“Counter Attack”


「反攻」 (Hankou)

‘The Seventh is…’:

Okay. That has to be one of the best/worst cliffhangers in all of anime. Best, because I want to watch the next episode right now. Worst, because I want to watch it RIGHT. NOW. I love me a good cliffhanger – I love reading them, writing them, watching them. Some people feel betrayed by them and get filled with anger of what’s yet to come, but I rarely feel that way. Until just now. I can’t think of a cliffhanger that’s had me that hooked to the point where when the episode cut off, I just screamed. Ugh, so good, yet so bad. But mainly good. In fact, this was the best episode of the series by a long shot. But I have a suspicion that the finale may surpass it.

The Showdown – Adlet & Fremy vs Nashetania, Goldov, Mora:

Prior to that that terribly fantastic cliffhanger, the episode picked up exactly where it left off: Nashetania showed up on the scene with a maniacal grin and the promise to murder Adlet. Admittedly, the action scenes here were flimsy and not very well put together. However, Passione are a relatively new studio, so I didn’t expect the most fluid or mind blowing animation – so whilst this episode was pretty ugly, it didn’t ruin it at all. It was sort of endearing in a weird way.

If anything, I have to give Passion credit for adapting a story so detailed and ambitious, yet so very focused on the character moments. And the pacing – which I know some people aren’t too keen on – is something of a fresh breath in anime, especially light novel adaptations. We’re getting a detailed yet slow, near perfect adaptation of the entire first book, and it shows in this episode especially. After so many build-up episodes, we’ve reached the breaking point. All the characters are pitted against one another, alliances and made and broken, with new ones formed. After spending so much time with Adlet and Fremy, it’s easy to forget that it was Adlet and Nashetania in the first few episodes.

Before the mystery kicked in, I thoroughly enjoyed their travels. Nashetania seemed relatively normal back then, and there were some real cute moments that had me rooting for them as a couple. Of course, things haven’t turned out that way. So many people were convinced the fake had to be Nashetania after the ending of last week (and the week before), but I was adamant that it shouldn’t be her. After this episode, I would be content with it being her, but I now think it won’t be – if only for that brief moment where she is about to kill Adlet, claiming him as the seventh. She seemed to genuinely believe what she was saying; in that moment, Adlet seemed like the evil liar who’d betrayed her earlier trust. If she were the fake, that could have been her moment to show her true colours, especially when her emotional state is so volatile. I never know what’s going to come out of her mouth next, but her face when she saw Hans unharmed was enough to satisfy me. I don’t think it’s Nashetania, though it still may be the case. If it is, it does make sense, and aligns with the majority’s expectations. That’s why I’d find that result boring, at least prior to this episode. At least now I could be satisfied with that result, even if I still hope it isn’t so.

Science vs Saints:

The action-packed first half was followed by a drawn-out, though much needed explanation of just what the heck is going on. After running for his life for at least six episode, Adlet can finally sit back with his deadly wound and tell everyone just how wrong they all are. It’s an amusing situation, but it was essential to building up the (eventual) big reveal. I particularly enjoyed Adlet comparing science and saints – one is based on logic and understanding, the other is a powerful gift from the Gods. Saints are stronger, but science shouldn’t be underestimated. I don’t know if Adlet truly is the strongest man in the world, but he’s proving to be one of the smartest. We’ve watched him try and figure out the seventh’s plan for the past few episodes, though he hadn’t quite hit the nail on the head. Until now.

Riura, the Sun Saint:

Riura has been named dropped a few times since her first mention, so I knew she had to playaome role in all of this. But I never suspected what Adlet figured out. If this is all the case, as it appears to be, then the seventh went out of their way to capture the aged Sun Saint and use her powers to increase the temperature, so they could kill her when Adlet got near, and then have the fog activate as a result in order to begin framing him. This also must mean that Lauren is part of this mystery as well, as Adlet suspects the barrier activation process is not as they were told. Maybe it’s something a lot simpler that we, as the audience, will be able to spot a mile off if we re-watched the earlier episodes once we know the answer, but right now I’m stumped. This also means that Nashetania’s earlier freakout with the sword may not have been what activated it.

All of this was a solid explanation on Adlet’s part, who has proven himself as a memorable, unique protagonist. In the beginning, I, like many, thought he was just another arrogant yet powerful lead with a decent amount of charm and wit, but he’s proven to be so much more since they’ve been trapped in this forest. His catchphrase isn’t even annoying any more – it hasn’t been since his emotional talk with Fremy – but instead it’s now something that I look forward to him saying.

Suspect of the Week – I don’t know?:

And now we get to the ‘Suspect of the Week’. I’ll be perfectly honest: I don’t know anymore. If you were to put a gun to my head, I’d say Mora, but I simply can’t say one way or another. After trying to figure out who was been the most suspicious for the past eleven episodes, I’m ready to know the answer and hopefully be shocked at the result. Mora wouldn’t be a shocking one after her recent lies and obsessive blaming of Adlet, but I think it still makes most sense that it’s her. Nashetania, to me, is just mentally unstable and new to the world. Maybe it’s all an act, but I want to believe that she’s got a good heart behind all the madness. Goldov, I still don’t care about. We have been getting more reaction shots of him, but I don’t see how he could be the seventh unless his goal all along was to do absolutely nothing and let everyone else murder one another.

As for the others, Chamot is similar to Nashetania, expect we’ve seen less of her. It simply can’t be Fremy, and Hans… well, Hans would be a twist. From his introduction, he didn’t appear the most trustworthy. But he’s won over Adlet and many viewers; if he were the fake, along with a solid explanation, that would be pretty surprising. But I must reiterate: I don’t know. Maybe it’s Mora, Nashetania, or Hans. Maybe it was the silent Goldov all along. Perhaps Chamot just got bored and wanted to tag along on the journey, or maybe it’s Adlet, who has fooled the characters and the audience to the point where we’d never expect it.

