Summary:
Kuuya finds Hakuoro to be a very interesting person with his successes at making undernourished soil rich, at leading a rebellion and defeating the imperial court, and at reigning as the new emperor. Kuuya wants to know how Hakuoro did it, but is disappointed to hear that Hakuoro doesn’t have any special powers. He feels that Hakuoro is surely the same Kunneietai as them, but Hakuoro doesn’t recognize that word. Kuuya explains that they are the same tribe, the Shakukoporu, under the divine protection of the Onvitaikayan. He then realizes that Hakuoro doesn’t know the name of their Onkami, especially when Hakuoro thinks that it’s Witsarunemitea. Kuuya says that that’s the name of the abominable Nugisomukami and tells Hakuoro not to say that name again. Hakuoro is very surprised that Witsarunemitea is the Nugisomukami. Kuuya thinks that Hakuoro should know all this from when the sermon when the shrine was established, but Hakuoro admits to falling asleep because it seemed to be going on forever. Kuuya finds this very amusing and starts laughing. Eventually, Genjimaru tells Kuuya that it’s time to go. To Hakuoro’s surprise, Kuuya wants to continue their conversation next time.
The next day, Hakuoro is sitting beside Eruru in deep though about the Witsarunemitea being the Nugisomukami. Eruru snaps him out of it and asks if it’s ok for him always to be here. Fortunately, Hakuoro has Benaui to depend on for administrative things. Oboro comes in to the room asking about something from Eruru. It seems that thanks to the twins, he got really drunk last night and they all ended up sleeping (naked) on the same bed. Anyway, Oboro has a hangover and so Eruru provides him with some medicine. It tastes horrible, so she adds some honey. This turns the medicine purple and gives it a very strong stench. Oboro’s reluctance to drink it causes Eruru to become self-conscious about her lack of skills. Seeing this, Hakuoro forces Oboro drink it, despite Oboro’s protests that he could die. As Hakuoro walks the streets of the city, he can hear Dorii and Guraa calling out worriedly to Oboro. Hakuoro then gets spotted by Karura, who wants him to keep her company. She starts hitting on him, but gets interrupted by Touka. The Evenkuruga scolds him for being defenseless, reminding him that ambushes could lurk anywhere – right as she looks straight in Karura’s direction.
Back in the throne room, the merchant Chikinaro is paying Hakuoro another visit and he gets Touka furious by calling her Hakuoro’s new concubine. As for his wares, this time Chikinaro has brought a rabbit-like animal which Benaui identifies as a Mikyuumu. Touka immediately takes a liking to it, as do all the other girls. To everyone’s disappointment, Hakuoro doesn’t want to buy it since they’ve already got Mukkuru. Eruru happens to mention that her grandmother once said that the Mikyuumu’s livers are effective medicines against whatever kind of sickness. Hearing this, Oboro wants to buy it for Yuzuha’s sake. Sensing the danger, the Mikyuumu starts emitting a sound wave that causes everyone to cover their ears. It escapes and runs all the way outside to Aruru and Yuzuha who are snacking. Oboro tries to get the two girls to give up the animal, but Aruru refuses because she can understand the Mikyuumu, whose name is Gachatara, and it says that Oboro wants to kill it. Oboro decides to tell Yuzuha about the liver, but Yuzuha doesn’t want to be healed at in that way. She says that she gets a bad feeling from Oboro and she hates it. Hakuoro ends up having no choice but to buy the Mikyuumu since it now recognizes Aruru, the one who named it, as its master.
That night, Oboro is drinking again, though this time with Hakuoro in addition to the twins. In his drunken state, he says that he’ll be with Hakuoro for eternity and he hopes that Hakuoro can keep Yuzuha happy. Hakuoro leaves Oboro in the hands of the twins and goes outside to allow Genjimaru to take him away to Kuuya. Kuuya starts this conversation by asking how many people Hakuoro has in his room, referring to concubines. Hakuoro denies having anyone, making Kuuya ask him about his country’s fate with no heir. Hakuoro claims he’s still single, though Kuuya had heard that he was a lustful emperor with many in his room. Kuuya tells him that he should be embarrassed if there are women he holds dear. He then changes the subject to Hakuoro’s mask, but Hakuoro hasn’t been able to take it off. Kuuya tries himself, but is equally unsuccessful. He had really wanted to see Hakuoro’s face, though Hakuoro points out that Kuuya is also hiding his face.
Kuuya removes his mask revealing a blonde woman underneath, much to Hakuoro’s surprise. Kuuya knows that she’s a girl lacking dignity and knows that she wouldn’t have to wear the mask if she was more mature. Feeling the cool breeze on her face, Kuuya tells a story of how, without the divine protection of Onvitaikayan, the people of the world bore strife and conflict. The strong seek hegemony while those without power become victims. The Shakukoporu didn’t have power, but they did gain the favor of the Onvitaikayan. They became oppressed by everyone else and there was no one to save them. But they hadn’t been completely deserted because they had obtained a power. When Hakuoro asks her why she’s telling him this, she admits that she got absorbed in telling the story. Later that night, after Kuuya and Hakuoro part ways, something large is making tracks through the forest.
If you’re unsure about any vocabulary (and there is a lot this episode), refer to Mastress Alita’s Glossary.

