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Mar 5, 2022 8:59 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
127912
This episode felt different, maybe it's because there wasn't as much as political drama as usual. Still, it did explore the livelihood of a former slave trader, more specifically Ginger and his past.

Ginger also seems like a caring person and someone that can be trusted.

Might be the most unique episode in this franchise so far imo.
Mar 5, 2022 9:33 AM
#2

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Apr 2010
9541
From the novel i always thought that Shanshan had long hair but short hair looks good on her as well.
I also missed something here but maybe we will see it another time, the episode itself was ok and it shown that not everyone can be a merchant.
As for slavery it's something that should not exist,and hopefully will never happen again.

It's good to see Souma do something about it.
Mar 5, 2022 9:55 AM
#3

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Feb 2021
6393
They really did the Superman glasses meme huh

Mar 5, 2022 10:03 AM
#4
Shalltear

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Apr 2018
33579
Poor slaves :'( but at least that man was definitely treating them well and kinda changed the kingdom regarding that, Souma found the right person, though it's hilarious how they don't recognize him at all except for when he removes his glasses xD
Mar 5, 2022 10:05 AM
#5
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Sep 2015
5897
Slave is the ultimate litmus test of one man's morality, even more than money. When you own more than one life, it's very tempting about what to do with your other life...
Mar 5, 2022 10:13 AM
#6
Shingster

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Jun 2015
4214
The ruling king and his wives chilling at the kotatsu while discussing how to improve things lol. Still a slavemaster that treats their slaves like normal people is indeed a rarity. Treating them against the norm thats usual among his profession takes some real guts. Souma's new policy of ensuring that the lords of each realm be educated i felt was a good idea and a good step in ensuring that the lands are managed effectively. Overall an interesting ep that provided quite an enlightening experience. While Souma took the role of a support character this time the ep's focus on Ginger and Sana gave us an opportunity to take a look at both a shadowy part of society in the form of the slave traders as well as the impact that those that actually have a heart can bring to it if given the opportunity. While Ginger's business may not have been doing well with his new role and his ambition im sure he will get far managing the job center. I have to say i was really impressed by the interactions between Ginger and Sana as both are being developed as characters by learning from each other.
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Mar 5, 2022 10:18 AM
#7
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Oct 2016
2317
The storyline in this episode regarding slavery and the treatment of slaves could've gone very badly but by the end of the episode I had a smile on my face for how they handled it. It would be nice to just do away with slavery all at once but its not that easy. As we've seen from our own history sudden drastic change like that can cause massive upheaval and even open rebellion against the government. Its not smart to just try and flip the entire social and economic structure of a country. No matter how awful the thing you're trying to fix going about it in that way is gonna cause more problems.

I'm sure some people seeing this episode would hate on Ginger simply for being a slave trader, which is a fair point, but a topic like this requires nuance to navigate not black and white views of how things should be. In an ideal world slavery would've be a thing but it exist on that continent and even in Souma own kingdom so Ginger is just a cog in that machine really. He honestly did treat them very well. Giving them clothes, good food, an education, keeping the families together when they were sold, it's commendable how much Ginger helped these people.

In doing so he even unknowingly influenced other slave traders to help their own slaves. Coupled with the order Souma gave out in the first cour of the show about how lords and Knights will lose their titles and properties if they can't govern well and the treatment of slaves has rapidly increased in Fredonia. Leading back to the conversation at the start of this episode with Souma saying they need more educated personnel. Souma is going to chip away at the idea of slavery until it exist in only name, then abolish it completely. He will do basically what Ginger did and improve the quality of slaves lives and their treatment until he can get rid of slavery without causing major issues. Its a mature and measured response to a serious human rights issue. It was handled extremely well.
Mar 5, 2022 10:27 AM
#8

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Jun 2015
3269
Love it, I remember back in the days before I was born or even existed we were selling the Irish as slaves and then come along much fitter and superior slaves to sell. Oh boy, several hundreds years later Im still the bad man because people cant let go of the past and move forward.
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Mar 5, 2022 10:28 AM
#9

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Jul 2017
13354
From a casual kotatsu discussion about growing the Kingdom of Friedonia...to slavery.

