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| Tbh, Shiratama kinda got some of what she deserved. She's been manipulative from the start so karma comes back to haunt her. With this princess selection ceremony event, it looks like the show really made each of them relevant. On the other hand, at least Shiratama knows more about the truth now. |
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| Wakamiya storming into the Cherry Blossom Palace to choose his bride, and not just privately, but publicity, as Asebi had remembered and fell in love with him since young. The courting begins with Shiratama of the Northern House, and she's clearly already being so dysfunctional enough that she did the deed with Kazumi before the ceremony, of which Wakamiya would oblige marrying her if she so wishes, and she still stuck to her wishes of being with the love of her life, having survived the ordeal of the intruder incident. That said, Wakamiya took a gamble with falsifying that Shiratama had a child with Kazumi, and that led to the best-case scenario for her. Next is Masuko of the Western House, of which she has a close relationship with Wakamiya, though Hamayu's incident cannot be overlooked on her part as well. And even without that, Masuko was taking lightly of her circumstances with Wakamiya, because when all is said and done, friendship and political rivalry were all that exists on her mind, whilst he remains neutral on the matter, and making his choice known, given how harsh he'll treat the House in that same manner. All Masuko only knew was her own pride, and Wakamiya knew that it would destroy her, and destroy it did for Masuko to finally come clean about herself. That leaves Asebi of the Southern House, and Wakamiya explicitly displays his interest on her being affectionate as he is in their childlike days, but being in this political marriage will only bring bloodshed if she chooses to stay by his side. And willingly, Asebi will, no matter the cost, and the Eastern manservant of Kaasuke would be the one ending up as the Cherry Blossom Palace's intruder, and as someone who knew about Asebi's family history. And to Wakamiya, this is considered a violation of the Palace and a tryst between a man and a woman, of which the FIRST Lady Futaba SHOULD be there, but Asebi took her place, not knowing anything about it from her servant Ukogi. Just when this political marriage is already bad enough, the secrets wtihin only elevate the toxicity of the entire ritual as a whole. A bone-chilling, but excellent episode. |
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| What an episode. It was talking the whole way through, but it just flew by in a flash. I'm not sure at all what will happen next episode. Even as the lady-in-waiting desperately defended Asebi point-by-point, she only served to demonstrate how suspicious these circumstances are. And even if Asebi is exposed as a wolf in sheep's clothing, I have a feeling that it doesn't necessarily rule out marriage; if he can somehow secure her undying loyalty, she might be an extremely useful ally by his side. Also, the other two candidates also got quite the showdown and character moment, and now they'll have to face the consequences of betraying their family's hopes and trust. |
| Asebi jumpscare at the end lmao |
| This episode really did shine quite the light on Asebi's character potentially, damn lol. Considering the way she acted though, was not surprised at the idea of more being there to her character but not to the levels that are being accused of with the cliffhanger. Definitely need that next episode soon. Makes it even more compelling that she's the final candidate left for now and we have a lot to unpack about her character and her seemingly twisted actions underneath her 'innocent' face. Wakamiya was instigating a lot but he's definitely made this episode a far more interesting one with how direct he is with his confrontations towards the candidates, and the results have shown so far. |
| The episode was great, but I'm starting to think it's best to wait until it's done airing and then binge watch it. That cliffhanger is going to make me wait in great anticipation. Also, that image of the cuddling hill ravens was cute. I've always liked corvids a lot. I love the mix of Japanese high traditional culture and Yatagarasu/raven mythological creatures. |
| OH NAH WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS EPISODE?!!! This some house of the dragon type writing man oh my god the twists and turns are immaculate, genuinely had my jaw wide open. Where to even start here. First of all, the prince pulling up and making Ukogi and the other old ladies look dumb had me 😭 all this ceremony and bureaucracy and he’s like fuck that. I’m the prince, this ceremony is for me and I’ll pick who I want. He BRILLIANTLY handled the Shiratama stuff. Shiratama heart has never been in this whole selection process and she’s only been doing what cha no hana had told her since she was a little kid. The prince bluffing about the pregnancy kind of acted as a mind control breaking type thing and she finally made her own choice to be free. So happy for her. She’s such a well written character who I hated at first and came to love once she got fleshed out. I KNEW Kazumi wasn’t dead because we never saw his human body and also at the end of the episode a few weeks ago we saw a raven with its mouth open. Just so happy for the two of them and wish them nothing but the best away from all this bs Hamayu ain’t get her honour restored yet, but Musuho being free now and able to dedicate herself to the mountain god was nice too. Rather than putting all these girls in a messed up situation as his consort, the prince really gave them all new leases on life. BUT THE ASEBI TWIST WHAT THE FUCK. That whole sequence was so well done, completely turns your expectations upside down. We all assumed with the other girls gone and Asebi and the prince knowing each other from childhood that it was a foregone conclusion they get together. But NOPE those messages she was sending to Kasuke weren’t as innocent as we thought. Bro raped Futaba???! Could Asebi really be a villain?? |
