Episode 29: Beast’s Fang
Summary:
During the fall, Erin sits next to a slumbering Lilan and thinks back on Jone. Her companion simply gazes over at her sadly. Yuuyan calls out to her from beyond the wall, and Erin welcomes her return. She hands Erin a beast-lord mask, saying it’s a souvenir she got for her. Yuuyan expresses concern for her well-being, knowing that she lost her foster father. Erin tells her that’s she’s fine, further stating that she feels like she has to get herself together so Jone won’t be worried. Yuuyan expresses her confidence in Erin. Their attention shifts to a shedding Lilan. Erin tells her she’ll look like a fine lady once the process is complete, implying that Lilan is in fact female. They watch her scratch her head on the tree, and Erin wonders whether she itches where the fur is changing. She tries using a small brush to soothe her. Yuuyan is surprised at how obedient Lilan is, though she thinks the brush is too small. Thus, Erin runs off to Nukku and Mokku to get a larger brush. They tell her to leave it to them.
In class, Erin learns about the social structure of various animals: the strongest in the pack becomes the leader that protects everyone. She asks if it’s the same with beast-lords, but he tells her that their structure is still unknown. When she sits with Lilan, Erin recalls her lesson, and thinks how she has to get her act together since she’s currently Lilan’s mother.
Later, outside the shed, Nukku and Mokku hand her a large brush. The other students watch as she proceeds to brush Lilan. Things go well until she accidentally hits Lilan’s past injury, causing Lilan to instinctively react and attack her ear and shoulder. As Lilan roars in surprise, Tomura prepares to blow the mute whistle but Erin stops him. She tells herself how this is a misunderstanding, and collapses.
Erin has a nightmare about Lilan and wakes up to find Esal-sensei by her side. Lilan’s attack resulted in stitches for her earlobe and shoulder. Esal-sensei says that what Erin did was foolish: she dropped her guard while working with Lilan just because she thought the two had grown close. Esal-sensei partially blames herself, for she placed too much trust in Erin. She concludes with how Erin should not try and touch Lilan anymore. However, Erin refuses. Esal-sensei protests and says she almost died. Erin explains that Lilan sees her as a mother, and that if she were to back off, she might revert back to how she was. Esal-sensei considers that wishful thinking, stating how beasts only listen to others when they believe the speaker is stronger: “Beast-lords are different than humans.” She presents her with a mute whistle, saying this is the only way to prove to beast-lords that they [the humans] are in control. Beast-lords listen to them out of fear, not love. If Erin doesn’t follow convention, then who knows what will happen next time. Yet, she remains resolved to not use it, and Esal-sensei tells her to write a will explaining it was her own stupidity that caused her death.
Erin examines her injury later in the kitchen. Some of her classmates offer their support, but she tells them she’s alright now, giving thanks. As Erin walks towards the shed she recalls the social structure lecture. When she approaches the shed’s doors, her hesitation mounts, and she recalls Jone’s speech about Tocchi and Noro: they are like family, but if they were to kick her in a panic, they could kill her. She also recalls her mother’s words about how Touda are beasts, unlike them. Erin looks at the mute whistle in her small pouch, and wonders if she was wrong about how beast-lords and humans can understand one another. Rain falls as she ponders these things outside the shed.
Later, Erin watches her classmates play ball. Meanwhile, Lilan looks out her shed and calls out to her. Yuuyan approaches Erin and wonders why she hasn’t visited Lilan yet. She expresses her hesitation. Yuuyan sympathizes with her, and thinks she should leave Lilan to Esal-sensei and Tomura for now. Lilan continues to call for her. The ball accidentally flies into their room, and Erin runs to retrieve it. When she does, she is reminded of her first and many other experiences with Lilan through various objects, including the feeding stick and harp. Through this, she decides to return to the shed and slowly walks into Lilan’s cage. The two simply gaze at each other. Erin plucks at her harp a couple times. She thinks and agrees how beasts may fear humans, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only type of relationship they can have. Even if it means following her mother’s path, she wants to find an answer one day. Lilan draws her face close to Erin’s, and the two comfort each other. Erin decides to cling onto her belief that she may be able to come to a mutual understanding with Lilan.
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My Thoughts:
Erin is again faced with the reality that beasts, like Lilan, are different than humans. Esal-sensei tries to convince her to back down, but Erin still remains strong in her resolve. Soyon had conformed to raising Touda by the code, so it’s interesting to see Erin remain fixed on her own ideals. I think what she meant about coming to an understanding with beast-lords, even if it meant walking the path of her mother, is that she’s willing to die for that belief. As in, being punished for not following the Beast Lord Imperatives. It’d be really depressing to see that happen (especially after seeing Soyon’s execution), and I wonder whether she’d still stay true to those words when actually faced with that threat. In any case, I respect Erin for defending her beliefs despite Esal-sensei’s aggressive statements. It’s quite a difference to their bonding last episode. But I think Esal-sensei only spoke out of genuine concern, so my view of her hasn’t negatively changed.
I’m glad Lilan showed remorse for hurting Erin, though it’s possible she was sad because Erin didn’t show up for awhile. Then again, animals sometimes know when they’ve done something wrong, so hopefully that’s the case. Makes me wonder what Lilan would do if Erin accidentally made the same mistake. Talk about a rough backlash.
We finally learn Lilan’s gender this episode too: female. Surprise, surprise! I always thought she looked more masculine, but I can see some feminine traits.
I like the music that played when Erin was recalling past memories with Lilan. It was very warm and gentle, perfect for the content.
One big surprise next episode is that there’s another time skip: four more years. Erin is starting to look more like Soyon, which is bittersweet for me (bittersweet in the sense it reminds me of her mom and the execution). It may also be a recap, considering how Esal-sensei is narrating and talking about how several things have happened. I’m guessing this means Yuuyan and the others will be graduating soon, which makes me wonder what Erin’s plans are. I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to stick around with Lilan, but what would that imply? *sniff* Erin is growing up so fast! Almost feels like I’m a fatherly figure watching her grow through the episodes. I’m sure Soyon would be proud! In any case, expect an older Erin (18), next time on Kemono no Souja Erin: “The Fourth Winter!” Just in time for the holidays around here!
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