Preview:

I present to you Exhibit A.
Interpret it how you like in the ongoing “Are the twins male or female” debate. Personally I don’t think it really clears up anything, though it’s fun to watch and ponder about it. Maybe it’ll be one of those mysteries that they keep unsolved until the very end of the series.
Lots of cute moments from the girls this week too, like Eruru’s tail wagging when Hakuoro complimented her and Touka’s tsundere moments when Gachatara appeared. Coupled with the twins debacle and this episode turned out to be quite funny.
On a more serious note, Kuuya spends a lot of time this episode talking about gods and religion. It just raised more questions than it answered, such as what it has to do with the overall story. Perhaps it’s related somehow to Hakuoro’s monster form? Speaking of which, what was that rampaging around in the forest at the end there…?
Next week, a Karura-centric story!

126 Comments

  1. I think that scene will be a lot more than the game gave us in terms of Oboro + twins service, but then again, I couldn’t get very far in the game due to the language barrier.

    Twiddle
  2. every men dream coming true in an animation form….ahhhhhhh 2 hot twins embraced together after a night with a cute and a glad face expressing to each other:
    ” It was good for you sister ”
    ” yes totemo kimochi ”
    ” but his ass is too hard and he screams alot like a bitch ” —–>>>(LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL) completing Twiddle July´s post 😉

    tensai_otaku
  3. Remember FullMetal Panic! The Second Raid?

    The twins were male in the manga but were converted to females in the anime adaptation.

    Maybe the opposite became true for Utawarerumono?

    Twins in the game = Male
    Twins in the anime = Female ? *scratchs head*

    Guido
  4. I’d say that it confirms my initial impression that the twins are female (lucky Orboro). But without an onsen scene (to see which side of the wall the twins would be on), I’m not going to say 100%.

    jounin
  5. yes guys let´s take the reality here!!
    this bastard got luck in this episode, and this is all I can see!!
    it´s in situations like this that i´d really wanted to be an anime caracter for once!!
    see when we need to answer pools like ” IF YOU COULD CHOSE AN ANIME CARACTER WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE???” and then we´ll never need to ask this i forums” CAN IT BE A CARACTER FROM A HENTAI ANIME?? “….er…..returning to the point….THAT´S WHY HE HAD TWO SWORDS RIGHT!!!
    HUNGRY GUY HEH 😉

    tensai_otaku
  6. As much as I hate double posting, I felt like I had to point this out.

    Out of all the harems in all the anime I’ve seen, I like Hakuoro’s the most. There are quite a lot of them, yet they aren’t nearly as blatant and in your face about it. Love-Hina/Maburaho/Magikano-like.

    Kuya
  7. Only Haku is allowed to ‘partake’ of women in the castle, so Oboro’s only option is some hard gay 😉 (I’m going to continue assuming the twins are still male in the anime unless definitively proven otherwise). Meanwhile Benawi gets to update the scrolls that contain valuable harem data, and the merchant looks positively overwhelmed by orders for his ‘exotic’ wares…

  8. Agreed, Touka is very cute and ways must be found to keep her like that. That furry thing should be careful around Aruru b/c Mukuru might eat it out of jealousy.

