First Impressions / Zetsuen no Tempest

「願ったものは」 (Negatta Mono Wa)
“The Object of Desire”

Filled with twists and turns, the beginning of the end approaches.

And the first topic to talk about today? Fraulein’s theory about the Tree of Genesis. Continuing off from her assertion last week that aliens are secretly involved, she goes into more detail regarding it this week… and well, to say it’s far-fetched would be an understatement. At the same time though, if we’ve learned anything from watching this series week after week, it’s that just because something’s far-fetched doesn’t mean it can’t be true… and vice versa. So despite her assertion that the Trees are actually super weapons sent by aliens to destroy other civilizations and prevent other planets from becoming threats sounding something straight out of a Sci-Fi novel, it’s not something you can readily dismiss either. Chances are it’s not entirely correct, but considering how well it would fit in the grand scheme of things — especially the point about how the Kusaribe’s offerings are exchanges that let the Tree of Genesis see the civilization’s level of advancement — along with the fact that her “civilization blaster” weapon shares its namesake with the series itself (remember, it was always called Zetsuen no Tempest: The Civilization Blaster) and suddenly, it’s like “WHOA! Things might be a lot bigger than we ever thought possible!”

In the end though, the series is just full of great twists and well, we’re just getting started… as another revelation comes at the tail end of this episode — that is, the reveal that there may be one more method of finding Aika’s killer before they initiate the final part of their plan to test the Tree of Genesis. Depending on who you are, you may or may not have realized it midway through the episode after Hakaze requested the retrieval of Samon’s barrel and the wooden doll, but regardless, it looks like we’re in for some time travel next week. Suffice to say, there’s a lot riding on who she ends up seeing as the killer, and it could irrevocably change what’s going to happen in the future as a result. Furthermore, one wonders just how trusting our characters will be, as if you get down to it… only Hakaze will see who the killer is, and subsequently, whoever she says it is may yet not be the person it actually is. Of course at this point there aren’t many reasons why she would tell a lie, but even the smallest of doubts could drastically change how things work out.

In any case though, we’re finally here — finally at what one could possibly call the climax of the story. The inevitable meeting between Yoshino and Mahiro happened this week (along with an ode to Hamlet via their location being a graveyard and some hilarious reactions) and with it came a kind of closure that’s been a long time coming. Granted, the discussion between the two doesn’t change that they’re still who they are personality wise, but at the very least it serves as something that at least allows for some closure — a kind of reaffirmation of each of their individual resolves. In addition, it demonstrates just how strong our respective mains are, as well as the key notion that depending on your perspective, you may see things very differently. Because while both consider each other to be strong, that they both don’t see themselves that way at all — as both are keenly aware of their own weaknesses to the point where they think they’re merely floating around trying to fight a force much bigger than themselves. And well, it just shows how human they are in the end, along with just how much Aika continues to influence them even now.

Continuing along this line of thought, it also becomes quite interesting how Mahiro ends up at the graveyard of all places, commenting on how he may have thought it would change his mind. And it’s interesting because to me, it shows that he wants to believe that the world isn’t as absurd as he thinks it is, he wants to change and fix the weaknesses he’s painfully aware of. The end result is that he just can’t accept it after all, but despite this end result being the same as his previous one, the fact that he’s even pondering it — along with him actually being mature enough to not beat the crap out of Yoshino — hammers in that sometimes there are things you can’t and shouldn’t change (the fundamental things that make you who you are), but at the same time, there are things you can. There’s just this human element buried beneath everything, and it’s something that really shows itself when you look at each of the characters individually. Everyone has their own flaws, their own past, their own reasons for doing things, their own demons weighing on their consciousness, and it’s just amazing how the series has developed them through the course of nineteen episodes.

Looking forward though, there’s not much extra I can say that I haven’t already. The ending looks like it’s going to be a spectacular one, and the series in general has been amazing to bat. Every week, I just find myself thanking my lucky stars that I ended up being the one previewing the series way back before the Fall 2012 season, as that ultimately led me to peek at the manga and make sure this was one of the series I gave a try. And well, I guess we’ll see where the series takes us from here.

 

Preview

45 Comments

    1. This sounds very reasonable considering the mess of time travel. It is very probable that the killer himself is actually no other than Hakaze. Her tree would never reveal the identity of the killer if it was its own princess. Aika probably somehow convinces Hakaze to kill her in order to truly save the world. This kind of plot twist reminds me of Steins;Gate that’s my basis for thinking about it.

      Falmung
      Reply

      1. I like your theory as well. But, if that’s the case, how did she know what’d happen after her death? It’s not like she was a precog. I for instance thought that Aika must’ve killed herself to save the world, because all of these were triggered by her death. But…Urghhhhhhhh I don’t know. This is so damn complicated.
        I mean let’s say Aika killed her self. That’d make her the MOE and vice-versa. After all She was said to be kiled by the MOE. If then what would she gain from doing all that. Isn’t MOEs’ job is to help TOE in destroying the world?
        In the end it’s full of ???????????????????s.