Slavery is the lowest of the low, and the focus is on slave trader Ginger Camus and his "family" of slaves whom his deceased grandfather has treated them with respect as compared to the typical slavery atrocity. With Ginger taking over, he intends to sell off the business, much less the burden of the many numbers of slaves once under his grandfather's control to sell them off properly. Sandria the raccoon slave providing commentary is a nice touch to get further insight.

Ginger is a sensible slave trader, and does what he could to maximize the value of his slaves, even if they get used as tools by other people. And sure enough, other slave traders had Ginger surprised because of Souma's law and word that created a placebo effect on people with power, and Ginger earned his worth trading with them.

For one, Souma disguising as an ordinary folk to buy Sandria off of her slavery, I'm sure that he didn't expect His Majesty to arrive at his place to fight for the right to have her to build his own business, and it clearly shows of the test to protect people even under slavery. Ginger is a valuable asset to the Kingdom since his reputation is admitted far and wide, and Souma can rest easy building on Ginger's stance of abolishing the slave system and being the Education minister of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

For once, I really appreciate episodes like these. Less of the kingdom royalty political BS, more of diving deep into the psyche of ordinary folk. A VERY unique episode, that's for sure.
Mar 5, 2022 10:57 AM

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Nov 2011
3762
The used the Civil War as an example lol.

Wait that Dude was Souma!! Disguise Bluff +10 lol.

San was cute. Incoming Marriage with Ginger as well lol.

Nice episode. I continue to enjoy this series especially when it comes down to the political portions and the improvement of the Kingdom as well.
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Mar 5, 2022 11:01 AM

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Dec 2008
470
Hang on a mo..... didnt he sentence Carla Vargas to slavery a few episodes back? the character description for her says: "...She was formally the second-in-command to the Air Force of the Vargas Duchy and is currently a slave/maid to Kazuya Souma and Liscia."
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Mar 5, 2022 11:12 AM
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Jan 2013
130
nixops said:
Hang on a mo..... didnt he sentence Carla Vargas to slavery a few episodes back? the character description for her says: "...She was formally the second-in-command to the Air Force of the Vargas Duchy and is currently a slave/maid to Kazuya Souma and Liscia."


Well other option would have been killing her so...
Mar 5, 2022 11:15 AM

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Dec 2015
3186
Compared to the other story that felt like side story and/or preparation for later (the one in the high tech lab with the researcher girl) ... this episode felt really good.
Mar 5, 2022 11:57 AM

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May 2020
10380
Bruh... those were just goggles. LMAO. Nevertheless a strange but nice episode.
MadanielFL said:
They really did the Superman glasses meme huh

Exactly the very first thing i thought xD
Mar 5, 2022 12:48 PM

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Aug 2020
621
This was a pretty good episode, but it felt overly predictable, I think it'd have been better without the bit at the start with souma etc, it just felt like the entire plot of the episode was revealed in the first couple of minutes.
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Mar 5, 2022 1:25 PM
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Jul 2020
24
shinju is so cuteeeeee omggg
Mar 5, 2022 3:20 PM
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Dec 2021
141
MadanielFL said:
They really did the Superman glasses meme huh


Yeah, I’m still wondering just how many stealth points were on those glasses.
Mar 5, 2022 3:27 PM
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Oct 2021
14
I have a problem with the direction of this episode. The whole plot was revealed at the start of the episode, the suspense element was just not there. Overall was a nice episode really liked how they tell the narrative of a common person, who suddenly has to shoulder responsibility. Also, that superman reference was funny
Mar 5, 2022 3:51 PM

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Aug 2020
2680
Oh my god. They really handled slavery pretty well. Genius Souma


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Mar 5, 2022 4:11 PM
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it's about time we start to see the wheels of egoistic altruism start to spin. and now the new world of slavery also called the public education system is forming. may they not fall into the same pitfalls that the American education system has
Mar 5, 2022 9:34 PM

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Jan 2013
4202
Damn, what a great episode.
I was expecting something like this to happen at the moment when he mentioned slavery, like there was no way that he would allow it, the question was how was he going to fight it.
What a GOAT, i never get tired of Souma.
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Mar 5, 2022 10:03 PM
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Jun 2021
130
souma pulling a superman with those glasses
Mar 5, 2022 10:27 PM

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Oct 2016
4360
I am glad Ginger and San stayed together, really enjoyed them both. That was a really good episode! Also immediately recognized Ginger's voice actor, very distinct and soothing Rudeus voice.

