Episode 36: Graduation Trial
Summary:
All the students celebrate Lilan’s pregnancy and feast on Kiriku’s manjuu. Erin, however, seems concerned. Kashugan wonders if they’ll get more treats aside from manjuu, but Urari doesn’t think so. He reasons that finding the money to cover Eku is difficult; Erin adds that Lilan is eating a lot more too. This prompts Erin to run off and check on her. Kashugan wonders if she forgot about the upcoming Graduation Trial. Yuuyan thinks that’s not possible, even if she is beast-lord gung-ho.
Erin approaches Tomura, who is peeling potatoes outside a building. They talk about how Lilan is eating more because of her baby, and Erin thinks this might be a good sign it’s growing well. However, Tomura thinks their meals may suffer, and wants to try increasing the portion of potatoes in Lilan and Eku’s diet to offset that. She starts to help him, but he reminds her that she needs to study. Erin draws a blank, and he mentions the Graduation Trial, which she has apparently forgotten. She must place first in order to stay at Kazalm. A determined Erin says she’ll do it and runs off.
Meanwhile, Esal-sensei and the other teachers wonder if they should report Lilan’s pregnancy. One major concern is their budget, which won’t be able to handle Eku and the baby. She decides it best to report, but wants no mention of Erin. Kiriku volunteers to go, claiming he has an acquaintance at the palace. As he rides off, Kiriku wonders what sort of judgment the palace will give.
Erin hears a noise while studying outside Lilan’s shed, and figures she must be hungry. However, she rushes over when she sees that Lilan has thrown up and is chewing on her tail in agitation. Erin stops her, and she reports to Esal-sensei about Lilan’s loss of appetite. Esal-sensei thinks it may be morning sickness, but is not sure since she’s never dealt with a pregnant beast-lord. However, she thinks how the experience of pregnancy is similar in all animals, and advises Erin to find a way to distract her. She finds Lilan a large log to chew on, and Tomura praises the idea. Unfortunately, she quickly bites through it. Tomura heads out to find something harder. Erin thanks him before he fully exits. She tells Lilan that they should do their best. She spends the night in the shed, watching over Lilan and looking at flash cards. She thinks back to when her mother helped a goat in labor. This reminds her to change the straw since it needs to be ready at any time for child birth; thus, she spends the rest of the night tossing straw.
In the morning, she lets Eku enter Lilan’s cage as a supporter. Esal-sensei arrives and is impressed at how Erin is able to handle taking care of both Eku and Lilan. Erin says it’s a great help to have them in the same shed; by watching what he does, she can understand the right things to do in this situation. Erin also brings up how a sweet scent came from Lilan when her fur was pink. Esal-sensei recalls how she and Eku were sniffing the air. She thinks that the scent of an adult male must have triggered estrus, or sexual fertility, in Lilan. Erin wonders why it was only her, since other female beast-lords were in the field too.
At the capital, Kiriku reports Lilan’s pregnancy to the Queen, Seimiya, and Damiya; Ial watches the conversation. Damiya reminds her that Lilan was the baby beast-lord he presented on her birthday. He thanks Kiriku and invites him to stay at his place. They zoom in on Ial’s face, but it’s not discernible whether he suspects anything.
Kiriku returns to Kazalm, handing Esal-sensei a letter with good news. Erin and the others listen as she reads the Queen’s blessing to them, along with her promise of funds. Everyone is happy, but the graduation trial quickly approaches. In the passing days the students diligently study. The exam spans three days, but passes quickly as they take it. Everyone breathes huge sighs of relief at its end, chatting amongst themselves, but Erin cleans up and rushes over to see Lilan. Yuuyan tries to ask how she did but is too late. As she watches Lilan eat, Nukku and Mokku rush in with some good news on their end. They ask about her trial and Erin says she did her best. Nukku believes she did fine, but if things don’t work out she can always be a chore girl and stay here with Lilan and them; that way, they always be together. Their performance afterwards brings Erin many laughs.
Later, everyone gathers in a room with Esal-sensei and the teachers. She calls Erin’s name and at first worries her with suggestive comments, but doubt clears when she congratulates her on being the valedictorian. She also reveals that everyone else passed, and the room ignites in celebration: students cheer, clap, and Yuuyan gives Erin a hug. She shows Lilan her diploma, but she doesn’t seem too interested. Erin excitedly tells her how she can always be with her from now on. As she rests her head near her stomach, Lilan’s baby kicks outward. This reminds Erin of how she used to kick in Soyon’s belly. She also thinks how Lilan is already a mother.
The next day, the students say farewell to each other. Erin’s colleagues head out throughout the day; many tears fall as they say their goodbyes. In the evening, Erin is left with Yuuyan. Though she’ll be far away, Yuuyan tells Erin she won’t forget her. Erin expresses similar feelings, and says she’ll write letters, though they may only be of beast-lords. Yuuyan smiles and says this is just typical of her. The two wave farewell as tears stream down their cheeks and Yuuyan rides away. Yuuyan starts breaking down and Erin calls out to her as she disappears below the horizon. Staring out towards the evening sun, Erin remembers her time with Yuuyan and the others: her arrival with Jone, the initial troubles she had with fitting in, studying for exams, and Kazalm’s vow. She has learned so many things, and is prepared with an open heart to become a teacher.
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My Thoughts:
Erin brought in Eku to take some responsibility for Lilan’s hardships. Wise move. The main highlight of this episode was Erin and the others’ graduation. Surprise, surprise: she got first and is able to stay with Lilan! Even if she didn’t, either she’d find some way to stay (like how Nukku and Mokku suggested) or Esal-sensei would work something out. Erin is too valuable to let go simply because of an exam. I felt bad for Yuuyan when Erin just ran off after the exam. I’ll touch more on that in a minute.
The scenes with all the classmates leaving was sad and touching. Even harder was the scene with Erin and Yuuyan. They did well in playing all those flashbacks at the end of the episode with the ending song; it was effective. Hard to believe she arrived all the way back in episode 18 with Jone, and here we are now: all these episodes with a 4-year time skip. I always hate goodbyes, in real life and in fictional settings. But goodbye is never really goodbye while two people are still alive, right? I’m sure Erin and her classmates will meet again sometime in their lives. It’s still sad to see all those days of simply worrying about classes and hanging out with one’s classmates disappear like the descending sun into the horizon.
Now, back to Yuuyan and Erin. I wonder how much the two actually got to hang out together? It seems a lot of Erin’s attention was towards Lilan as she got older. How many times did poor Yuuyan have to sleep in her room alone D=? Then again, maybe she and Kashugan made an opportunity of it. I appreciate Erin’s genuine love for beast-lords, though (just look at how she excitedly talks to Lilan about them being together from now on). I’m sure Yuuyan understands either way, and the two left on a good note, so there’s not too much to dwell on. Now all Erin needs to do is reunite with Saju (oh, and maybe Chok)!
With this, Erin will be learning the ropes of a teacher. Tomura appears a likely husband candidate (she doesn’t see Ial enough nowadays; that, and their age difference… though Ial has looked the same over the years). I doubt things will simply end with her succeeding at her profession. The country’s fate is sure to intertwine with Erin’s. For now, we’re left with an upcoming episode of a girl looking to punk her. Don’t give into her demands, Erin! See the battle between big and small next time, on Kemono no Souja Erin: “Birth!” Lilan’s child may be coming based on the title, though it could always be the “birth” of a new conflict.
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-warming, Kemono no Souja Erin
