#kato kotono

[the-golden-city]

Shoukoku no Altair Volume 26 Cover

[shoukokunoaltairfans]

Even though the Empire had been soundly defeated at the battle of Plocnik, the fall of Gol's indirectly threatened the Empire's base in their capital. They changed their battle strategy to guerrilla warfare. The Balt Rhein forces no longer counterattacked. Instead, they took cover behind their fortified fortresses by taking advantage of the natural defences in the north of Balt. At the same time, they conducted reconnaissance and launched proradic attacks targeting enemy commanders directly. and this strategy was quite successful in inflicting temporary losses on the Turkish forces. In this case, Lelederik and Gralat, an heir to the Imperium throne as well as a commander who played a major role in the fall of Phoenicia, were the brains behind this strategy. 

on the 20th, Seker, 79 CTR. after spending several months of winter in Gol. and entering early spring, where the ice began to melt and the weather began to warm up. Mahmut Pasha, again began military operations targeting the north of Balt. This was to protect his rear position, so that he would not be stabbed in the back by either Balt Rhein or Hermann's forces. Mahmut Pasha reached Turbezzel and had little difficulty in conquering the town, as it was guarded by only a few thousand Balt Rhein troops and supported by the superiority of the siege cannons. Turbezzel surrendered, and opened its doors to the Turkiye forces. Mahmut Pasha made Turbezzel a temporary base for his military operations. 

3 days after the conquest of Turbezzel. Candarli Ibrahim Pasha moved northward and reached Vidin, the town at the end of the Danube River that formed the border between Balt Rhein and Wallachia, after a siege and continuous cannon and trebuchet shelling that destroyed its mediaeval fortifications. The count of the town raised the white flag and asked Ibrahim Pasha for security guarantees so that his troops would be ready to leave the town and surrender it voluntarily to the Turkiye. Vidin's troops then headed for Scheenestrum, where Lelederik and his men were based. 

Baba Vida, a fortress in the Balt Rhein-controlled town of Vidin, which bordered the Danube River and Wallachia.

Lelederik began to devise his next plan to trap the Turkiye troops. and he was convinced that the enemy troops would be heading for Schenestrum. For this, he decided to mobilise the famously tough Elvades Mountain troops, along with several thousand regular troops of the Empire, to hide in the bush or in the highlands. With a plan, he would have the troops move to surround Schenestrum. Then, when he was caught off guard, he would attack them, break through the troop formation, and behead their commander-in-chief. 

On the 25th, Mahmut Pasha travelled cautiously from Vidin to Scheenestrum due to the steep terrain. Upon arrival in front of the fortress, Mahmut had not yet installed his siege cannons and instead set up a tent while negotiating with the count of Scheneestrum, Wiilhelm Weissner. Mahmut was unaware that the fortress guards in the city were fewer than usual, and he did not realize that he and his troops had been set up by Lelederik. At night, Lelederik launched a blind attack without lighting torches, and the Turkiye troops attempted to repel it. However, the darkness of the night and fighting in low-light conditions caused the effort to fail. Elvadesberg's troops even managed to break through to Mahmut Pasha's main tent. Upon seeing this, Mahmut quickly emerged from his tent and set it ablaze to gain a clearer view of the enemy's position while withdrawing his troops. The Turkiye troops were defeated and decided to retreat to Vidin. In this battle, Hasan Ulubat and his younger brother Hussein died as martyrs, along with several thousand Janissary and Sipahi troops under their command, in order to protect the main troops. 

Schneesturm City

The morale of the Empire's troops was boosted by the defeat of the Turkiye Army at the hands of Lelederik, which demonstrated that the Turkiye Army could still be defeated. However, despite the victory, the Empire's troops were unable to launch a counterattack. Lelederik was also dissatisfied with the victory he had obtained at Scheneesturm and decided to launch a counterattack against the enemy troops. Despite the defeat at Schneestrum, Mahmut Pasha remained undeterred. In fact, he was even more determined to succeed and would not allow Lelederik a second chance. As a result, he mobilised a small army with the task of ambushing Lelederik and his men. If Lelederik was defeated and killed, it would demoralise the Imperium troops, making it easier for Mahmut Pasha to conquer Schneestrum.

On the other hand, Lelederik's skill made it difficult for Ishaq Pasha to face him. He was successfully cut by two slashes of Lelederik's knives. Lelederik insulted him, thinking that he had won and decided to lead his troops. However, unexpectedly Ishaq Pasha pounced on him from behind and stabbed him repeatedly. The deaths of Lelederik and Gralat really destroyed the morale of the Imperium troops.

The Imperial forces retreated to Schneestrum. Mahmud Pasha besieged the fortress on the 3rd of the month of Seker for three days, which ended in a Turkish victory. Wilhelm Weissner negotiated with Mahmud to surrender the city in exchange for the withdrawal of all his troops. The fall of Schneestrum was considered the greatest humiliation for the Balt Rhein. Refusing to retreat, Weissner was sentenced to death by Prime Minister Louis two days later.

Mahmud Pasha crossed the Elvadesberg mountains and began the Invasion of the Balt Territories.

Elvasdesberg Mountain

The deaths of Lelederik and Gralat paved the way for Mahmud Pasha to conquer further Balt territories. However, he had to face various natural obstacles, the Elvadedesberg Mountains. These mountains were still covered in snow even though spring had entered. In addition, the path that could be passed was very winding, prone to avalanches, and made supply lines difficult. This would be a challenge for the 40 thousand Turkish troops, 60 cannons, and 90 transport trains.

