September 16, 2003
Scrapped Princess Episode 10
"Serenade of the Fake Princess"
Well, seeing the title, one might suppose that it refers to Pacifica as being the fake princess.
...Right.
No one really expects that Elfitine (Lenard's Scrapped Princess) to be the real deal, so I suppose it's not giving away too much to have the title of the episode give that fact away. After all, we don't have much of a show if Pacifica isn't the Scrapped Princess, do we?
So, in this episode we finally discover what Lenard's plans for using Elfitine and the villagers is (after a bit of misdirection), and it's actually not as satisfying as I had hoped. It makes sense, but it seems a little far fetched that a heretical procurator of Mauser would deceive an entire village for an extended period of time to make himself look better.
It seems that Bergens will be leaving us as a character in this show, and he turned out to be a good addition. He is of course a servant of the church of Mauser, but he has a progressive view on it all. He doesn't actually seem to have all that much faith in Mauser (which is good, considering he's traveling with the Scrapped Princess herself), but understands that people need something to believe in. Considering that all the Mauser followers up to now have all been pretty shaddy, it's nice to be reminded that obviously not everyone that follows him can be bad.
The other interesting things that happen in this episode involve the two Scrapped Princesses. Pacifica takes possibly one of the most ill-timed baths ever (taken captive by demon-worshippers, trying to free Bergens from prison), but it allows her to have a chat with Elfitine, where we learn more about how she became involved with Lenard, and about how she is afraid for what Lenard wants for the villagers.
Ultimately, the way Pacifica deals with this situation reminds you why Raquel and Shannon want to protect her, and why even those sent to hunt her can't help but question whether or not she really is the poison that will destroy the world.
Next stop, Giat!
Rating: A-
Posted by Kei at September 16, 2003 02:38 AM