Mai-Otome Episode 10

Japanese Title: それが乙女の一大事 (Sore ga Otome no Ichidaiji)
English Translation: That is an Otome’s Serious Matter


DAMN good episode, this was! The blending of all the elements was SPOT ON!! Animation, music, plot... The plot was a little jumbled up but hey... All the action scenes just compensated for everything else! Okay, now to briefly recount what happened. So basically the story continued where it left off last week – Arika failed miserably at trying out cliff diving and almost ended up being fish food for cross-dresser Lumen’s equally hideous Slave, Ketos (What an appropriate name). Sergay rescued her and much to his relief, little Arinko recovered from her high fever after a night of passion he used a traditional Japanese remedy. The duo wound up being the targets of the Aswald Knights again after John Smith deliberately wanted to practice his shooting skills on a tree branch above them. Before the Knights had their chance of grinding and dicing the two, Calvary arrived in the form of Gaulderobe and Ealis’ elites. After a fair trade of words and weapons (Plus an overgrown Child ^^), both parties decided to call it a day, but not before pointing out (Courtesy of Haruka) that they still have a score to settle with one another. The current situation became far graver than it already is based on the various incidents which occurred in this episode. We can sense some very serious hostility going on, particularly between the forces of the Black Valley descendents and Gaulderobe. Midori isn’t about to let Schwarz easily get away with her loot either. Overall, this week’s ep managed to deliver an outstanding possible prediction of impending events to come. Besides the emphasis placed on the Aswald Knights and Schwarz’s masked goals, we get a slight amount of issues to speculate on as well. Oh, did I mention this episode reminded me very much of Star Wars? Right, let’s move on, shall we...



~Highlights of The Episode~

Beans, half-spilled

This has to happen sooner or later. It seems Nagi and Sergay somewhat accused each other of suspicious behaviour, and part of their respective schemes were exposed during their little revelation. Sergay got it tough when Nagi succeeded in affirming that his right-hand man had carried out his own plans of action behind the king’s back. This will unquestionably pose problems for Sergay, since he is in no position to oppose Nagi. To make matters worse, Nagi threatened Sergay not to betray him but I doubt the latter would leave it as it is. He appears to side with Arika; one of the reasons being he wanted to repay her mother (Possibly it’s Rena), but it looks like he has genuinely become more fond of her too. I’m assuming at this point, Nagi is able to deduce two of Sergay’s plans – His secret funding of Arika’s education as well as his “espionage” works. Nagi isn’t too bothered by the first but he seems to realize the seriousness of the second, which led to him reminding and warning Sergay of his place. It’s safe to say Sergay will continue to furtively oppose his king even until the end, and this may consequently lead to him being one of the earliest victims if a war ever breaks out with Nagi as part of Schwarz’s faction.


Sergay may just consider adopting Arika after all...

Everything is still not sweet and rosy between these two but the bond is definitely there. Despite Sergay’s teasing and Arika’s annoyance with him, they underwent a lot of changes since the last time they met. Although they continue to get on each other’s nerves (Mostly Arika’s) even after that life-threatening mess, it seems they have discovered new-found respect for one another. I guess Sergay is the one who contributed the greater part of this realization. His actions when he was caring for a vulnerable Arika were very commendable. It just goes to show that he would readily look after those around him no matter whether they’re close to him or not, and it’s pleasant to see how he seems to understand Arika’s loneliness and her struggles in her aspiration to become an Otome. If only Nina could see this side of Sergay instead of always harboring the notion that she’s not pleasing her father enough....


That’s one way of making a grand entrance

LOL!! This scene is absolutely hilarious! That’s so... Haruka-like to jump into things without giving much thought =p. Her brilliantly ridiculous antics never fail to amuse me again and again. Really love her gung ho attitude. She doesn’t give a damn to what she does as long as she gets to bash (Literally) her sense of justice into the so-called “criminals”. Speaking of which, the Aswald Knights’ reaction to Haruka’s glorious entrance was equally amusing as well -> They also didn’t give a damn and ignored her. XD


Clash of The Titans™ (Copyright goes to the original movie, by the way)