Overview – What’s Next?:

Argh, this was a great episode. The action, as amateurish as it was, still made for a gripping first half. Adlet and Nashetania have an interesting back and forth (though I’m sure people will mainly remember the kick to the face), and Nashetania coming to her senses had me relieved, since I want to believe it’s not her. Adlet seems confident in who the seventh is, and I’m eagerly awaiting the revelation. The next seven days are going to be painful.

99 Comments

    1. rokka no yuusha is character driven and mystery novel primarily. every little detail is pretty important in order to understand the story as a whole.

      its not like your typical action/adventure where the novel goes on several paragraphs to describe each attack, how cool/badass it is, describe in detail the appearance of characters/weapons/abilities, internal monologue of the character, etc.

      and actually, most adaptations are really just rushed. they cram a volume into like 3-4 episodes, some even going as far as 1-2 episodes, but those could easily reach like 6 episodes. but they cut off those I mentioned up there in my 2nd paragraph.

      amado
      1. True enough. This episode proved why this slow adaptation was needed: the scene where the Detective explains how the crime was carried out. All those little flashbacks, all those tiny details that sounded like filler (“of course it’s hot, it’s a tropical jungle! Oh, wait…”) now reveal their real meaning.

        A book can do it very well. With a TV series is trickier. Kudos to the anime studio that chose the right approach for this kind of story, even it it’s trange for LN adaptations.

        Mistic
  1. ‘Dat cliffhanger…

    That aside, and freely admitting that I came out of this episode as confused and in doubt as to the Seventh’s identity as was possible, I’m still sticking with Nashetania. I said I was standing by my choice a few episodes back and to that I stand.

    Maura would just be way too obvious at this point. She’s a complete misdirection, and I will personally dump my head in cold water if she turns out to be the fake.

    Ryan Ashfyre
  2. I would love it if the Seventh was Hans… The character grew on me, and i wasn’t suspicious of him at first because it would be too obvious, but now it would be one hell of a twist…

    Saco
    1. My guess is Adlet’s next words will be; ‘… orewa, tabun.’

      He’s probably the Seventh, through no fault of his own and completely without his knowledge. Purely planted there to make the ruse even more believable and for the added potential of maybe some braves killing each other.

      SpacyRicochet
  3. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” -Anakin Skywalker

    Also, if anyone who reads the LN spoils this they’ll get this:

    [Inserts picture of Nashetania getting kicked in the face, but don’t know the syntax for embedded images. Anyone?]

    7godeohs
  4. I wish Maura was the seventh because she has been acting to stupid to be allowed to live for the last few episodes. However the lying about Hans being hurt marked her off the list since it would make her target number one after the rest saw they had killed a real brave.

    So that just leaves Nashetania. I had been suspicious of her from the start and she was one of the three who had a chance to put the barrier up before they checked it. We know Adlet did not do it and Goldov would never put Nashetania in that much danger. I think it has to tie back to her father ordering her killed perhaps the fiends saved her and are blackmailing her or something. But I think she cares about Adlet so I do not know what is going through her mind. Is she really as crazy as she is acting?

    Magewolf
      1. remember that everyone gathered at the temple after they first saw the fog to see what happened, and they stayed there for a bit observing each other before they tried testing if the barrier was activated.

        amado
      2. Because few people here questioning why Adlet and Hans is lost when they tried to escape the barrier, I tried to help. This is the passage from LN regarding the Illusion Barrier (Ch3-1):

        The two of them once again tried to exit the barrier but the result was the same. They tried walking in a straight line, and they even tried throwing a string and following that as they advanced, but they couldn’t get out of the barrier.

        However, the one thing they did realize was that their sense of direction only got mixed up when they tried to exit the barrier. As long as they were inside, they weren’t lost.

        So, as long they stay inside the barrier and not tried to escape they won’t get lost. The illusion will activated in the edge of the barrier. Hope it helps

        Dozzu
      3. How i see this Barrier

        There are 2 Circles here. 1 Big one Center at the Temple, and the 2nd Circle begin at the outside border of the Temple Circle, and expand to unknown range.

        When they enter Circle 2 and run inside of it, they are not Lost? But somehow the Illusion turn their Straight Way of running out, so that they still run in circles. So, how this Illusion can mess up their sense of Direction here? Is this an “Holodeck”? Where the ground moves, and he do not sense the Direction disorder?

        Also, when they exit Circle 2, we see for a glimpse the Lines that Adlet pull after him. They are all over the Place, so Circles 2 must play not only Illusion also play tricks on their sense of Direction. Because, if they just run forward, forever, the Illusion will never end. But why they meet again? there must be an Error here

        WorldwideDepp
  5. Argh. The pain of a cliffhanger. It buuuurns! >_<

    Samu, great job with this episode's review. 🙂
    I agree with everything you wrote and am left with nothing to add, which rarely happens. I tip my imaginary hat to you.

    Timaeus
  6. Another great episode with tension and suspense. The interactions between Flamie and Adlet were so sweet now that they’re a couple. I like how she just stood up to Maura and shot down her accusation about Adlet planning this beforehand and just took her gun back like a boss!
    I also love how she and Adlet protect each other’s backs and how he knew he had to leave but still said he would protect her. And she smiled and just kept protecting him too. She just started to believe in someone, no one is going to take away her man!