        Swarz
        Reply

  6. I was expecting a Clash between Mahiro and Yoshino…
    However, I like it how both men accepted what had occurred (Mahiro played the bigger role), I guess they are truly closer friends/ rivals then one would think.
    I like it how Hakaze is not holding anything back anymore.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Sin1505
    Reply

  7. This show is just too much, in a good way. I always wondered how Mahiro will react to the knowledge of Yoshino dating Aika. And truthfully, its not the reaction I expected, but that’s what I love about Zetsuen.

    That entire second half was just heart warming.

    https://randomc.net/image/Zetsuen%20no%20Tempest/Zetsuen%20no%20Tempest%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2022.jpg

    Yoshino, troll of the year. XD

    Mahiro nearly brought to tears. I can’t tell you exactly what I felt inside that made that scene all the more powerful.

    Highlight of this episode? SAMON’S REACTION! XD I’ve been waiting for this 😀

    And its nice to see Hakaze going hard for Yoshino ;). And that childish chase around the house scene with those 3 was just epic :D. I love how they could stop thinking about all the stress the world has given them so far, and just lighten the mood together. And how one single 14 year old girl can just influence them so easily. I’ve never loved main characters as I loved these 3. It will be very sad to watch this anime end 🙁

    I know its still too early to say this, but I’ve never felt this way about other anime. At least not a lot of them. This….THIS….is definitely one of the anime I will always remember in its entire history of anime. There might be some better, some worse, but this is just turning out to be a powerful series. Alittle too powerful, my heart can’t take it anymore.

    https://randomc.net/image/Zetsuen%20no%20Tempest/Zetsuen%20no%20Tempest%20-%2019%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg

    DAT ENCOUNTER!!!!!!!!

    swordhack4
    Reply

  8. Hazake is accidentally going to kill Aika in comical ways and she will keep trying to stop it occuring, like ground hog day.
    Called it.

    But yeah, very intrigued what will happen. Definitely one of my favourite shows. Jelly of Yoshino…

    Ngai
    Reply

    1. Ah, apologies for that. That’s my bad. Sometimes when I get into the groove of writing things I don’t notice that I end up reusing particular terms a lot. Did a bit of a quick edit to take out the repetition eh. I’ll try to keep a better look out for similar situations in the future.

      Zephyr
      Reply

  10. When the alien theory came up last week I just laughed it off.

    But now that she’s explained it a bit… it’s one of the most rational things that’s come up in this show for a while now.

    qwert
    Reply

  11. It’s annoying how the cast can come up with logical reasons to back up their theories.

    …Aliens. I’m not completely sold on the idea (where are they now, then?), but the reasoning is plausible.

    I must admit, I didn’t think of Hakaze time-traveling to find Aika’s murderer. I just hope the murderer won’t end up being Hakaze herself, though. That would be tragic.

    Beedle
    Reply

  12. Going back in time to see who the killer is has disaster written all over it. The way I see it, this will end one of a couple of different ways:

    1. Hakaze – now in a timeline in which she both loves Yoshino AND Aika exists – inadvertently causes the Tree of Genesis to kill Aika.

    2. Hakaze herself kills Aika in the past, whether by accident or in a flash of jealousy.

    Alternatively, depending on how time travel works in this series (i.e. whether events are as they are BECAUSE someone interfered, indicating events cannot truly be changed, or BttF version where a separate timeline is created branching off from the original per any changes), Hakaze prevents the murder from occurring, thereby irrevocably altering events. This is a bit more unlikely as it would effectively strand her in a timeline outside of the events of the series thus far.

    Regardless, this should prove to be interesting.

    Monks
    Reply

  15. The more I see Hakaze falling for Yoshino, the more I am beginning to hate her. They don’t seem right to me. Again, I really love the anime but in my opinion, Hakaze and Yoshino don’t seem right together. Seeing her act all lovey-dovey in Yoshino’s presence just gives me the bad kind of goosebumps. I believe that Aika is the only one for Yoshino, dead or alive. There can’t be anyone else, not even Hakaze, whatever the situation.

    yin13147
    Reply

    1. I don’t know why people seem to feel this way about a character and a certain pair. This is no actual reason to hate Hakaze. Love works pretty wildly, so its not her fault she fell for him, and its not bad for her to express her love either.

      The bad thing that should cause you to hate her should be if Aika were still alive, yet Hakaze tried to take Yoshino for herself anyway. But Aika is dead, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Hakaze has her right to love Yoshino, and express it how she sees fit (of course you can only go so far without beginning to annoy the person lol).

      Hell, we even saw her try to give up on Yoshino for Aika’s sake (indirectly since she didn’t know the truth before). Any person who would even attempt to do that is as selfless as can be. (Although she can still be pretty damn selfish at times.

      I don’t really think you hate Hakaze, but you hate the feeling of her and Yoshino period. To hate someone, ou have to actually know what you hate about them, not because you hate the idea of the pairing itself.

      Put yourself in her shoes for a sec. You’re in love with your best friends lover, and you think they’re perfect for each other, but you can’t hate yourself for feeling the same way, because its just something you can’t control.

