Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「漆黒の異邦者」 (Shikkoku no Ihou-sha)
“The Raven Invader”
After a certain point, you’ve got to grab your earnings and call it a night. Stay in the casino too long and you’ll lose everything, after all. Basically, it’s about time Naofumi called it quits on the Melromarc kingdom and brought his party elsewhere. While I can understand why Melty and the Queen would want to be on good terms with the Shield Hero, Naofumi was robbed and framed for assault, then ostracized by the nobles and rejected by the church. That ship sailed a long time ago.
And demanding that he return and apologize, however earnest the intent behind it, isn’t going to help repair relations. If Naofumi ever agreed to Melty’s request, it would be because she’s a little girl, and that’s probably the only reason. Anyone else demanding he do such a thing would have been told to grovel on the ground like a dog, as the king can attest to. Speaking of, while Myne seems to have the king’s favor, is it possible that the eldest princess isn’t first in line for the throne? Melty told Myne that the ruling of the kingdom was none of her business, and between the two, Melty appears to be the one preparing to take the throne, someday. It would certainly explain the not-so-small amount of
As is appropriate for a show reaching its halfway point, the audience has been given more questions than answers. For example, who exactly was the titular raven-haired woman? She broke out of both Naofumi’s Shield Prison and Iron Maiden with ease, and likely would have defeated him if the Wave hadn’t ended before she got the chance. From the way she spoke, it’s safe to assume that she’s not a solo agent, yet what would she or anyone else have to gain from defeating the heroes?
Naofumi’s expressions are getting better and better with each passing episode. This week, he adopted a grumpy muppet expression for a solid minute after Melty showed up to ruin his mood, along with an entourage of soldiers. Truly, he is the hero Melromarc doesn’t deserve.
Actually, that brings me to a theory. Now, if Myne ordered the soldiers to kill Melty, I doubt they would have gone through with it. It’s been shown multiple times that she commands very little respect amongst the Guard. However, if the Queen were to order her daughter attacked in a ploy to regain the Shield Hero’s allegiance, they’d have no choice but to go through with it. If Melty really was about to be killed, why didn’t the Queen’s bodyguard step in? Was it because she saw that Naofumi had the situation handled? Or could it be because the whole thing was a part of the Queen’s brilliantly devious plan?
Well, at least one thing’s for sure. With a possible Wave cult making themselves known, a corrupt church, conspiracies amongst the Royals, and an assassination attempt, it’s safe to say that there will be plenty of story left to dig our claws into for the second core.
Preview
 |
I actually got a good laugh at how the king and naofumi interacted there.
The king wanted to know how he got so strong, to which the simple answer would be to train. However, i think a more correct and accurate question would be to ask where he got the shield for that strength. The king has to know of the different forms of those weapons after all, so just asking for the materials required might have been a better question instead of demanding to know how he got that strong. And when both got told of by a litte kid, it was only made sweeter 😀
That theory has 1 flaw Stars, namely the defending part. If Naofumi wouldn’t care about royals anymore like he claims, he would have just gone away after dealing with those soldiers while believing there was one royal less that could backstab and betray him. The people of the country would probably hate him even more, but that is a given when you look at how he is treated already for something he didn’t do. And since the queen would’ve told her bodyguards not to step in, she’d be an emotional wreck afterwards thanks to her failed play.
It was a nice bit of comeuppance for the king.
Though the king asked him how he got so strong, I think implicitly he was asking, “How did you become so strong without my aid?”
The other heroes received funds, an automatic party with trained members, and access to the church where they can level up, yet somehow without any of that Naofumi became one of the strongest. One could even argue it’s because he had nothing that he became so strong.
Every time Melty tells off the king or Myne, I gain years back of my life.
That’s a very good point. The Queen would have to have had absolute faith that Naofumi would step in, or else she would lose her child. I guess I’m just wondering if the Queen is the kind of ruler who would sacrifice her child for her kingdom. Given it would leave Melromarc without an heir, probably not. The costs don’t outweigh the benefits.
