10 Second Anime - Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Episode 8

Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Episode 8



Elen has to leave Tigre to help another War Maiden. Tigre takes his army to stop intrusions by slavers on the southern border.

Heh.

This was an episode that had hardly anything to do with the title of the show. No possessed bow twang, the Vanadis left, and we only had the Count making the best he could of 1700 cavalry and infantry against 20,000 invaders. It wasn't Madan no Ou to Vanadis; it was just Ou.

Okay, so Ludmila shows up at the end, but she still didn't do anything yet.

I think Rurick's lack of hair is getting to him. He's getting a little catty when he talks about the other ikemen, like Gerald. Gerald seems a little rough with those below his station, but when he sees how Tigre talks with those he saved from slavery, it's clear that Rurick isn't the only retainer growing fond of the young Count. Leadership, compassion, following a just cause, and entrusted with the sacred weapon Durandal by Roland, these gifts bestowed on Tigre are helping birth a legend, never mind a mere a champion for his little backwater province.

One girl Tigre saved had some awfully nice shoes underneath her cloak. I have a feeling this person will be more than just a captured villager.

Geh.

Okay, so the Elen, Lim and Sophy left us early on in the episode, turning the rest of the show into the Tigre badass show. But at least they apologized to the viewers by giving us some delicious views before they exited.



That will have to tide us over. Sure, we'll have Ludmila for a few minutes into the next episode, but I'm more into appreciating the mature female form, thank you very much.

Hmm.

With Roland's assassination by Ganelon, we see that Thenardier and Ganelon only work in concert against Tigre incidentally, not by agreement. Roland's order of knights patrolled the Western border, but Ganelon has already shored up those defenses, moving his troops around to harry Thenardier's position. Thenardier has to move his resources around to counter Ganelon, while protecting his land against the slaver invasion, but that still left the people closest to the border in trouble. Thenardier had moved his pieces around the board expecting an attack from Tigre, but Tigre had other plans.

Tigre is not just protecting his land from Thenardier. He is also a loyal Nobleman to the King, no matter what charge of treason has been laid at his feet. His calculation to guard the Southern border, even with fewer soldiers because of the Elen's absence, is not just his compassion for the captured people, but is also a rallying banner to recruit other Noblemen to his cause. What kind of traitor rescues enslaved civilians and defends a kingdom from an invasion? Doesn't sound like a traitor to me.

One thing not explained very well, but absolutely believable, is why the main force of the slavers' army had to stay on that flat canyon floor, and just take the guerilla tactic operations from Tigre's much smaller force. They were slavers. They had to travel slowly on traversable land to move their captured slaves around with them. Even Tigre had to deal with the slow moving civilians once he rescued them, and he had much fewer cavalry and infantry. Of course, these people wanted to follow him to safety, unlike the slavers, so security and coercion was less of a need after they were rescued.

In feudal times, the idea of deterrence was much more visceral and temporal, and in this world, we see that a weakened king not only invites political squabbles, but external agitation as well. I see two paths before Tigre: the path Joan of Arc or Charlemagne. I don't mean Tigre is going to be burned at the stake, but that Jeanne d'Arc never had the possibility of being King. I think this show is setting Tigre up to be the next King of Brune. And even better, he might be bringing all of Zhcted's War Maidens with him.