    The explanation was very well explained with a nice bit of science there. In a world with so much magic, science often gets forgotten about. I thought episodes ago that instead of keep looking for a saint, they should see how the fog could have gotten there naturally. It was great that they left you in a cliffhanger even still. I love cliffhangers, I love watching them, reading them, and writing them, just like Samu, and this one was very good. I believe I know who it is, but I do agree that at this point, unless you are very good with mysteries, it’s not easy to figure out.

  7. It’s got to be Nashetania based on all the clues being dropped. IIRC only her and Adlet made any serious try at deactivation and Nashetania in particular went crazy in her efforts; that scene makes perfect sense assuming she is the seventh. The eighth then becomes a combination of Goldof and Adlet who unknowingly aided the princess in her plan, an unwilling accessory.

    Was heavily leaning towards Maura, but her reaction at the discovery of Riura precludes that IMO, unlike Nashetania’s reactions which seem a little forced/calm now all things considered. Only other bet is Hans, now that would be a twist, but would require some serious filling in of the blanks.

    Pancakes
    1. Goldov, Adlet and Nachetania all did something with the altar. Adlet is pretty unlikely to be the seventh so we should be able to safely ignore him. Nachetania’s freak out was really obvious/damning – it could’ve been to mask the real activation method…but that might be too obvious. Considering it would be in the seventh’s best interest to actually activate the barrier ASAP, I think it might be Goldov as he was the first one to touch the altar, meaning that removing the sword from the dais is what activates the barrier.

      He’s been really quiet the whole time, barely doing anything. There’s something odd about what little we know of him – he vanished without a trace while out in the field investigating something, then all of a sudden he just happens to show up exactly where Adlet and Nachetania were and reveals that Fremy is the Brave-killer. Setting aside the matter of how he learned that piece of information, by outing Fremy he was able to sow the seeds of discord in the team at that point. Plus by acting as a loyal dog who would never dream of disobeying the princess, no one would even think of suspecting him.

      Hanabira.Kage
  8. I feel like Adlet is not sure himself about the seventh, and he’s trying to provoke him/her into action?
    I think a re-watch of relevant episode is needed to see who and in what actions was active near the dais that supposedly activated the barrier…

    ewok40k
      1. The only ones that vere manipulating sword and dais were Nashetania and Adlet himself…
        Nashetania used some words that could have been activating sequence, but it was Adlet that used blood from own cut palm to try and release barrier along the lines of some previous saint-brave… or so HE says. Interesting,to say the least…

        ewok40k
  9. I really love this anime.

    Normally, the Japs keep their first-girl as their main heroine, thus making it so predictable who the main guy is going to end with. But in Rokka no Yuusha, I have never felt so much doubt in the first girl as I did now.

    Adlet’s explanation made me recall when Nashetania PANICKED and starting doing RANDOM actions to the altar way back on episode 5. I stand what I’ve been saying in the past, Nashetania is the fake brave. She did extremely well to throw suspicion off her (hell, they never even suspected her), but she certainly did not expect Adlet’s cunning to see through it all.

    With that said….

    https://randomc.net/image/Rokka%20no%20Yuusha/Rokka%20no%20Yuusha%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2017.jpg

    I cant help but be extremely pleased at this scene. Eat the end of that dirty boot, you backstabbing biatch!

    Ginobi47
    1. If Nash is the fake, I don’t see why she just didn’t kill Adlet when either he collapsed/was thrown near the pile of corpses or even after seeing Hans, she just needed to do it before he explained everything. It’s not like anyone new would’ve objected if she had, since everyone, especially Maura, was determined to see him dead. She could just feign the same crap Maura was spouting that he was still trying to trick them (even though she tricked them into trying to kill him by lying to them, but I digress), and Maura and Goldov (and Chamot) certainly wouldn’t have cared, while Flamie and Hans would’ve chalked it up to her still being tricked by Maura. Perfect excuse.

      Frog? No. Hippo!
      1. yes, but the whole point is she’d have an alibi. of course she knows, if she is indeed the fake, she’s killing a real brave, that’s her whole mission, but now she can justify it she did it because Maura tricked them into thinking he was the fake/she felt Adlet was still trying to trick them (like Maura kept saying). Like I said, it’ s not like Goldov, Maura, or Chamot would give damn, they want Adlet dead regardless, and Flamie knows Maura was pushing to kill him, so it’s not like they’d suspect Nach for seemingly following Maura’s orders.

        Frog? No. Hippo!
  10. After starting out with such good promise I feel like Chamont and want to puke !

    They strecthed the the story of Adlet being the ” Fiend ” I mean Hans gets it ! Fremy is like an On / OF Switch . Chamont kinda knows Adlet is innocence but does nothing ! Mora is one of those Religious type Fanatics who cant stop once their mind is made up ! Elmer Fudd Shoud make a cameo and just shoot Nashetania who has been useless and now OP And Goldof just wants to kill Adlet for being close to Nashetania!

    Adlet is the only sane person of the bunch ! But he cant save the anime from a worst fate the repeat button . You talk about using a plot over and over like a crutch! Because this anime is just limping along !

    I give it some credit though it didnt do an infro dump in one EP1

  11. so Nash is either possessed or bipolar right? Cause her mood swings are way too crazy to be normal. And if she’s been brainwashed or possessed that might make her being the 7th more palatable in terms of believability.

    Other than that, nice fights, even though the way we got to them was a little contrived, but we got to see Nash in action and see how truly deadly she is.