I am not so sure if he got that strong because he started out with nothing. Whether he started out with nothing or some funds combined with a party, he would still have to find ways of getting better without fighting the opponents. The other 3 have it easier in that regards since the bow hero can just get stronger without fear of being damaged himself (archers fight best at long range after all ) where-as the spear and the sword are also good enough for damaging the opponent. The shield however lacks offensive means, unless you go some weird route like captain america where you throw the thing and deal damage through sharp edges. Sharpen the point of his shield and that might work, but he is still awful at offensive. So those 3 can either shoot, stab or slash the opponent. Hell, i am not even sure if any of those 3 even bothered to learn magic or get the passive effects like poison resistance or darkness resistance to name a few thanks to their confidence in their offensive power.
Naofumi on the other hand had to figure out ways of fighting through other means, like magic or unusual applications of his shields. And if he wasn’t betrayed, he might still be the hopeful, friendly guy that relies on his party while supporting them from the back instead of the grouch that prefers not to rely on his party and tries to fight on the front lines.
Melty…
I guess it’s for the plot. As an heir, you’d expect her to be there for
important events, like a hero summoning before the king. So, she’s either
really, really naïve or is purposefully being kept out of the loop by the king.
The king does seem to have two faces and seems to show Melty the “I’m a victim
of the nasty Shield Hero” side of things. But it’s hard to imagine, too, that
Melty doesn’t know about the king’s past with Show Spoiler ▼
Small plot holes, but they’re there…
But I like the intrigue part of this series much more than the action part(s).
I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that Naofumi may lose, but (and his
party, too) will not be defeated — he’s OP (now). So, the battle was pretty
boring. The whole time-limit plot-device is kinda stupid. And why transmit
that to your enemy?
But the end did a great setup for Melty and I truly don’t know if she’s a real
victim or part of a ploy. I’m leaning to a victim, but the intrigue part has
me wondering who would have the balls to try and kill a heir…
Well, considering we(the audience) don’t know about Show Spoiler ▼
yet in the anime, Melty might not know either. Not really the kind of thing you just come out and tell your teenage daughter about when you’re a dumb, doting father.
I also don’t see Naofumi as OP at all. He only survived because he outlasted Glass(he had a timer for the Wave’s end in his UI, so she really didn’t give anything away), and he did that by running away. A shield that can’t defend is worthless(she could’ve killed the other Heroes after he took off and he wouldn’t have even known), plus it was a real struggle for him just to keep his group safe. I think Filo got one hit on her? She just shrugged off his rage flames and iron maiden.
Melty said she was the crowned princess this episode, Stars, right in front of the king who didn’t refute her. Plus a few characters noted that she was at least above Myne for the throne when they squared off before. To everyone following the rules, she’s the power after the king(until the queen gets back and starts kicking ass).
The problem with your theory is that we’ve already been told over and over that Myne is an expert manipulator(haven’t really seen a non-hamfisted example, but that’s a whole different thing). I don’t really know where you got the idea that the knights don’t respect her. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to learn that she and the church have conspired to get rid of Melty before she talks too much sense into the king(hence the knight spying on Melty and her aide(?)). It seems Myne had been manipulating the king with the hate he has from some sort of past tragedy and the fact that she’s playing the daddy’s girl to a doting father. I bring up the church because every member we’ve met has been shady, plus the no-Shield thing, so I’m sure they’d love to pin the death of a royal on Naofumi(note the knight holding the crystal ball at the end like he’s recording).
I also can’t see the queen pulling a gambit like you’re thinking since thanks to her spy network she knows how little Naofumi thinks of royals. The queen clearly favors Melty, so even if we take out a mother’s concern and it’s just for the future of the country the queen would never risk her life on such a low-odds bet. She seems to know how many problems there are with the alternative…
I wasn’t quite sure that was what ‘crown princess’ implied, though I did suspect. In any case, though, my issue isn’t so much that she’s the crown princess as why? Going by the natural line of royal succession, the eldest child should be next for the throne, yet Myne has been skipped. Not only that, it doesn’t even seem like she’s been trained. Melty holds herself in a way that commands respect, while Myne gives off the impression of a person who is used to getting what they want, but not necessarily Queen-material. So what could she have done as a child to lose her position? Or if not that, why did the Queen or King decide to dub Melty the crown princess instead of her?
Melty hasn’t said, and given she wasn’t aware of the King’s past with the previous Shield, she likely doesn’t know.