Mahmud Pasha decided to cross the road to Eascherung at an altitude of 3000 feet. Because this distance was the closest distance, entering the 9th, the first line troops led by Radu Bey and Bayazid Pasha began the climb. To prevent avalanches, they marched at midnight. With very strict silence. They covered a distance of 2 miles. and only took about an hour and a half to travel. However, due to the difficulty in transporting the cannons and the lack of wood that could be used as rolling wheels, Bayazid's troops were forced to start the battle without siege artillery. Fortunately, the Imperial forces had already been decimated, and at the insistence of the locals, they were forced to surrender. Eascherung submitted without a fight.

Despite the difficult terrain, Mahmud's main force was able to reach Eascherung in 2 days. But with great sacrifice, he was forced to leave more than 40 cannons in the rear line to reduce the burden of the climb. and many transport trains were left behind. for that, Era (Orban's daughter who joined the expedition) proposed to choose another route by using a lower climb and lifting the cannons and goods using a pulley designed by her father, thus speeding up the rate of supply mobilization.

Bayazid's troops continued to clean up the climbing path which was sometimes filled with Balt Rhain troops and then descended to Saint Simon on the banks of the Danube River. Bayazid Pasha attacked the Balt Rhain guard troops in the city by surprise. Even with makeshift siege cannons, his shots were able to destroy part of the city walls. With a short battle, the Balt Rhain troops surrendered on the 14th.

but the next challenge still awaits as the Turkish troops deepen into Elvadesberg. The Elvades Mountain Troops are still a frightening specter for the Turks. because of their guerrilla capabilities by hiding in the gaps of the mountain cliffs. this time with the leadership of Gorge Argile, along with 8000 of his troops came out of Ghilman, and were able to defeat the Turkish troops in the battle in the Maelnbron valley (22nd) near this city. however, the victory of the Elvasdesberg troops did not prevent the Mahmud Troops from capturing the Ghilman fortress (24th-25th) Gorge Argile decided to retreat to Shafina and Arima while providing logistical support to the Balt Rhein troops who were defending.

The leader of the Elvades mountain army, Gorge Argile.

The defense of Shafina and Arima was entrusted to Erden and Reiren Magendorf. The Imperial government had ordered both commanders to defend the two cities until the end. In the first three days, the Turkish army's attack on the Arima fortress which began on the 27th ended in failure. With 800 Janissaries as victims. Argile decided to go back out in the hope of seizing supplies and even Turkish artillery. However, this time Mahmud Pasha had learned from his strategic mistake in Maelnbron by forming Wagenfort, placing Musketeers, and archers to ward them off. As a result, Argile's attack proved to be a failure, and he was forced to return to the city fortress.

Mahmud Pasha could not be patient with the siege of the city. So he decided to advance with 20,000 troops with the remaining artillery to immediately besiege the Arima fortress. While the siege of the Shafina fortress was handed over to Bayazid Pasha. Within 4 days Mahmud Pasha was able to defeat Reiren and capture Arima even though he had fought with all his might. To deceive Mahmud, Reiren made a peace treaty, as a guarantee of security for his troops, so he came out and attacked Mahmud suddenly with his troops. But he himself was killed first. There was a brief battle around the city of Arima which Turkiye could easily win. Because the formation of the Balt Rhein troops was irregular. Angry at this betrayal, Mahmud chased the remaining Balt Rhein troops who tried to escape, were captured, and then executed.

The fall of Arima and the death of Reiren further depressed Eden Magendorf, coupled with the rapid unrest of the citizens and famine hit the city of Shafina. Although supported by thousands of guards and sufficient Elvades troops, the city's defenses were unable to withstand the onslaught of Turkish cannons that came crashing down. For that, they hoped to drive the enemy out of the city by holding a Guerrilla war. On the 6th, with the leadership of Gorge Argile, regular troops and Elvades launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night on the Turkish camps and managed to bring some enemy supplies. Angrily, Bayazid Pasha ordered a general attack on the fortress, hoping to immediately seize the city gates and enter. However, Eden and Argile and held the situation so that they were able to repel the Turkish troops and push them back. But other bad news came when Mahmud Pasha had come to surround the city from the south side. Another general attack was launched right at midnight entering the 8th to prevent guerrilla warfare operations by the enemy. The city walls began to collapse and fierce fighting broke out between the Turkiye Army and the Balt Rhain and Elvades troops inside the city. As the sun rose, most of the Balt Rhain troops admitted defeat, Eden and Argile with their remaining troops fled. The city of Shafina fell after being besieged for 10 or 11 days.

Eden Magendorf asked St. Michael for help to send troops to the Balts. However, no response was forthcoming. Having no choice, Eden and Gorge decided to fight the Turks alone. Their forces met at Tharza (Hali, 16th) and were soundly defeated and suffered heavy losses. (10,000 troops according to Hammer) In the battle, Eden was wounded and fell from his horse but managed to escape after changing his horse and disguising himself as a common soldier. While Gorge fell as a prisoner. According to Tucnhman's report, this battle was the end of Elvadesberg's resistance in the Balts.

According to Sukrullah Celebi's notes, Mahmud Pasha invited Gorge Argile to his camp. Mahmud Pasha convinced Argile to accept Islam and join his army, with his diplomatic skills and gentle and tolerant offers, making Argile feel flattered by his high respect and ethics. He converted to Islam, followed by all his men. Then he merged the Elvades army into the Turkiye army. He even participated in helping Mahmud in his conquest.

