Aldnoah Zero 08 — Slaine is NTR’d

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What a great week for Aldnoah Zero. Episodes like this are the reason I watch anime. Amazing ending. Fascinating contrast between Slaine’s torture while he gets NTR’d by Inaho and the princess.

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And of course once Count Racist Torture stops being an idiot he immediately gets massacred. That’s the way it should be.

Inaho’s Choices

I’ve heard criticisms that you’re supposed to dislike Inaho, because he has no empathy and does everything for selfish reasons, and he’s “amoral”. But I don’t think this is necessarily true. First of all, I think Inaho is awesome. It’s great having a mecha protagonist who doesn’t make a fool of himself due to random identity crises and hormones. But more than that, I don’t think it’s quite true that he has no empathy and is amoral.

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Sure, he says he wasn’t fighting for the princess in particular, that he was fighting for himself so he wouldn’t die from getting drafted. But would his actions have differed at all if he were fighting for the princess? Would they have differed if he was fighting for the sake of his friends, or for world peace? I don’t think they would have.

Perhaps when Inaho is faced with a choice where the self-interest of these parties diverge, we can make a judgement regarding Inaho’s morality. But for now, I don’t think we’re in a position to judge.

Actually, the way Inaho says he is fighting just for himself, not for the princess, makes me like him all the more. Inaho could have said he was fighting for the princess. Or for world peace. Or for the sake of his friends.  But he said he was fighting for himself. I see this more as a form of humility rather than anything amoral, and find it admirable. Although if and when Inaho betrays his friends to save his own skin perhaps I will change my mind. Regardless, you have to credit Inaho for being honest. If he were as cold and calculating as people think, wouldn’t he have lied to the princess and said he was fighting for her?

Further Thoughts

Ok, here’s the real reason I think Inaho is so awesome after this episode:

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Oooh yeah! High five to both of you! So many times I wish the characters had said just that!

For honorable mention:

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This guy is also pretty cool. The power of moe.

Moe shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more. 

At least until they start fighting over which transformation of the princess is cuter. I can’t decide which side I would fight on for that war…

4 thoughts on “Aldnoah Zero 08 — Slaine is NTR’d

  1. I saw some people being picky about Inaho’s answer too, but just like you, I think it’s very cool answer, and makes me like him more.
    Some people said, what’s the difference?
    Well, there’s a big difference.
    Definition of neglect, from merriam webster dictionary:
    1 “to give little attention or respect to”
    2 “to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness”

    Yup. He hasn’t neglected his duty as a soldier. He, of course, respect his commander. And he wasn’t being careless. He deliberately didn’t tell her, since it’s a better decision. What were they going to do anyway, if they found out? As expected, nothing can be done.

  2. I don’t know how to describe it properly, but Inaho somehow resembles the classical role of an absurdist persona.

    It’s unclear to me if he’s just autistic or there’s some particular way he perceives the world. But he seems so unnaturally calm and emotionless that I think alot of viewers who are criticizing him aren’t aware of how special his archetype is.

    Definitely looking forward to how his character develops along the way.
    As for Slaine…. man give him a break already!

    1. Yeah, he’s certainly unique. Everyone complains that all anime protagonists are the same, and then, when we actually get somebody different…

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