It was fucking hilarious when Souma removed his glasses lmao. Really liked how they handled slavery here, obviously it's a touchy subject, but it's done pretty tastefully. You can't really abolish it just like that, so Souma's plan is great, even if it will take a while. But it's all thanks to Ginger though. Looking forward to the next episode.
Mar 5, 2022 10:54 PM
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Jul 2018
564612
5/5 one of the best episodes of this series the start of the episode felt pretty depressing about the slavery
But I'm glad in the end it all worked out
Mar 6, 2022 3:03 AM

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Jan 2015
915
Abdul-Ahad-12345 said:
5/5 one of the best episodes of this series the start of the episode felt pretty depressing about the slavery
But I'm glad in the end it all worked out

Yeah best eps this series. Ginger x San best

Mar 6, 2022 6:47 AM

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Oct 2008
13637
for me, this is the episode that i didn't get sleepy because of all those previous blabbering talks...
this one is about abolishing slavery!
5/5.


Mar 6, 2022 10:18 AM

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Jul 2021
1251
Souma wearing Superman's glasses was really funny
asdasdsadad
Mar 6, 2022 11:13 AM

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Feb 2015
2005
I'm bored any wondering how I have made it so far in a show where people stand around talking shite.
Mar 6, 2022 11:15 AM

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Feb 2015
2005
I'm bored any wondering how I have made it so far in a show where people stand around talking shite.
Mar 6, 2022 11:25 AM

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May 2021
1335
Great episode! I felt bad for the slaves and I didn't really take a liking to Ginger either...
Well, anyway, he's been employed by Souma to reform slavery.

Looking forward to the next episode!
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Mar 6, 2022 2:03 PM
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Nov 2021
25
Liked it a little less than normal episodes but this ep kinda hit different tho and still thought it was interesting, Souma really does think his actions through tho, good thinkinh about what consequences the slave stuff could´ve had if he just banned slavery in one step.
Mar 6, 2022 4:49 PM
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Mar 2015
12630
A good way to get rid of slavery
Mar 7, 2022 10:13 AM

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May 2018
5880
Damn who knew that Rudy was such a nice guy
Mar 7, 2022 6:07 PM

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Jul 2011
29
Didn't think this show could get any more pretentious, but how they portrayed slavery in this episode was honestly so pathetically laughable. Here's "Master Ginger", despite him and his grandfather being literal slave-traders, they're honestly "good guys", lol what?. Slap some sad sappy music and make the slave-trader seem like a "decent guy" and all of a sudden everyone ignores the fact that he's a slave-trader lmao.

No matter what your views are, slavery is objectively terrible, this shouldn't even need to be said. This episode just showcases how spineless Souma and the author really are, by appealing to a "centrist" viewpoint of trying to appease everyone so that civil war doesn't break out is pretty despicable when you realise that it's slavery that we're talking about here. Instead of actually growing a pair and abolishing slavery and punishing those who benefitted from this heinous act, he instead tries to reform slavery lmao like what? It's like trying to spray deodorant on a piece of turd, yeah, it might not smell so bad, but at the end of the day it's still a piece of turd.

This show is the definition of pretentious bullshit mixed in with cringy scenes whereby if they include some nonsensical quote from Machiavelli's The Prince every now and then it means everything is justified. 😂😂
Mar 7, 2022 6:21 PM
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Aug 2018
802
Phat-Hamburger said:
Didn't think this show could get any more pretentious, but how they portrayed slavery in this episode was honestly so pathetically laughable. Here's "Master Ginger", despite him and his grandfather being literal slave-traders, they're honestly "good guys", lol what?. Slap some sad sappy music and make the slave-trader seem like a "decent guy" and all of a sudden everyone ignores the fact that he's a slave-trader lmao.

No matter what your views are, slavery is objectively terrible, this shouldn't even need to be said. This episode just showcases how spineless Souma and the author really are, by appealing to a "centrist" viewpoint of trying to appease everyone so that civil war doesn't break out is pretty despicable when you realise that it's slavery that we're talking about here. Instead of actually growing a pair and abolishing slavery and punishing those who benefitted from this heinous act, he instead tries to reform slavery lmao like what? It's like trying to spray deodorant on a piece of turd, yeah, it might not smell so bad, but at the end of the day it's still a piece of turd.

