Episode 24: The Man Who Cannot be Forgiven
Episode 24: The Man Who Cannot be Forgiven
If you need to watch the episode, check out this post (community locked) for information!
(Since there’s plot for once I took a ton of caps so I’m using all thumbnails for ease of DL.)
Yuuri and his entoutage arrive back in Shin Makoku, no worse for the wear unless you count Wolfram.
Oh, and Hube, who is not looking very good at all.
Greta is worried that Hube will die, but Yuuri assures her that there’s a brilliant doctor at the castle.
Wolfram looks worried. Worried about Conrart. *squee!*
Yuuri’s escort arrives…Gwendal? Did you come for Yuuri’s sake?
Not judging by that face. Don’t worry, Papa Yuuri won’t let you get arrested by the big bad cute-whore.
But Gwendal walks right past Greta, goes straight for Hube and…
You didn’t think that old stick in the mud was going to let him off that easy, didja? Yuuri argues that he saved Hube. Gwendal reacts…
…Poorly. Eek! Scary!Gwendal!
But Conrart steps in to say that it is the will of the Maou. Gwendal begrudgingly agrees to have Hube taken to the Castle. Pushover.
Back at the Castle, Gunter looks pissed.
Yuuri tries to explain, but Gunter’s surprisingly zen about it. *rimshot*
In fact, he’s enlightened! By love. Anger has no place in his enlightened heart! Yuuri is confused. And blinded by shininess.
It’s Dakascos from the lighting squad!
Damn it, man, you ruined the Dramatically Appropriate Moment! Gunter is displeased. So much for anger having no place in his heart.
Nicola runs out, worried for Hube and with Gisela in tow.
Yuuri asks Gisela to take care of him, but she looks worried, too.
But her awesomeness prevails and she agrees to help him.
In the square, things are tense.
Inside, Gisela works her magic on Hube and Nicola frets.
Nicola tries to wipe Hube’s forehead and gasps at something one his face.
Yuuri reassured Greta that everything will be fine and asks if she’s tired. She says she’s not tired and will do anything he wants! What a noble daughter!
Yuuri hears the three hot brothers talking.
Gwendal says that even if it is the King’s wish, it’s not acceptable to let Hube back in the country. Surely, you remember what he did, Conrart?
…I think he does, yeah. Just in case he really did forget, Gwendal explains that many people died because of him, including Suzanna Julia. Gwendal says that is beyond redeption. LOOK at his face!! Gwendal/Julia, anyone?
Greta is worried, and Yuuri gives her a big ole glomp of helpfulness.
In case everyone forgot AGAIN, Conrart reminds us that Hube traveled as a vagrant for 20 years. However, he says that is one wants to know what a journey of despair without honor is, then just look at the state of Hube. Gwendal asks of Conrart is suggesting that Hube be forgiven.
Conrart gives a serious look, and says that what he cannot forgive is Hube turning his sword on Yuuri. *melts*
He clutches his sword so hard it shakes, and Wolfram takes a moment to examine this totally phallic occurrence. Sorry, I so had to.
Greta and Yuuri walk away, and Greta asks if everyone hates Hube. Yuuri says it’s an adult thing, but Greta stops, gives the cute eyes:
…and says that it must be true, what Hube said about him doing something unforgivable.
As Yuuri comforts Greta, Gisela comes out and says that Hube will recover. Greta runs in to join Nicola by Hube’s side.
Gisela asks about Yuuri’s leg, which he completely forgot about. I guess it’s better!
Gisela, you know Hube too, right? Can you enlighten Yuuri on the state of affairs? She escorts Yuuri out to the courtyard, and asks about the pendant Yuuri wears, the one Conrart gave him.
Gisela says that it originally belonged to Julia. Lady Suzannah Julia von Wincott, to be precise, one of the Ten Aristocrats and a possessor of powerful magic; one of the Three Great Witches alongside Ladies Celi and Anissina. Julia the White.
She was loved, Gisela explains, by everyone.
Including Conrart? Gisela doesn’t know that, but they seemed to be very good friends. And anyway, Julia’s fiancé was Lord Adalbert von Grantz. Eh, this guy?
About 20 years ago, there was a very dangerous war with the human country Greater Shimaron (or Dai Shimaron, if you prefer). Yuuri remembers Gunter mentioning something about that - the Demon Tribe was pushed back and it only barely ended in a cease-fire. But, Gisela says, a great sacrifice was made to achieve that.