According to Warren Treadgold, despite these successful efforts, it is highly questionable the indifferent reaction of the Balt Rhain to the fall of their main cities to the Turks in the north, along with the joining of the elvades to their side. Eden Magendrof, desperate to seek help from the Empire. Fortunately, he still had the support of Count Cave and Count Jourdain, to launch a counterattack. Through the report of Goz Kulak, Mahmud Pasha decided to attack them first, in the next battle, at the city of Cave, the Balt Rhain troops tried to block the Turks through frontal warfare, but were defeated. They retreated to the fortress to defend. However, they did not have enough supplies. The city of Cave decided to surrender on the 19th. This surrender was strongly rejected by Eden and threatened Count Cave, St. Albans to kill him as a betrayal. The dispute escalated into a one-on-one duel which St. Albans won. After that, he faced Mahmud Pasha to surrender his city, even he decided to convert to Islam voluntarily, after Mahmud issued a decree to his troops not to loot city.

one by one the cities to the fortress in Balt were successfully controlled by Turkiye, but in the expedition to Jourdain on the 22nd, a fierce battle took place for 10 days. because of the tenacity of the fortress guard troops, and they were able to inflict losses and momentary defeats on Mahmud's troops, however, the city of Jourdain was successfully conquered by force. The Imperial troops thought that Mahmud would let them escape, but it turned out, Mahmud sent 300 Sipahi Cavalry to chase them to be captured as slaves.

Aftermath

Mahmud was content with the conquest of Jourdain, he did not even touch Novo Bordo or Smedrevo where the city was located in the lowlands and vulnerable to attack. Possibly, he wanted to rest his troops, he was also worried about the trap of the Balt Rhain troops that might have been prepared if he decided to leave Elvades, he preferred to secure the base behind him first. Besides, surprisingly, (in the memoirs he wrote) there was no significant resistance that he passed through in his operations in Balt, except for local initiatives such as Lelederik, Gralat, Argile, and Eden. Mahmud wrote a letter to Zaganos Pasha about his successful military career in Balt written in Poetic Couplets.

The Turkiye invasion of Balt and Elvades had a negative impact on the Empire. Several prominent advisors and commanders of the empire were disappointed with the neglect of Louis' ministers and King GoldeBalt himself. This neglect was inseparable from the emergence of external reactions in the form of new opposition parties opposing Louis' ministerial policies after the heavy defeat at Plocnik. According to Irene's notes, some ministers, troop commanders, and Hermanns actually rejected all of his policies. The Hermanns actually removed their proud badges and wandered as ordinary citizens in Balt, some settled in Rhein. (The definite answer to why there were no more Hermanns deployed by Balt Rhine after the defeat at Plocnik). Louis' ministers continued to enforce the policies of his pro-war faction by issuing new conscription decrees, even without hesitation sending troops to drag citizens into military service. However, this only added to the internal political chaos of the empire. In addition, dissatisfaction with the Empire in the South increased. which paved the way for the Turkiye Invasion of Rhein afterwards.

The direction of movement of Mahmud Pasha's troops, and his conquest of the Balt region and the Elvades mountains. (red arrow)

[hatsumishinogu]

Shokoku no Altair Vol.26 (end)

[orpheusismefr]

by kato kotono

[kudakii]

zeki and nurzan bffies

[natsumi-no-hotaru]

Altair #24: Where an open ending feels too much like a premature end

[Previously: The key to heaven not entirely lost, but even love can barely save this shitshow, to be entirely honest.]

As expected, I arrived at the end of this train wreck with a mixed bag of feelings, in which the minuses outnumber the pluses by a good stretch. It goes without saying that frustration and disappointment make up the bulk of it, with a generous helping of confusion, surprise, and mild excitement. There is an attempt made on trying to bring different elements of the story line together and put the lid on the show but it just didn’t feel right at all. In the end, it ended up being a lost cause, what with the butchered Centro story line, but I just didn’t want to give up hope then.

[Note: I watched this episode in early Feb and only now got this post out in March. I blame the Winter Olympics, Lunar New Year and Boku no Hero Academia, all in chronological order. Seriously though, I’m going through such a crazy week of Olympics-withdrawal, it’s unthinkable.]

I mean, why is it so hard for them to pull out an ending that does the series justice? Isn’t doing it by the book the safest and most likely-to-work option? Why was it necessary to cut short the Anti-imperial Alliance meeting to the point that not even Zaganos was given the chance to respond to Venedik’s proposal to leave Cielo in Turkiye’s control? There’s just no good reason to do this - what are they even rushing this meeting for: it’s not even that long in its entirety, and cutting so much content out of it just makes the whole thing feel abrupt and lacking in context. Moments like this just go to show how much the storytelling of the 2nd cour favours tell so much over show, to a degree unseen in the 1st cour.

And fyi, the Alliance definitely got into a serious disagreement over the issue of Cielo but damn it, they definitely were not “falling into disorder”. Seriously, was it bad translation or did the anime just overblow things?

The episode quickly transitioned to the Divan meeting in which approach to governance of Cielo was discussed, alternated with scenes from St. Michael, where Minister Louis gave his report on the Empire’s war affairs and entered into hot debate with Duke Eisenstein.

Things over the Empire’s end went how they should, and I do find Nurcan’s voice hilarious and oddly appropriate for his character, but apart from that, everything else was stripped down almost to the bones. The entire disciple rivalry between Zeki and Maf-kun was taken out, turning Zeki into a bland, run-of-the-mill support character, the crackling spark in their interactions effectively rendered nul. (They even shook hands over the planning of Cielo later on as Zeki smiled and offered his support to Mah-kun. WTH??) Perhaps one can consider this a small detail in the grand scheme of things (dammit, considering the humongous things they left out) but what’s the point of taking it out then? What does the production team even gain by dumbing down Zeki’s personality? His competitiveness and possible jealousy of Maf-kun do not prevent him from contributing constructively to Mah-kun’s cause. So why????