    As for Oboro, the fool is clueless about the twin’s affection towards him–too hung up on Yuzuha to notice. I’m pretty sure they’d jump him if he gave the slightest hint (that’s probably why they’re serving him so much alcohol).

    jounin
  9. (O.O)

    God, now i HOPE they turned the twins into females just for the anime, otherwise Oboro is now officially gay! (and will need some remedy for his… problems ^^)

    Touka looks great too. And besides Kuuya, Karura is hitting on Hakuoro too?! Lucky bastard…

    I hope the subs will be made soon!!

    Gilberto I.S.
  10. OMG….just noticed the girl in the 2nd last row of the pic, before the preview pics. Man….Hakuoro really is a lucky guy. And I gotta agree that Touka’s expression is priceless.

    dward
  11. touka’s expression zOMG. i like the way the VA did her voice

    … i really want to say the twins are girls… b/c the possibility of oboro being gay still hasnt sunken in yet

    abc
  12. Now this is interesting. that mask girl who just reveal herself to Hakuoro looks kind of like Erurū. In the face that is. I can’t wait to see how they are going to do this haream between Hakuoro, Erurū, and now this mask girl now.

    Finalheaven
  13. >>Do the twins have tails? Only Female characters have tails.

    In some previous episodes, minor male grunt characters have tails.

    Come on, tear down your wall of denial now!

    Twiddle
  14. They gotta be girls, well from the looks of that pic, i dont think guys got those kind of shoulders n their ears look pretty much like those girls have to me, though i do see a good point about how they can be guys…

    AnimeFan159
  15. >>Are you sure they were male? and by “grunt” do you mean soldiers? There’s a lot of lasses swinging swords.

    Yes, what else do you think I have meant by grunts?

    The male peasant and soldier extras with tails (no breasts, masculine face) don’t appear for more than fifteen seconds in earlier episodes, so those details are easy to miss.

    In the game, the twins offer to prove to Hakuoro that they are male, but he refuses. The game doesn’t show the scene we’re debating in particular, but it is implied in dialogue.

    >>The Twins do have tails, and Oboro doesn’t. They also have female style ears,(facing downwards) like Erurū, Aruru, and most other females. Male ears appear more alert, or facing forward in most cases, with a few exceptions
    These details could just mean whether the character was masculine or feminine.

    In either case, I doubt the producers and writers would change the gender of the twins solely to please the few homophobic fans they have, as it’s not a very crucial detail nor is it really a concern in the story.

    Twiddle
  16. Ok, boys DO have tails. Why they sometimes neglect to put it in sometimes is unknown to me. Watch Episode 16 again and pay attention to the four boys that fight with sticks. They have tails although I think they’re shorter than the girl’s in that scene.

    As for the twins, every consider the fact that they might be male and female?

    KiraTakuto
  17. Twiddle,

    I’ve showed you that the twins had tails, would it be too much to ask for you to show me one picture of a grunt or a male with a tail?

    And The twins have female eyes as well, you know big kawaii eyes ….

    Mike
  18. well, mike, characters who have big kawaii eyes doesnt mean they are female. some of the male characters do have big kawaii eyes, such as the one of the trio villager who freaquenly shows up with Teoro when they were first engaging the army. and also i believe that once the male reach adulthood they will hide their tail inside their clothes maybe? because you dont see adult male characters, regarding either kawaii eyes, or the normal male eyes, ever show their tails.

    jj
  19. Nah, the male characters DO have tails. Even the big grown-up bishounen like Benawi do, (refer to onsen picture a few pages back for reference).

    And anyone who knows anything about BL/yaoi at all would know that the “uke” in a queer anime relationship (which is obviously what Oboro is involved in,) can be so very effeminate that it’s to the degree of it being just ridiculous. (Seriously, they can look like a loli with male genitals. O_o) So judging the twins on their looks alone, even nekked and in bed, really can’t prove anything.

    Ayaa
  20. Would you agree that almost all of male characters (except for children) have regular sized eyes?

    and would you agree that tails are more often then not, a female appendage?

    Someone when creating the game and this show, set forth a bunch of rules for character design, and usually such rules are actually based upon genetic guidelines for the world created by the designers, Ears for instance decide what tribe or group a character belongs to, as does the tail.

