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2centsoframblings · 2 years ago

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Two cents of ramblings on: “Yōjo Senki - The Saga of Tanya the Evil” (‘The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl - The Saga of Tanya the Evil’) (Anime) - Season 1...

...and why I STRONGLY recommend it.

GENERAL DATA

Title: Yōjo Senki - The Saga of Tanya the Evil (幼女戦記 The Saga of Tanya the Evil “The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl - The Saga of Tanya the Evil”)

Media: Anime television series

Adaptation of: Yōjo Senki (幼女戦記 “The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl”) Seinen light novel series written by Carlo Zen and illustrated by Shinobu Shinotsuki

Genre: Fantasy, Isekai, Military

Directed by: Uemura Yutaka

Written by: Ihara Kenta

Studio: NUT

Original run: January 6, 2017 – March 31, 2017

Episodes: 12

WARNINGS: Well, it’s a story about a war so of course there’s war and death and also politic and realpolitik. Also there’s a child fighting and killing, as Tanya is pretty young (she takes part to her first battle at 9 and the story moves up to when she’s 11/12). And of course, there are references to religion as Tanya is an atheist in battle with a being defining himself as God.

The plot in short: In a parallel universe, a little girl, Tanya Degurechaff, is a mage fighting in a war for what looks like a parallel WW1 German Empire. But the truth is she’s nothing else but the reincarnation of an atheist salary man, who, one moment before dying, was confronted by an entity which claims to be God and rejected him, labeling him ‘Being X’ and that reincarnation is nothing else but God/Being X’s attempt to force Tanya to finally have faith in him as the salary man said people would have faith only if they were weak and in dire straits. Still Tanya refuses to believe and declares a personal war to ‘Being X’, doing all she can to survive as, if she were to die this time, there would be no reincarnation.

HOW DID I STUMBLE INTO IT

I saw a rather good AMV “Night Witches” made with “Yōjo senki” footage, and was impressed by how good the animation was so I decided to watch it.

THINGS YOU MIGHT WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TACKLING THIS

The anime series covers only the first 2 volumes and a half of the light novel series. Things are cut or simplified so to fit them into the new media.

MY TWO CENTS ON IT

THE SHORT VERSION… or what I can tell you about this while trying to keep spoilers at the very bare minimum.

Opening & ending: The anime uses as opening “JINGO JUNGLE” by Myth & Roid and as ending “Los! Los! Los!” by Yūki Aoi, the voice of Tanya Degurechaff. Episode 8 is the only episode who uses as ending “Sensen no Realism” (戦線のリアリズム ‘Realism of the Front’) by Niina Mako. I’ve mixed feelings for “JINGO JUNGLE” and “Los! Los! Los!”, as they’re not quite my type of music but kind of grew on me. Overall I find them fitting for the anime. The visual is the opening is interesting. With colours that reminds me of an old movie, a recurring theme of gears, which remind us of the operation orb but also the machinations of the war and how the men involved in it are nothing but little gears in a mechanism that’s bigger than them. We see scenes of war, soldiers fighting, mourning, the characters wearing their uniforms or with their flags behind, maps of the countries. In short it really delivers well this is a story that involves a lot of war. But I also like how it shows Tanya as a little girl, and then she starts walking and she’s a soldier in uniform, and in front of her there is the Nutcracker that being X posses to talk with Tanya. She shoots it but she doesn’t hit it by some sort of glass and then we’re shown the salary man she was in her previous life and there’s blood covering his image. It’s as if the glass she has broken is kind of a window to the past, showing us that Tanya’s rage against Being X is due to how she died in her past life. The opening also does an interesting thing as, when we’re shown the images of Kurt von Rudersdorf, Hans von Zettour and Erich von Rerugen, their names also appear, which doesn’t happen for any other character, in an interesting remarking of how those three are basically the ones that seem to be in command. Overall, I think it really works well as opening. The ending instead shows a series of images from the visual novel depicting Tanya. It’s nothing special but, as the anime was probably meant to be promotional for the visual novel, it makes sense they would want to show the visual of the novel (especially since the anime uses a different character design for Tanya…). “Sensen no Realism” is rather pretty as a music and the visual is interesting as it clearly represents explosions as pretty firework.

The plot: It’s complicate, intricate and intriguing. I love the history reference and how it talks about politics and military and psychology. Oh, I really enjoyed it!

The characters: Well, most of the focus is on Tanya but the other characters are interesting too and different enough among them. I can’t say I loved them but they’re well constructed and realistic enough.