Lord Griesela Gegenhuber (Hube) created the reason for her death. Even though Celi was Queen, Stoffel really ran things. Hube came to him and said that humans living in Shin Makoku were spies and had to be leaking information out to Dai Shimaron. Hube concluded that anyone defending the humans was a traitor, also, and anyone of half-human blood.
Yuuri makes the connection to Conrart, who is half-human. But how could anyone think that? Conrart loves Shin Makoku more than anyone!
Yes, but at the time, nothing could be done. Celi had to keep her personal feelings out of it, Gwendal was away on an expedition, and Gunter’s opinion was quashed by Stoffel. Based on that, Conrart and the other half-humans had no choice but to prove their loyalty on the front lines. No one who went was expected to return alive.
The unit of mostly untrained and unarmed men was called the Lutenberg Division.
Flashback: Conrart asks if Yozak and the rest are sure about this.
Yozak says they will follow him wherever he goes.
The enemy line is spotted, and Conrart raises his sword and gives the order to charge.
There were almost no survivors from that battle, it was so fierce. Conrart fights hard, but is badly injured.
Then, the place burns.
Yozak helps Conrart away, scolding him for being reckless.
Upon finding out that the two of them were the only ones left, Conrart collapsed.
Meanwhile, far away, Hube got overzealous and took unplanned action. Wanting to top Conrart’s achievement at Lutenberg, Hube attacked. Julia was a medic there.
She healed everyone, and exhausted her powers. Gisela tried to get her to slow down, but Julia wanted to save everyone. In the end, she died.
As punishment, Hube was sent on the quest for the lost Demon Flute, where he has been for 20 years.
As Yuuri takes it in, we see Hube, kneeling in despair.
He sees a light and an image of Julia, telling him “No.”
And then he wakes up. And leaves the room.
Hube peeks in a door, eyeing the swords.
Meanwhile, Yuuri stands at a window, sighing.
Wolfram sits up and asks why the long face? How’d you get in, Wolfram? “I am your fiancé so there is no need to ask permission.” Well, then!
Wolfram says that worrying won’t help anything. After all, you are a wimp, Yuuri.
…
No rebuttal? You’re accepting your wimpiness?
“Maybe you’re right,” Yuuri says. He turns to ask a question, but Wolfram is sound asleep again.
Yuuri goes for a walk, and happens upon Conrart who’s diligently standing guard.
Yuuri gives him the sad “I-know-your-angsty-past” eyes and Conrart’s got his number immediately.
Was Julia your lover? Not really, more like a friend. And we see Julia giving Conrart the pendant as a good luck charm, to keep him safe.
Yuuri apologizes for not thinking about how everyone felt, but Yuuri still believes that saving Hube was the right thing. Conrart acknowledges that Hube seems to be a changed man.
A blade is seen in the darkness, and an attacker comes after Yuuri!
Greta wakes up to the sound of Nicola dropping something, and they find that Hube is gone.
Conrart scuffles with the assassin, who is revealed to be Hube! Yuuri is shocked.
And cue the end of the episode. Because cliffhangers are love and the writers hate you. &hearts
Holy cow, that was a lot of caps. But…the pretty!
On to my attempt at coherent thoughts! ^_^
First, I have to give it up for the backstory love! We finally find out What Hube Did and why Conrart and everyone’s so mad at him, and it makes for a delicious angsty complicated mess of utter win! &hearts
The ideas of sacrifice, vengeance, and the possibility of redemption are all huge here, and all really beautiful.
First, we have Yuuri and Julia, who were both willing to sacrifice themselves to heal others. Julia was lost in this way, which puts a while new spin on Conrart and Wolfram’s protective anger in the previous episode when Yuuri wanted to use his healing magic even after he had exhausted himself by putting out the fire. (spoilers)--> Because Julia and Yuuri share the same soul (and thus the significance of the pendant), I think it’s a really beautiful comparison here. It shows Julia and Yuuri’s caring and nobility, and their high regard and value for life, no matter the race of a person. Watching this episode the second time, I can really see the parallels between them coming together. It also makes me see Conrart’s protectiveness, worry, and love for Yuuri in a new light; yes, he loves Yuuri for being Yuuri, but the memories of Julia are still so fresh and painful for him, it can’t be easy to sort out - especially when Yuuri is the same not only intangibly, but in mind and beliefs.<-- The other idea of sacrifice here is Hube; who we can see from his pain in the vision of Julia, lost something too, and something more than his honor. He truly lost his way, when everything he so strongly believed in the name of his country was taken away from him.