This show is the definition of pretentious bullshit mixed in with cringy scenes whereby if they include some nonsensical quote from Machiavelli's The Prince every now and then it means everything is justified. 😂😂
if u not like it, just ignore, u cannot force others to drop this,or believe u or change their view
Mar 7, 2022 6:45 PM

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Jul 2011
29
Sayan_Pal said:
Phat-Hamburger said:
Didn't think this show could get any more pretentious, but how they portrayed slavery in this episode was honestly so pathetically laughable. Here's "Master Ginger", despite him and his grandfather being literal slave-traders, they're honestly "good guys", lol what?. Slap some sad sappy music and make the slave-trader seem like a "decent guy" and all of a sudden everyone ignores the fact that he's a slave-trader lmao.

No matter what your views are, slavery is objectively terrible, this shouldn't even need to be said. This episode just showcases how spineless Souma and the author really are, by appealing to a "centrist" viewpoint of trying to appease everyone so that civil war doesn't break out is pretty despicable when you realise that it's slavery that we're talking about here. Instead of actually growing a pair and abolishing slavery and punishing those who benefitted from this heinous act, he instead tries to reform slavery lmao like what? It's like trying to spray deodorant on a piece of turd, yeah, it might not smell so bad, but at the end of the day it's still a piece of turd.

This show is the definition of pretentious bullshit mixed in with cringy scenes whereby if they include some nonsensical quote from Machiavelli's The Prince every now and then it means everything is justified. 😂😂
if u not like it, just ignore, u cannot force others to drop this,or believe u or change their view


Okay that's cool, but what's your argument? Also, I'm free to watch whatever I like.
Mar 7, 2022 6:47 PM
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Aug 2018
802
Phat-Hamburger said:
Sayan_Pal said:
if u not like it, just ignore, u cannot force others to drop this,or believe u or change their view


Okay that's cool, but what's your argument? Also, I'm free to watch whatever I like.
but u cannot force others
Mar 7, 2022 7:09 PM

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Jul 2011
29
Sayan_Pal said:
Phat-Hamburger said:


Okay that's cool, but what's your argument? Also, I'm free to watch whatever I like.
but u cannot force others


When did I ever force anyone to do anything? I'm merely critiquing the episode, I didn't say "don't watch this" at all.
Mar 8, 2022 7:43 AM

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Apr 2009
1698
Phat-Hamburger said:
Didn't think this show could get any more pretentious, but how they portrayed slavery in this episode was honestly so pathetically laughable. Here's "Master Ginger", despite him and his grandfather being literal slave-traders, they're honestly "good guys", lol what?. Slap some sad sappy music and make the slave-trader seem like a "decent guy" and all of a sudden everyone ignores the fact that he's a slave-trader lmao.

No matter what your views are, slavery is objectively terrible, this shouldn't even need to be said. This episode just showcases how spineless Souma and the author really are, by appealing to a "centrist" viewpoint of trying to appease everyone so that civil war doesn't break out is pretty despicable when you realise that it's slavery that we're talking about here. Instead of actually growing a pair and abolishing slavery and punishing those who benefitted from this heinous act, he instead tries to reform slavery lmao like what? It's like trying to spray deodorant on a piece of turd, yeah, it might not smell so bad, but at the end of the day it's still a piece of turd.

This show is the definition of pretentious bullshit mixed in with cringy scenes whereby if they include some nonsensical quote from Machiavelli's The Prince every now and then it means everything is justified. 😂😂
You know what's worse than slavery? The death toll and economic downfall that arises should a civil war break out in Friedonia. And given the threat of nearby countries recently, the vulnerability of the kingdom can lead them to get invaded and would result into more slaves after that. Heck, even if slavery abolition doesn't lead to civil war, that declaration is easy picking for other countries to crusade against Friedonia because they're defying the continent's values or customs, especially because they're not even a part of Humankind Declaration.

So Souma being spineless about it makes more sense in context. Human rights or human lives, Souma will pick the latter choice and try to work around on the other.