      (time to wrap up this little talk) I think if you want to hate Hakaze, find something about her personality to hate or something (which will be hard. She’s too lovable lol), but don’t hate her just because you don’t like the idea of her and Yoshino going out. Wrong way to express hate right there.

      swordhack4
      Reply

      1. Well, I guess I was kind of wrong in what I said. Well, just like you said, I don’t hate her in particular, I just hate the feeling of her and Yoshino together. But I still wish that she could move on, even though Aika is already dead. At least Hakaze knows where to draw the line when she found out the truth, and I appreciated that.

        Yep, you have a point. I just don’t like her having feelings for Yoshino, and that’s it. I don’t hate her, I just hate it that she fell in love with Yoshino, since I love Aika and Yoshino together. Thanks for clearing it up.

        yin13147
        Reply

    1. Was thinking the same thing. Aika’s definitely talking to Hakaze, which insinuates potentially that she was expecting her to arrive. I wonder what’s the chances are that it’s because Hakaze went back in time that Aika died (would be quite a twist… especially if Hakaze ends up being the one who did it. Would also explain why it couldn’t be tracked because of the time element…).

      Zephyr
      Reply

      1. Either way I don’t really think Hakase’d kill Aika. Not consciously(Sorry if this is the wrong choice of word) at least. She really loves Yoshino and I don’t think she’ll do something that’ll make him sad. We’ve all seen how selfless she can be regarding Yoshino. But as many said I also has the feeling that time travelling could screw things over.

        Swarz
        Reply

    1. I feel the same way, usually when a person finds out that their friend of someone they know is backstabbing them they usually go out of control or react violently; but, with Mahiro he was granted with enough time to stew over his own thoughts and see how he loved Aika and sees how Yoshino was more connected with Aika than himself. In the end, both guys were mature and saw how strong both of them were up this point.

      Dualash
      Reply

  21. Well, the series continues to spin surprise balls one after another. While alien superweapon theory might be very off, there is indeed something in the Evangeline’s theory that might be closer to truth than most sceptics assume. And boy I was glad that she cited Clarke on sufficiently advanced technolgy being seemingly magic, exactly what I commented week ago!
    Highlight of the episode, though, is definitely meeting of Yoshino and Mahiro, . It was handled masterfully, and showed how mature Mahiro has grown. Samon’s reaction was icing on the cake…and their subsequent talk about Aika, love, past and present.
    Which leads us to the more lighter part of episode. Having Hakaze acting deredere and provoking Mahiro was simply hilarious. As we head towards the inevitable ending dictated by number of episodes, it seems Hakaze has decided to use her time-space wooden phone again, this time to get somehow her earlier self out of the island to get firsthand knowledge of the identity of the Aika’s killer.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  22. KCM I thought the same thing. Aika and Mahiro aren’t related, and Aika’s background and lineage has never been explained yet. For Aika to guide Yoshino and Mahiro (Yoshino more specifically) to such an extent would mean that she herself have foreknowledge of the future. Which brings me to the possible paradox Hakaze will create when time traveling to the past. The show can go either way saying that the current timeline is the result of Hakaze already tampering with the past, with Aika, thus making the paradox self fulfilling. Or Hakaze going to the past and creating a new timeline thus making a happy ending possible for all. Can’t wait to see!

    Jounouchi
    Reply

  23. Well, the way I see it so did Aika know too much to not be involved in all of this in any way. It’s also quite a coincidence that the current M;age of Exodus manifested his powers at the same time as she died. The logical conclusion is that Aika was the old Mage of Exodus. Her personallity also fits as she seems to be rather similar to Yushino, who is suspected just becuase of his personality.

    Now as the killer so is my prime suspect Aika herself. She may have forseen the future and known that her death would be the thing needed to turn those two into heroes. It may even be that Hakaze showing up from the future is the catalyst that makes her do it.

    Znail
    Reply

    1. That’s exactly what I’m thinking. But the thing is, even if she didn’t die and Yoshino didn’t save Hakaze the same thing would have happened. Hakaze stopping the ToG i mean. remember, Samon’s plan was to bring back Hakaze when the situation went out of control. But then again those two’s presence would change the things after stopping the trees.

      Swarz
      Reply

  25. well hakaze returning to the past MUST have a connection to aika’s death but as this show a has proved us manytimes it is most likely the most unpredictable thing that will lead to a completely different direction from the current plot

    creep
    Reply

  26. Been away for a while from this and just marathon-ed 9 episodes. Was worth it.

    I kept thinking about the entirety of the scenario – and it’s probably been mentioned before – that Aika could possibly have the greatest role to play in all of this. Considering that her death was vital in setting into motion many things and judging from the preview itself, perhaps the possibility of her being a part of the Tree of Genesis itself is there, in which she orchestrates her ‘death’ for events to go this far. Let’s say Hakaze does cause her death in the past – maybe the Tree had it all planned.

    Crackpot theory #1 and probably the last. :p Just glad to look at the discussion stuff again and enjoying the great mix of Shakespearean references, intrigue, comedy, and emotion and thought-invoking scenarios as well as colorful characters. ZnT is really gonna take some replacing when it ends. 🙂

    Owaranai
    Reply

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