calls him “dad,” and he simply smiles as he fades away. Erin bows in his direction and thanks him. She also thanks Esal-sensei for bringing her here. The two then decide to head back. A shot of a bird flying towards Ephon Noha (the mountain of the gods) is shown as the episode closes.
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My Thoughts:
The death of Jone didn’t come as too much of a surprise since they didn’t try to hide it. After thinking about it, I think it’s good they just laid it out there since the main focus was Erin’s recovery. We also received some background on Esal-sensei and development between her and Erin, which is never a bad thing. Jone’s death itself came as a sudden event, but that’s how it is sometimes. It is painful to think, like Erin did, how she could have seen him one more time if she visited him during the break. But what can you do, right? What happens, happens. Can’t beat yourself over something like that. I like how they showed all the flashbacks with Jone near the end, since it helped the viewer remember and better relate to Erin’s feelings. Also, seeing Ephon Noha again was a nice correlation to when Erin gazed at it for the first time when she met Jone.
It’s made clear that Esal-sensei had known Jone for a long time, portrayed by their younger selves at an unnamed school. Her mentioning of their “secret base” and knowing many of his mannerisms makes me wonder if there was ever a romance between the two. Maybe Asan is actually Esal-sensei’s son?! Just kidding.
On another note, Erin’s laugh is sort of freaky (psycho-ish maybe). I thought it was intentional when she laughed at Lilan (to show she was forcing herself to be strong), but the sound was similar when she was playing with Esal-sensei in the bath.
I’m glad Erin has at least her peers and Esal-sensei (not to mention Nukku and Mokku) to turn to. When she lost her mother, she was left with practically no one (since she was in an unknown land). The only way things could get worse in that regard is if the school got caught about allowing Erin to raise Lilan and everyone was executed. That would be a pretty harsh ending, but I doubt they’d wipe out that many people in one swoop.
Next time, it looks like summer break is over and all the students come back. Erin still seems affected by Jone’s death, but the highlight of that episode looks to be Lilan going off the wall. Erin looks pretty hurt. We’ll have to find out what’s up next time, on Kemono no Souja Erin: “Beast’s Fang!”
Lastly, here’s a tribute to Jone. May he rest in peace.
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