But indeed, the true flaw of the episode is a reliance on an unlikely character like Ginger because writing a character background like that is just too convenient for the plot and the timing.
Mar 8, 2022 1:20 PM
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Sep 2021
29
Stark700 said:
This episode felt different, maybe it's because there wasn't as much as political drama as usual. Still, it did explore the livelihood of a former slave trader, more specifically Ginger and his past.

Ginger also seems like a caring person and someone that can be trusted.

Might be the most unique episode in this franchise so far imo.

I completely agree. Going out of the way to flesh out the impact that Ginger would have on society, while fleshing his character out, having him grow with his responsibilities, kind of gave him a MC moment tbh(until Souma slips his glasses off lol).

Just another in a long list of reasons why I love this anime
Mar 8, 2022 3:50 PM

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Jul 2011
29
argilium said:
Phat-Hamburger said:
Didn't think this show could get any more pretentious, but how they portrayed slavery in this episode was honestly so pathetically laughable. Here's "Master Ginger", despite him and his grandfather being literal slave-traders, they're honestly "good guys", lol what?. Slap some sad sappy music and make the slave-trader seem like a "decent guy" and all of a sudden everyone ignores the fact that he's a slave-trader lmao.

No matter what your views are, slavery is objectively terrible, this shouldn't even need to be said. This episode just showcases how spineless Souma and the author really are, by appealing to a "centrist" viewpoint of trying to appease everyone so that civil war doesn't break out is pretty despicable when you realise that it's slavery that we're talking about here. Instead of actually growing a pair and abolishing slavery and punishing those who benefitted from this heinous act, he instead tries to reform slavery lmao like what? It's like trying to spray deodorant on a piece of turd, yeah, it might not smell so bad, but at the end of the day it's still a piece of turd.

This show is the definition of pretentious bullshit mixed in with cringy scenes whereby if they include some nonsensical quote from Machiavelli's The Prince every now and then it means everything is justified. 😂😂
You know what's worse than slavery? The death toll and economic downfall that arises should a civil war break out in Friedonia. And given the threat of nearby countries recently, the vulnerability of the kingdom can lead them to get invaded and would result into more slaves after that. Heck, even if slavery abolition doesn't lead to civil war, that declaration is easy picking for other countries to crusade against Friedonia because they're defying the continent's values or customs, especially because they're not even a part of Humankind Declaration.

So Souma being spineless about it makes more sense in context. Human rights or human lives, Souma will pick the latter choice and try to work around on the other.

But indeed, the true flaw of the episode is a reliance on an unlikely character like Ginger because writing a character background like that is just too convenient for the plot and the timing.


Just woke up, so my thoughts might be all over the place.

I understand where you're coming from. The author has written Souma out to be the ultimate pragmatist. To paraphrase you, he may not be able to abolish slavery altogether, and given his situation and the fragility of the state (Friedonia) internally and externally, he doesn't want to risk making any sort of big changes that would risk civil war or an external invasion. That much I understand, but it's the lack of any sort of depth of morality concerning the topic of slavery that I find an issue with. Souma has no issue binding that dragon girl (forgot her name) to a lifetime of slavery/servitude, so he obviously has no issues with slavery from a pragmatist point of view. Case in point, his act of nationalising slavery to regulate the slave trade sets a bad precedent as someone from a more socio-culturally advanced timeline/parallel world, however, I also realise that realistically, emancipation of slaves doesn't just happen overnight, and that his way of nationalising slavery is a form of "humanising" slaves by way of better treatment through regulations and whatnot. What I have an issue with is how fine and dandy everyone is when it concerns slavery. We literally see in this episode the enslaved dragon girl in a maid outfit airing her grievances to Souma of how often she's whipped by the head maid which Souma seems to be okay with, seeing as he enslaved her and all.

I also see where you're coming from with the "defying the continent's values or customs", and that cultural relativism most likely has solidified that slavery is ethically fine in their everyday cultural and social norms. However, in this instance, specifically, Friedonia, Souma is incredibly popular with the majority of the population that aren't nobles and they welcome his liberal values. As we've seen time and again, especially this episode, Souma basically has the ability to purge whoever he likes, whenever he likes (the scheming nobles in his courtroom). So in this instance, it would very much be possible for Souma to outright denounce slavery from a moral perspective. He basically has the perfect tool for state propaganda, the daily gemstone broadcasts to straight-up convince the populace, and I don't think the common man would be against the abolition of slavery at all, seeing as they do not directly benefit from it.

