(CR) Shuumatsu no Izetta

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

We've seen a little character development, in a 'shown not told' way. In ep 5 Izetta was quite uncomfortable with Fine's shoulder massages and compliments. Ep 7 bed scene, she breaks through her nervousness, and ends up absolutely chill with Fine's emotions. We can guess that Fine might be nervous about effectively betting her kingdom on the Nord mission, but she seems most concerned about the huge burden she's placing on her friend. Izetta can reassure her that she can sink the Bismark, or 'anything else', and happily accepts Fine's gratitude without symptoms of low-self esteem. Because how high a pedestal can you put a tickle-monster on?

We see this sort of stuff in episode 2 and 3. Fine has always been worried when Izetta's going into the battlefield, and Izetta always shows her self-confident side when they talk about this sort of stuff. See how calm and collected she is in episode 3 when she tells Fine she's gonna save her country. When it comes to fighting, Izetta knows she can take it, and it shows in her attitude too. But this is part of her basic characterization. This is nothing new.

[Ghostfriendly]

She was happy to risk her life (because she doesn't think it's worth much? Because she owes Fine her life anyway?*), but not so much with accepting Fine's gratitude, until the bed scene. In ep 3 she seemed to feel she had to fight; to protect the soldiers/repay her debt to Fine/help Fine bring peace. In ep7, she seems more happy to fight, as a way to help her friend and express her love (lots of expressing going on in that scene). But her resolve to fight has been consistent, as you said. It's a separate issue that the Izetta who will happily and intimately share a bed with Fine has come some way from the Izetta who said she wasn't worthy to be Fine's friend. In many previous tender scenes like the post-battle hug in ep 3 and hand holding before the coronation, Izetta and Fine were very much in their roles as Princess and White Witch (not so much in the cafe scene). There's elements of that in the bed scene, but to a greatest extent than before, they're simply two girls together sharing their love.

*Speculation, I admit.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

She was happy to risk her life (because she doesn't think it's worth much? Because she owes Fine her life anyway?*), but not so much with accepting Fine's gratitude, until the bed scene.

She didn't accept her gratitude. She just told Fine not to worry because she can take care of the ship just fine.

In ep7, she seems more happy to fight, as a way to help her friend and express her love (lots of expressing going on in that scene).

She's always happy to be of help. When she's in the bath in episode 4 she asks Lotte if what she did in episode 3 helped Fine and her country. Lotte says yes, and Izetta smiles happily.

It's a separate issue that the Izetta who will happily and intimately share a bed with Fine has come some way from the Izetta who said she wasn't worthy to be Fine's friend.

Nothing has changed. She sill doesn't feel worthy, but she's not gonna tell Fine that. If Fine wants her to stay in her room and bed, she's gonna indulge her. That's Izetta being Izetta.


This is all just the same basic characterization. There hasn't been any change or progression.

[Ghostfriendly]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Nothing has changed. She still doesn't feel worthy, but she's not gonna tell Fine that. If Fine wants her to stay in her room and bed, she's gonna indulge her. That's Izetta being Izetta.

It looks like we both saw something different there. Which may mean that possible character development could be presented more clearly.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

Which may mean that possible character development could be presented more clearly.

Or that there's no such character development to begin with. But let's just agree to disagree. I don't want to hijack the tread again.

[Triple_R]

I just watched Izetta Episode 7.

Now that's more like it! This episode had pretty much everything you could hope for in a "superhero in AU WW2" anime episode. Drama, political intrigue, suspense, fun and flashy use of superpowers in genuinely tense and interesting combat, competent humanized antagonists, likeable allies for the superhero lead, and a triumphant mission completion for our heroes. Excellent episode! And to top it all off, we end on a good cliffhanger note of the antagonists gaining their own measure of victory in different ways as secrets are made known to them and secrets are hinted at to us.

My confidence in this show went down some in Episode 6, but Episode 7 has brought that confidence roaring back! Honestly, I liked pretty much everything about Episode 7. In addition to what I wrote above, the British and Atlantian () characters seem very true to life for this time period. Even more importantly, the Izetta/Fine moments were genuinely charming and, dare I say, even yuritastic!

It's also good to see Izetta become a bit more comfortable in her skin. Yes, it's baby steps, but at least it's in the right direction, and there' a decent chance Izetta will ultimately end up a well-developed character.

[Kazu-kun]

You've gotta wonder why Germania didn't attack Eylstadt if they knew the witch was out of the country.

Also, sacrificing the carrier wasn't exactly a good idea. Even if they got some theories confirmed, they allowed Izetta to accomplish her mission. Now Fine will probably get the support from the allies she was looking for.

[Ghostfriendly]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

You've gotta wonder why Germania didn't attack Eylstadt if they knew the witch was out of the country.

They mentioned Germania was 'focused on the north' i.e. moving troops away from the Eylstatd border to prepare for Operation Sea Lion. Seig would presumably find out from spies if Germania planned to send troops back towards Eylstatd, and contact Izetta while they're travelling by boat or plane. The chance of getting the allies support makes the gamble worth it.

(It's not a perfect explanation, but the best I can think of)

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

On an unrelated note, anyone know if Bergmann's figher is a real aircraft?