    Though I will say, all of this could be solved a lot quicker if these damn fools would talk it out, obviously it would defeat the purpose of the drama, but you know, maybe Adlet could’ve just said, let’s see if Hans is hurt. If he is, kill me, if not, then I’m telling the truth. There’s no damn reason everyone is so quick to fight, especially since there’s every reason to make sure you don’t kill the real brave by accident (because they need everybody), and that the fake has every reason for everyone to fight amongst themselves.

    Anyhow, I have no idea who the fake is.

    Also I hate cliffhangers like this,as they’re just inherently cheap, and sadly effective. bah!

    Frog? No. Hippo!
    1. Nashetania had a very traumatic childhood and a still complicated situation back home, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she does need a therapist.

      As for the Hans situation, remember that from their point of view they did have a person who checked his status: Maura. In fact, her words were enough to condemn him: trying to murder Hans plus the previous evidence? Adlet = culprit.

      Mistic
      1. Yes, Maura “checked” his status, but that still doesn’t really explain why everyone’s so quick to kill him. I get why Maura is in a rush, but Nach just flipped the switch, and Goldov will do whatever Nach is doing more or less. I guess it’s just getting Nach to not want to listen anymore, but they made her seem super schizo crazy, which is why it felt sort of contrived to me.

        Frog? No. Hippo!
      2. If Nashetania is the fake, he lost it because she was trying to find another culprit and now the only thing she can do is to kill him. If Nashetania isn’t the fake, she lost it because Adlet was the only person she wanted to trust (given her crappy childhood) and felt betrayed.

        Either case, Nashetania isn’t a healthy company to have.

        As for the rest, let’s remember again that Adlet has spent most of the series on the run. His situation and his previous actions already made him public enemy nº 1 and almost no one was willing to listen to him before. Why should they now that they are told he almost killed Hans?

        Mistic
      3. If Adlet gives himself up and they disarm him, it’s less about trust and more about in either case they have the advantage, as he’s put himself at their mercy. Why he does this is because he knows Hans is alive (unless Maura attacked him) and it shows his willingness to prove his innocence by putting himself in harms way like he’s done in the past on multiple occasions (which is something everyone in his group seems to forget/chalks up to trickery).

        Keep in mind, I’m not saying this in the sense I wanted it to happen this way, I’m just suggesting maybe it could have.

        If Nach isn’t the fake, the whole scenario makes sense, that’s not my point, it’s If she is the fake then that brings up some issues of missed opportunities.

        To me it feels like the story is going out of its way to make characters seem too suspicious. That’s fine, but like I’ve said before, that’s not really subtle. It’s a mileage issue (suspension of disbelief).

        Frog? No. Hippo!
  12. I would say Maura is the false Brave but Nashatania, Goldof or Adlet accidentally activate the barrier.
    The reason is Maura is the replacement Saint after Riura so she is the who capable kidnapping Riura and used her.

    Next, she had the temple gate’s key and had been standby for two days before Adlet arrived. She has highest potential of plotting all this scenario. We have witness her stupidly obvious action and lies throughout these past episodes especially during discovery of Riura.

    Maura did not have to activate the barrier as Nashatania, Goldof or Adlet accidentally activate it. The activation might be;

    1. If you look at the broken tablet, it seems dripping to a hole. The knife head having similar structure as the tablet ( two head dragon-look ). It might be Dripping blood into the blade hole.

    FanRokka
    1. I don’t think Maura is the brave for a couple reasons.
      1. It’s probably Nashetania based off of just the first episode, I mean do you remember how creepy she looked with the background all red? Dead give away.

      2. Based off of what i think is a genuine reaction, Maura know zilch about science, and this whole plan is rather complex, she wouldn’t have risked such a plan and gone in a fit like she did if she was the fake. So this lead to the conclusion that shes either really just dense, or she’s the eighth, or she’s being coerced/threatened into working with the seventh somehow. If you trace back her action throughout, she seems to be acting more out of desperation than anything.

      3. Assuming the activation of the barrier is on the alter, there were only 3 people who could have activated it: Adelt, Nashetania and Goldov. While it could be Adelt with some super twist, I think Nashetania’s fit early on pretty much confirms the seventh is her. I also think if she is, it’s safe to assume Goldov is in on it too, his character remains too much of a mystery so far to not be involved.

      Fate/animu
    1. i agree with you and my bet its on Adlet being the seventh if you look at all of the characters they been blessed by the gods in one way or another. Adlet is the only normie in there (kind of like Batman in the justice league) either way it would be revealed when they enter the domain of the fiends since only those chosen by the goddess can survive the enviroment according to maura.

      Vicente
  13. Agreed, this is the best episode of RnY so far, and by quite a long shot against the average bar. Adlet slowly showing that he’s capable to carry the show, while Flamie is a great heroine, although in retrospect she’s actually a quite tradisional kuudeere trope wise.

    The mystery reveal of course is the best part of the ep, with some believable out of the box element and some science! The 7th reveal would decide if all of this lead to disappointing or great finale, but after this ep I’m much more confident than several eps ago.

    Anyway, my bet is at “the seventh is not even realizing that he/she is the seventh” and the villain is someone else.

    zeroyuki92
    1. A lot of people are assuming that the seventh doesn’t realise who they are, which I think makes sense, but given that the LN apparently has inner monologues from the POV of the seventh, I doubt it. I’ve not read them myself, but I’ve heard LN readers say that those parts haven’t been adapted at all, for whatever reason. Perhaps it would give away the answer too easily?