Yes, we’ve been told she’s an expert manipulator, and we saw that with Naofumi. However, if she were as good as she claims to be, more than 25% of the heroes would trust her, and her sister wouldn’t dismiss her offhand. Often when you look at the guards under her command, they look tired and exasperated, even ashamed for going along with her orders. Specifically, I’m thinking of the scene where Motoyasu attacked Naofumi in the streets a couple episodes back. Thanks to her throwing around her weight to overtax her subjects and allow unsanctioned duels, a handful of rookie knights even left her services to side with Naofumi.
That’s a good point about the knight holding the crystal ball. The king had a similar device that he might have received from the church. Really, I haven’t considered the church enough as a potential enemy, even though they’re definitely a shady bunch. I may have to reconsider my theory, since as you said, the consequences of Naofumi not helping Melty would be devastating.
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%2022.jpg
It sounds like this king has had problems with the previous Shield Hero (“I’m going to lose my family…again.”). And allowing Princess Malty to do what she did to Naofumi, possibly because of the king’s prejudice against the (previous) Shield Hero, and because he spoils Malty, and acts like a softie around Melty.
It really doesn’t make much sense. The new Four Heroes were summoned from alternate Earths, but they’re being treated as if they are reincarnations of previous Four Heroes. People expect them to act just like previous Sword, Lance, Bow, and Shield Heroes, no matter what. To go so far as there is a state religion for the three Weapon Heroes and some real hate towards the Shield Hero, the predecessor of which apparently abandoned the Melromarc to the Waves and ran off to the demi-human kingdom. Add Malty’s accusation, and it’s no wonder Naofumi either developed a self-sufficient attitude or wants to run away. He’d be dead otherwise. I suspect if done differently, Naofumi might have been accidentally “killed” after summoning by the Church, to keep the Shield Hero from repeating history, which is what everyone expects. Thus the King also thinking Naofumi is “cheating” by being “more powerful” than the Weapon Heroes. (I played a few video games where “the grind” just to level included killing about 100 monsters each level, then 200, then 300. And you couldn’t get past Level 84 without paying for new modules in the “new” game, and past Level 100 team play was mandatory. Bleah.)
Now we learn the Waves may not be random, or they have a time limit? What’s the real purpose of the Waves? Simple destruction, or invasion?
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%2035.jpg
Melty’s attitude of “If Naofumi just apologizes to Dad it’ll be all right” is very childish, and in character, in my opinion. Child prodigies aren’t perfect, after all, especially with emotions. Melty’s blindness about her own father’s real prejudice is a major stumbling block. Plus not realizing her sister is more than half the problem with Naofumi.
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2019.jpg
I see you meming over there. Very impressive
> is it possible that the eldest princess isn’t first in line for the throne?
Melty explicitly stated as such two episodes ago.
I should probably rephrase that to say ‘how is it possible that…?’
How do the King and Queen justify subverting the natural line of royal succession by passing over their eldest? With Myne’s tendency to abuse what power she has, it’s hard to believe she’d be content with one day living under the reign of her younger sister.
Of course, she could always marry into a neighboring kingdom and manipulate her future husband the way she manipulates her father, so maybe that’s what she has in mind.
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
He is worse than Avatar’s Zuko
Though I do appreciate learning he isn’t a complete asshat because “reasons”. He’s just really dumb(and maybe traumatized) and Myne’s probably manipulating him.
I’d really like to see Melty’s mother yell at him. XD
I’d pay money to see that, tbh
The royal family are truly are tinkering time bombs…
I wonder they’ll make spin off with a time loop abilities of the shield hero and spear hero, or maybe someone with the smarts?
Maybe? I’ve been listening to Rise pretty much non-stop, and there’s a line that goes, “The end of our journey is on repeat, but I won’t let it stand between you and me.” That does seem to imply that there will be a reset of sorts at some point
The first person I thought of when that guard attacked was also Myne. But from what I’ve seen, her major influence is with the king. That guy seems to love his daughters equally, so him getting the guards to attack Melty is near impossible. While Myne’s manipulation skills are good, there doesn’t seem to be enough to get a guard to attack a kid who is also a crown princess. At least I’m yet to be convinced of it. There’s a reason Melty overtook her in the succession rankings, and I suspect it’s related to how much respect the soldiers give the two of them.
