Opening Song: Shizuku by Chitose Hajime
I love the screens of the new opening. They express a mature theme and set the mood nicely for the last half of the series. All the characters shown have already been introduced, with the newest being Kiriku, so it seems things are set in that regard. The style of some things, like the figure of Soyon being swarmed by Touda, brings back bad memories but is an interesting art form I appreciate. At the very beginning we see an even older Erin wearing her mother’s clothes. Hopefully we get to see this come to life in the episodes. That would mean we’d get another time skip, right? Maybe at the very end… The song is the same as in the first opening, except a female voice sings it. I’m not a huge fan of how she varies her pitch; it makes things annoying after awhile. I definitely get a more serious tone from her versus the first singer, but I think she could have eased up on the pitch. I wasn’t able to locate the singer’s name, so if you happen to know feel free to post it down below. UPDATE: Found it now :).
Episode 31: Light in the Sky
Summary:
A flashback is shown of two people collapsing onto the ground. A boy watches with hateful eyes while a bird flutters around in its cage. In the closer present, a group of men are served wine by a masked man. The scene shifts back to the past, where a closer view of the man is depicted as he falls onto the ground. Back to the present, the masked man asks about the Touda eggs, and they say that they’ve had difficulty collecting them. He then dismisses them from this duty. They protest, but succumb to the poisonous wine. One of them labels him part of the Saigamul, but he tells him never to speak of Wajyaku in his presence. The man takes off his helmet and a shot of his face is then shown. Given the flashbacks, it’s assumed he is the young boy that poisoned the two in the past.
At Kazalm, Tomura informs Esal-sensei of troubling news: members of the Lazal Beast-Lord Care Center are speaking of their untraditional ways for raising beast-lords. Tomura says Erin’s name is not in the rumors, but it won’t be long until the capital knows. Esal-sensei thinks they may already know.
In Lilan’s shed, Erin is busy trying to brush a fussy Lilan but is interrupted by an unfamiliar teacher. He remarks how the rumors are true: she doesn’t use the mute whistle. She asks who he is, and the scene shifts to the two walking back to the office. Tomura is informed of the new incoming teacher, and as Esal-sensei explains the circumstances, Erin enters with the new teacher, Kiriku. Later, Erin and Tomura are walking through the hallway and she inquires about the many nobles and politicians at Tamuyuan. Tomura teases that she’s never brought up this topic, and Erin reminds him that she’s 18 now. She also dashes in front of him and asks, with a playful stance, that he later tell her about Lazal’s beast-lords. He smiles as she runs off, and thinks how she is still beast-lord gung-ho even now.
The scene shifts back to Lilan, who hears a bird in the sky and enviously looks up. The focus shifts to Erin’s class, who is introduced to Kiriku. He’ll be teaching them about poisons. Yuuyan marvels at his handsomeness. As he lectures, he asks Erin a question and she answers it correctly. He hands her a strange candy from his green bag as a reward, and also gives one to the mesmerized Yuuyan. Erin takes hers hesitantly. The lecture continues and he hands candy to people for correct answers. Nukku and Mokku are busy feuding outside with snowballs.
As they study in the library, Yuuyan reminds Erin of the graduation trial coming up in half a year, and notes how she will be staying at Kazalm. Erin confirms this, saying she wants to be a teacher like Tomura. It sounds like Yuuyan will be heading home, but only if she passes the trial. She flusters at what to do if that doesn’t happen, and Kashugan says she can live with him. This causes a stir in the library, and Yuuyan asks him to clarify his statement. Kashugan explains his hometown’s shortage of beastinarians. Disappointed, Yuuyan pouts.
In the kitchen, Karisa speaks with Kiriku and mentions Erin’s name, leading to an inquiry. She reveals Erin’s personality and duties. This intrigues him. He asks Nukku and Mokku about her, and though they are at first defensive, his compliments about her opens them up. They blurt out what animals she’s handled and mention Touda, further increasing his interest. They realize what they’ve done and blame the other. Kiriku calms them with green treats from his bag called kusamochi. As they enjoy the snack he continues asking them about Erin.
He approaches her as she’s studying in the library. He explains how her name is very fitting, for apples always grow in pairs on wild apple trees, perfect in describing her and Lilan. His narrow eyes open wider as he speaks. He presses for the reason why she can touch Lilan without a mute whistle, and Erin wonders why he’s asking these things. He thinks it’s amazing the two are so close when beast-lords typically don’t befriend humans. They are interrupted by Tomura, who informs Kiriku that Esal-sensei wants to see him.
In her office, she informs him that she knows he’s been asking around about Erin. She also reminds him of their policy: ignore her background and keep the things he sees here to himself. Kiriku explains how if he gets kicked out, he’ll have no place to go. A flashback from the scene at the beginning implies that he is the masked man. He continues, saying he planned to live the rest of his life here. Outside campus, a fox watches a bunny in the fields and spares it, symbolic of Kiriku towards Erin.
