Well things are definitely not nice and calm in the Kou Empire. It appears we’re going to leave Morgiana sitting for now which is a bit disappointing since I’d like to know what she’s going to do. Still, there was good focus on Hakuryu and the other Ren characters. Things are pretty tense there and the reminder of how tightly entangled Al-Thamen is with that country. How focused Kouen is and how grand his ambitions are. Can certainly see how he and Sinbad are going to clash with the focus on the Kou Empire taking over everything.

The political aspect was interesting, but it was especially good with seeing Hakuryu’s mother and realizing just how dark this enemy is. Though there is still the question of how much is actually her and how much could be Al-Thamen’s control. It’s hard to rationally connect the old person and the one here who just owned Hakuryu and has pretty much made herself the whole ruler of the Kou Empire.

What did worry me coming from this episode is Kougyoku. I was just worried coming in that she might have suffered politically, but I guess with the death of the Emperor that kind of thing was ignored. The real worry actually comes from Sinbad. There is clearly still some sort of impact or influence left over from that attack he unleashed before. That in itself is starting to push me into the hating him category. I could respect that he was taking action to keep his nation secure, but whatever he’s doing right now is crossing the line for me. Just what has he set up with her? It was bad enough manipulating the naive girl’s emotions for political reasons, but actively controlling her through that djinn equip is going too far. I don’t know what the long term plan is but it has me worried for her.

This episode was actually good to find out more about Kougyoku’s past. Grew up a girl completely ignored by her relatives and really everyone. A forgotten black mark on the family. Then everything changes. Ironically the tragedy for Hakuryu’s family was a huge boon for Kougyoku and hers. But of course you can’t just change your mindset instantly. She starts out a really innocent and frightened girl. While the selfish ambitions of her attendant were for his sake, it was a good thing for her. It gave this girl someone who believed in her and would help her change and grow. Now she has a metal vessel and she has made a lot of steps forward. Yeah, she’s still a bit naive and not always able to follow along with complicated topics, but she’s a good person.

Of course there was a lot of compelling stuff in this episode. The blatant stealing of the throne by the empress was great. I also loved how Hakuryu fully supported it. Probably because it sets up his enemies nice and cleanly. It will cause friction in the Kou Empire which would make it easy to destroy. Also makes it completely valid to kill his mother since she is the official ruler of the Empire. Still it did really mess with Hakuei. She really had no idea what her mother really was and the truth of their past. Also I feel bad since she is seeing her brother consumed with vengeance. Hakuei is a much more idealistic person. Maybe naive in some ways, but she is dedicated to her vision of the future and how to get there.

Things got pretty insane near the end though. I didn’t think we’d have such a direct conflict between Hakuryu and his mother. Much less that he could not stand against her in a fight. I have no idea what Al-Thamen has done to her (or for her), but it’s enough to make her able to easily stand against a Metal Vessel user without any difficulty. It was just creepy and makes me wonder what is up with this woman. I can’t really just call her insane since she’s too together with everything else for that, but it’s really creepy. There’s no doubt she has to be stopped and it’s not going to be easy. You can also tell Judal has his own plans. Just a feeling like he’s trying to get Hakuryu to also fall so he can combine a legitimate Metal Vessel user with a dark djinn. Right now Hakuryu’s anger is focused clearly on his mother and not at his fate which ironically keeps him safe for now.

The talk with Kouen was interesting if only because it widens the scope of the series a bit. A lot of questions about where they are living and just what the heck Solomon was. A topic that comes up nicely after the heavy hinting that the Fanalis seemed to have gone to another world almost. Is where they are living just one isolated segment of a much larger world? It does make clear that things might not end simply long as someone like Kouen has large ambitions. Not an evil guy exactly, but someone who does have plans for the world and doesn’t mind conquering all the other nations to make it happen.

So yeah this episode was pretty crazy. There is clearly a lot going on in this world and Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana are going to need to get stronger to endure what’s coming. Things aren’t going to be easy and they could end up on the opposite side of the Kou Empire, Al-Thamen and even Sindria. It was a good episode for showing the inner workings of the Kou Empire and the royal family. So I’m looking forward to where they go next since it appears we’re back to Aladdin.
Score: A