[karice67]

Why-oh-why did I decide to spend a few hours doing this, I don't know...

Key points from the seiyuu interviews:

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Hanae’s one was really serious compared to the other two…I almost wanted to go and summarise the final radio show instead! -karice

• Hanae’s impression of the ending is that it’s not a straight-out ‘happy ending’, rather there’s something of a lingering note, so he’s also wondering what happens to them afterwards. Though he’s glad that not that many people died.
• Inaho was difficult to act out because he doesn’t really let his emotions show, so he had to be be very nuanced about acting him out. But it became easier by the second cour, partly because he had a clear goal (saving Asseylum), and because he seemed to be more like a normal person, in that his kindness to those around him came out a bit more.
• With regards to Inko, she’s more than a friend but not quite family, someone Inaho wants to protect. For Rayet, Inaho is one of the few people whom she can turn to with regards to her conflicted feelings about being a Martian, and he looked at her her both as one of his allies and also as an individual. So he wanted to protect her, and also to save her (from herself).
• Hanae believes that Inaho regarded Slaine as an enemy ever since episode 7 (though it’s backed up by the shooting in episode 12, and everything in S2), and he tried to convey that in his dialogue. Without Asseylum’s request about saving Slaine, he’d probably have regarded him as an enemy right to the end.
• As for Asseylum, he thinks that Inaho probably didn’t realise his own feelings for her, which the analytical engine summarised as ‘thinking of her as a part of himself’. In Hanae’s view, he probably started off wanting to help her as much as possible because he agreed with her thoughts (probably of wanting to end the war ASAP), but those feelings slowly turned into love. But just as he doesn’t pick up on how Inko is interested in him, he didn’t realise that he’d fallen in love, though that’s probably how everyone would describe it. That he continues to call her “Seylum” suggests that he sees her as ‘a girl’ rather than as ‘the princess’.
• Memorable scenes for Hanae are the hanger scene in 22, where Inaho’s emotions exploded at Slaine, and the scenes that showed how he’d kept Yuki’s post-it note. The latter really show just how human Inaho is, and he really likes their brother-sister relationship. Which brings him to the scene at the start of 16, where the first thing he does upon waking is to try and cover her properly with the blanket.

(I’m with Hanae on this—their relationship remains my favourite thing about this show -karice)

• The final question is about Slaine and Inaho’s scenes in the last episode—Hanae really likes the scene on the beach (a reversal of episode 12, with Slaine even copying Saazbuam), as well as the final shots—and he suggests that those three birds probably represent the relationship between the three main characters at the end.

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OnoKen:

• In the first cour, Slaine’s actions were driven simply by his pure feelings of wanting to save the princess. However, after Saazbaum shot her, he realised that if he wanted to protect her, he could not be choosy about his methods, nor could he entertain any doubts. That’s why he was willing to stain his hands with blood and even go against what Asseylum wanted.
• Slaine’s objective/goal in S2 was to stop the fighting once and for all: he was trying to end the war by his own hands before Asseylum woke up. However, the princess waking up whilst his plans were still motion really unsettled him.
• To Slaine, Inaho was “someone who was trying to use the princess.” He also blamed him a little for being “the person who brought the princess to the battlefield.” Add to that how Slaine himself was unable to save her even though she was right in front of him. That's probably why he focused all of that regret/self-blame on Inaho.

And directly translating one of the parts that amused me...

On that note, how do you feel about Inaho?

He’s just…totally unfair (chuckles). I mean, he keeps taking down his enemies by using his brains, is regarded as a hero by the UFE, and is flanked by so many people who worry about him. Compared to Slaine, who is surrounded by enemies, Inaho’s only problem was the pain from his left eye, right? To me as the person behind Slaine, that’s pretty unforgiveable (laughs).