I doubt that other countries would willingly crusade against Friedonia for this, maybe it might rouse the noble and ruling class because they see it as an affront to their already existing class and power structures, but outright war is shaky at best. The Gran Chaos Empire already sees Souma as a valuable ally, so I think in this case, they would likely reign in and silence the discontents.

The main problem is basically how this episode/show tries to put a heartwarming feel to the slave-trade. It starts off by saying slaves are abused in all sorts of manner, then cuts to Ginger, a slave-owner, who for plot convenience is "isn't like other slave-owners" lmao. For an episode that denounces slavery, I would've expected some slave collars being thrown off, but instead we're shown that "not all slave-traders are bad". How convenient that instead of directly addressing the systemic issue of slavery, the author instead just portrays Ginger, a "good" slave-owner as being able to change it from within. Rather than denounce the system that perpetuates the normalisation of slavery, the author just makes it seem like there are "good" and "bad" slave-owners that need to be differentiated.
Mar 8, 2022 7:59 PM
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Feb 2021
399
Phat-Hamburger said:
argilium said:
You know what's worse than slavery? The death toll and economic downfall that arises should a civil war break out in Friedonia. And given the threat of nearby countries recently, the vulnerability of the kingdom can lead them to get invaded and would result into more slaves after that. Heck, even if slavery abolition doesn't lead to civil war, that declaration is easy picking for other countries to crusade against Friedonia because they're defying the continent's values or customs, especially because they're not even a part of Humankind Declaration.

So Souma being spineless about it makes more sense in context. Human rights or human lives, Souma will pick the latter choice and try to work around on the other.

But indeed, the true flaw of the episode is a reliance on an unlikely character like Ginger because writing a character background like that is just too convenient for the plot and the timing.


Just woke up, so my thoughts might be all over the place.

I understand where you're coming from. The author has written Souma out to be the ultimate pragmatist. To paraphrase you, he may not be able to abolish slavery altogether, and given his situation and the fragility of the state (Friedonia) internally and externally, he doesn't want to risk making any sort of big changes that would risk civil war or an external invasion. That much I understand, but it's the lack of any sort of depth of morality concerning the topic of slavery that I find an issue with. Souma has no issue binding that dragon girl (forgot her name) to a lifetime of slavery/servitude, so he obviously has no issues with slavery from a pragmatist point of view. Case in point, his act of nationalising slavery to regulate the slave trade sets a bad precedent as someone from a more socio-culturally advanced timeline/parallel world, however, I also realise that realistically, emancipation of slaves doesn't just happen overnight, and that his way of nationalising slavery is a form of "humanising" slaves by way of better treatment through regulations and whatnot. What I have an issue with is how fine and dandy everyone is when it concerns slavery. We literally see in this episode the enslaved dragon girl in a maid outfit airing her grievances to Souma of how often she's whipped by the head maid which Souma seems to be okay with, seeing as he enslaved her and all.

I also see where you're coming from with the "defying the continent's values or customs", and that cultural relativism most likely has solidified that slavery is ethically fine in their everyday cultural and social norms. However, in this instance, specifically, Friedonia, Souma is incredibly popular with the majority of the population that aren't nobles and they welcome his liberal values. As we've seen time and again, especially this episode, Souma basically has the ability to purge whoever he likes, whenever he likes (the scheming nobles in his courtroom). So in this instance, it would very much be possible for Souma to outright denounce slavery from a moral perspective. He basically has the perfect tool for state propaganda, the daily gemstone broadcasts to straight-up convince the populace, and I don't think the common man would be against the abolition of slavery at all, seeing as they do not directly benefit from it.

I doubt that other countries would willingly crusade against Friedonia for this, maybe it might rouse the noble and ruling class because they see it as an affront to their already existing class and power structures, but outright war is shaky at best. The Gran Chaos Empire already sees Souma as a valuable ally, so I think in this case, they would likely reign in and silence the discontents.