Now this is the main scenario which made the episode exceptionally worth it to watch! I was practically squealing in delight once every imminent duel falls into place just like *that*. Even though the whole battle only lasted for a few minutes, all of the elements were blended perfectly. The animation, music and voice-acting... Simply fantastic!! It’s disturbing to see Midori as an ardent antagonist but dammit, she’s the one who made all the battle scenes worthwhile. I feel sorry for Haruka who didn’t get a proper chance to punish the “infidels”, but she did put on a somewhat creditable performance. It’s amusing to see how she stole the limelight from Shizuru at the end though XD. And I find it odd that they didn’t show Yukino suffering some sort of injury when Haruka was knocked aside. Not worth the screen time, perhaps? Anyway, Midori realized the real formidable opponent was none other than the Kyouen no Murasaki Suishou. I personally love Shizuru’s combating finesse to bits, but I find it really interesting to see another person who’s capable of challenging her at an equal footing. Guess it does become dull if one’s too powerful, even though we’re talking about Shizuru. Her duel with Midori has so far been the best fight as of yet. Pwns all of the others, especially the Slave ones. Apart from that, the gem Midori used managed to pique the curiosity of many fans, mainly the effects (Veins emerging) it left on her after it ran out of juice. R.E.M System -> Probably one of Earl’s ancient technologies. There are many speculations out there as to how it amplified Midori’s offensive power. Just what type of nano-machines did she use? Whatever stuff she was pumping herself with, the technology behind it was damn kick@$$ potent. So was the tiny device used to summon Gakuten-Ou, who obviously has undergone a revamp and grown considerably larger since the last time we saw him. It’s a real treat to have him back in the show. I wish they would play his theme again. “Gakuten-Ou Kenzan!” was one of my favorite BGMs from HiME and it’s a shame they only played it once in the entire series. Lastly, I guess the other intriguing bit of this whole scene was Shizuru’s reason for protecting the “corrupted world” they’re in. She plainly answered Midori’s question with “Kimattemasue yarou? Uchi no taisetsu na hito no tame dosu” (Isn’t it obvious? It’s for the sake of my precious person). Any presumptions as to who this important person is? Natsuki? Her aruji? I know Shiz&Nat fans would be going “Duh~” at this point. =p



~Characters~

Nina

This is NOT a good sign at all. If Nina keeps up with this kind of attitude, she’s definitely gonna lose it one day. It’s great to see how Shizuru calmly handled the situation despite knowing Nina was on the verge of losing self-control. She didn’t even budge an inch when the younger girl was struggling desperately to break free from her grip (Shizuru sure has expert children-handling skills). It’s here we get a chance to see her caring Oneesama side which so many of the kouhais have fallen in love with. Good thing she was there to slap some sense into Nina, offer her words of assurance, and then comfort her with a hug (Who the heck knows what would happen if Shizuru hadn’t been there). Hmm... Lets see whether Tomoe is able to pull off the same sob story =p. Anyway, on to Nina. This is one of those rare occasions where her usually cool composure gets thrown out the window. Looks like her daddy complex is more serious than we thought. It may seem plausible to blame it on her own insecurities. Sergay does care very much for her but Nina still thinks she has yet to live up to her father’s expectations. To add salt to injury, she gets a full view of how Arika is warming up to Sergay as though she was his daughter too (Erm... Somewhat). She was honestly relieved and overjoyed to see Sergay all right, but after witnessing Arika calling her father in a really friendly way, her happy mood literally shattered right there and then. What this implies is still uncertain, but we could take it as a hint of an ominous crack in their relationship (Albeit they’re still not considered friends yet) and a possibly fated Butou between the two protagonists. This may be Sunrise’s clever ploy in preventing the character relationships from becoming too sugar-coated this early on in the series. Never hurts to add a bit of spice, I guess. Hope it won’t get too heated. I’m honestly becoming worried about Nina’s development so far. I don’t know why but I have a feeling the writers are gonna screw her character real good, and I fear they may even bring it to the point of making her an unlikable person. Nevertheless, I guess it all still depends on personal opinions.


Mashiro

I think many of us would agree Mashiro’s character has grown significantly. She may still be a spoiled rotten queen but it seems that her past experiences with Arika have undoubtedly changed her heart. She was obviously worried about the latter, and she even went as far as to rant at Natsuki or any other figures of authority for not doing much in the search for Arika. I knew she would find some way to get them working, but I never expected her to blow her top off and yell at the others. Even though Mashiro adamantly insists that she hates Arika, we all know she truly cares very much for the other (If anyone who genuinely hates Arinko’s guts, it’s gotta be Tomoe). Nice to see there’s still plenty of room for development in her character. I would say she is capable of changing into an almost entirely different person by the time we reach the end of the series.