The whole stopping-war-by-continuing-it talk among the three of Mah-kun’s trusted. Technically it is the basic gist of what would come to pass in later arcs but really, do we need to spell it out so very explicitly and artlessly like this? 

#too_much_tell #barely_any_show

The most, actually now that I recall the latter half, the second most contentious part of the episode, is definitely the indisputably bizarre conversation between Mah-kun and Zaganos, who initiated it. I guess only that is enough to tip you off of how uhm... interesting this conversation is. 

Wait... is that like a non-back-handed compliment coming from Zaganos??? 

#mind-fucked

You have revenged Khalil Pasha.

Uhm, like why does he care? I can’t imagine Zaganos would even think of Mah-kun taking revenge for Khalil Pasha in that sense. I don’t think he would be so unperceptive - he would know for sure that Mah-kun would think of winning the battle as a way to do justice and pay homage to his foster father’s memory.

Still, someone is being so appreciative of Mah-kun. Lol.

Lol lol omg omg zaganos's little gasp.

AKA. collection of expressions that you really can't find/imagine on Zaganos' face lol

Mah-kun back to his roots. Can I imagine Mah-kun professing similar sentiments in the manga? Is it consistent with the portrayal of Mah-kun in the anime so far? To the latter question, I would say yes; to the former, not quite. Anime!Mahmut is more pacifist than anti-imperialist, while his manga counterpart saw the Empire’s imperialist ambition a scourge that needed to be put down. Hence the reason for the presence of imagery of the Empire as a monstrous hand-shaped conglomeration of souls pops up now and then in the manga, which otherwise is absent for the most part from the anime. In short, imo, there is some spark of resentment in manga!Mahmut towards the Empire itself. 

Oh my kokoro can't take this :))))) My rant when I first watched the episode: 

omg i don't know if i should laugh or cry but how did the episode become fanfic material again? god it's already a fanfic for crying out loud, how the fuck do we even get to hear zaganos' thought again lol

“his family and loved ones were all taken from him, yet he did not seek revenge”

#the_eagle_glare

More first-reaction rant 

uhm nani? do i believe my ears? did za..za..zaganos really ask someone about whether he's right or not?

Jokes aside, I guess I would actually like to witness an open conversation between the two at some point, which hopefully may one day happen in the manga, done properly by Katono-sensei herself. 

It’s a strange sentence, which is then followed by Zaganos’ “If you do wish to eradicate those who wish war, war will not stop” and Mah-kun’s “You gave me [this pyramis]. I visited many countries and saw many things. The world is complicated. It cannot only be changed by the most ideal methods.”

I mean... the flow of this part muddies things up rather than illuminates anything in particular. What, is Zaganos going to fight on behalf of the oppressed/ the ruled now? And what is with Mah-kun’s lines? They sound so simplistic and what’s worse, even lacking in his usual conviction.

A rather sudden segue. Seriously, this conversation is barely held together - it just drags and drags, and feels more like a performance of sorts, rather than an actual dialogue with purpose.

There are grains of truth and genuineness scattered here and there, considering that some of the lines and sentiments expressed are hinted in the subsequent manga material. However, these are taken out of context and lack the plot dynamics to give them weight. At this point, this whole dialogue is barely worth more than the most inane of fillers.

The only one who can fill the hole khalil pasha left behind is you. Continue on your path, Mahmut Pasha.

 But uh... what about the divan politics game later on....? I mean... come on, it’s not like they don’t have conflicting interests, ok? Like yes, in later manga material, they do come to share certain viewpoints and achieve a certain level of cooperation, but man, as useful as Mah-kun is, Zaganos does not intend to share the spotlight or let Mah-kun have a cake walk on the ladder of authority.

F***, did we skip all the council shit for this crap, admittedly really fun crap?

Now, can we move on now?

Again, with the glass of wine while talking. Is the anime trying to subtly hint that the Duchess is an alcoholic or something?

And when you would think that we can stop talking about Zaganos for a while, these two have to bring him up. 

Wait, what? Are we seriously bringing in class divisions into the conversation now? I mean, heck no is Zaganos a noble’s servant. *rolling eyes*

Mmm... let’s put it this way. Zaganos definitely does have a bone to pick with the Empire, considering how much effort he put in to hasten the demise of said state. But even though little is concretely said about Zaganos’ motivations in the manga as well as in the anime, “vindictive” and “vengeful” somehow do not go with his characterization at all? Ambitious, yes. Vindictive and vengeful? Definitely an oversimplification.

With the war coming up, the fellowship parted ways for the time being.

That’s a lovely idea. 

Another weird AF little episode took place close to the end of this episode, this time back at Cielo, when Vasco took to meet up with Mah-kun to talk about using his weapon invention against the Empire. This is the most contentious bit of imagination that I’ve seen in the whole series and truly, I get that the last episode is about wrapping things up, but really, is it so necessary to be take such a prescriptive route and put everyone in neat little boxes, that is, Mah-kun going back to pure pacifism and Zaganos taking charge of the aggression? 

So basically, Vasco came to Mah-kun, offering his sark yay design as the ultimate weapon against the Empire in order to get revenge for his Campanian people. Mah-kun reacted in a way that made him the carbon copy of Khalil Pasha, as he suggested Vasco to think of using such technology for civilian purposes instead, arguing that such a weapon would cause lots of civilian casualties and has the potential to drastically hasten the evolution of warfare. 

