Alderamin on the Sky

Episode 12

“I had no idea that simply becoming a soldier meant you had to fight so many battles without any just cause.”

This breakdown and lament by suya, when Nana tries to offer her arms as an apology for the deaths of soldiers under suya, can be looked at a couple of ways. In one sense, it reflects the fate of the professional soldier throughout history, a situation only affirmed when Captain Sazaluf comes along and insists that any moral blame rests on the commanders like him. It's a position with some interesting implications, but it can also be seen as yet another charged statement in a series that, for most of its run, has seemed to actively question the operations of a national military force. If Yatori's depressing statements last episode about what she might have to do to herself in order to kill Ikta are a damning indictment of the dehumanizing of Special Forces soldiers (which I think is a legitimate argument) then this is the common soldier's side of it.

Another interesting conversation along these lines occurs between Yatori and Ikta later on, about how the battlefield is evolving away from the dominance of the sword and toward the dominance of the air rifle. Though it can be taken as a general commentary on the evolution of military forces and tactics over the course of history – another theme of the series – this might have specific deeper resonance with Japanese viewers who know their history. Given her family traditions, this could very easily be seen as commentary on the decline of the samurai's prominence on the battlefield in the mid-19th century, as the onset of true rifles made the common soldier a match for any armored samurai. On a more personal level, the conversation to follow is great stuff too, as it shows that Ikta still hasn't given up on his goal of breaking Yatori out of the mindset that led to last episode's powerful lines.

What the series has done with Torway has also been impressive. Though he's never had much focus or deep introspection, the subtle advancement of his character from the early episodes and the way he's grown in confidence are on clear display here. Unlike many geniuses in anime, Ikta almost seems to be coaching him by pushing him into making his own conclusions and smart tactical decisions based on the situation. His devastation of the Kala Karm is a treat to watch. The princess also shows in her sole early scene that she isn't becoming a pushover either. Now if only the series could find something to do with Haroma. Still, between all that and Matthew's own development, this series has become an unexpectedly strong display of character development.

Of course, the main attraction is still the back-and-forth on military tactics. The young Kioka tactician shows that he's every bit as crafty as Ikta, and seeing that even Ikta may not be good enough to counter all of his moves is more believable. I did find it quite amusing that he mistakenly assumed that Yatori might be behind the Empire's canny defense based on her family name, which makes me wonder if we won't see a face-to-face meeting next episode. The details shown on how the air rifles and sun cannons work is also intriguing, and kudos to the animation team for not skimping on that.

With one episode to go, the path to the seasonal stopping point is now clear. The fun will be in seeing exactly how the series gets there and whether or not it pulls any major surprises along the way.

Rating: A-

Alderamin on the Sky is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.