    The girl with the huge collar around her neck has a tail like a lion or a cheetah and the ears to match. For the sake of uniformity and continuty rules for the artists are created so that they know the physical attributes of each character this is especially true with a SciFi anime.

    Why would they then abandon such guidelines to say well this guy gets a tail, but this one doesn’t.

    Or maybe men lose their tails at a certain point in time, like after they reach a certain age or marital status?

    A honeymoon lopping off of his tail by the wife, signifying fidelity.

    The question then should be did the sickly girl take Oboro’s tail?

    Mike
  21. Ah Oboro got lucky!” twinsech!! woot!

    I’m convince they are female now. 🙂

    Unless something in the Anime tells me otherwise, which it has not state at all in the pass episodes which golthin said.

    But please go ahead and prove me wrong, if it’s there. :p

    onizuka-gto
  22. Man… Kuuya is really really worldly for her age.

    Are you married?
    No?
    Oh, I see, you keep concubines then.
    What!? Where did you learn something like that?
    Oh… so you don’t like women then? Well I didn’t expect that.
    That’s not what I’m saying!

    Nagumo
  23. Oh well, the twins are guys in the game. And this, uh, “incident” also happens in the game 😀
    But hey, people are free to believe what they want to believe, ya? XD

    rheo
  24. Heh–even Saber wants in on Hakuoro’s harem action. His sexiness even transcends series!

    Wait, that’s Kuuya. My bad.

    I’m not even getting into the Twins discussion since it has been obvious for a long time that Oboro likes men.

    Cephas
  25. The game and the anime are 2 different things and anything can happen, so we’ll have to wait a little longer for proof (although ep 6 where they’re trying on jewelry and this one give evidence toward the twins being female).

    I don’t know about Touka’s kawaii voice, seems too out of character but at least she’s loosening up. What I want to see next is a match between her and Benawi/Karura. Those three are the strongest out of Hakuro’s army and I want to know who’s the strongest.

    jounin
  26. Wow seriously, why is there even an argument about the twins’ genders? The twins themselves said they were boys, both in the game and the anime. What the hell else do you need for a proof?

    And Oboro is definately gay. He even blushed in the game when Hakuoro applauded him, yet shows no reaction whatsoever when ladies are around him.

    Rasmiel
  27. None of you “OMG TWINS ARE FEMALE” guys are taking into account that the bed scene would be nowhere near as funny if the twins were female.

    Well now that we “know” That Oboro is “definately” gay it makes it even funnier.

    Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but the scene is funny either way, and the twins are confused because they haven’t developed yet.

    Mike
  28. I thought boys ears pointed upward while girls ears pointed down. With the only reason the boys ears would point downward if they had a headband on. Comparing the ears of Eruru and the twins the both point down without any help.

    kumasama
  29. In anime, the twin call themself “boku” which is a pronoun for male…
    I’m not saying that I support either side, but tomboys type characters often use “boku” and “ore” instead of “atashi”/”watashi.” That doesn’t prove anything.

    And since everyone is up in arms about this, let’s have a poll why don’t we. The Poll of the Day has been changed 🙂

  30. In the game, the twins were male, for sure. They themselves told to Hakuoro they were male and would take their clothes to Hakuoro see by himself in order to prove it, if he want (and for clear reasons he didn’t, thanks God)

    In the anime, is a lot hard to tell. They talk and fight like boys, but they act and look like girls too.

    That’s not the first time some androgynous characters make a appearance in anime, and not the first time they change a character’s genre just for the anime, too. Yet, we still don’t have proof enough the producers did that with the twins in UTAWARERUMONO. All we have are speculations.

    In other words, we still don’t have a conclusive answer. (^^;)

    We need some (16+) nude scene here, in order to see if the twins have breasts or Mr.Elephant…

    Gilberto I.S.
  31. Some people are in some serious denial about the twins’ gender. I’m inclined to side with the “if there’s nothing explicit said or shown, then they are probably males as in the game” side. Even if they have supposed feminine features it doesn’t mean much. Androgynous and feminine male characters have been a mainstay in anime for how many years now?

