Vampire Princess Miyu Episode 21 Discussion

It seems to me that this episode is an attack on the rigidity of traditions because both the father and daughter were almost throwing themselves at death's door to try to save face and fulfill their duty. The fact that the shinma said their souls are embedded in the flag might be a metaphor for how much people invest in their reputation and on-paper deeds. In the end, it was the flag that killed the final shinma and I don't think that was just the storyboard artists throwing that in there for laughs.

I don't know if the episode was condeming the villagers, but it's clear that the episode was intent on portraying their selfishness. More specifically, the villagers had this expectation that the chief and his daughter should readily sacrifice anything to serve them.

Reinha says it outright: "Despite your duties in the past, you need to live as a human now. It's silly to be bound with family and its traditional duties".

This isn't just Japanese culture. Coming from Chinese culture, mienje (face) is a big thing. People will pay a ton for lavish funerals they can't afford. Women in traditional Chinese families are expected to give everything for their family, including getting married off for a dowry, while the men are valued more. So perhaps these themes are not so relevant in contemporary society in the West, but I'm sure they still are in many places around the world.

This is the second time Reinha has empathized with a "daughter". The first time was when the Shinma was trying to run away with the man and she referred to the Shinma as the daughter of the man. That man was also trying to run away from the burdens of family and duty, as well as find a place for their forbidden love. Reinha is clearly someone who's been damaged by tradition, which would explain why she doesn't like Miyu, who is the traditionally designated Guardian.

All this is also interesting because it seems to contradict the two episodes valuing tradition- the one about the modern couple and the one about the guy and his Buddhist statue.