Episode 43: Beastinarian
Summary:
Lilan and her family rest during a stormy day. In his room, Kiriku looks out and recalls Damiya’s words: the Queen’s influence has steadily been decreasing, contributed by the Grand Duke’s military power and Wajyaku merchants; he believes that only those living under her have a place in their country. Thus, to correct this distortion, poison is sometimes necessary. Kiriku wonders if that logic is truly right.
On the storm’s clearing, Erin lets Lilan’s family out. She somberly thinks of what may happen now since the Queen’s dead. This bothers her throughout the day, highlighted in class when Shiron tries speaking with her. Tomura suddenly rushes over and tells Erin messengers have arrived from the palace to take Lilan’s family away. In response, Erin hurries towards the fields to stop them as dark clouds roll in. Esal-sensei is ordered to take the messengers to Lilan. When they get there, Lilan becomes hostile and Esal-sensei asks them to step back. However, Ouri asserts they can restrain her with the mute whistle if necessary.
One man prepares to blow it when Lilan takes a step forward, but Erin gets in between them. Ouri tells her they are here by Queen Seimiya’s orders, requesting she accept the decree to transfer to Lazal with Lilan’s family to protect the Queen. Erin’s rejection is joined by thunder. A shocked Ouri states only death waits on this chosen path, yet Erin refuses to change her mind. Lilan suddenly attacks one of the men, stunning everyone. She quickly tosses his battered body aside and tries to go after another. Erin reacts in time but is injured by the assault. Seeing Lilan’s refusal to back down, Erin is forced to tearfully blow her mute whistle. A bloodied Lilan then lies immobilized, and Erin soon passes out.
The scene forwards to the aftermath: Erin lies unconscious in bed while Kiriku gazes down at her. He again wonders if his cause is just, reasoning that Erin seems like the most pure-hearted one. Yet, through his actions, he is trapping her in a cage. Erin dreams of her mother, who asks what’s the matter. She runs up to her and cries, saying how she restrained Lilan with the whistle. Erin asks whether Soyon wanted to raise Touda as if they were in the wild, like she attempted with Lilan. However, a pained Soyon does not respond. Erin awakens to Esal-sensei, who says she was calling out to her mother; she says it is a blessing that no one died, but Erin looks over and is hit with a harsh reality: three of her left hand’s fingers are gone.
Esal-sensei explains that those men were the ones who had taken Lilan from her nest, which explains her aggression. Erin asks about her whereabouts, and Esal-sensei says they’ve chained her down due to her aggravation. Erin somberly recalls how a beast-lord will never befriend a human who uses the mute whistle on it. She wonders whether she’ll be able to calm Lilan without one now. Regardless, Erin wants to continue taking care of her. Esal-sensei states she’s taking a hard path, one where she’ll have to do what she hates most to Lilan, but Erin is resolved. Esal-sensei says others will question her decision, but it’s because she lives so honestly and true to her heart that she respects her. Teary-eyed, she hands Erin a glove for her hand, then providing comfort.
Erin eventually apologizes to the messengers, offering all the financial incentives from the late Queen; however, their eyes only return hatred. Back in Lilan’s shed, Erin is shunned when she tries to get her to go outside. However, she threatens to use the whistle, and a spiteful Lilan walks outside. Erin holds back tears while watching Lilan exit, placing her mother’s bracelet on her gloved hand. As a beastinarian, she is resolved to live with Lilan’s family through all hardships, like her mom did with Touda.
A few days later, a carriage arrives from the capital to take Lilan and her family away. They place sleeping pills in the food to immobilize them. Erin heads out on a wagon with Kiriku, Nukku, Mokku, and Ouri towards Lazal. Tomura wonders why Kiriku left too, but Esal-sensei has no answer but that it was an order from the palace. He wonders what will happen to Erin, and she claims there is nothing they can do now. Instead, they should watch her future from here; after all, it’s all they can do. Her eyes swell with tears. Erin decides to face the seemingly insurmountable force head-on, living strongly until the end– just like Soyon.
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My Thoughts:
Damn. What a rough episode. Based on the preview, I knew something big was going to happen, but I didn’t think Erin would lose her fingers. Both her and Lilan lost something: for Lilan, trust; for Erin, something physical but also the betrayal of her ideals. I don’t blame her. We’ve seen it consistently. Erin is not the type to stand by and watch someone die (well, except maybe Damiya…). I doubt she will use the whistle again unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s clear that Lilan doesn’t hate Erin that much; otherwise, she probably would have tried taking a bite out of her while walking outside. It’ll still take some time to repair their bond, though.
Some may call Erin a pushover for choosing the path she did, but I think she made a reasonable choice. If she ultimately didn’t accept (like it was leading to before Lilan attacked), Damiya would have threatened Kazalm, so she would end up agreeing anyway.
Things look set for a tragic ending, but I don’t buy it. With 7 episodes left, there’s plenty of time to turn things around. Erin may seem like she’s walking her mother’s path, but one thing to consider is how she has influential friends. Ial, in particular, is in a position that can play a critical factor. Plus, the story’s flow doesn’t feel right to end tragically. In the beginning, we were shown Soyon’s path, which resulted in her death; now, we have Erin, who may be strutting near her mother’s path, but having her end up in the same spot is a waste. Any good story would show how she deviates from past tragedy. Yes, Erin has definitely established her own identity by going against the code and working with beast-lords. Now faced with apparent death and hopelessness, she will again rise to the occasion and find a solution (versus being executed like Soyon). It wouldn’t make sense for a story woven together so nicely to suddenly spill out and have the main character killed off like her mother in the beginning (Erin being eaten by beast-lords? BS). Sometimes, one has to walk the same path as her ancestors to fully assess a situation and ultimately find a new path. In this situation, I think it’s the same for Erin.
Also, I wanted to beat up those messengers when they looked at the apologetic Erin with “hatred.” Either of those two punks could have blown the whistle after their friend was attacked. Instead, they stood frightened like the cowards they are and had Erin do the dirty work. I wonder what story Damiya told Seimiya (if any) about Erin? Is she completely oblivious to what’s happening? Wouldn’t be surprised.
The shots they showed of a younger Lilan and Erin, when she blew the mute whistle, were heart-breaking. This show is good at evoking the right emotions at key moments. I wasn’t too keen of the flashbacks at the beginning with the Queen, though.
Next episode, it looks like we get to see how the people at Ake are doing! Yay, Saju! Finally. I wonder if she and Erin will see each other by the show’s end? I hope so. It’d be cruel to tease us with next episode but not ever have them reunite. On another note, Erin arrives at the infamous Lazal and has a talk with Damiya. I hope she slaps him if he tries anything. See the tensions build, next episode, on Kemono no Souja Erin: “Akun Me Chai!”
Tags: anime, fantasy, heart-breaking, Kemono no Souja Erin
