Now might be a good time to bring up the remaining two members of the main cast. First, we have Nene Rin (Yurika Kubo), a classmate of Mangetsu’s younger sister Kibo (Hikaru Akao). She participates in Granbelm with tactical assistance from her sisters Nana (Juri Kimura) and Mimi (Nozomi Kasuga). Nene insists that she’s a lot older than she looks and her motivation for fighting in Granbelm appears to involve her mother. Second, we have Kuon, who makes a more formal introduction in this episode. Her participation in Granbelm appears to be connected to her ill and comatose older sister.
You know, there are only seven major characters in Granbelm and how important they actually are varies on a case by case basis. And yet, I find it a little tricky keeping track of everyone in these early episodes. Even on a rewatch, it feels scatterbrained as it cuts back and forth between various perspectives. About the only major character we don’t need to concern ourselves with is Rosa, who got kicked out after losing her fight to Mangetsu. That does make Rosa feel disposable but I’m okay with it as it at least means there’s one less character to keep in mind. It also doesn’t help that we’re still getting to know what everyone’s deal is. That stuff about Nene’s mother and Kuon’s sister that I mentioned earlier? The show doesn’t establish either of those until this episode. And no, me knowing the full story doesn’t excuse the show. It’s a lot of teasing and I can’t blame anyone for feeling dettered by it (and not going to lie, mileage might vary with the end results).
The most prevalent thread right now involves Shingetsu and Anna. We finally learn what the latter’s beef is with the former. Apparently, Shingetsu was to be adopted into the Fugo family as its successor (an apparently common practice for mages to do in order to keep their practice alive). At some point, Shingetsu ran away from the family, out of fear that her adoption would cause internal conflict. Despite that, Anna’s relatives, including her own sister Claire (Marika Kuono, still welcome Shingetsu into the family (the fact that Claire’s hair accessory matches Shingetsu’s is a deep cut). Naturally, this ticks Anna off as she’s effectively treated as the inferior mage. She feels her family loves Shingetsu more than her. That anger does border on irrational. Within the very next fight, Anna sadistically tells Shingetsu she’ll erase her from existence so she’s definitely lost her marbles. At the very least, you now understand where she’s coming from.
It’s through Anna that we get to learn more about Shingetsu. For starters, we see her more vulnerable and conflicted side. She doesn’t return Anna’s hostility but she’s also at a loss on how to resolve it. An example comes when Shingetsu reunites with Anna’s relatives. Earlier in the episode, she prevents Anna from slapping her in the face, chastising her for stooping that low even. Here though, she doesn’t put up a fight, presumably in the vain attempt to let Anna vent. In addition to that, this dilemma is what motivates Shingetsu to participate in Granblem. Should she reign victorious, she intends on using the magic in the Magiaconatus to erase magic from existence. That way, there’ll be no more infighting among mages, much like how it is between her and Anna.
As we learn more about Shingetsu, we see how Mangetsu factors into the story some more. While the former shows the latter the ropes in how to use magic and pilot her Armanox, the one who is supporting and the one who is supported is actually the other way around. As Mangetsu learns about Shingetsu’s personal drama, she assures her friend that the dilemma is not her fault and she shouldn’t treat herself as the villain. When Shingetsu confides to Mangetsu about her goal, the latter tells her that it’s a noble goal and assures her that she is a good person at heart. Evidently, Mangetsu is the emotional support Shingetsu has been missing and the fact it is Mangetsu fulfilling that role is something to keep in mind.
This post was originally published on November 28, 2020
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