I find Hube to be a very tragic character. No matter how his ideas were racist, he truly believed that he was doing it for the honor of his country (I think, anyway). Yes, he was wrong, but the thing that makes his character for me is that he realized it through his mistake. He’s not fully come to terms with it yet, and that’s why he wants to die, but he was able to find Nicola and Greta, and realize that love is without boundaries of race and country. And even so, he can never forgive himself for being so wrong before, for making such a huge mistake that he feels he can never be forgiven. (spoilers)--> I think that’s what Yuuri is able to give him (and in a way, Julia too gives him) that no one else can; the ability to forgive himself. Even Nicola and Greta’s love and the knowledge that he was wrong and the deeds he has done to correct don't made him want to live. I really think the way his character is written is amazing, and the path he takes is so real and so - forgive the almost-pun - human.<--
Of course, there’s the opinion among everyone who suffered when Julia died that Hube should be punished. And here, we have the conflict between the vengeance that Conrart, Gwendal, and many of the Mazoku’s anger demands of them, and the conflict of Yuuri’s forgiveness. The conversation Yuuri and Conrart have at the end is a lovely example of revenge vs. forgiveness; Yuuri is able to understand (being the empathetic soul he is!) that it was difficult for Conrart and everyone to see Yuuri desperate to save Hube. However, Yuuri can’t believe that it was a bad thing to choose life and to believe in redemption. After all, even Conrart can acknowledge that Hube seems to have changed. It’s thanks to Yuuri that he’s able to begin to see that…
…and then Hube attacks, seemingly nullifying everything that Yuuri just said. The pained look on his face at the end is amazing to me, because it’s only normal to doubt someone when something like this happens and they violate your trust in them, and it shows that Yuuri is still unsure of exactly how much faith he can have in this man who has now twice tried to kill him. That one look really shows how Yuuri is still growing; despite the seemingly unshakable faith in his fellow man/Mazoku, he is still a fifteen year old boy searching for his way.
…and yeah, so ends my failed attempt at profundity. Forgive the psychoanalytic-ness… this is why mental health professional + fandom = longwinded idiocy. :P
Anyway. Thoughts? Feel free to tell me what a moron I am in vivid detail. XD
Next episode: Episode 25, hosted by: twyxdust on Monday!
If you need to watch the episode, check out this post (community locked) for information!
(Since there’s plot for once I took a ton of caps so I’m using all thumbnails for ease of DL.)
Yuuri and his entoutage arrive back in Shin Makoku, no worse for the wear unless you count Wolfram.
Oh, and Hube, who is not looking very good at all.
Greta is worried that Hube will die, but Yuuri assures her that there’s a brilliant doctor at the castle.
Wolfram looks worried. Worried about Conrart. *squee!*
Yuuri’s escort arrives…Gwendal? Did you come for Yuuri’s sake?
Not judging by that face. Don’t worry, Papa Yuuri won’t let you get arrested by the big bad cute-whore.
But Gwendal walks right past Greta, goes straight for Hube and…
You didn’t think that old stick in the mud was going to let him off that easy, didja? Yuuri argues that he saved Hube. Gwendal reacts…
…Poorly. Eek! Scary!Gwendal!
But Conrart steps in to say that it is the will of the Maou. Gwendal begrudgingly agrees to have Hube taken to the Castle. Pushover.
Back at the Castle, Gunter looks pissed.
Yuuri tries to explain, but Gunter’s surprisingly zen about it. *rimshot*
In fact, he’s enlightened! By love. Anger has no place in his enlightened heart! Yuuri is confused. And blinded by shininess.
It’s Dakascos from the lighting squad!
Damn it, man, you ruined the Dramatically Appropriate Moment! Gunter is displeased. So much for anger having no place in his heart.
Nicola runs out, worried for Hube and with Gisela in tow.
Yuuri asks Gisela to take care of him, but she looks worried, too.
But her awesomeness prevails and she agrees to help him.
In the square, things are tense.
Inside, Gisela works her magic on Hube and Nicola frets.
Nicola tries to wipe Hube’s forehead and gasps at something one his face.
Yuuri reassured Greta that everything will be fine and asks if she’s tired. She says she’s not tired and will do anything he wants! What a noble daughter!
Yuuri hears the three hot brothers talking.
Gwendal says that even if it is the King’s wish, it’s not acceptable to let Hube back in the country. Surely, you remember what he did, Conrart?
