In this episode, Kaina, Yaona, and Ririha go to the castle’s underground corridor to examine the flag. They want to search for any hints about the location of the giant spire tree, but will it be there, and will they be able to stop the war on time? Kaina does not understand the written words on the flag. It is not the language he saw on the billboard the Signkeeper collected in Episode 1. Are those languages lost from generation to generation? Are they different from the language in Canopy, as Ririha suggests? Is there a possibility that Kaina will figure out the words before the war between Atland and Valgahia begins?
Ririha’s suggestions of why Kaina does not grasp the words when he actually does know them make me think Kaina cannot read them. The Signkeeper may teach him some terms. Then again, there may be others that the Signkeeper has not been able to decipher since languages change over time as countries progress. Native languages from one country to the next connect the dots of how the world came to be. In the pre-credit scene, Ririha believes that the world was once one continent based on the language that is passed down from Canopy to Atland.
In the later scene, we find out the reason for Kaina’s inability to recognize the language he once knew and the obstacles they face. The flag is upside down, which changes its shape as he looks closely. Ririha and Yaona feel as eager to know what it says as I do. I want to know what they will find since it is actually a map. Kaina explains Atland, Canopy, and the orbital spire tree, but that is not all. There is a challenge up front. In the map, the path to the tree is blocked by a huge oceanic trench. Ririha feels discouraged that there is no way of making it to the tree, which is natural. Obstacles can lead to disappointment, but there is always hope. When Yaona and Kaina fold up the flag, Ririha sees a massive snowfoil that will bring them to their destination, as Kaina points out.
The scene where people in Valgahia automatically believe in or have never heard of the spire tree is not interesting. It does not seem real that no one has ever heard of it besides Noze and Chiru, as shown in the last episode. Also, it is confusing as to whether they think it is just a fantasy or not. There is no argument or inner conflict about the issue, unlike the character Amerote. In her monologue, she does not believe the tree. If it existed, her hometown would still be there.
The tension is not increased by scenes that switch between the battle and the decipherment. The pace does not create a sense of urgency. Even though time is essential for Ririhia to stop the war, it does not feel like that is the case. The war just starts before she can prevent it.
Overall, this episode is not bad. There is quite a lot of added information that drives the plot forward. However, there is little to no tension, suspense, or danger throughout the episode. Characters like Mulnota and Hallesora are not believable or realistic, and it is hard to feel what their feelings are. The only character that I feel empathy for is Amerote, even though there are no flashback scenes of her background. Her dialogue kind of said it all as to why she chooses this path and why she acts the way she does.
Rating: 5.5/10
| Characters, Season 1 Episode 9 | Cast |
| Kaina | Yoshimasa Hosoya |
| Amerote | Maaya Sakamoto |
| Ririha | Rie Takahashi |
| Ngapoge | Tomokazu Sugita |
| Yaona | Ayumu Murase |
| Noze | |
| Handagil | Nobuyuki Hiyama |
| Chiru | |
| Hallesora | Kenyu Horiuchi |
| Orinoga | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| Mulnota | Sayaka Ohara |
