Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil): Season 1/ Episode 8 “Trial By Fire” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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As Tanya continues to exhibit why she is called The Devil of the Rhine, it seems Being X may have found a demon slayer.

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Episode Focus: The Battle in Arene (Tanya, Lt. Grantz, and Lt. Weiss)

As with nearly all battles Tanya participates in, this one is basically a massacre. Though what makes it noteworthy is the rising dissent, one of her lieutenant’s failures and how Tanya reacts. We know Tanya has no problem strictly following orders, but 2^nd Lt. Grantz has an issue with the latest one. One which likely will lead to the death of civilians. But, being that civilians hatred for the enemy inspires soldiers, Tanya can’t be bothered with his feelings. In fact, she is slightly upset with him questioning orders.

Yet, she decides to let it slide. Also, quite strangely, when her 1^st Lt. Weiss gets injured, she allows him to retreat. Albeit, with a warning that he will be some form of punished, but she lets him go without a speech or putting serious fear into his soul.

Commentary

While Tanya has always dealt with weakness and those who can’t follow orders with cruelty, it was strange to see her go lightly on Lt. Grantz and Lt. Weiss. Beginning with Weiss, because he is overthinking every move, him getting lost in his own head opened him up to getting hit. Nothing fatal, but something bad enough to lessen his abilities in combat.

Leading to Tanya, strangely, checking up on him. Then, despite not asking to leave the battlefield, or Lt. Grantz saying he needs to, Tanya asks him to leave and take the other injured with him. Her reasoning is because they will slow the healthy down, but it seems like it maybe more than that. As if she doesn’t want to see him hurt further or killed. Perhaps that is why she can’t stand to look at him too long once she knows he is injured. Not because of disappointment, or anything like that, but because she cares and may have actually grown close to her first in command.

As for Grantz, the fact that he questioned a superior’s orders, much less one of Tanya’s, and she didn’t kill him, that was a surprise. Much less her saying, after a few hits with the bunt of her gun, that she would forget he even spoke against assigned orders. Is this Tanya softening up? Could it be that when these soldiers won her respect, they started the process of wiggling into her heart?

Subplot 1: Rebirth of Anson Sioux (Anson Sioux)

After the credits, we learn Anson Sioux, who seemingly died after the battle of Fjord, is alive. Not only that, he saw the light and spoke to god. Of which, god said to kill the devil.

Commentary

This was the first episode where it really seemed the cast of Lieutenants and soldiers mattered. So I’m quite looking forward to Tanya having a real, possibly long term, much less active, adversary. For while Being X does exist, as they say, the lord works in mysterious ways. So while we know it is setting up Tanya to use her jewel more and turn her selfish prayers into bona fide faith, so comes another idea: Tanya’s powers not only may be used to inspire new faithful but perhaps her death will be used to do the same.

Think about it, at this point, Being X could give up on Tanya and see the bigger picture. How her life, and death, could mean more followers of faith and being that the empire is seemingly on the brink of winning the war, creating a religious hero could change everything. So it will be interesting to see what Sioux does next. Especially in terms of whether or not he gets in contact with his wife and kid.

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