…I think he does, yeah. Just in case he really did forget, Gwendal explains that many people died because of him, including Suzanna Julia. Gwendal says that is beyond redeption. LOOK at his face!! Gwendal/Julia, anyone?
Greta is worried, and Yuuri gives her a big ole glomp of helpfulness.
In case everyone forgot AGAIN, Conrart reminds us that Hube traveled as a vagrant for 20 years. However, he says that is one wants to know what a journey of despair without honor is, then just look at the state of Hube. Gwendal asks of Conrart is suggesting that Hube be forgiven.
Conrart gives a serious look, and says that what he cannot forgive is Hube turning his sword on Yuuri. *melts*
He clutches his sword so hard it shakes, and Wolfram takes a moment to examine this totally phallic occurrence. Sorry, I so had to.
Greta and Yuuri walk away, and Greta asks if everyone hates Hube. Yuuri says it’s an adult thing, but Greta stops, gives the cute eyes:
…and says that it must be true, what Hube said about him doing something unforgivable.
As Yuuri comforts Greta, Gisela comes out and says that Hube will recover. Greta runs in to join Nicola by Hube’s side.
Gisela asks about Yuuri’s leg, which he completely forgot about. I guess it’s better!
Gisela, you know Hube too, right? Can you enlighten Yuuri on the state of affairs? She escorts Yuuri out to the courtyard, and asks about the pendant Yuuri wears, the one Conrart gave him.
Gisela says that it originally belonged to Julia. Lady Suzannah Julia von Wincott, to be precise, one of the Ten Aristocrats and a possessor of powerful magic; one of the Three Great Witches alongside Ladies Celi and Anissina. Julia the White.
She was loved, Gisela explains, by everyone.
Including Conrart? Gisela doesn’t know that, but they seemed to be very good friends. And anyway, Julia’s fiancé was Lord Adalbert von Grantz. Eh, this guy?
About 20 years ago, there was a very dangerous war with the human country Greater Shimaron (or Dai Shimaron, if you prefer). Yuuri remembers Gunter mentioning something about that - the Demon Tribe was pushed back and it only barely ended in a cease-fire. But, Gisela says, a great sacrifice was made to achieve that.
Lord Griesela Gegenhuber (Hube) created the reason for her death. Even though Celi was Queen, Stoffel really ran things. Hube came to him and said that humans living in Shin Makoku were spies and had to be leaking information out to Dai Shimaron. Hube concluded that anyone defending the humans was a traitor, also, and anyone of half-human blood.
Yuuri makes the connection to Conrart, who is half-human. But how could anyone think that? Conrart loves Shin Makoku more than anyone!
Yes, but at the time, nothing could be done. Celi had to keep her personal feelings out of it, Gwendal was away on an expedition, and Gunter’s opinion was quashed by Stoffel. Based on that, Conrart and the other half-humans had no choice but to prove their loyalty on the front lines. No one who went was expected to return alive.
The unit of mostly untrained and unarmed men was called the Lutenberg Division.
Flashback: Conrart asks if Yozak and the rest are sure about this.
Yozak says they will follow him wherever he goes.
The enemy line is spotted, and Conrart raises his sword and gives the order to charge.
There were almost no survivors from that battle, it was so fierce. Conrart fights hard, but is badly injured.
Then, the place burns.
Yozak helps Conrart away, scolding him for being reckless.
Upon finding out that the two of them were the only ones left, Conrart collapsed.
Meanwhile, far away, Hube got overzealous and took unplanned action. Wanting to top Conrart’s achievement at Lutenberg, Hube attacked. Julia was a medic there.
She healed everyone, and exhausted her powers. Gisela tried to get her to slow down, but Julia wanted to save everyone. In the end, she died.
As punishment, Hube was sent on the quest for the lost Demon Flute, where he has been for 20 years.
As Yuuri takes it in, we see Hube, kneeling in despair.
He sees a light and an image of Julia, telling him “No.”
And then he wakes up. And leaves the room.
Hube peeks in a door, eyeing the swords.
Meanwhile, Yuuri stands at a window, sighing.
Wolfram sits up and asks why the long face? How’d you get in, Wolfram? “I am your fiancé so there is no need to ask permission.” Well, then!
Wolfram says that worrying won’t help anything. After all, you are a wimp, Yuuri.
…
No rebuttal? You’re accepting your wimpiness?
“Maybe you’re right,” Yuuri says. He turns to ask a question, but Wolfram is sound asleep again.
Yuuri goes for a walk, and happens upon Conrart who’s diligently standing guard.