Time moves forward to winter break, as snow falls on the ground. Lilan gestures for Erin to let her outside as she finishes cleaning the shed. The two walk in the snowy fields, and Erin explains how she wants to research the difference between wild and hand-raised beast-lords. She supposes Lilan wouldn’t understand, and their attention shifts to a flock of birds in the sky. Lilan flaps her wings as if to follow them. While they’re gone, Kiriku enters Lilan’s shed to investigate, and finds many of the tools Erin had used in the past. He goes outside and watches them in the field. He wonders how a beast-lord and human can understand one another when two humans cannot? He recalls his sister, Tahya, dying in his arms from poison. The ones responsible were the two poisoned in the beginning, ones he labeled as “greedy Wajyaku.” They had once compared him and his sister to a “bird in a cage.”
The scene shifts to a the palace, where an older Seimiya is presented with a gift from Shunan. Damiya appears with a present of his own: a model of their palace grounds. She teases that no matter how old she is, he always treats her like a child. He says this isn’t true, for seeing the world from above is entertainment understood only by adults.
Back at Kazalm, Lilan plays by a cliff and accidentally runs off while chasing a bird, trapping her on the ledge below. Erin tries to calm her, but Lilan’s roar and movement causes the ledge to collapse. Erin leaps off after her. The two seem to hit the water, but Erin opens her eyes to a moving sky. She can’t believe they are in the air. Lilan soars over the lake, catching Kiriku’s attention with wide, shocked eyes. In Erin, he sees his sister. Lilan flies off with Erin on her back, her beautiful wings glistening in the sky.
Ending Song: Kitto Tsutaete by Takako Matsu
The new ending is a big plus for me. I didn’t dislike the first ending, but it sounded repetitive after awhile. The beat of this song stays pretty consistent, but Takako Matsu (I’m assuming is the singer’s name… correct me if I’m wrong) has a soothing voice which meshes well with the screens. We get a closer look at the older Erin, and I just love her clothing! It looks similar to Soyon’s, but her underpants seem different. The shot of her and Lilan is also very heart-warming. Just listening to it reminds me of everything that’s happened till now. Things have sure changed, haven’t they? First, from Ake and Soyon, to Jone, and now at Kazalm with her classmates and Esal-sensei. It’s been a good ride, but it’s not over yet!
Next Episode Preview:
My Thoughts:
Lots of new things this episode. As we approach the end, we’re greeted with a new intro and ending. We also got to see an older class and the new teacher, Kiriku. It sounds like he’s associated with the masked-fighter organization, which I hesitate to say is the Saigamul, since he responded strangely to that dying man. I’ve read that people think it’s creepy how he handed out candy and big green treats from his bag. I agree, and was concerned that they’d actually be poison, but no one has reportedly died from it… yet. Maybe it has a delay or requires a catalyst to affect the victim? Hopefully that’s not the case. Someone from myanimelist forums had an interesting theory about how he actually did it to gain trust; hence, if he were to give candy that was actually poison, it would appear less suspicious. That’s a good point. With his entrance, it’s evident someone higher-up knows about Kazalm’s secret, since Kiriku is probably following orders. Will the school’s inhabitants be faced with some harsh sentence? We’ll have to wait and see. I do have some faith that Kiriku may not so easily betray Erin, since he saw his sister in her. One other interesting thing to note is that Kiriku is a Holon, while his deceased foster parents were Wajyaku. Meaning, Kiriku is from the Queen’s quarter, whereas those he killed were from the Grand Duke’s territory. That’s why it’s strange he’d be part of the Saigamul, since he hates Wajyaku. Then again, he might tolerate it for some greater cause.
The big thing about this episode was Lilan’s flight. When I saw her flying in the intro I wondered how long it would take, but it turns out we didn’t have to wait that long! Erin should fly into the palace and command obedience. Better yet, she should return to Ake and show off her large friend and eat that inspector! It was fascinating to see them in the sky; Kiriku’s eyes couldn’t have portrayed it better. Just make sure not to blow the mute whistle in flight. Overall, I thought the flight scene was executed well, and it gave me goose bumps with a smile.
On another note, I enjoyed Erin’s pose when she was talking to Tomura. We don’t often get to see her more playful side, so it was nice. I wonder if the two have gotten anywhere? Speaking of lovebirds, it looks like Yuuyan hasn’t made much progress with Kashugan. Come on, Yuuyan! Your odds are really good at getting a boyfriend in a profession like this. We also found out Erin’s plans: she wants to be a teacher like Tomura. Last we heard, he was staying an extra year to study at Kazalm. Four years later, and poof! Now he’s a teacher. I wonder what beastinarians at Kashugan’s hometown do, since we’ve only heard of two beast-lord care centers thus far.
Damiya’s remark to Seimiya about her gift sounded conceited. “Looking at the world from above” is a form of entertainment for adults? He should have gotten her an XBox or Wii since she stays in her room all day. Maybe it could be beast-lord powered. I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten tired of all the flowers Shunan sends her. He should send her a ring with a proposal message.
In any case, next episode we get a history lesson from Nason. Looks like we get a look into what the Mist People know. See Erin meet her 8-year stalker, next time on Kemono no Souja Erin: “A Crime!” That’s right, Nason– stalking is a criminal offense!
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
