Not sure if watching weird Isekai anime about high school kids causing a revolution in a mythical world, or if I’m watching a horror anime all of the sudden. Either way, as Shinobu and Elk are welcomed by Coconono village there is something distinctly off about the entire situation. Such as the fact they thrust wine and good food at Shinobu and Elk, they are clearly starving themselves. So, as Shinobu and Elk are brought upstairs drunk by the innkeeper and her daughter the daughter lays on a bit of advice.
Get out of town, as soon as possible.
Shinobu was of course, not really as drunk as she seemed and gave Elk something to sober him up. Before showing him the town’s darkest secret. Which is basically that these people get travelers nice, well-fed and drunk before murdering them and eating them. Gross, gross, somehow this anime managed to find my ONE squick. Alright, at least we don’t focus on it too hard as the guards show up to start inspecting the villagers to make sure their manners, moods, and clothing all appear to be perfect. Apparently Gustov has a beautification proclamation in place. So when the little girl who tried to warn Elk and Shinobu gets caught with dirt on her sleeve and whipped as a result. It falls on Shinobu to save her.
So as this poor child is getting whipped, Shinobu steps up to make a deal. She couldn’t really take all of them out, but she could have taken at least half of them including the commander down with her. So, instead of it coming to that in exchange for them to stop whipping the child, she gives herself up without a fight.
She’s brought to the dungeons and of course, stripped, because what is this show without it’s absolutely needless fanservice. However, as she is approached by the captain of the guard. A woman as well, helps her down and actually begs for Shinobu’s help.
Gustov is apparently crazy and he wants and needs everything to be absolutely pristine. As talks begin between the guard and Shinobu, we actually cut to Gustov and he flat out says that the people in his land can die to pay honor to their lord. It’s the most peasants like them could ever hope to contribute to their lord. So he wants them worked to death making three more gold statues for the lord of the land. He also questions about the uprising and when he’d told they cannot attack until winter. He goes to take care of it himself
A large flaming javelin is grasped and thrown in the air, thrown directly at our protagonist’s home base. Of course, they have missiles to knock projectiles out of the sky. Though, since the weapon is magic, the anti-aircraft missiles don’t do much more than throw it slightly off course. So with that in mind, they fire more of them in the hopes that they can throw it enough off that it will miss the town. However, the last missile shot at it misses and the javelin hits the ground and we’re left on an awful cliffhanger.
Of course, we know that they’re all alright and that it landed far enough out of the city that everything will be fine. Because this isn’t the end of the anime, though, not gonna lie. Shinobu and Elk as the last two survivors avenging their friends and family would be a really cool way to continue the series.
I am curious to see where things go from here though, and I’m looking forward to seeing Gustov fall. He’s a maniac.
A bit of extra darkness from the source LN/manga:
The little girl’s late father was the ex-village chief; he was the one who came up with killing and cannibalizing travellers out of desperation. He even commits suicide shortly after, to offer up his corpse as the village’s new “food source”.
Shinobu and Elk were served horsemeat at the welcome party.
In the source, the spear doesn’t last-minute dodge the missile. There, the missile failed to launch because the launchers had been short-circuited with wine. A drunken young noble, unhappy with Tsukasa’s takeover of Doltmund and their authority, had encountered a launcher and poured wine on it as petty revenge. (Obviously they didn’t know what it was…)