    Even though it seemed a little ooc, Touka’s reaction to the Mikyuumu was quite amusing.

    nooneofconsequence
  32. Changing the subject (from the twins) a little… Kuuya for sure resembles FSN’s Saber, don’t you guys think?

    She’s a blondie with green ears like Saber, she uses the same hairstyle than Saber and she’s a Country’s ruler too, but instead being called ‘Empress’, she is called ‘Emperor’… just like Saber.

    Coincidence?

    Gilberto I.S.
  33. man u guys are mad dumb, theyre girls in the anime do u see guys that are such strong archers have a femini body? see the shape of their hips when they were on bed.. does that look liek a guy figure to u?? and the way the blanket covered them theyre girls

    typicalz.
  34. Not too long now before Genjimaru starts kicking ass and taking names, ending all debates about who is strongest… Karura? Benawi? Touka? None have anything on the old guy.

    Rift
  35. the anime has not changed much from the anime, with the exeption of the sex scene between Hakyuro and Eruru which was removed. They pretty much have followed the game. I don’t think this debate will ever be solved unless if the anime creators come out and tell everybody that the twins are
    either male or female, even though they already said so in an episode and people just keep ignoring it. So if that episode doesn’t count, the mystery will never be solved.

    golthin
  36. I am guessing they simply changed them to girls in the anime just to squeeze in a little fan-service. Not the first time that has happened in anime. Not even the first time this year.

    Sinharka
  37. ” She’s a blondie with green ears like Saber, she uses the same hairstyle than Saber and she’s a Country’s ruler too, but instead being called ‘Empress’, she is called ‘Emperor’… just like Saber.

    Coincidence?”

    The coincidence would actually be the other way around since Utawarerumono came much before FSN, but yeah the resemblance is there.

    As for Genjimaru, my first thought when I saw him was that he was a pirate. So he’s not, but he still looks like one, and we know how much ass pirates kick. 😀

    But seriously, I do look forward to seeing how good he actually is.

    Shinova
  38. Not many ppl watch the show before then we show a scene of a threesome either all guy or guy/girl, we have hundreds of ppl posting comments XD.

    My vote is they are all guy or else is mess up that he scores before Hakuoro

    mike
  39. Oh no… Please don’t let this be another Bridget…

    XD Anyways, that aside. Touka was always smexy! And Eruruu was so cute with Hakuoro… And then more cute Kamyu screentime! Wewt!

    Kamyu = Serene the Arc = Win. ^.^

    Irovax
  40. Denial…denial….denial….that’s all I’m seeing in this thread:) Also if you check the entry on Wikipedia, the twins are listed as male in the game. What would be the point of changing their gender? You make it sound as if Japan has some stigma against boy love, when they are several anime, mangas to the contrary.

    They’re male. Get over it. Or cancel it out by staring at Kamyu. Mmmmmmmmm Kamyu..

    Rufus2k2
  41. Culottes: even more proof that the twins are females. What self respecting gay male would run around in women’s pants.

    And as an extra added bonus, what would be more distrubing knowing that Oboro was piled with sake by two young boys or two young girls before a night of debauchery?

    One thing that has always amazed me is how Japanese anime creators weaves myth and history into their shows to build the characters into “real” people, Hakuoro for instance could be Loki and the twins any one of numerous examples of female warriors or gods like Diana. Picking from the myths and legends of earth allows them to define how they would act.

    With the exception of that guy in tights from sherwood forrest (who was either gay or a woman, Robin is a woman’s name and Maid Marion entered a nunnery instead of marrying “him”) there are very few examples of male archers of enduring fame across the seas of time, but there are no shortages of women archers to choose from even in japanese samurai legends.

    BTW William Tell used a crossbow, and idiot can use a crossbow, he wasn’t an archer.

    Mike
  42. The point of the scene was to be funny, and the twins being female will kill its purpose (to be funny) and just become some dumb fanservice.

    They also dress and somewhat look like girls in the game, and they have offered to prove that they were male there…but believe what you want.

    Twiddle
  43. The TrapTwins are just that, traps. 😛 Anyway, I dont think getting really drunk and waking up in bed with the twins == Gay either. 😛

    As for Kuuya, just because blonde + that hairstyle doesnt mean its a Saber rip. I mean, theres Pacifica, and that chick from School Rumble as well.