      Samu
      1. nah not really. the inner monologue just tells you that the 7th is quite a sadist and really seeks to bring down the whole group through doubt and mistrust. oh and that the 7th usually refers to itself as “we” or something, probably to the group behind the plan. and they mention everyone by name, so you dont get hinted on of their identity, except maybe that adlet and fremy are cleared I guess.

        mind you that characters outward actions =/= inner thoughts. the 7th could easily look like one thing to the others but actually think the opposite.

        seeing as we’re nearing the climax, here’s them:

        I feel like I’ll burst out in laughter, the one lurking among the seven secretly thought. [They][4] were trying with all [their] might to act flustered as [they] stared directly at the Heroes of the Six Flowers.

        It had all been [their] plan and everything had perfectly unfolded just as [they’d] predicted. With [their] fake crest [they’d] slipped in among the Six Flowers. Then [they] lured the six to the barrier and sealed them within the forest. As if exactly following their hypothetical scenario, [their] entire plan had been a success.

        Things had progressed far too simply and as for the Six, fear was now spreading through them.

        So from here on out, the imposter planned to continue to conceal [their] true identity and proceed to take out the Six Flowers one by one. It would probably be an extremely easy task. And [their] first objective was Adlet Maia. He was the first person [they] would kill.

        The seventh had been shocked by Adlet’s fleeing speed, his quick-witted thinking and luck. [They’d] never imagined that he would be able to safely escape from being surrounded like that. It seemed to the seventh that it was a mistake to judge Adlet as inferior in comparison to the other Flowers.

        However, it was an issue of little significance. No matter which path Adlet took he was still checkmated. Now the only thing Adlet was waiting on was for one of the others to kill him.

        So the seventh would let Adlet roam free for a while. There was no need to rush.

        In the seventh’s mind, killing Adlet with their own hands wasn’t the best course of action. In fact, they wanted to leave the task to one of the Heroes of The Six Flowers.

        If things went smoothly then the seventh could place all the fault and blame onto the person that killed Adlet. And even if they couldn’t do that, a large fissure would form in the mutual trust shared among the Flowers. Using that fissure, they could tactfully go around, causing further internal discord among the companions.

        The seventh didn’t know what was going to occur in the future. But they did understand that flexibility was very important. They needed to be able to view the circumstances well, without just sticking to one way of thinking so that they could accurately use the tools available to them. And more than anything, they could not let themselves be suspected.

        If they could do that then victory would tumble into their lap.

        Well then, who in the world will kill Adlet for me?

        Fremy was going after Adlet. Chamo had restrained Hans. And Mora, Nashetania, and Goldof were running towards Adlet. The time is now, the seventh had been thinking.

        They couldn’t say that things were going well. Originally the seventh had expected thatit would only be a bit longer before Adlet was easily dealt with. But the seventh had been shocked when Adlet took Fremy hostage. And the seventh had never even thought that Adlet would continue to run for an entire day after that.

        Adlet was entirely full of surprises. And his self-proclaimed title of world’s strongest was beginning to seem that it wasn’t a lie.

        However, that was a trivial miscalculation on the seventh’s part. Adlet’s end had been a matter of time from the beginning. Even if he held out for one or two days it didn’t change the situation at all.

        The seventh wondered what they should do after killing Adlet. Of course, the next person they would deal with was Fremy. That would also be a simple task. Her companions would automatically come to kill her.

        Things would get a bit more difficult after that. Whoever seemed to be directed with suspicion would be executed. If opinions seemed to be split it would stir up a confrontation and cause them to kill one another. So without overdoing themselves by carrying out a plan, the seventh figured they should play the situation by ear and respond accordingly.

        Though the chance was low, if the seventh had suspicion focused on them their move at that time would be to escape. Having killed two of the Six Flowers would already be a sufficient military achievement.

        If Adlet stopped the fight, the seventh wondered what they would do if Adlet tried to resolve things through talking. Just the order of how the seventh would deal with things would change. Taking the lead in the conversation, they would execute Fremy. After that it should be good to deal with Adlet. There would be some difficulty that came along with that plan, but the seventh didn’t think it would be much of a problem.

        As a renowned war strategist had said, when a battle begins, the end is 90% decided. The seventh reflected on the accuracy of those words.

        When Adlet had set foot in the temple the seventh had been able to set into motion their trap of producing fog without anyone noticing. At that moment the outcome had been decided.

        However, the seventh did have one concern. It was the faces the Heroes of the Six Flowers would have after killing Adlet and Fremy. Though the seventh had been desperately resisting the urge to snicker up till that point, the seventh wondered if they would be able to resist smiling in front of the others when the remaining heroes realized that neither Adlet nor Fremy had been the impostor.

        amado
      2. @amado: Actually “They” is used because it is “Gender-neutral”. For starters, the Japanese language does not have gender-specific word for “He/She”. Then there is also the fact that using a gender-specific word in this case would make the mystery easier to solve. In English language, “They” is supposed to be used when you don’t want to, or can’t, use gender-specific words for a person.

        Nayrael
      3. Well then, who in the world will kill Adlet for me?

        Fremy was going after Adlet. Chamo had restrained Hans. And Mora, Nashetania, and Goldof were running towards Adlet. The time is now, the seventh had been thinking.