The core airframe resembles that of the He 112, but features have also been moved or added.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

They mentioned Germania was 'focused on the north' i.e. moving troops away from the Eylstatd border to prepare for Operation Sea Lion. Seig would presumably find out from spies if Germania planned to send troops back towards Eylstatd, and contact Izetta while they're travelling by boat or plane. The chance of getting the allies support makes the gamble worth it.

But that's the thing. Germania just let Izetta accomplish her mission, potentially getting the allies support, and they aren't even using the chance to attack Eylstatd in the mean time. They're also losing their carrier. And all they got in return is some theories about Izetta's powers confirmed. Overall, it was a pretty bad strategy, imo.

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 6:

Can't believe the stupidity of Jonas in the start of this episode.. he heard something very important, and the first thing he did is casually tell he discovered something important to a person he barely know???? WTF... Jonas literally caused his own death. It's sad.. but Sieg had to silence him to prevent further trouble.

Hmm, and the part about the pie.. I'm glad at least here, Izetta is being given some of the appreciation that she deserve.

Looking forward to episode 7.

[Ghostfriendly]

Better if they'd ambushed Izetta on the way to Britannia, but I guess your boy Seig did well keeping the exact route a secret. Also it would've slowed up the plot if they'd taken a whole ep to get to Britannia, as you said. I mentioned that his obsession with witches is probably eroding Otto's judgement. He talks about his 'instincts' or 'hunches' in his first appearance, which is very Hitler-like, and did Hitler in when his bright ideas like making war on Russia and America turned out to be unwise.

[Kazu-kun]

Otto supposedly has Eliot to keep him on track. I think this is mostly a writing issue. Yoshino is advancing his plot without caring too much whether things make sense or not. Also, lack of time isn't a valid justification because they wasted a lot of it on pies, boobs jokes, and worthless Fine speeches.

[SPARTAN 119]

Originally Posted by Gravitas Free Zone

The core airframe resembles that of the He 112, but features have also been moved or added.

Thanks.

Looking at the real He-112, it's clear they must have have upgraded the engine if the prototype aircraft is faster than the Messerschmitt- the real Me-109 had a faster top speed than the He-112. However, the increased maneuverability vs the Messerschmitt is more plausible, given the He-112's lower wing loading, meaning a tighter turning circle.

After doing some research, the armament appears to be a composite of later He-112 variants and the Me-109- the aircraft carries two 20mm cannon in the wings and two (presumed) 7.92mm machine guns (though those might be upgraded to the 13mm used in the Me-109 and Fw-190) in the nose, but also a fifth gun, a presumed 20mm gun in the propeller cowling like the Me-109.

It will be interesting if those Ho-229 airframes seen in the Germanian facility are completed in time for Bergmann to get his hands on one.

That has been my commentary on the military hardware. Now back to your regularly scheduled discussions of character development and yuri.

[Benigmatica]

Episode 7:
Why Berckmann and Ricelt need to sacrifice an aircraft carrier just to find Izetta's weaknesses, when they can make an artificial witch in order to please Fuhrer Otto?

Seriously, they need to do convoluted things to conquer Europe unless Germania invaded Russia. On the other hand, seems that the United States of Atlanta are pretty reluctant to fight in Europe unless the country got attacked by Japan. Then again, this anime is focused on the European front!

[Haak]

I might have missed it, but did the story ever explain how Izetta ended up captured with the Germanians at the start of the show? It just seems a bit bizarre that neither Izetta nor anyone else has brought that up.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Ghostfriendly

Burns just has the true stiff upper lip.

And the cigar.

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

You've gotta wonder why Germania didn't attack Eylstadt if they knew the witch was out of the country.

Also, sacrificing the carrier wasn't exactly a good idea. Even if they got some theories confirmed, they allowed Izetta to accomplish her mission. Now Fine will probably get the support from the allies she was looking for.

This has actually been bothering me since the previous episode: You've got your W.M.D. and you're aware it has some major limitations, one of which being that it can't be in two places at once, and yet you still send it out far away and leave your country vulnerable to attack...

I was holding out on touching that subject until the next episode but then those last few scenes came and I knew they were just going to let it slide. The show's writing hasn't been particularly brilliant but some of these holes are just a bit too much for my suspension of disbelief to take on.

[Darthtabby]

For the Germanians to take advantage of Izetta being away they need to:

A) Actually be aware that she's gone.
B) Mobilize their forces to take advantage of the situation. With their attention focused to the North, do they have the forces and logistical support in place to launch another Blitzkrieg?
C) Be confident that she's not just going to come storming back and wreck their shit again.

From the Elystadt perspective, the ploy with Izetta bought time, but they can't end the Germanian threat by themselves. I can see why they'd want to get outside help. And if they're going to send Fine and Izetta to get help than now -with the enemy being cautious and directing attention elsewhere- seems like a good time to do so. Its a gamble, but its not a totally senseless one.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Darthtabby

A) Actually be aware that she's gone.

They were aware she was gone.

B) Mobilize their forces to take advantage of the situation. With their attention focused to the North, do they have the forces and logistical support in place to launch another Blitzkrieg?

I don't know, but I think it would have been worth the effort. The alternative was to let Izetta get away with sinking the ship and getting the support from the allies without getting much in return. A pretty shitty trade-off imo.

C) Be confident that she's not just going to come storming back and wreck their shit again.

They have Basler and his new plane which can keep up with Izetta easily. If she came back in time, just let Basler deal with her.