    Nosaj
  44. I think its hysterical how everyone is like ” should I find the twins attractive or not? Aieee? Someone tell me what they are so I’ll know!”

    The story is getting a lot more interesting character development-wise (constant fighting tends to short-circuit time for character development).

    Eruruu tail action ftw….

    vexx
  45. “even more proof that the twins are females. What self respecting gay male would run around in women’s pants”

    Utawarerumono isn’t in the modern timeline. In feudal times, there was no such thing as fashion. If you could wear it and benefitted you, it was all okay. Also, that statement can be a little offensive for English men. 😉

    Tell you what. Why don’t all of you “twins are female”ers just admit to being attracted to the same sex instead of denying their genders? That’ll make us all happy. Mmmkay?

    Rasmiel
  46. wow who cares if they are girls or boys -_-
    for ppl who think they are girls and think they r hot, then think of them as girls,
    and ppl who who think they are boys and think they are gay then let it be,
    you guyz don’t don’t have to dis each other over this minor gender blender.

    Eld
  47. I agree with Eld. Just see them as you want them to.
    We’ll know soon enough. Besides, Oboro probably wasn’t aware of what he was doing…
    The twins took advantage of his drunken state!!!

    Millet
  48. Let me just point out that, thus far, none of the males in Utawaremono have exhibited tails. Perhaps they’re hiding them, perhaps they don’t have them. Do with that what you will, as far as the twins’ gender question goes.

    Skott
  49. I’ll just add a comment to this already-saturated debate.

    Let’s just say I found that scene extremely uncomfortable but considers it the gold scene in this episode.

    Pakxenon
  50. Listen, no one cares if you think 2-d boys are cute, especially since most dudes in anime are just women with dicks. They’re male in the game and male in the anime. *shakes head*

    Uzumaki
  51. There’s no freakin’ way those two are guys. I mean, I don’t know anything about the games, but they’re definetly female in the series. Even though I’m used to anime, I’m going to say this anyway: their bodies look way too femine in the nudie scene for them to be even young guys.

    Sameth
  52. wheter they are male or female, they are hot xD

    the scene sure has made alot of people think about it, so maybe the fact that the gender is being kept in the dark is too make people wonder, and watch till the end, then order an OVA they made so you can be sure

    Show Spoiler ▼

    guest_nr_1285
  53. No u ppl are all stupid to think that Gura and Dori are guys… *shakes head* no u idiots maybe in the freakin game they were guys but in the anime they ARE girls… dun believe me then go to tht one episode where Hakuoro takes over his FIRST castle and then Eruru catches tht merchant trying to scale the walls…well then blah blah blah well he takes about toys for children then it shows Aruru holding some toy thingy and then the merchant says jewelry for the ladies and then it shows Dori and Gura…cough cough did you guys catch that??? The merchants says jewelry for the LADIES!!! then the scene shows Gura and Dori (twins) holding pieces of some jewelry and trying them on… and no shit they are girls if u didnt already know by their voices and the fact that Oboro DOES BLUSH when the merchant talks about that energy plant thingy that could be used when couples are having sex…..so ya dont get their sex mixed up the twins, Dori and Gura, are not male they are females.

    The Corrector
  54. “-D-“…OMG!, my optics… …http://img151.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28609_Dori_3_Gura_8_123_735lo.jpg

    It´s a Trap!


    “The Corrector”…some people just dont want admit that they are males (“oh, i love it…but what the hell they are?, males?…oh, this is bad!”). In some shows in the “USA version”, the big-fishes translated the gender for not casue a shock in the kids, (Poison, final fight…but, in bloody roar, foxy is soo obvious) changes the history, or cut the “blood” scenes (now, naruto is crap…). In the fandubs sometimes are errors from the fans…
    But in a original trasnlation of game/anime/manga, does´nt has sense change the characters in that way…just like Bridget. Lean to live with that.

  55. in the anime the tweens are female
    touka is also …. something else xD
    you can look becase they have tail and fall down ears
    but… touka doesnt has tail….but her/his ears are diferent,
    but, id like to think that she is a female
    Show Spoiler ▼

    maiku

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