Marinate1016Jun 22, 2:22 PM
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| Damn Asebi had me fooled. I was so concentrated on Shiratama's crazy that I overlooked her. In the beginning I thought she can't be that neive, but quickly forgot. He needs another group of women or decide he likes short hair and force a marriage with the West. |
| So Asebi was actually a traitor... I kinda had a hunch after the last episode but slapping it straight to my face really hits hard 💔 |
| It's not entirely surprising that there would be another side to Asebi after all the times it was established the East is known for politics. We even had the prince comment before that all the candidates are true to their houses. What's interesting is Asebi has had some very genuine seeming reactions when there was no one to observe or particular benefit to them. Is that just the level of her acting? Indication of another force at work? |
| man, i'm glad i hung on the hope that kazumi didn't actually died. no dead body shown, they ain't dead. in this case, no human face shown behind the beheaded raven. shiratama got the push she needed to get tf outta there to be free and truly happy. to hell to her lady-in-waiting and shitty family. didn't expect masuko to cut her hair, but i kinda liking her short hair. now aesbi... fucking dayum. her naiveté innocence is a terrifying weapon to behold. it's always the quiet/innocent ones you gotta watch out for, huh. leave it to wakamiya to know what's up with behind the scenes investigations and research to upheaval some of the cherry blossom palace secrets |
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| I didn't understand the ending at all. Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi? or wtf happened.. I rewatched the last few minutes several times and I'm still confused |
| A moment of silence for people who are sleeping on this one. |
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| Another fantastic episode, but holy, the facial expressions were crazy this time around. |
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| Damn, I didn't like Asebi from the start but not because I thought she was this crazy.. I would not be surprised if she killed poor Samomo. On the other hand I am really really happy for Shiratagama and Kazumi! |
| The man just arrive and stir up the hornet's nest right away, what a chad. |
| No tomo malas decisiones, solo me gusta apoyar causas perdidas. Disfruté Mayoiga, Ou-sama Game, Evil or Live, Mirai Nikki, Big Order, Arifureta, Ex-Arm, Tesla Note, Shuumatsu no Harem y Platinum End nope les falle con esa, lo siento pero todos tenemos nuestros límites. Así de jodido es mi gusto en anime, ¡Y estoy pinche orgulloso de ello!  |
| I usually don't comment, but I was so relieved that my suspicions of Asebi were at least somewhat proven this episode. I had initially bought her as innocent, but sirens started going off when a) I thought more about the expressions of the mouths in the OP and deduced that the smirk was hers, b) she asked Samomo to do something that clearly scared Samomo - whether that was just sending the letters or something more - and the music/visual composition of the scene reflected that tension, and c) Samomo died in such an obvious murder. My current thoughts, and I wonder if anyone else is thinking something similar, are that not only did Asebi I'm also wondering whether she loves Wakamiya, or really just the position of power he represents. I'm reading her as not necessarily sociopathic, but lacking in empathy and driven completely by her own desires. Asebi was fine with having a servant assault her sister just to get her out of the way of her own opportunity to marry the future emperor. It may also be the case that she doesn't see most people as real/mattering, not just servants. This could explain the innocence of her demeanor to a degree, as she may not see any problems with her actions and genuinely may feel no guilt. |
| 30+ Anime Fan, And Just Happy To Be Here Yearly Anime Challenges:    |
Reply to Rivka44
I usually don't comment, but I was so relieved that my suspicions of Asebi were at least somewhat proven this episode. I had initially bought her as innocent, but sirens started going off when a) I thought more about the expressions of the mouths in the OP and deduced that the smirk was hers, b) she asked Samomo to do something that clearly scared Samomo - whether that was just sending the letters or something more - and the music/visual composition of the scene reflected that tension, and c) Samomo died in such an obvious murder.