While I think suspecting the Queen is quite plausible, my current money is on the church. For the Queen, the risk associated is quite high. While I don’t think there is any risk for the church. We haven’t really seen the power dynamics between the royals and the church either. All we know, the latter doesn’t like the shield hero as a whole, while the former is split 50:50.
I think that the short scene in the throne room with Melty and the King shed more light into the inner workings of the Royal Family than we’ve seen in the last ten episodes. We learned that the King has some sort of reason for treating Naofumi like crap, even if it is something more likely connected to the previous Shield Hero(es).
More pertinent is that while he may be human garbage, King Autoclay still loves his girls dearly. He seems to be quite a doting father who has absolutely no idea how to deal with the sheer animosity that exists between Malty and Melty (also, parents to be in the audience: try to give you children unique names. Come on, it can’t be that hard).
Like @theirs and others, I would pin the attempted assassination on the Church. Malty has influence and does have some guardsmen under her thumb. Still to kill the crown princess in broad daylight is likely beyond her. The King and Queen likely won’t risk their heir on the off-chance that Naofumi would see Melty as a “little girl in danger” as opposed to “another hated royal getting her just deserts”. The church though has been shown to be quite influential and very powerful so far. They control the Dragon Hourglasses crucial to the Kingdom’s defense and the pope practically oozes slime as he talks.
You guys have made a very solid case for this.
Also, your analysis of the scene with Malty, Melty, and the king was on point. You could tell something’s rotten in the state of Melromarc from miles away. Honestly, the king is much too weak to be in his position with someone like Malty around to pull the strings. Although it’s nice to have a reason for his actions, it didn’t really earn him any sympathy points from me.
See, if the assassination were ordered by the Queen, I could at least understand her motive, but the church? What do we know about them other than that they can’t be trusted? Before someone pointed out that the church clearly only worships three heroes, I was inclined to think the king had ordered them not to aid Naofumi. So, if it’s not the king influencing the church, why decline to help Naofumi? Why try to rip him off with cheap holy water? I think it might have been explained earlier that the previous Shield sided with the demi-humans, which upset the social hierarchy, but again, Naofumi isn’t the previous Shield.
Still, with Melty dead and the Queen imprisoned indefinitely, Myne would essentially become the Shadow Queen of Melromarc, and if her interests align with the church’s, then the assassination attempt certainly does make a twisted bit of sense.
I would say that the scenario you painted sounds likely. A friendly Shadow Queen on the throne could even engage in a coup with the Church’s support putting them in a powerful position.
Oh look! We even have the Shield Demon on the scene to blame the death on!
Honestly knowing Malty, it goes a bit like this: “my little sister scolded me -> must have revenge -> hey Church dudes want in on this? -> opportunistic murder attempt”.
I would put the possible culprits behind assassination attempt in order of rising probability…
1.Queen – 1% – she seems too wise to try risking own beloved daughter to make the shield hero more amiable
2,Melty – 2% – she is less wise and could be naive enough to try that gambit, but still it doesnt fit her honest personality
3.King. – 5% – he seems to love both daughters equally (and having rough time with that, let alone having a wife that can talk him down like armageddon)
4,Myne (I will use her adventurer nom-de-guerre simply to avoid mistakes, come on, royal parents…) – 30% – she’s bitch, she’s selfish and stupid and vain, but she is still her sister… she might get unwittingly be used though by
5,The Church, probably Pope himself. 90% here… win-win: shield hero gets villified , political enemy gets eliminated, and friendly person is set on a path to the throne…
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2011.jpg
There is more to these waves and Glass than the king lets on. What’s interesting is besides the King and those working under the king know what that is except for the common folk in separate villiages.
Although this women with fans appear as a villain in front of the Heroes I wonder if Glass is truly Evil as how this episode painted her to be.
now 3 things truck me in this episode…
-who is that Glass person and what is her agenda?
-gotta love epic talkdown delivered to the king “I could kill you on your throne right now and walk away”
-gotta love how assassination attempt immediately turns on “protect mode” even if Naofumi doesnt trust or like Melty much…
U know it’ll be interesting the four heroes fight against themselves from the past in order to “fix” their mistakes…or another group from alternate earth will fight the other heroes for their spot…
I wonder the spear hero in the spin off appear in that seen and I wonder the shield hero in the alternate timeline meet his future self and raccoon girl? Seriously will he meet raccoon girl in the alternate timeline that the stupid spear hero created?