The visual: The characterization is very interesting. I can’t say the characters are pretty in the usual way (actually I never saw someone with eyes or lips as Tanya) but they’re all very different and well recognizable in a way that’s pretty awesome. The visual for the background sceneries is GODDAMN AWESOME. The skies are beautiful with moving clouds and coloring, the visual from up there is also so great.

There’s this great cure for details that shows in how they can grow grass between bits of concrete… The fights are awesomely drawn and the scenes in which ‘Being X’ appear are also drawn in an interesting manner.

The musical background: This one is an epic one! Katayama Shūji did a really great work. The music well fit the scenes and give them grandiosity and action and an epic feeling. It’s something you can enjoy hearing even if you don’t watch the anime.

Overall: Oh, it’s good, good, good. I love the visual, the history behind this alternate universe, the battles, the strategic plans, the music, everything. It’s a must see, really.

THE LONG VERSION… or what I loved and hated about this with, of course, TONS OF SPOILERS.

Now, visually, this series is beautiful. I love the realism of the war fighting scenes and how they then put it into sharp contrast with how the mages fight with… well, magic, but I also love how the mages in a way depend from technical things, they use rifles with magic shells, they use Operation Orbs or, if you prefer, Computation Jewels that facilitates mages to compose spells, and they’ve tools to fly which vary according to from which country they are.

I love how the colouring has an odd tinge, as if it were an old war movie.

I love how well they animated the action scenes, so dynamic and fluid, I love the detailed and beautifully drawn scenery, how the skies are filled with beautifully drawn clouds, how they can be a beautiful blue but also other colours according to the time and the weather.

No, really, this is visually great.

Sure, it took me a while to get used to the chara design of the characters. It’s not like it’s ugly but it’s… unusual to say the least, with Tanya having some rather creepy expressions.

Still the characters come out as expressive and one gets used to the oddity of it soon enough.

Now… the story.

I enjoyed this alternate version of the world which is similar yet different to ours.

I love the ‘fight’ between God/Being X and Tanya, how she stubbornly refuses to believe and how he stubbornly tries to force her to believe to the point he forces her to pray if she wants her Computation Jewel to work.

I like the idea of having her consider the army as an organization and war as a work, which makes for a very harsh comparison with how Tanya previously worked for a company as a salaryman.

The idea that, in her past life Tanya’s beliefs were that following the rules one could smoothly rise in ranks but then, by the end of the series, she realized being too rational means missing to see that many men are, in fact, irrational and being lead by their emotions.

Erich Rerugen: What reason is there to continue the war? A modern state uses its military to impose its will via violence. Sacrificing the nation itself to continue the fight is madness. Tanya Degurechaff: You are completely correct. Erich Rerugen: Then why do you say that the war will continue? Tanya Degurechaff: If I may be permitted to give my opinion… General Zettour and General Rudersdorf are logical pragmatists, highly skilled in political and military matters. They are great soldiers. As are you, Lieutenant Colonel. Our Strategic HQ is a powerful fortress of logic and knowledge. And therefore, due to logical reasoning, everyone believes the war is at its end. But it must be said that this rationale is incomplete. Erich Rerugen: Incomplete… rationale? Tanya Degurechaff: The members of Strategic HQ are far too rational. And thus, they have completely missed the point. Rationalism isn't the only thing that drives human action. We are foolish creatures… Erich Rerugen: Are you saying that humans are still beasts, lacking in reason?! Tanya Degurechaff: If I may be permitted to speak freely, then that is completely correct. Erich Rerugen: And what evidence do you have for this statement? Tanya Degurechaff: History. Though I mean my own history. My personal experience. Erich Rerugen: Tell me. Tanya Degurechaff: I have seen the eyes of men, burning with hatred. I have seen the moment when my talented men gave in to anger and lost their reason. I have seen a chain of revenge, driven only by hate. And so, I realized… No, perhaps it's more accurate to say that I remembered. I have personally experienced an insane reaction against rationalism. No matter how much we modernize, no matter how social norms affect us, humans are foolish creatures, who sometimes prize feelings over reason. A human being who's overcome with hatred will keep struggling, without regard for self-interest or reason, regardless of what they may lose or gain. That is why I cannot help but speak up. We should not become intoxicated by a temporary victory! All flames of hatred must be extinguished. [Ep 12]

Tanya’s way to deal with this, would be, of course, aggressive. For her, the enemy you let go, will then be the enemy who will take up the gun against you.