My current thoughts, and I wonder if anyone else is thinking something similar, are that not only did Asebi
I'm also wondering whether she loves Wakamiya, or really just the position of power he represents. I'm reading her as not necessarily sociopathic, but lacking in empathy and driven completely by her own desires. Asebi was fine with having a servant assault her sister just to get her out of the way of her own opportunity to marry the future emperor. It may also be the case that she doesn't see most people as real/mattering, not just servants. This could explain the innocence of her demeanor to a degree, as she may not see any problems with her actions and genuinely may feel no guilt.
My current thoughts, and I wonder if anyone else is thinking something similar, are that not only did Asebi
I'm also wondering whether she loves Wakamiya, or really just the position of power he represents. I'm reading her as not necessarily sociopathic, but lacking in empathy and driven completely by her own desires. Asebi was fine with having a servant assault her sister just to get her out of the way of her own opportunity to marry the future emperor. It may also be the case that she doesn't see most people as real/mattering, not just servants. This could explain the innocence of her demeanor to a degree, as she may not see any problems with her actions and genuinely may feel no guilt.
Rivka44 said: Could she have pushed a servant off that ledge just because he irritated or inconvenienced her? Wow, what a horrifying thought. But yeah, I would not be too surprised. While we're at it, maybe she even put him there specifically to get the Prince's attention and see how he reacts. |
Reply to Inexplicable
I didn't understand the ending at all. Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi? or wtf happened.. I rewatched the last few minutes several times and I'm still confused
Inexplicable said: Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi? The second scenario, as I understood it, but it could be a mix of both scenarios. 1. The manservant did call the first lady "second lady" during the assault, so he thought she was Asebi. 2. The first lady mentioned a party that night and described his "stinking breath," so he was likely drunk and not fully aware. 3. The manservant said "he was glad that she sent for him," so Asebi asked him to come see her. The question now becomes, why was he there? A few possibilities: 1. Asebi did invite him, but he went to the wrong room by mistake. 2. Asebi did invite him, and also somehow manipulated him to go to the wrong room, in order to have her sister assaulted. 3. Asebi didn't do anything, and he was just drunk and delusional. There's also the possibility that the entire story is made up by the first lady, as Asebi's lady-in-waiting claimed. Asebi sure looked blank-faced during that recounting, so maybe she is actually innocent in all of this. I highly doubt it, though... |
Reply to KisMaczka
| @KisMaczka oh thanks for this clarification, everything's much clearer now. also, I'd put your entire message under a spoiler tag if I were you xD |
| I knew Asebi was super sus. Susuki and Shiratama had great character development. Both of them really became amongst my favorite characters from the show. |
perseii said: Inexplicable said: Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi? The second scenario, as I understood it, but it could be a mix of both scenarios. 1. The manservant did call the first lady "second lady" during the assault, so he thought she was Asebi. 2. The first lady mentioned a party that night and described his "stinking breath," so he was likely drunk and not fully aware. 3. The manservant said "he was glad that she sent for him," so Asebi asked him to come see her. The question now becomes, why was he there? A few possibilities: 1. Asebi did invite him, but he went to the wrong room by mistake. 2. Asebi did invite him, and also somehow manipulated him to go to the wrong room, in order to have her sister assaulted. 3. Asebi didn't do anything, and he was just drunk and delusional. There's also the possibility that the entire story is made up by the first lady, as Asebi's lady-in-waiting claimed. Asebi sure looked blank-faced during that recounting, so maybe she is actually innocent in all of this. I highly doubt it, though... but I wonder why the servant was still allowed to be working there cos he was shown sweeping the floor when the Prince visited Futaba |
Reply to Moron
perseii said:
The second scenario, as I understood it, but it could be a mix of both scenarios.
1. The manservant did call the first lady "second lady" during the assault, so he thought she was Asebi.
2. The first lady mentioned a party that night and described his "stinking breath," so he was likely drunk and not fully aware.
3. The manservant said "he was glad that she sent for him," so Asebi asked him to come see her.
The question now becomes, why was he there? A few possibilities:
1. Asebi did invite him, but he went to the wrong room by mistake.
2. Asebi did invite him, and also somehow manipulated him to go to the wrong room, in order to have her sister assaulted.
