Something I mused about in last week’s post was how long Fena would be kidnapped/held hostage for, and with Yukimaru hot on Fena’s trail, it looks like perhaps she won’t be away from the Goblin Knights for too long. Which makes me happy because I want to see Yukimaru and Fena together more, even if they’re bickering half the time. ;D
I also don’t know why I never considered that the portrait Abel has obsessed over could be Fena’s mother. [ shrug ] Fena’s mother hasn’t been mentioned much up until this point in the series, if at all, so maybe that’s why? Either way, this episode finally gave us some information about her. We now know her name: Helena des Armoises.
The Goblin Knights are able to escape from the blocked off cavern rather quickly thanks to Yukimaru’s instincts about unexploded dynamite. I didn’t think it was the smartest idea and that everyone could drown, but I guess all the knights are so well-trained that they can hold their breath for forever. In the end I think Kaizoku Oujo is better for their fast escape because if the show’d taken a whole episode to show it, I would have been disappointed at the wasted time.
Not a whole lot happens this episode, at least in terms of action. It’s divided up into two halves: the Goblin Knights escaping and wrestling with their own personal morals, and Fena coming to terms with being a hostage plus dealing with Abel.
So the Goblin Knights escape and are preparing to go after Fena… at least until Shitan drops the equivalent of an atomic bomb on the group: he’s already sent word to Yukihisa that they found the co-ordinates, and Goblin Island law dictates that the knights are to return home immediately. Without going to look for Fena first.
Furthermore, Shitan’s brother Kei is already en route to meet the knights. He’s such a high caliber warrior that I reckon the only person skilled enough to fight against him is Yukimaru. The knights know that if they buck Goblin Island law and go after Fena, their betrayal to Yukihisa and Goblin Island will get them killed. After all, disobedience and acting on their own, even if it’s to help someone from the Houtman family, would turn the knights into fugitives.
So now the Goblin Knights are faced with a dilemma: to go save Fena and risk their lives, or follow orders and return to Goblin Island?
Everyone is in a moral quandary except for Yukihisa, who answers the hypothetical question I posed last week: if it came down to choosing between Fena or Shitan/the other Goblin Knights, who would Yukimaru protect? The answer is very, very clearly Fena. Yukimaru loves her and, after searching for her for the past 10 years, will give his life to protect her. Even if it means risking his own and turning his back on the people who took him in after the sinking of the Hope.
I felt bad for Shitan, who looked like he had some reluctance over following Yukihisa’s orders. Then again, since he’s convinced Fena is a witch, maybe he doesn’t care about her as much as I thought he did.
While the knights were figuring out what to do next, Fena was adjusting to being a captive. The female red-headed pirate, name Grace O’Malley, delivers her to Abel as they had agreed on, but she receives no reward because Fena’s throat had been cut during her kidnapping.
As Abel and Fena talk, Abel reveals details about Fena’s mother and her past that are either unknown to Fena or buried very deep in her memories. Abel shares that he knew Fena’s mother and he speaks very, very highly of her – almost with reverence. As the episode continues on, Abel’s interest with Fena’s mother sounds more and more like an obsession. He’s kidnapped the woman’s daughter for crying out loud. But the scary thought is, is Abel chasing after Fena because her mother is dead and he’s since transferred his obsession to Fena? /gag
Abel’s distaste for the Goblin Knights is irritating. He paints a picture for Fena of the knights being crazed killers for hire, leaving paths of blood and poppies in their wake. It never crosses his mind even for a moment that they could be better people, different people, than the legends say they are. Therefore in Abel’s mind he’s saved Fena from these horrible people… while Fena is upset at being taken away from the kind people who were protecting her and helping her learn more about her stone. The knights are the villians in a bloody legend in Abel’s mind, murderers who kill even women and children. But we know, and Fena knows, that this is not true.
The two halves of the episode briefly merge as Abel explains to Fena, and Shitan explains to the other knights, about the legend of Eden and the Goblin Knights’ role in it. Apparently the Goblin Knights have always been searching for a long-hidden legendary treasure thought to be located at Eden. When the ancestors of the Goblin Knights accidentally crossed paths with the Houtman family long ago, and the knights learned of the Houtman family’s ties to Eden, the descendants of those original Goblin Knights continued to protect the Houtman family’s descendants… knowing that one day the Houtman family would likely one day lead them to Eden and its hidden treasures.
This is why the Goblin Knights’ first priority is not Fena’s safety but to find Eden. Now that Shitan and the other knights have the coordinates found on Fena’s stone, they are to return home instead of chasing after her.
Abel also plants the notion in Fena’s mind that the Goblin Knights don’t actually care about Fena because they are so focused on getting to Eden. Abel theorizes that this is why Yukimaru set child!Fena adrift in the sea instead of saving her; Yukimaru wanted to keep her away from their enemies and find her at a later date (and then use her to find Eden), instead of risking Fena being captured by “them.”
Fena, of course, rejects this notion immediately. But I worry that when she is reunited with Yukimaru, Fena will sunconsciously listen to Abel’s words and push Yukimaru away. Ooo maybe we’ll get a big dramatic romantic scene where Yukimaru confesses to Fena and swears his devotion? I have my fangirl fingers crossed! ლ(´ڡ`ლ)
This discussion between Abel and Fena raises an interesting question for me: at what point in Fena’s past does Abel enter? He knew Fena’s mother and presumably Fena’s father, so could HE have been the person attacking the Hope to get to Fena? The person/people who sank the ship hasn’t been revealed yet after all.
With Kei entering the picture, one of the twins (sorry I honestly can’t tell them apart) voices a theory I suggested last week: what if Yukihisa is using the Goblin Knights to get to Eden? What if he’s been lying to the knights (and now Fena too) all along?
When one of the other female pirates shows Grace the blue heart necklace that had been around Fena’s neck, Grace goes off the rails. She had apparently given Abel the same necklace – so how did Fena get hers?
Abel still has his necklace so I’m guessing that his came from Fena’s mother Helena. Maybe Helena gave Fena her own copy of the necklace and that’s why there are two?
At the end of the episode, Grace is very firmly put in her place by Abel, who goes so far as to fire at her and threaten to kill her if Grace doesn’t return Fena to his possession. Which she does, but Abel’s actions cause Grace to immediately start treating Abel like an enemy. The female pirates leave Abel’s ship and get into position to fire on Abel. Meaning Fena’s life is potentially now at risk once more. And that’s the scene Yukimaru will be entering as he approaches in his small rowboat. Next week’s episode is gonna be so good!!
The head-to-head scene with Shitan and Yukimaru was definitely the pinnacle of this episode, if not the series so far. Shitan uses his sword to try to deter Yukimaru from leaving but Yukimaru calls his bluff perfectly. Yukimaru’s seiyuu puts so much emotion into his handful of lines in this scene that you can literally hear his voice catch and nearly break. Those lines and the emotion behind them perfectly convey how important Fena is to Yukimaru. The man will turn his back on his friends and allies, turn his back on his freedom, turn his back on everything to save and protect Fena. Because he fucking loves her.
And now I’m back to counting down the days until the next episode, waaaaah!! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