        Yeah, here is still all 7 Names written down. So, there is no really Hint so far. I believe it is an Spirit entity hidden in someone concussions. So, someone with a Split Personality. My guess? Adlet himself (The selection of him became the Brave in Prison) or Goldof. He is a small Talker
        Because all Females so far show us their “Saint’s” Magic, but with the Spirit Entity this is all useless. Everybody could be the one, where our Bunny Princess is the most Suspicious, because of her reaction under the Stress

        So since Episode 03 they where trapped in this. Perhaps the King build this Temple not to Jail the Monsters of from entering, no to hold the Braves inside, to be no treat to the Demon King. So yeah, the King perhaps is a Puppet of the Demon King all along

        if you can not find the Solution inside, then look for the outside. or in other words, if the Main road is blocked, try the side streets to reach your Goal

        Or this entire Anime so far has Plot Holes, and they where trying to close them with “ass pulls”

        WorldwideDepp
      4. there’s really no asspulls. all the clues and hints can be seen if you pay attention to each episode instead of writing them off as filler/useless scenes. hell, this episode itself brings up to light all those little details to bring things to a conclusion.

        actually quite a number of people have already gotten the answer correctly with the things presented.

        you havent even seen the ending yet and you’re already calling out for asspulls? I think you’re not fit for the mystery genre dude.

        amado
      5. So this all just proves that the 7th is either possessed, or a fantastic actor, like most psychopaths that manage to blend into society. Or a bad actor that has an obvious personality flaw that people just accept, which lets them us it to their advantage.

        Maura’s been too overt with wanting to kill Adlet the whole time if the plan is to get rid of more than one Brave before running away, and Fremy’s a target, so those two are out. Goldov and Chamo would be poor plot twists just because if how little they’ve been developed. Hans… I don’t like the idea, but maybe? Maybe killing Adlet when he came back to the temple would’ve been too suspicious? Don’t really buy that, though, since they were alone and Maura had convinced everyone but Nachetanya.

        My money is still on the Bunny Princess. Tragic past and awkward homelife = great opportunity to be brought around to someone else’s “better” way of looking at the world. And if you can come back to a kingdom that has a king that tried to kill you for years with a smile, you know how to put on an act. She plays naive well, but she’s got Goldov wrapped around her little finger, and you can tell she isn’t all there upstairs. She also took Maura’s word too fast that Hans was critically injured. Plus, if you want to avoid suspicion, what better way then be the biggest supporter of the person you want the others to kill first? Everything about her just feels off.

        Aex
      6. As Nayrael said, the reason they refer to the person as “we” in the translation, is because while Japanese has a non-gender specific pronoun, English doesn’t, so that’s used as the alternative.

        @Aex
        I can assure you that the person isn’t possessed, the culprit is indeed a very good actor/actress and is a probable psychopath if that helps.

        And as you can see from the writing, yes the seventh not only knows they are the seventh, but are actively trying to kill off the Braves or at least get them to kill each other.

      7. If it’s actually written like that in the novel, then indeed it’s not really a plausible theory.

        However, that makes everything to be harder for me to guess anything. I do have some guesses, but most of them involving result which would be disappointing. I just can’t think of a theory which is both plausible and good, since most of the theory would be stupid/too roundabout and risky when there are many other simpler, easier and less riksy options (a.k.a they are convluted for the sake of convulted)

        zeroyuki92
  14. Pretty sure that it’s Nashetania at this point! Since Adlet confirmed that the fake Brave activated the barrier in the confusion, Nashetania was the only one who did anything like it. Remember when she smashed the barrier while yelling something like “mistress of the mist” in an earlier episode?

    Kirro
  15. So, are this Show ignoring their own Truth? What happen of this running in Circles of Adlet and Hans in Episode 05? Oh, they just run straight forward, but ended running in circles

    So there must still be someone out there manipulating them

    WorldwideDepp
    1. you might have to pay more attention to the show.

      they still said the barrier was activated during the time when everyone started gathering in the temple, it was only then after that that adlet and hans scouted outside.

      amado
      1. And? This still do not deny, that both where run in circles, if this Barrier was an Fake. But when Adlet run out with Fremy, he succeed into lose his Pursuers outside in the Fog. What happen of running in circles with Hans a while ago?

        WorldwideDepp
      2. Lauren from the survivors in the Fort, perhaps lied to them. Perhaps he and the survivors are just Fiends in Human Body disguise. In Adlet’s Flashback, we know that they are capable of Human behavior and speak. So playing Human is no deal for them (ass pull#1). So Adlet’s forceful bombing the Door open perhaps triggered the Automatic activation of the barrier. But someone must had be inside before him, the Knife is in Position already. Someone put it inside, even if this is all Fake, and shut sealed the Door the right way again. So Aldet’s bombing is a fail Save protection, that explain the Magical Guards come at him. How used this seconds to sneak around him? Nobody, the Trap was already activated. The Knife are in this Dias.

        So, Lauren here… no the Culprit are from Outside, and some of these Fiends just revived a fresh killed Brave back to Life, But did not the Tattoo change when some of them Die? (Asspull#2) or it this an Lie again?

        I could find other things. but i end this for now. This “Searching for Mister X” ruined my fun of seen an Anime where heroes (Braves) go out there to Fight a Thread to Human kind. No we got an Miss trust and killing inside of the Heroes thing.

        Please do not write in a tone, as if you know it all better. Yeah, even if you know the LN and such. the Tune make the Music

        No hard feelings here, peace

        WorldwideDepp
      3. @Raiu

        Oh my GOD!! Thank you, i was not knowing i am Ranting here!! I am not allowed to write my Piece of Mind!! And if someone not like it, they call it RANT!!!

        Thank You, for open my Eyes….. not

        WorldwideDepp
      4. I don’t understand what you see wrong.

        Of course Adlet and Hans were running in circles. By that time, the real barrier had been activated.

        Yes, after this episode, it’s pretty clear that “Lauren” lied.

        No, the point is that when Adlet went in the real barrier wasn’t activated yet. The sword in its place and everything else inside the seal room was probably correct as the nice seal master intended; but the fiends fed the heroes wrong info.

        No, the tattoo changes when one of the Braves (the chosen warriors that have to defeat the Demon Lord) die. The Saints are like superheroes with amazing abilities. Some Braves are saints (Maura, Nashetania, Chamot, Fremy), but not every Saint is a Brave. The Saint of the Sun wasn’t one.