3. Asebi didn't do anything, and he was just drunk and delusional.
There's also the possibility that the entire story is made up by the first lady, as Asebi's lady-in-waiting claimed. Asebi sure looked blank-faced during that recounting, so maybe she is actually innocent in all of this. I highly doubt it, though...
Inexplicable said:
Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi?
Did Asebi order her servant to rape her sister to take her place in the cherry blossom palace? or did the servant confuse the first lady of the eastern house with Asebi?
The second scenario, as I understood it, but it could be a mix of both scenarios.
1. The manservant did call the first lady "second lady" during the assault, so he thought she was Asebi.
2. The first lady mentioned a party that night and described his "stinking breath," so he was likely drunk and not fully aware.
3. The manservant said "he was glad that she sent for him," so Asebi asked him to come see her.
The question now becomes, why was he there? A few possibilities:
1. Asebi did invite him, but he went to the wrong room by mistake.
2. Asebi did invite him, and also somehow manipulated him to go to the wrong room, in order to have her sister assaulted.
3. Asebi didn't do anything, and he was just drunk and delusional.
There's also the possibility that the entire story is made up by the first lady, as Asebi's lady-in-waiting claimed. Asebi sure looked blank-faced during that recounting, so maybe she is actually innocent in all of this. I highly doubt it, though...
but I wonder why the servant was still allowed to be working there cos he was shown sweeping the floor when the Prince visited Futaba
| @Moron Oh wow, was that him? I do remember one of the manservants staring at the Prince when he was visiting. I think he just never got found out. Asebi's lady-in-waiting pointed out that the first lady did not see her attacker, and the first lady never indicated that she knew who it was, either; just that it was someone who was pining for Asebi. Come to think of it, I think it was the Prince that insinuated the connection, by first bringing up Asebi's secret contact outside the palace and then phrasing it like this: "this is not the first time you called for him, was it?" There's no real proof the Prince's version of the events is what happened. It's crazy how they snuck that little moment in a few episodes ago, even if they didn't make it that noticeable. |
| It sounds weird, but this episode kind of reminded me of Sailor Moon with good but weird feminist messages. The Golden Crow easily manipulated the Western Bride because of her female pride and she eventually realized this herself, but is it really necessary to become a nun for this? It’s somewhat reminiscent of Rei choosing celibacy only because she stopped being interested in romance for the sake of romance. I was also glad that Shirotama's boyfriend survived (which I suspected despite killing the raven) and they looked like they would have a happy ending, although how long they dragged out the bait and switch was a bit draining. And yes, are they really going to make Asebi a villain? I thought she was the female protagonist of the show. It's definitely an impressive turn, but I'd be sad to lose her if that's the case. @perseii As far as we could see, he uses this to scare away brides through skillful manipulation. The bride of the West was too proud and self-respecting a woman, and he scared her away with threats to make her a mistreated wife. Shirotama was already in love with another man, and he scared her away with the threat of the child and an even greater transformation into a powerless doll. Maybe he just wants to scare Asebi away this way? But I also care about Hamayuu, she looks like a female version of the prince and could very well be his bride at the end. @KisMaczka So, if I understand everything correctly, its implying that Asebi's innocence is actually so high that she is almost childishly insensitive and lacks empathy for lower crows? It's not said directly, but her dialogue with the Prince left that impression on me. |
RobertBobertJun 24, 11:05 PM
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| It seems like he wanted to test them by interviewing them. For Shiratama it was obvious that she wanted another guy - and he did not want to put her in a bad position by having to marry him instead. The red-haired one was willing to give up too much - that seemed unrealistic and he made the ridiculous demands on purpose ... to make her not want him to marry him anymore. Asebi really seems like a bitch lol. Preview showed her but it would be weird if he married her. Either none of those or Hamayu returns. She seems the best choice. Still strong-willed and keeping her own minded (better than the red-haired) ... and so far it seems she did not do much wrong. (They explained that it can even be seen as helping him - when she did not go through with her mission and revealed it instead.) She surely would take control of her own house - instead of being manipulated by them. Better choice than the red-haired. Edit: And if Asebi is innocent and others manipulated her she still would be a bad choice. Hamayu much stronger. |
| Oooh this is getting juicy. I can't wait to see if Asebi is actually evil or if this is all a big misunderstanding |
| In the end, all girls are like the rose bride |
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