Tanya Degurechaff: Second Lieutenant Grantz, the enemy you let go will take up his gun again. To shoot us. If we let them go, some will become new soldiers who hate the Empire. Vooren Grantz: So… You want us to kill them just for that reason?! Tanya Degurechaff: This is the order from our superiors. We shoot the enemy, or they’ll shoot us. If nothing else, we must shoot until we’re told not to anymore. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. But I’ll said once more. This is the order from our superiors. Take up your gun. [Ep 8]

In this bit from episode 8 Tanya paints it as them having to do it more because it’s an order than because she wants to, but, by the end of the series, it’s clear she has embraced the idea you’ve to kill your enemies without mercy or they’ll come back to kill you.

I also found interesting this bit from her.

Tanya Degurechaff: In a cursed world, engulfed by flames of war, there was a nation known as the Empire. With its vast military power, talented strategists, and high mobility, it overwhelmed the Dukedom of Dakia, the Entente Alliance, and the Republic. Treats to its safety were removed, one after the next, and everyone was overjoyed. But that is why they could not imagine how much the surrounding countries feared the creation of a massive power in the continent’s center. The Empire went to such lengths to display the sharpness of its sword, it was incapable of imagining the terror that its sword inspired. Of course, everyone wants peace. So, to protect peace, they take up their guns and thrust themselves into battle, hoping to achieve it. So that this cruel war would end, everyone except the Empire wished for the evil enemy called the Empire to be eliminated from the world. Could there be any greater paradox? Ironically, their desire for peace caused the war’s intensification, rather than its end. [Ep 12]

The part that it’s easy to forget watching the story, due to the similarities between the Empire and the German Empire is that, in this universe, it was the Entente Alliance, the Dukedom of Dakia and the Republic who invaded the Empire first. They all crossed borders first, to which the Empire answered by attacking their forces and declaring war. The Empire defended itself and won and, as a result, gained the land of its opponents… and in doing so gained the hate of the opponents it defeated and scared its neighboring countries, pushing them to join forces against it… in some sort of vicious circle in which people paint as ‘evil’ the enemy and themselves as righteous, regardless of the enemy being really ‘evil’ the way we intend it.

At the end we see how Mary considers the Empire evil because it killed her father, but it was her father who was among the soldiers who invaded the Empire and caused the war and who, with his men, attempted to kill Tanya, who was 9 back then and merely in an observer mission when they attacked, he who chased after Tanya when she was retreating once she accomplished her mission only managing on getting stabbed by her and he’s also the one who decided to continue going after her, claiming God told him to bring her down so that he ultimately gets killed by her.

He’s not a poor victim, but a soldier who got obsessed with killing Tanya and ended up killed in return.

And all this makes for interesting food for thoughts about who’s really evil. The Japanese title of the series is just “Yōjo Senki” (幼女戦記 ‘The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl’), but the English one is “The Saga of Tanya the Evil”. Tanya however is not ‘evil’ in the sense she enjoys hurting others. In fact this is her motive for joining the army:

Tanya Degurechaff: In a time when war seemed unavoidable, I’d thought it would be impossible for a poor, powerless girl to survive. But in that world, the power of magic did exist. And during the orphanage’s physical, my magical aptitude was noted. The army always conscripted those with aptitude as mages. And if I were going to be conscripted someday, it made more sense to volunteer, receive officer training, and attempt to get onto a career path. Of course, war is an unproductive and therefore wicked act. And I hated the idea of killing or being killed. But if I could just get on the military’s rails, my future would be assured. [Ep 2]

Tanya is moved by her self-interest, pragmatism and lack of empathy, but doesn’t have the wish to hurt others.

Her enemies often define her ‘evil’ merely because she’s a dangerous enemy and nothing else, same as they define the Empire ‘evil’ because it is the enemy. Tanya is clearly not good, she’s a pragmatist who totally lacks of empathy and cares only about doing her work efficiently and therefore has no mercy for people who gets in the way of it, which feels even more sticking considering she’s in the body of a young girl, to the point Erich Rerugen views her as a monster.

Erich Rerugen: If I may speak freely… She is a monster in the form of a little girl! [Ep 12]

There’s to say though that the other characters, who tries to paint themselves up as more moral, are merely making excuses for themselves to do the same as Tanya does.

They claim they’re fighting evil but they’re merely pursuing their country’s interests or, even worse, revenge. They genuinely pray God (differently from Tanya who’s merely forced to do it) but they pray God in hope he’ll help them kill their enemies, or believe God tells them to kill them.

Anyway, long story short, this one is definitely an anime worth watching so I recommend it.

And now let's end this with an AMV about this series I recommend watching: Night Witches

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#Youjo Senki #Saga of Tanya the Evil #NUT #Fantasy #Isekai #Military #Anime Television Series #Strongly recommended #Seinen #2017

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