The main problem is basically how this episode/show tries to put a heartwarming feel to the slave-trade. It starts off by saying slaves are abused in all sorts of manner, then cuts to Ginger, a slave-owner, who for plot convenience is "isn't like other slave-owners" lmao. For an episode that denounces slavery, I would've expected some slave collars being thrown off, but instead we're shown that "not all slave-traders are bad". How convenient that instead of directly addressing the systemic issue of slavery, the author instead just portrays Ginger, a "good" slave-owner as being able to change it from within. Rather than denounce the system that perpetuates the normalisation of slavery, the author just makes it seem like there are "good" and "bad" slave-owners that need to be differentiated.


You're asking for a level of writing that's above what this author is capable of.
Mar 9, 2022 12:31 PM

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Jul 2011
29
MugenNoShirayuki said:
Phat-Hamburger said:


Just woke up, so my thoughts might be all over the place.

I understand where you're coming from. The author has written Souma out to be the ultimate pragmatist. To paraphrase you, he may not be able to abolish slavery altogether, and given his situation and the fragility of the state (Friedonia) internally and externally, he doesn't want to risk making any sort of big changes that would risk civil war or an external invasion. That much I understand, but it's the lack of any sort of depth of morality concerning the topic of slavery that I find an issue with. Souma has no issue binding that dragon girl (forgot her name) to a lifetime of slavery/servitude, so he obviously has no issues with slavery from a pragmatist point of view. Case in point, his act of nationalising slavery to regulate the slave trade sets a bad precedent as someone from a more socio-culturally advanced timeline/parallel world, however, I also realise that realistically, emancipation of slaves doesn't just happen overnight, and that his way of nationalising slavery is a form of "humanising" slaves by way of better treatment through regulations and whatnot. What I have an issue with is how fine and dandy everyone is when it concerns slavery. We literally see in this episode the enslaved dragon girl in a maid outfit airing her grievances to Souma of how often she's whipped by the head maid which Souma seems to be okay with, seeing as he enslaved her and all.

I also see where you're coming from with the "defying the continent's values or customs", and that cultural relativism most likely has solidified that slavery is ethically fine in their everyday cultural and social norms. However, in this instance, specifically, Friedonia, Souma is incredibly popular with the majority of the population that aren't nobles and they welcome his liberal values. As we've seen time and again, especially this episode, Souma basically has the ability to purge whoever he likes, whenever he likes (the scheming nobles in his courtroom). So in this instance, it would very much be possible for Souma to outright denounce slavery from a moral perspective. He basically has the perfect tool for state propaganda, the daily gemstone broadcasts to straight-up convince the populace, and I don't think the common man would be against the abolition of slavery at all, seeing as they do not directly benefit from it.

I doubt that other countries would willingly crusade against Friedonia for this, maybe it might rouse the noble and ruling class because they see it as an affront to their already existing class and power structures, but outright war is shaky at best. The Gran Chaos Empire already sees Souma as a valuable ally, so I think in this case, they would likely reign in and silence the discontents.

The main problem is basically how this episode/show tries to put a heartwarming feel to the slave-trade. It starts off by saying slaves are abused in all sorts of manner, then cuts to Ginger, a slave-owner, who for plot convenience is "isn't like other slave-owners" lmao. For an episode that denounces slavery, I would've expected some slave collars being thrown off, but instead we're shown that "not all slave-traders are bad". How convenient that instead of directly addressing the systemic issue of slavery, the author instead just portrays Ginger, a "good" slave-owner as being able to change it from within. Rather than denounce the system that perpetuates the normalisation of slavery, the author just makes it seem like there are "good" and "bad" slave-owners that need to be differentiated.


You're asking for a level of writing that's above what this author is capable of.


You right tbh 😭
Mar 11, 2022 6:57 PM
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Mar 2012
4038
cute ship moment right there. Already liking these new cast Ginger having a big impact on traders and San quite smart an advisor.
Shrewd how Souma plans to ease Friedonia out of slavery to avoid civil war, and to get more accountants for Raroa, indirectly by job training and controlling how nobles get promoted based on governance. Souma already going for that S & G in esg investing.


Mar 15, 2022 6:25 AM
#FreeWatermelon

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Feb 2020
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Alright, this episode actually quite intriguing, but at the same time its also tickling. Souma solved the lack of employee, helper, for Roroa, and possibly for other division among his circle, by using the slavery, which also mean, skillful slave, and can also be called, modern, corporate slave, on this era. Kek. Even if Souma, or in this case author thought, isn't directly mentioned about that, or i can say with good intention far from that. But, idk, it sounds quite funny, reference, i can say, because its actually relatable. Even Souma himself quote, in the past slavery liberation led war. So how about we introduced a 'more proper' kind of slave for you?

