Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil): Season 1/ Episode 5 “My First Battalion ” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

This is a very weird episode. If only because it sort of goes against the grain when it comes to action anime. We aren’t presented some unbeatable force which our hero, well anti-hero, has to train and get stronger to defeat. Pretty much, Tanya is given the opportunity for a blood bath.

Topic 1: Delay No Longer (Tanya)

First Tanya tries to make it seem no one really qualifies to be part of her battalion, then she puts them through hell hoping they quit yet, she ends up with a full battalion. One she tries to push off from being in combat for 6 months but then Rerugen presents that her wishes aren’t an option. She is to go southeast and defend the Empire.

Commentary

With not much going on this episode, it leads me to wonder about the things thus far not really dug into. One thing being, why are there three countries at war with the empire? Also, what was it, really, that made Rerugen despise Tanya? Was it the way she treated a soldier? Was that soldier related to him? Is it because she is a child, much less a woman? Something we hardly see much of within the mages or the military. Especially in the upper ranks. Also, will he ever, truly, act on his threats? For a moment I thought the battle she was being assigned to would have been his method of wiping her from existence, or at least making her a failure, since he does gauge the strength of the different war theaters. Yet, it seems all he did was hand her a promotion on a silver platter.

Topic 2: The Fall of Dakia (Tanya)

The Entente Alliance, The Republic, and the Dukedom of Dakia. These are the enemies of the empire and while The Republic has established they have mages and are a serious threat, the Dukedom of Dakia seems absolutely weak and defenseless. From what it seems, they are backwards compared to the empire’s other enemies and without mages, any sort of aerial forces, or even mortars or anything to shoot mages out of the air, they get massacred.

But it doesn’t end there, despite being noted as 600,000 strong, just Tanya’s mage battalion is able to make it to their capital and not only destroy a Republic arms factory, but seemingly set the capital on fire. Leading you to wonder if this was just a taste of us understanding why the show is called “Tanya the Evil” or if this was just present the calm before the storm.

Commentary

At this point, I think it can be agreed upon that the action elements of this show, while by no means terrible, aren’t exactly awe-inspiring. There is no blood, no gore, and while you see bodies flying around, there isn’t any sense of brutality. It’s like watching a Batman movie or animated feature. You know people are being hurt and likely are dead or dying, but it isn’t really something that is given too much time, attention, or seriousness for that matter.

Which is unfortunate for while Tanya is definitely twisted, I mean she warns the people of the attack by sounding like the child she is, I feel this show isn’t fully living up to its name. Though what makes things worse is that Being X, God, or what have you, has given her this power and seem indifferent to how she uses it as long as she praises their name. Which tickles the hell out of me since you’d think they would have her be someone defenseless in order to force her to have faith. That is, rather than perhaps the strongest mages ever known and the world probably not even seeing the full extent of her power yet.

Things to Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How many different ways can there be to spell Victoria?
2. Is there some general rule in media that women can’t be the extras in combat? Like, whether it is live action or anime, it seems to be an unwritten rule. Granted, this show takes place in the first half of the 1900s, so you know women were limited in the roles they could play. However, considering Tanya’s position, you’d think this show would have made a stronger effort to make it more than her and Viktoriya as the main female soldiers. If not only.
3. It remains strange to me how there aren’t really any noteworthy characters besides Tanya and Being X, when it is around.
4. I would love a time jump to see Tanya as a teenager.

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