Tomoe

Tomoe is sick. Sick in the head. Her devilish smirk made it all the more obvious that she takes pleasure in seeing her peers eliminated, especially Arika. I’m still not very sure whether she wants the new girl out of the way either because she perceives Arika more as a threat to her status, an obstacle to her obsessive infatuation with Shizuru, or even both. If I had to pick one, I’m slightly leaning towards the second because of her conversation with Nina in the previous episode. It kinda gave it away when she said “Yes... That’s why I...” Dare I say that her act of “concern” was downright revolting. It would have been better if she kept her mouth shut, but she just had to show that she sincerely cares for her classmates (With a smile!). Uso bakkari. Take note of Miya’s expression when she saw Tomoe’s Oscar-worthy performance. It plainly vexed her to witness that kind of behavior from someone who was evidently responsible for the predicaments Arika and Erstin were in. Too bad she’s the only person who knows the whole truth, apart from Nina who somewhat suspected Miya was involved as well. Judging by her reaction, it is likely that Miya would reveal everything to the others later on. She is just another victim of Tomoe’s malice after all.



~Speculations Corner~

Where each party stands....

There are a lot of factions as highlighted by Mentar, but the three who seem to be mainly involved in the big picture are Gaulderobe, the Black Valley descendents, and Schwarz. One of the most striking aspects about Mai-Otome is the presence of two independent antagonists who are hell-bent on killing each other, especially after John Smith provoked Midori by stealing that valuable artifact from her. As indicated in the earlier episodes, it’s apparent the Black Valley group considers the Schwarz peeps as fools for reasons unknown apart from the fact that the latter have been stealing from the Aswald Knights, and possibly competing for a similar objective involving Earl’s technology. However, what’s intriguing here is the fact that the Black Valley group has heard of Natsuki before, and Midori seems to intensely loathe her as well, branding Gaulderobe as the main cause of disorder in the world. I still firmly believe the Aswald Knights are in no way villains coz they only seek to revive technologies that are on the verge of becoming lost. I see the single conceivable reason as to why they’re opposing Gaulderobe is because of the claim Midori made and that she sees them as being a current obstruction to their goal. It’s very likely they would end up cooperating with one another somewhere along the line when similar aims and intentions arise. Schwarz on the other hand, is still one confuddled enigma. It looks like they have two objectives now – The first being the annihilation of the Windbloom monarchy; and second, possibly a goal which is analogous to the Black Valley’s. Schwarz doesn’t look like they’re fighting against Gaulderobe at the moment, but a war between them is bound to happen when they go after Mashiro again.


The Black Valley Family?

Finally we have some interesting revelation about the seemingly little-known background character, Yohko. From the looks of it, she and Midori used to know each other when they were young. What ostensibly separated them and when the event occurred is still a mystery, but we can speculate that they probably had different mentalities and goals to begin with. Yohko’s face certainly registered a very interesting expression when she heard about Akane seeing the cyborgs at the cliffs. She also recognized Midori’s presence straightaway when she saw Gakuten-Ou flying off. Additionally, take note of the photograph she has. Clearly we see Midori, Yohko, and Reito together, with some other unfamiliar folks behind them. This is just a wild guess and it probably has no basis at all, but I assume something tragic may have happened to them during the old days. This probably could have led to the demise of those who were close to both of the girls – Reito, the big guy, some other unidentified people. Since Yohko and Midori possess a keen interest in technology, they were likely involved in the construction of four cyborg bodies as hosts for their dead comrades, like Reito who may now be Rado, the big guy as Dyne etc. Of course all of these are only crazy theories put foreword by me, so feel free to ignore and dismiss them. What I’m more interested in however, is the implication that stems from this revelation. What will Yohko do now? Does she intend to confront Midori soon? Where would her allegiance lean towards after all the events that have occurred or will occur in the near future?
PS. Chibi Yohko looks a tad like Mashiro, no? =p


OMG!! The preview is soooooooo cute!! It definitely has a lot of ecchi undertones, no doubt suggested by Shizuru acting as Natsuki’s wolf cub and um... *Pero-ing* the Gakuenchou at goodness knows where XD. Looks like Takumi is back in next week’s episode, and I guess many have assumed that Mai could be appearing quite soon. The insignia on Takumi’s clothes may indicate that he’s linked to Mai, who has the same emblem on her Robe. Episode 11 seemed to have toned down the excitement but we should expect some major character development coming up.


~Entry by Dav~