I really struggle with this particular scene, because I can see how such powers of destructiveness would go against Mah-kun’s pacifist tenets, and thus cause him to advise against the development of the Vasco’s giant sark yay for military purposes. Nonetheless, that is speaking only in terms of principles, to which Mah-kun no longer rigidly adheres. The peace that Mah-kun now aims for is unlike the kind that Khalil Pasha advocated for the 13 years before the outbreak of the Great Rumeliana War, which saw Turkiye’s taking a more complacent approach to military affairs. Mah-kun definitely sees the need for Zaganos’s campaign to succeed to allow Turkiye any chance of ending the war as soon as possible on their own terms, and in order to accomplish that long-term peace, Zaganos would definitely need all the help he can get and spoilers aside, there’s no way to take down the Empire without piercing through that super-thick walled fortress of Mur, which protects the Empire’s capital city, with Vasco’s invention. So, yeah... I don’t see Mah-kun doing an imitation of Khalil Pasha in response to Vasco’s offer as a likely scenario. Not to mention the patronizing and moralizing tone of that argument, seriously.

Truly though, I really wonder why the hell the anime didn’t just show Bianca leading Vasco to Zaganos and Beyazit, like in the manga. Logically speaking, Bianca is the kulak and who is the highest person she would report to? Zaganos, of course. The whole scene of Vasco meeting Mah-kun is ridiculous, even just in the idea of it.

And this is the point where I just gave up really. The hell is with this stone of heaven crap? And to conflate it with the key of Heaven? Like do we really have to associate every symbol of peace with Mah-kun???

Although I guess little Mah-kun is a sight for sore eyes...

“... I believe that the meaning of my life is bring Khalil Pasha’s vision into fruition”

What is this vision even, if I may ask?? I will give that Mah-kun is heavily influenced by Khalil Pasha’s life and his works and thoughts but never has he even given a hint that he was pursuing someone’s vision and not his own. That Khalil Pasha may have imparted any kind of vision or plan to Mah-kun is never implied in both the manga and anime - he has always been the one to just quietly support his foster son and let him experience things for himself.

“In order to stop the war, I will choose the righteous path. That is also their purpose and why they fight.”

Seriously, what now? “Righteous path”??? Since when does Mah-kun sound like such a self-righteous prick like that? Or is the translator’s fault? Man, I seriously, seriously hate this bit. None of this makes any sense and is remotely coherent.

A lovely parting shot of Mah-kun. *sigh*

Also, with the kind of wrap up we had, Mah-kun is made into some sort of peacekeeper for eternity or something similar - what with him staying behind in Cielo and looking all satisfied and content and shit. He’s not some f***ing mere reincarnation of Khalil Pasha, ok??

Finally, it’s over and I’m just left this anti-climactic, deflated feeling by the end of it. I’m most disappointed with the portrayal of Mah-kun in this episode, which falls far short of the complexity of Katono-sensei's vision. This episode might as well not exist - or at least, has two-thirds of its content replaced by the following:

1. The actual content of the discussion over control of Cielo at the Anti-Imperial Alliance council:

Let us not forget that Doge Lucio is not called the Fox of Centro for nothing??

Haha, don’t you just love the aghast expression on Caterina? And the sharp tongue she has.

And who wouldn’t want to see Doge Lucio coming to ZaganosTurkiye’s defense of all things? And for the head of Cuore Rumeliana talk of Turkiye as the scary wolves is quite an irony, considering the founding myth of the region.

Haha, the civilized nations. And Zaganos’s badass declaration. Why the hell would the anime take that out???

2. Cielo in the safeguarding hands of El Toro

“The Turkish tribal lifestyle seems to suit ‘em to the ground” - Erbach

Ya really don’t say, lol. I really wish we got to see this sight for sore eyes LOL. The Tauro twins are just so much, so much fun.

And Erbach’s badass policing skills. And how he does he best to satisfy his high-paying client.

3. The hammam scene in all of its glory.

LOL, poor Ahmet.

OMG, Zeki. He’s such a straight-laced disciple. Kotono-sensei’s drawing and positioning of Zeki just made it so much more comical.

Can I just say how much I want to see Mah-kun with soap in his air animated?

#awkward

Nurcan at his finest. #fearless

Seriously that hairdo though. I wish he would teach me how to do hair like that. #alsohavelonghair

4. Court politics intrigue deepened and the wheels put into motion

I love how Mah-kun’s merry band of pasha and binbash just keep expanding, and how they seek to stand against Zaganos and his schemes.

As I said before, it would make more sense for Bianca to just go seek out the master of the goz and kulak, Zaganos.

I like how their dynamics are portrayed here not so much as in contest with each other, but closer to “checks and balances”.  Mah-kun is vital as who could back up Zaganos better than him? Who better to make sure he doesn’t run too wild with his schemes?

The kulaks reunited.

And the anime is so amiss in not being able to give Cyros/Kiros that air of maturity that he exudes by this stage.

Hahaha.

This scene is beautifully devoid of ridiculous sentimental crap, the likes found in the anime’s last episode.

5. How things at Cielo should have been wrapped up

Mah-kun receiving his first guest from the Alliance, Caterina. Things didn’t quite go so smooth at start, what with the Cuore’s entrenched prejudices and suspicions. How graceful Mah-kun handled the situation though...

She’s in for a lovely surprise.

And Cassandra testifies to how much Cielo’s past is treated with due respect. Truly, you can say whatever you like of Zaganos, but the man can do some serious long-term thinking shit that is hardly matched by anyone, even Mah-kun.

It would definitely have been better to show Cielo’s reconstruction finished in the anime...

And a lovely demonstration of how one must seek to be open-minded and brave in confronting our prejudices and bias.

And only this would be a fitting end to the Cielo arc. And seriously, with some tweaking, I’m sure that it could have been made into a suitable wrap up for the series.

All’s well that ends well. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

[happylaw]

Shoukoku no Altair Artbook - Katou Kotono (part 2)

[fenrhi]

[todaysdocument]

"Flying Tiger" made of yarn with pine needles of silk thread by Mrs. Kotono Kato, probably made during her internment at Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado, 9/14/1945.