Yuuri gives him the sad “I-know-your-angsty-past” eyes and Conrart’s got his number immediately.
Was Julia your lover? Not really, more like a friend. And we see Julia giving Conrart the pendant as a good luck charm, to keep him safe.
Yuuri apologizes for not thinking about how everyone felt, but Yuuri still believes that saving Hube was the right thing. Conrart acknowledges that Hube seems to be a changed man.
A blade is seen in the darkness, and an attacker comes after Yuuri!
Greta wakes up to the sound of Nicola dropping something, and they find that Hube is gone.
Conrart scuffles with the assassin, who is revealed to be Hube! Yuuri is shocked.
And cue the end of the episode. Because cliffhangers are love and the writers hate you. &hearts
Holy cow, that was a lot of caps. But…the pretty!
On to my attempt at coherent thoughts! ^_^
First, I have to give it up for the backstory love! We finally find out What Hube Did and why Conrart and everyone’s so mad at him, and it makes for a delicious angsty complicated mess of utter win! &hearts
The ideas of sacrifice, vengeance, and the possibility of redemption are all huge here, and all really beautiful.
First, we have Yuuri and Julia, who were both willing to sacrifice themselves to heal others. Julia was lost in this way, which puts a while new spin on Conrart and Wolfram’s protective anger in the previous episode when Yuuri wanted to use his healing magic even after he had exhausted himself by putting out the fire. (spoilers)--> Because Julia and Yuuri share the same soul (and thus the significance of the pendant), I think it’s a really beautiful comparison here. It shows Julia and Yuuri’s caring and nobility, and their high regard and value for life, no matter the race of a person. Watching this episode the second time, I can really see the parallels between them coming together. It also makes me see Conrart’s protectiveness, worry, and love for Yuuri in a new light; yes, he loves Yuuri for being Yuuri, but the memories of Julia are still so fresh and painful for him, it can’t be easy to sort out - especially when Yuuri is the same not only intangibly, but in mind and beliefs.<-- The other idea of sacrifice here is Hube; who we can see from his pain in the vision of Julia, lost something too, and something more than his honor. He truly lost his way, when everything he so strongly believed in the name of his country was taken away from him.
I find Hube to be a very tragic character. No matter how his ideas were racist, he truly believed that he was doing it for the honor of his country (I think, anyway). Yes, he was wrong, but the thing that makes his character for me is that he realized it through his mistake. He’s not fully come to terms with it yet, and that’s why he wants to die, but he was able to find Nicola and Greta, and realize that love is without boundaries of race and country. And even so, he can never forgive himself for being so wrong before, for making such a huge mistake that he feels he can never be forgiven. (spoilers)--> I think that’s what Yuuri is able to give him (and in a way, Julia too gives him) that no one else can; the ability to forgive himself. Even Nicola and Greta’s love and the knowledge that he was wrong and the deeds he has done to correct don't made him want to live. I really think the way his character is written is amazing, and the path he takes is so real and so - forgive the almost-pun - human.<--
Of course, there’s the opinion among everyone who suffered when Julia died that Hube should be punished. And here, we have the conflict between the vengeance that Conrart, Gwendal, and many of the Mazoku’s anger demands of them, and the conflict of Yuuri’s forgiveness. The conversation Yuuri and Conrart have at the end is a lovely example of revenge vs. forgiveness; Yuuri is able to understand (being the empathetic soul he is!) that it was difficult for Conrart and everyone to see Yuuri desperate to save Hube. However, Yuuri can’t believe that it was a bad thing to choose life and to believe in redemption. After all, even Conrart can acknowledge that Hube seems to have changed. It’s thanks to Yuuri that he’s able to begin to see that…
…and then Hube attacks, seemingly nullifying everything that Yuuri just said. The pained look on his face at the end is amazing to me, because it’s only normal to doubt someone when something like this happens and they violate your trust in them, and it shows that Yuuri is still unsure of exactly how much faith he can have in this man who has now twice tried to kill him. That one look really shows how Yuuri is still growing; despite the seemingly unshakable faith in his fellow man/Mazoku, he is still a fifteen year old boy searching for his way.
…and yeah, so ends my failed attempt at profundity. Forgive the psychoanalytic-ness… this is why mental health professional + fandom = longwinded idiocy. :P
Anyway. Thoughts? Feel free to tell me what a moron I am in vivid detail. XD
Next episode: Episode 25, hosted by: twyxdust on Monday!