        Mistic
      5. We know fiends can mimic humans from when Adlet blows up the temple door, how is that an asspull?

        The knife in the dais isn’t the activation method, that was explained in this episode.

        Saint of Sun is not a brave.

        Pay attention when you watch, also work on your english.

        Pent
      6. @Raiu

        Or maybe you can just skip his “rants”, or mine, for that matter. No one is forcing you to read them. Just like no one forces me to read all the spoilers you all post, which I find sort of annoying, but, I just ignore them when I see them. See how that works?

        This is a discussion thread about a series, not a circle jerk, so we can talk about the good things and the bad things about the show. That’s how discussion works. And talking about the bad doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it at the same time. That’s simplistic and reductive, and quite frankly I’m really sick of seeing that line of thought here. Plus it really makes a few of you seem intolerant to criticism or just plain ignorant. Having said that, I think many of the commenters here are intelligent and post thoughtful responses, even if I don’t agree with them, so it’s just a vocal minority I’m referring to.

        Read this for a great article about criticism – even though it specifically targets a certain type of criticism, it can be applied to other forms: http://www.avclub.com/article/if-you-return-jedi-hate-ewoks-you-understand-femin-224765

        Frog? No. Hippo!
    2. You’re actually confusing yourself and missing a very vital clue. When Hans and Adlet were running around in circles at the beginning of episode 5, it was proof that the real barrier had been activated. The illusion part of the barrier, having been created by the Saint of Illusions, is what keeps them going in circles like that in confusion. It’s what keeps them inside that forest.

      Now, you have to think. If the real barrier was activated at this point, that means the 7th had to have activated it prior to that. Going back to episode 4, you know have to look at each character that had access to the activation platform prior to the barrier going up and who actually touched it. And I’ll tell you right now, it wasn’t all 7.

    3. Sarcasm won’t help you understand what the episode and the whole seris is all about. As several posters already pointed out, you’ve been missing out a LOT of key plot elements that its actually tiring to call you on all of it amidst your broken engrish. Jesus. If anyone, I give props to those who tries to correct your line of thought about the series.

      Raiu
      1. hey no need to attack someone because of their “broken engrish”, it’s not like fluency is that easy to acquire (or something we native speakers take for granted), unlike manners, which can be learned, or not.

        Frog? No. Hippo!
    4. Because your English is much better then mine, do i “rant” you for this? Like Frog? no. Hippo wrote, a discussion is not only the White side

      Well, its my lack in fluent English a point to attack me? So be it!. But i still write my thoughts here

      If we all praise the Sun, we never knew that we need the Moon for Sleeping

      Yin and Yan, everybody. i can be Yin and sometimes Yan, but i still love Anime

      WorldwideDepp
  16. At first i think this would be your average adventure anime, ambiented in a sort of precolumbian age, but the way they tell the story, the way you almost don’t know what are the characters thinking, the way there is NOT AT SCHOOL AT SIGHT, the way THERE IS NOT A FUCKING HAREM, that there is NO KIRITO-KUN-LIKE main charecter, is soooo refreshing, this series deserves my Seal of Approvement.

    But please, please give us another season, don’t be the next Btooom, Akatsuki no yona or kizumonogatari.

    Micheleuno
  17. i know the truth…from the light novels…

    Everything being discussed…everything I thought of…are useless….Everything ahead…you guys have no idea…the things the future has install…..

    My heart…..I cannot…piece them….back together……….. /drowns in own tears

    Tanz
  18. It is quite difficult to decide who should be kill as a false brave. But from this episode 11, it seems 4 people are proven to be innocent and left are Maura, Bunny Princess and Goldof.

    Conan! Solve this mystery for me!!

    FanRokka
  19. Not quite sure what to make of this episode. First, quite possibly memory fails me, but was the sun saint mentioned before? I would thing so (if not should have been), but that came out of nowhere for me. Second, there was a lot of coincidence and “luck” for Adlet. Hans happens to show up just in time (with no sense of urgency either), Adlet just happens to be chased to exactly the right location before being beaten, giant demon thing forgets to chew its food, etc. “World’s strongest also means lucky” didn’t sit all that well as a “reason” for such convenience. There were some good parts/twists as well, but all in all, it left me with mixed feeling as to how “good” this episode was.

    On to the main issue. Same primary suspects remain – Mora and Nashetania. Something is obviously going on with Mora, but at this point it’s so heavy handed, too obvious, too desperate for me. Mora’s either an idiot or a terrible “spy” so that leaves Nashetania. Mentally unstable or bad actress? Possibly both, but to me for sure the latter at least in part. She’s come across as “acting”/fake too much the entire time to me, and been a leading suspect for a lot of people including myself for quite some time. I still recall the whole “my dad tried to kill me” throw out line. O.o WTF is up with that? HAS to mean something – motive? So Nashetania’s my bet. Big question I have is whether Goldov (who’s all about hime) will side with her or stick with the braves?

    daikama
    1. Addition: Forgot to mention that the fact Goldov wanted to hold off killing Adlet so he could be interrogated first (unlike Mora and Nashetania who were both “kill Adlet now!”), was big factor for me, and removed Goldov from my list of suspects. Plus, he’s done so little thus far other than “must protect hime”. Meh, just can’t see him as the 7th. Now switching sides if bunny princess is the fake? Yeah, that I can see. To me, Goldov’s priorities are pretty clear – hime > braves/save world.