Series: Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945

Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority, 1941 - 1989

Image description: Black-and-white photo of an embroidered art piece. The piece depicts a tiger descending a tree with sparse pine needle clumps. The tiger has one paw on the ground and is turning to the side. The tiger has an open mouth and wide eyes. The tiger looks kind of fuzzy, and the tree and the ground are made of a smoother, sharper thread.

[smillingcartoonist]

Shokoku no Altair Vol.21 Cover

Kotono Kato

[fishingfordreams]

manga recommendations pt. 1

Music, magic, and musings.

Majo to Yajuu (The Witch and the Beast) by Kousuke Satake

A dark fairytale-esque story set in a European steampunk world populated with witches, necromancers, mages, and monsters. It follows Guideau and Ashaf as they solve magical crimes, all the while hunting down the witch responsible for placing a curse on Guideau. A stunningly visceral story about vengeance, powerful women, and magical organizations, all told through Satake’s expressive and gorgeously detailed artwork. 

(Includes depictions of gore and violence, torture, body horror).

7 Seeds by Yumi Tamura

Set in a post-apocalyptic future after a meteorite hits Earth, the story follows the struggles of five groups of young adults after they are awoken from cryonic preservation. Tamura’s classic shoujo art style contrasts beautifully with the twisted and mutated environment, and the story brilliantly explores the characters’ intense emotional experiences with grief, trauma, and loneliness, as they try to adapt to this new and hostile world.

(Includes depictions of child abuse, trauma, suicide, attempted sexual assault, death).

Piano no Mori (The Piano Forest) by Makoto Isshiki

A heartwarming, coming of age story following Kai Ichinose, a child from the red light district who grows up playing an old piano left abandoned in the forest, and Shuhei Amamiya, who hails from a lineage of distinguished pianists. The story explores the importance of finding your own sound, and Ichinose’s music is depicted beautifully, captured visually in the serene moonlight streaming through the forest to the sunlit field of golden rapeseed flowers.

(Includes depictions of poverty, sex work, bullying, child abuse).

Blue Giant by Shinichi Ishizuka

Between the basketball club, his friends, part time job, and graduation quickly approaching, Dai Miyamoto dreams of becoming the best jazz player in the world. He plays the saxophone everyday, in the sweltering heat by the river and in the tunnel during rainy nights. Miyamoto’s intense passion for jazz music is conveyed wonderfully in the strong action lines, and a great focus on the character’s expression and body language.

Tongari Boushi no Atelier (Witch Hat Atelier) by Kamome Shirahama

A beautifully illustrated fantasy series about Coco, a young girl who longs to be a witch, discovering that magic can be performed by drawing glyphs and unwittingly uses a forbidden spell that turns her mother into stone. She is taken in as an apprentice by the enigmatic wizard Qifrey, and we follow her journey as she discovers both the wonders and terrors of magic. The world is vividly imagined and intricately detailed, brought to life through Shirahama’s lushly-drawn art style and fantastical story telling.

(Includes depictions of disability discrimination, forced body modification).

Shoukoku no Altair (Altair: A Record of Battles) by Kato Kotono

A historical fantasy story (loosely based on the Ottoman Empire) following Tuğril Mahmut, Türkiye's youngest elected Pasha and a strong advocate of peace, as he seeks to protect his homeland from the looming invasion of the Balt-Rhein Empire. The story is rich and immersive in its world building and characters, weaving in complex political, economic, and military aspects.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Record of a Yokohama Shopping Trip) by Hitoshi Ashinano

A slow, quiet story, set in a post-cataclysmic world after an environmental disaster has left humanity in decline. The story follows Alpha Hatsuseno, a robot who runs Café Alpha in her owner’s absence. Ashinano evokes the Japanese Mono no Aware style of storytelling, a feeling of gentle sadness when you gain awareness of the transient nature of things. The series is contemplative, nostalgic, and bittersweet, capturing the slow passage of time, of the small wonders that come, linger and pass on.

[the-golden-city]

Thank you so much !!

[shoukokunoaltairfans]

Second Battle of Cinza ( 08/01/79 )

battlefield location of Cinza Farm.

the second battle of Cinza, was a conflict in the Sud Rumeliana region in the second Balt Rhein - Turkish war (78 - 80 CTR) that took place on the 8th, Month of Lale, 78 CTR. in a Cinza rice field, beside the Scoglio river. The Balt Rhein army once again attacked the Sud region led by Generals Fretzen, Adam, and Dirk Witcher. The war ended in victory for the Stratocracy, dashing Balt Rhein's further aspirations to seize sud territory.

Background

The background of this war is unknown. according to Franz Babinger, the invasion of the sud region was carried out in order to take advantage of the reduced strength of the Turkiye troops guarding this region. because most of the troops were diverted for the invasion of the Balt region. however, it seems that the invasion of the sud region was not based on the orders of the capital St. Michael. according to Rhoads Murphey, the initiative of this invasion was from General Fretzen as the general commander in this military operation. without heeding the orders of the central government, asking him to gather soldiers in St.Michael after the fall of the city of Gol. Fretzen saw an open opportunity for the empire to invade the Sud. After sending some Rod Orm in order to consensus the Turkish forces. he began to make preparations in the Rhein region, gathering several commanders and troops with him.

On the 1st, the Balt Rhein Army began to enter the Sud. but bypassed the routes of Cantar, Veleria, and Letra. The Balt Rhein troops attacked several villages, market towns, and looted agricultural produce for military use. reports of this attack quickly reached Saruca Pasha, as Beylerbey Sud, in Espada through Turahan Omer Bey who served as Sanjakbey Cinza. when these reports reached him, Saruca Pasha ordered Turahan Pasha, Karaca Pasha, and Hadim Sinan Pasha to mobilise.