Seriously, i had a good smile over this episode....

But anyway, congrats with the promotion boy. From just a little-above of your average slave trader, got a levelling up by fast to becoming a kingdom director of job training center. Dude really become a figure for me, to get a proper promotion. Yeah, lets go, more work!
Hide and seek is the best offline games on this fatamorgana-called-world-thing. Please comment nicely. I am newbie here.

I'm level on mal-badges. View my badges
Mar 15, 2022 9:20 PM
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socialism the GOAT
Mar 23, 2022 8:00 PM
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Jul 2018
564612
Yay, end slavery in that world!
Mar 24, 2022 8:45 PM

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Honestly one of the most interesting takes on slavery that I've seen. I don't recall seeing "how can I end this without starting a civil war?" as a plot point before, but more interesting is the solution of socializing the practice. It wouldn't have worked in the US, because any degree of socialism was not an option back then, but under a population more amenable to absolute rule by kings, etc., this is a plausible method! Have the government take over, start imposing regulations on the treatment of slaves, and perhaps this is too modern of an idea, but impose so much red-tape and bureaucracy that hardly anybody wants to deal with the headache of owning slaves. Imagine filing tax returns for every single one of your slaves, for example. And having to deal with inspectors, filling out quarterly paperwork, etc.
“Money can't buy dere”
May 7, 2022 8:44 AM

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Dec 2018
3249
beautiful episode

Seabury said:
Honestly one of the most interesting takes on slavery that I've seen. I don't recall seeing "how can I end this without starting a civil war?" as a plot point before, but more interesting is the solution of socializing the practice. It wouldn't have worked in the US, because any degree of socialism was not an option back then, but under a population more amenable to absolute rule by kings, etc., this is a plausible method! Have the government take over, start imposing regulations on the treatment of slaves, and perhaps this is too modern of an idea, but impose so much red-tape and bureaucracy that hardly anybody wants to deal with the headache of owning slaves. Imagine filing tax returns for every single one of your slaves, for example. And having to deal with inspectors, filling out quarterly paperwork, etc.

i don't want to get into it really and i'm not criticizing you but i'd be careful to try and think of antebellum us in today's lens or that of a fictional land. there was also plenty of socialization back then but there are other unique problems this episode glossed over that i most certainly won't get into but you might want to read a diverse set of views on it or rewatch the episode and consider some unseen costs or complications.
i don't think the morality of slavery was even the point of the episode but more about how souma has been creative in recognizing people and uplifting them instead of tearing things down.
it was also a deliberately stark contrast after what we've recently like with the royal court.
last thing about red tape and taxes. everyone can see through that, and it honestly ends up with more societal cost than just flat out banning and praying for the best. it always, and i mean every single time ever in history and into the future, when used as a social engineering program (and often even when not) creates a class of opportunistic parasites, the dessicated hosts, and a strange class of unintended consequecences.
May 7, 2022 8:58 AM

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Dukino said:
I'm sure some people seeing this episode would hate on Ginger simply for being a slave trader, which is a fair point, but a topic like this requires nuance to navigate not black and white views of how things should be. In an ideal world slavery would've be a thing but it exist on that continent and even in Souma own kingdom so Ginger is just a cog in that machine really. He honestly did treat them very well. Giving them clothes, good food, an education, keeping the families together when they were sold, it's commendable how much Ginger helped these people.

ah i see you are a sober student of history yourself. we have a comical caricature of what slavery was actually like in the us, mostly proffered by disingenuous "academics" and Hollywood, and the same is true for many issues people think they are learned about today. it is dangerous first and foremost to judge the past through modernity-colored glasses, because you will only ended up doing yourself and your audience and your ancestors an injustice. it is even more dangerous to know and propagate so many facts that just don't have any validity.

also for the final time, for those in the back of the class this was not so much an episode on the morality of slavery (although i always love when people talk about "morality" but have never studied philosophy), it was an episode that was deliberately juxtaposed with some of the recent "cruelty" stuff going on. that's why it may have felt odd, out of place.

i'm done talking about this slavery nonsense now.
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