• Ono also really likes Asseylum, who put aside her own happiness to marry Klancain for the sake of peace between Earth and Mars. Well, it’s not as if she could have married either Inaho, who was a mere soldier on the Earth side, or Slaine, who was a rebel in the eyes of Vers anyway…though the two of them might well be shedding tears in a corner somewhere… Nevertheless, he can’t help feeling that Klancain just popped out and stole Asseylum from under (them), so he (and Hanae) bullied Osaka Ryōta a little about that.
• Slaine was probably everything to Lemrina, because they were so similar in having so few people on their side. He was the only one who understood her. He’s also really thankful that Harklight stuck with Slaine through to the end—it’s because Harklight was there that he was able to accomplish many of the things he did.
• In the final episode, Slaine’s actions show that his kind, gentle side, was still there. Although he still believed that, in order for war to end, one side has to be destroyed, he ordered his subordinates to surrender so that they would not be unnecessarily sacrificed, and intended to take all responsibility onto himself. Ono thinks that sacrificing himself for others is a sign that Slaine’s kindness had not disappeared; but even then, it was a painful road that he had walked up to that point. And so, those tears that Slaine shed at the end probably represent the mass of feelings that he felt upon hearing of Asseylum’s wishes for him: his own feelings for her, a sense of relief at being freed from that painful journey, as well as regret.
• Finally, Ono thinks that timing was everything. Fate and fortune were never on Slaine’s side, so he feels really sorry for him and hopes that there’ll be some sort of continuation where we’ll be able to see him with even a tiny bit of salvation.

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HiraDai’s comments:

• At the start, he wondered if Harklight might eventually betray Slaine, since it was really difficult to read him. But soon, he realised that he would stay with Slaine wherever he went. So HiraDai wanted to convey the immense loyalty and respect, and the absolute trust, that Harklight had in Slaine.
• His impression of Slaine is that, even though he learned some mistaken lessons somewhere along the way, at his core, Slaine is someone who’s really pure and honest.
• The scene he remembers most is the one where Slaine dropped all formalities with him - it clearly marked the point where everything really began for the two of them.
• As for A/Z in general, HiraDai suggests that it’s a series that viewers can think about by themselves, looking for their own answers. That it’s a series that’s completed only when they’ve done that.

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Amamiya:

• Asseylum is someone with a lot of inner strength, someone who doesn't complain to others even when she's sad or in a bind. Even then, The shock of losing her memory, and then all the experiences coming back to her were things that Amamiya tried to bring out in her acting.
• When the completely changed Rayregelia told her to "Become a good princess," that's probably the moment she made up her mind to give up her entire self for the sake of peace between Earth and Vers. (That was the point when she really grew up, so-to-speak. -karice)
• Amamiya was also stunned when she first learned that Asseylum would take Klancain as her husband. But she understood that the decision really shows the character's unwavering determination.
• A Slaine fan to the end, Amamiya really hurts for him as well, and recognises that Asseylum's course of action left no way out for him. But she hopes that the last interaction between Slaine and Inaho conveys how much she cares about him. To her, he's like family, so she didn't want to forsake/abandon him.
• As for Inaho, Asseylum's feelings for him are close to romantic love, but they're more complicated than that...above and beyond romantic love, perhaps (chuckles). Amamiya thinks that the line of "a Terran that I became close to" seems to suggest that she did love Inaho, for reasons which include how he was always protecting her, and the kindness that she saw and felt in him. Though perhaps it's 'respect', and she simply doesn't have such feelings for anyone. To Amamiya, the last line ("It's a cherished memory of mine") points to how Asseylum understands what her decision meant: she might want to see them again, but she doesn't regret her choice, and she'll live as the Empress of Vers.

And directly translating the last bit

By the way, in the end, who do you prefer?

It's Slaine for me, after all. Since I know that he was always thinking about her, no matter what happened, I just can't go over to Inaho. I mean, he's great too, but I just can't betray my feelings for Slaine! That's how I feel, anyway (laughs). I really want him to be happy, from the bottom of my heart. And my feelings for him won't ever change! (laughs)

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Alright, back to work for me. This was a little bit of a rushed summary, so pls let me know if anyone finds any mistakes! Thanks!