Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil): Season 1/ Episode 6 “Beginning of Madness” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview/ Review (with Spoilers) At this point, as cool as the action scenes are and as Being X makes it seem that it’ll, one way or another, inspire true faith in Tanya, it all means very little if we are to never learn why the Empire is at war. Topic 1: What Are We Fighting…
Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
At this point, as cool as the action scenes are and as Being X makes it seem that it’ll, one way or another, inspire true faith in Tanya, it all means very little if we are to never learn why the Empire is at war.
Topic 1: What Are We Fighting For (Tanya)
With Dakia defeated, possible a territory that the Empire can take over by the winter, so comes the question of why they were at war with the Empire in the first place? From what we saw in the last episode, while they may have had the numbers they didn’t have the technology to compete. Then when it comes to the Entente Alliance, they too seem ill-equipped to really maintain a long-standing war. In fact, it is noted that if it wasn’t for the Republic and the Allied Kingdom, they’d likely end up just like Dakia.
Leading to the question which is starting to plague this show: What are all these wars about?
Commentary
While I enjoy this show, being that Being X only pops in every 2-3 episodes, we are mostly left watching Tanya destroy different battalions, companies, and what have you. Which is fine. However, with the Empire being, in real-world Europe, the location of Germany, with symbols which resemble the Third Reich, minus the swastika and eagle, you have to wonder if this show is just using the location or really playing on history. For while there are no Jews, no Romani people, and no signs of homosexuals, there has to be a reason for this war right? Is it just for a land grab? To keep the Empire from becoming too powerful? In an earlier episode, I can’t think of which one, Tanya is the one who asks why her country is being invaded, so with that, despite spending her life in the military, it seems the Empire isn’t the aggressor, so what gives?
Topic 2: World War (Being X and Tanya)
After successfully taking down at least 5 bombers, Tanya looks for possible prisoners of war and ends up in conversation with Being X. Who reveals that, likely by its hand, things will get worse as it pushed more countries to join the war. Yet, considering the powers it, God, or just luck, have given Tanya, what reason does she have to be afraid?
Commentary
While we know Tanya is capable of being injured, considering the type of power and abilities she possesses, of which it seems she isn’t at her limit yet, you have to wonder what otherworldly being is on Tanya’s side? Why is it, when Being X is trying to force her to have true faith, she is given all these tools to escape breaking down and giving in?
Granted, she does say what sounds like a prayer to tap into her full potential, but she says them deadpan and like any witch or wizard would say a spell to make coffee. So, how exactly does Being X plan to break her? Bringing the whole world against her and her battalion may seem like the way, but Tanya is changing.
I mean, the girl who once wanted to be far away from the front lines is more than willing to if it means a promotion. She used to stall and make excuses to avoid combat, but now she takes on the biggest challenges to help make a name for herself. So could it be that Being X, even with it being a celestial power, is an idiot? Could it be Being X isn’t working on behalf of a God but out of some form of selfish desire? Heck, could being X actually be some sort of demonic force if not a representation of the writer(s) view that heavenly beings aren’t always just or righteous but as demented and twisted as the humans they watch over? Or maybe I’m thinking too deep about something shallow?
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The question of why the war started was explain in episode 1, 2, and 4, the Entente Alliance march into the empire border to do a military exercise without the empire permission, so in retaliation the empire attack them, which the Entente Alliance probably interpreted as a Act of War and declare war on the empire, however they got their ass kick by the Empire. But the other country in the region knows that if the Empire win this war, their strategy of containing the Empire Massive Military Power would be destroy, while the empire can enjoy being freed of getting surrounded by enemies, the other country fear that their country would be the next one to fall, as the empire is a new power, but can win any war one on one, they are afraid of being subject to the empire hegemony on the continent of Europe. So The Republic invaded the western front taken the empire by surprise and cause the empire to fight a protracted two front war with the western front almost falling into the Republic hands, but was only stall by rapid reinforcement from the central command and the stubbornness of the western army. While they wait for the Main Army of the Empire that invaded the Entente Alliance with their full power because of plan 315 describe in ‘episode one’ to return and beat back the Republic Main Army. However, the Ally Kingdom(NotUK) is spying on the empire and try to find as much information as possible while also lending their support to the Republic in secret to keep the empire from winning against the Republic, because without the Republic the empire truly will become the dominant power in the whole continent. The reason why Dakia attack the empire while having a backward army is probably because they believe all the empire attention is focus on both the northern and western front and was probably egged on by the Republic to attack in order to open up a third front with some secret promise of land or something, while also help gain some information about the empire with the Ally Kingdom intelligence network. As they seem to be allies in this war due to the fact that they have a military factory in their capital to make Artillery shells and that it was said by Tanya or by one of her unit that the factory was back by the Republic.