      Also, typo -> 2nd line, 1st paragraph “I would think” (not “thing”) of course.

      daikama
      1. Def, Goldov wanting to question Adlet was a big surprise/clue. I still didn’t have him as a suspect since he hasn’t been fleshed out at all, but that action helps characterize him.

        And Maura not wanting to because she claimed “he wouldn’t talk” just seems problematic, cause if anything Adlet is the one always talking and trying to explain things while the others really don’t. Yes they don’t trust him, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be trying to kill him immediately.

        Frog? No. Hippo!
    2. The Sun Saint was mentioned in the past, but I didn’t remember myself, saw it mentioned here. But I’m not sure if the clues they’ve been sprinkling around are really enough to put 2 & 2 together without a lot of assumption. It feels really convoluted, and not sure it can stick its landing next week.

      And I agree with you, though seems like we’re in the minority, that a lot of the character actions seemed forced. They’ve been made to be toosuspicious. But from what some commenters have said, the LN explains some of their actions a little better (which still isn’t a good excuse), but there is more to it than what we’ve seen.

      I suspect this anime suffers from the curse of fanboy/girl-ism, where anyone who’s read the LN doesn’t want to hear or admit this might not be as well written or plotted as they initially thought it was, as judging from the responses to any criticisms, there’s always an explanation or excuse. Don’t get me wrong, just because I’m finding issues with certain parts does not mean I’m not enjoying the show or misunderstanding it. I feel those accusations are incredibly dismissive of valid criticisms (not that you’re doing it, just I see it a lot on here – and not just with this series).

      Frog? No. Hippo!
  20. I actually really believe it’s Goldov. Nashetanya said early in the series she hadn’t heard from him for a while before he turned up so I reckon there’e s a good chance it’s him.

    Crunchie
    1. The reason to the fog was to trick the seven of them to thinking the fog barrier was activated. They never tried to see if they could escape out of the fog first and instead tried to see if they could deactivate what they thought to be the barrier. Unfortunately they activated the barrier when they were trying different methods onto the altar, and so they never knew that fog was actually from Ruira’s sun power. Remember that they only ran in circles after they met up each other and experimented on the altar (i.e. Adlet applying blood, Nashetania breaking the stone tablet, and Goldov inserting the sword)

      Dualash
  21. another realy amazing ep this week

    just want to point out about a nice fact about this anime: the director previous anime:

    Spice and Wolf / Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero / will give a link to his others work :
    http://anilist.co/staff/6738/TakeoTakahashi

    he the perfect guy for build strong world and he realy good with detail, honestly from the first episode of this serie i know this show would be realy good because this guy was the director and he realy good at this kind of show with good story so for him making this anime was the perfect change for get such a great show

    let hope they make a season 2 !! ( and spice and wolf season 3 !! lol )

    gungrave
  22. A nice twist on how to induce a fog. I always wondered what happened to the Sun Saint. Didn’t even think about her relation to fogs through out the series. A nice mix of magic and science.

    Of course, this revelation turned all my assumptions upside down. If I think too much, Maura looks mighty suspicious. She got her position after the Sun Saint’s disappearance and her zeal in proving Adelt guilty really puts her in a bad light. But then her reactions to Adelt’s explanation and seeing Riura’s body looks really genuine. Unless she’s as good an actor as her voice actress, I doubt it’s her. Then again, my Japanese is a little rusty, so I might have understood her words wrong.

    I’m mostly in the seventh doesn’t really know that he/she is the seventh camp. But after rewatching the barrier activation episodes (thak you internet), I noticed a few things. Fiends get some sort of confirmation after seeing Goldov, Goldov inocently takes sword out, Nache breaking the tablet, someone puts the sword back in the pedastal and Goldov inquiring Hans on how to activate the barrier. A certain pair just jumped up my suspect list. Nothing in this episode really takes them off that list. Well maybe confirming that the bunny girl really isn’t right in the head.

    I’d be really surprised if Hans or Flamie is the culprit, can’t wait for next week!

    theirs
    1. My bet go for Hans

      His Eyes, Maura just meet him Outside, and Saint of Illusion is still out there. When they scout the Fog they run in Circles, also i bet this Brave tattoo of the 7th Faker is not really there. It appears only real for the other 6 ones. if someone from outside saw this Fake tattoo, he would properly see just Skin and perhaps the Fiend as he really look alike

      So Saints from “Outside” Trap these Braves in this Temple. Are the Fiends really that Smart to create a Plan like this?

      That’s my conclusion so far

      WorldwideDepp
      1. That plan is too complicated though. The fake can just have a fake tattoo which they could never disprove is the fake until someone dies. Having a tattoo that could be seen by other people would leave too many risks to their identity.

        Also don’t underestimate the fiends, remember that fiend from Adlet’s past and the one before the fog barrier that could talk? There are some fiends that are as smart as humans so its not crazy to think that they can’t create such a plan.

        And the Saint of Illusion being one of the perpetrators is just conjecture. She helped create the barrier to prevent the fiends from entering the main continent and there’s no evidence or motive for this saint to be siding with the fiends.

        Dualash
  23. Seriously this show is getting dumber and dumber. The anime is stretching the source material to impossible length. I’ve learnt nothing new about the Braves’ backstory since they first met… I realize how this mystery show but the blatant flaws of the show makes it borderline un-watchable.

    Maura is trying to boss everyone around and non one even cares
    Nash had a change of heart in matter of seconds when she went to great length to side with Adlet
    Goldof being a complete tool since the beginning
    Adlet blatantly lying about being in love with Fremy and constantly proves he is just average
    Chamot is just a arrogant brat

    The only characters that isn’t annoying is Hans. The seventh is probably Nash but the thing is I could care less right now.

    YB

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