Record of Grancrest War

Episode 8

And now we pause our regularly scheduled Record of Grancrest War for a romantic flashback. Marrine and Alexis's relationship has been full of holes—what kind of bride stops loving her groom simply because a demon crashes their wedding? Of course the story is far more complicated than that, and “The Congress Dances” is all about why. Finally we slow to a leisurely pace as we learn about how the romance of yesterday affects the politics of today. Even so, I wish we weren't finally slowing down for this couple, but for Siluca and Theo to get some development instead.

I wasn't much looking forward to a focus on this pair: Alexis is a flower child and a bit of a wimp while Marrine is fickle and selfish. However, if Marrine and Alexis aren't quite likable, this episode at least makes them human, with their distinct flaws brought into sharp relief. When they meet, Alexis is grinning like an idiot about cobblestones in the middle of the road. Meanwhile, Marrine is too stubborn to read a single love letter until her maid practically coerces her into it. Alexis falls in love because Marrine is beautiful, and Marrine simply enjoys the feeling of being loved, as conveyed by Alexis's letters. It's a skin-deep and flighty attraction—these people clearly aren't perfect, but their romance is still interesting as it unfolds. And then, Marrine learns that Alexis is the leader of the Union, opposite her own role as leader of the Alliance. Perhaps it's that forbidden love aspect that makes this otherwise ordinary lust turn into an obsession for both of them.

Irvin tells the story of Marrine and Alexis's love to Siluca and company right before they go to the Union summit. As star-crossed lovers on opposite thrones, this certainly puts Alexis's plea for Lord Villar to take over as the leader into sharp relief. If he were stripped of his title, he would no longer be Marrine's enemy, and she could potentially be Alexis's lover again. However, Alexis forgets that Villar and Marrine are cousins—so Villar too is putting the personal over the political. All the better for the lesser lords who really don't like Villar, like the Earl of Artuk. (Or as this week's subtitles suddenly call him, the Earl of Altirk. Not sure which one is right.) Villar is shown in an admirable light once again this episode, clever and silver-tongued, so I have no choice but to like this man who I was all but prepared to hate from the beginning.

I realize now that there are two cours to Record of Grancrest War, so it's probably going to be a long time until we get to a conclusion for all this Alliance/Union stuff, but I already have a theory. It should be clear that Villar and Siluca want a complete end to the current political power system. Right now, lords consolidate power by conquering one another's seals and land, which leads to a lot of turmoil for the average citizen. I think that initially all of this power belonged the Emperor. If the Emperor Seal were still a thing, the chaos wouldn't have a chance. The problem is getting the petty lords of the Union and Alliance to give up their small holds of power for the greater good—and ousting people like the vampires who would rather things stay just as they are. If the show slows down into more specific sub-stories like this episode did, it'll be worth keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

Rating: B

Record of Grancrest War is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.