Balt Rhein's troops continued looting until they entered Cinza's rice fields which would later become the battlefield. while the Pashas and Beys of Sud made preparations to attack the Empire.

Between Balt Rhein and Turkiye Troops

The number of Turkiye troops defending Sud is still disputed. first estimates reached 60,000. while the Balt Rhein's own estimate from the census was 40,000. the Balt Rhein historian Schiltberger has his own aesthetic number, that the number of Turkiye troops reached 65,000. This contradicts Fretzen's letter to Adam about his census, which states that the Turkiye army was only 40,000 strong. this may have been due to volunteers taking part in the battle. the Turkiye soldiers were all Janissary infantry. and none were on horseback. they were reinforced with a few cannons.

Fretzen's army consisted of 60,000 imperial standby troops, which were supported by 20,000 light Rhein Hussar troops. the main troops under their own commander were at the core of the flank formation. the left flank was commanded by Tott. the right flank troops were commanded by Mark Blumenthal. as for the cavalry troops that were on the second flank of the troops, they were commanded by Adam and Dirk Witcher.

Battle

Cinza Battle formation

On the 6th, the Balt Rhein Army entered Cinza via the Scoglio River, and began plundering the fields, and agricultural products for supplies during the war. the Turkiye army led by Saruca Pasha had reached Cinza the day before and began evacuating the locals. he let the Balt Rhein army continue to plunder in order to exhaust itself in marching and attacking. and after the Balt Rhein army had collected a fair amount of loot, he began to attack them on the 8th.

The two armies consisted of three columns. the Turkiye right flank was led by Turahan pasha and his son Omer Bey. the left flank was led by Hadim Sinan Pasha. and the core of the Turkiye army was led by Saruca and Karaca pasha who faced Fretzen's army.

The battle began in the afternoon. The Turkiye army was able to withstand the Balt Rhein's attack for a while. but then the hussar cavalry troops led by witcher and Adam began to attack the right and left sides of the Turkiye army. Hadim Sinan Pasha and Turhan Pasha were forced to retreat. next, Witcher began to attack the core of the Turkiye forces on the centre flank. and began to destroy the Turkiye forces on the centre flank. as a result, Saruca and Karaca began to retreat. at the start of the battle, it was clear that the Turkiye forces were suffering a defeat. they fled to a camp near the town of Cinza that had been fortified with cannons, muskets, crossbows and wagen fort. and prepared for the next wave of Balt Rhein forces' attacks.

wagenfort, or chariot, which was used for self-defence against cavalry in the 15th century.

The hussars swiftly attacked the turkiye camp with great vigour. thinking they had won. however, the turkiyee troops accompanied by the volunteer troops guarding the camp rained cannon, musket and crossbow fire on them. killing half of them. adam was killed with an arrow threatening his neck. while the witcher fell from the back of his horse, but managed to escape. seeing that it was getting late, and there was chaos among his troops, Fretzen decided to retreat, and return to his camp.

Saruca Pasha made good use of this momentum. towards midnight, he quietly mobilised troops and volunteers. then made noise with fireworks and gunpowder explosions. instantly panicking the Balt Rhein troops, even for their divisions who were on guard that night. fretzen once again tried to mobilise his troops and make a defensive position. Saruca pasha this time used the wagen fort he had used to guard the camp as a means of attack by arranging it vertically. it was then pushed by buffalo to slaughter some of the Balt Rhein troops and destroy their fences. the Balt Rhein troops tried to escape out of the camp, but ended up as prisoners in the hands of the Volunteer troops. fretzen was mortally wounded trying to fight back, but a janisarry soldier managed to cut off his head with his halberd. now the Balt Rhein troops no longer had a leader, they fled the chaos of war with their comrades. Vasco describes the celebrations after the night battle of Cinza; "the excitement reached its peak, every citizen and Turkish soldier made his comrades laugh at each other. While the locals began to loot the camps of the Imperial troops and reclaim the goods they had looted, others harassed the captive enemy soldiers by cutting off their ears and noses (as a form of revenge)".

Aftermath

Casualties on the imperial side were very high. around 40,000 people were killed in the night attack on cinza. and almost all the commanders were killed in the attack, except Dirk witcher who managed to escape. the initial prisoners after the war were around 10,000 personnel. however, this number increased to 20,000, because Saruca Pasha after the War continued to conduct sweeps of Balt Rhein troops who tried to flee back to Rhein territory. some of them got lost and were killed by local residents. those who managed to return safely were only around 20,000 people.

Casualties on the Turkiye side vary. some say 3,000 soldiers to 8,000. but the second opinion seems to be stronger. the second battle of Cinza was a psychological victory for the people of Sud and for the Turkiye forces. and for the first time, the cooperation of both sides was able to break the Balt Rhein Invasion for the second time since the first invasion 3 years ago. since then the Balt Rhein's dream of reclaiming sud territory was completely dashed. until the fall of their empire a few years later.