So after seeing the Empire kick the living crap out of Dakia in the previous episode and is about to occupy the country as well. While the northern front is about to get demolish by the empire, and the Western front will be over once the northern front fall. The Ally Kingdom is growing restless and is about to meddle in this war as well. Which will later create a domino effect of more and more country declaring war on the empire seeing that if they don’t stop the empire from freeing itself now while it is still contain they will have to choose between living under the empire hegemony or perish. So this is what leads to all this war and eventually a world war.
Being X goal is not to kill Tanya, but to make her willingly believe or worship him. However, Tanya is adamant in not worshiping him, even though she have been put under dire strait from her early years in a run down orphanage to getting almost killed in action and the reason to why being X gave Tanya strong magic power from birth is to force her into a box as mages are conscripted by the military of the empire without a way to say No, and this war would have started with or without Tanya participating in it, so she would have been force into fighting as well even if she was to be conscripted when she is older. So with her future sealed by her own magic power, and any alternative route shut, she volunteer into the military in order to build a career there early on, no matter the danger she brave through it all without relying on Being X. Which upset Being X in episode three as shown, so Being X force her to pray by giving her power that she can not discard and every time she pray her original cold personality and mind will be warp by the Jewel, Which slowly erode away her personality until she become a worshiper while also converting everyone around her to become believers as well. And although it may seem like she is using the Jewel with ease, you should have notice that her personality is becoming different from how she was originality. So the effect of the Jewel is not a instant poison that kills you, but slowly kills you by droplets of poison with each used.
So Tanya is afraid, because if this war continue, not only would she be sent to more and more front lines and have to use this Jewel that is poisoning her mind, but also lose her chance of getting comfortable live after the war if the empire loses as it is only one country, no matter how powerful it is, it will eventually be defeated by superior numbers when more and more world powers get involve in this war. While Tanya can win battles, she can’t be everywhere at once, and in the end she and the empire would be overwhelmed by others then place into the situation that Being X want her to be in.
Excellent synopsis. Between your comment and Space Penguin I think it is clear, to me anyway, that as interested as I am in this show I’m not picking up on everything. So thank you for the comment since it breaks things down and clears up any confusion on my part.
Sigh.
The reason for the war was already explained in the first 2 episodes. Its about hegemony and power. This is WW1 and not WW2. I know you and others are desperate to see Nazi’s everywhere but thats not what this war is about. The Empire is running into logistical issues cause its fighting on 2 fronts against strong enemies who are helping each other. It could take them and defeat them 1 on 1 but thats not whats happening.
Being X is believing that Tanya praying will eventually fill her with faith, eventually. In the LN an Manga apparently, the orb starts brainwashing Tanya and look at this from an outsider perspective. People around Tanya see a hardened patriot who is also very religious and after her prayers defeats all the enemies of the nation.
Being X is causing more and more nations to join the war so as to put Tanya in even more dire straits, Watch the previous episodes and pay attention. Stop seeing imaginary Nazi’s
I wouldn’t at all say it is imaginary for the effects of WWI led to the rise of the Nazi Party and WWII. I think the better thing to ask is why for two seasons there are animes dealing with a country in Europe, placed around Germany, which trigger such imagery.
That aside, thanks for the reminder of the reasoning behind the war.
Ask the Light Novel author who is a paradox fan. Paradox games are strategy games where you can rebuild the Roman Empire, Byzantine empire or build a Europe spanning Imperial german empire. The anime is based on his work. And so what if its based on Germany? As long as its not glorifying the Nazi’s. Its fine imo. This is not glorifying the Nazi’s. There are no Nazi’s. This is an alternate world with mages and magic and WW1 is almost going to get started at 1924. Have you not noticed Viktoria’s name? Its Russian. Apparently, she and plenty of other russians fled NotRussia due to the communist revolution and became citizens and soldiers of the Empire.
Are there Jews in this world? Who knows. Does Adolf Hitler exist in this world? Who knows. Possibly they exist or not. But we have seen no evidence for their existence.