[hatsumishinogu]

Shoukoku no Altair Vol.24

[yue-muffin]

@mejomonster​ anime/manga rec list because ask and ye shall receive.

historical fantasy: altair: a record of battles by kotono kato. longer review here. very good war story with high tension political, economic, and tactical maneuvering. rare setting/focal point of the turkish/ottoman empire rendered with beautiful art and attention to detail.

fantasy: the heroic legend of arslan by yoshiki tanaka. recommend the novel over the new 2013 anime/manga, but that’s purely personal preference. I don’t prefer hiromu arakawa’s art style for anything but her own works. i prefer novel!arslan’s mix of maturity/nobility and naivety over the more childish arslan from the new anime/manga. the old ovas preserve the vibes of the novel much better imo, especially the unnerving fog in the opening scene. but very good story overall. a classic ‘dispossessed royalty and his band of fighters must escape and return to take back their country’. also set in ancient persia with the europeans as the aggressor a la conquistadores/crusaders.

honorable mention: yona of the dawn by mizuho kusanagi. shojo version of arslan? haha i’m only half kidding, but yona of the dawn stands on its own two feet. again the classic ‘dispossessed royalty and her band of fighters’ etc. except this one’s more obviously fantasy with the band of fighters having superpowers. anyways i love the writing, especially yona’s character arc from spoiled oblivious princess to determined to retake her country and do better for its people. set in ancient korea.

shounen: hunter x hunter by yoshihiro togashi. classic shounen that starts with four plucky adventurers and gradually ramps up violence and consequences of the protagonists’ actions. this series has an arc for everyone, and while you probably won’t like every one equally as much, it has a lot to offer and a super fun magic system with smart and creative battles. the world is zany, dangerous, batshit crazy, and charming.

honorable mention: jujutsu kaisen by gege akutami. for a new shounen (seinen?) that’s honestly lived up to the hype. it needs more seasons though, because the story’s just getting started. i really love the main trio and find they play off each other super well. also, though they’re not always the focus, there’s a great variety of female characters.

adventure: magi: the labyrinth of magic by shinobu otaka. inspired by the stories of one thousand and one nights (arabian nights). if i had to pick one anime or manga that embodies ‘magic’ and ‘adventure’, i’d pick magi. i found the setting very unique (middle eastern, plus countries analogous to ancient china, rome and others). it also goes deeper into topics like poverty, slavery, war, and discrimination. very underrated series tbh.

psychological: monster by naoki urasawa. undisputed master of the category. has a dynamic similar to the one i like in qianqiu; a battle of wits and wills between a doctor and the man whose life he saved, not knowing he will grow up to be a serial killer. dark, twisted, but so very human. that’s how i would describe monster.

slice-of-life: natsume’s book of friends by yuki midorikawa. ugly sobbing. the anime is so good, the music really adds to the emotional impact. this story is, at its heart, about the frailty, importance, and warmth of human connection despite featuring yokai and supernatural elements. it’s about healing, being kind to yourself. i absolutely love natsume. he’s like that adorable dog you find at the shelter who has so much love to give but is also withdrawn from being treated badly in the past. and believe it or not, his character slowly grows across the seasons, even though there’s not a strong overarching plot.

 sports: run with the wind by shion miura. i loved this anime more than i had any right to. if you’re the type who can’t relate to most sports anime set in high school, then this one’s for you. it’s about college kids, a very underused demographic, who decide to run in the hakone ekiden, japan’s most famous relay marathon aired nation-wide every new years. it’s an inspiring anime, not just about running. it speaks to anyone who has lost the spark and love for something, and rediscovering the spark and what made you love that something in the first place. it also speaks to just...doing something for yourself. accomplishing something that took effort and being able to pride yourself on that. has a novel, jpn only, i haven’t read it yet but there’s fan translations available.

honorable mentions: giant killing by masaya tsunamoto and ao ashi by yuugo kobayashi. i love soccer (football), so i had to throw these in as other examples of sports anime that aren’t about a high school team. both tackle the professional sides of the sport. giant killing is the actual adult pro leagues, ao ashi is the youth team of a professional team. i’d say, if you’re a soccer fan, giant killing’s vibes will speak to your soul. ao ashi is just a realistic take on what it actually takes to get to the top. i actually prefer the manga of ao ashi, but if you can’t visualize the plays very well (like i did at first), the anime is probably better.

comedy: barakamon by satsuki yoshino. ok, there are probably other good ones out there, but i don’t watch comedy often. barakamon was surprisingly good though. it’s about a young professional calligrapher who’s booted off to a small island town after offending an official at a competition. he’s there to improve his calligraphy and do some soul searching (unwillingly). i liked it because for one, it actually does kid characters right. they’re gross, disruptive, adventurous, sometimes cute, selfish, and sometimes amazingly selfless.

sci-fi: gundam 00. alright, it does get a bit preachy and weird at the end, but i liked 00 a lot because it starts off so strong. the first scene of the first episode will haunt me forever. it’s really about how we of the modern world all live interconnected lives, whether we like it or not, and turning a blind eye just because it doesn’t directly affect you doesn’t mean it won’t someday impact your life.

???: baccano! by ryogo narita. novel or anime, but the anime is excellent, the music sets the vibes of early 20th century america, and the dub is superb. i just can’t watch this one without the dub, which is a rarity. it’s zany, you’ll be so confused in the beginning, but i promise it makes sense and all storylines are connected. but it’s chaos. good chaos. the storytelling’s really unique.

movies: i could have picked a few, but one of my favorite anime movie series is garden of sinners by kinoko nasu. it’s dark, twisted, and paranormal mystery. my favorite movie of the series is probably paradox spiral.

[funakounasoul]

Parents of Raison d'Etre - Pt 1

AKA, The Boomers :P

(Pt 2)

Takino Kentaro and Erika: Koyomiko and Tomoko's parents

Kato Tohru and Kotono: Nozomi's parents

Nakamura Daichi w/ Nakamura Rin (aka "Thérèse Renée Favreau"): Hayato's parents

Rin w/ Jean-Hubert Beaumont: Sachiko's parents

Pan's Mom (her name is lost! But I guess when the time comes, she'll get a permanent - and recorded! - first name)