Chained Soldier Episode 9 aired on Thursday, bringing us closer to the climax of the current season. In typical fashion, we are given fan service as a comedic vehicle, and then some fights here and there with”moderate production”. However, the biggest development of the episode that caught my attention was Kyouka’s fondness for Yuuki and the contrast between her and his sister, Aoba.
Kyouka and Yuuki
Fan service aside, I appreciate how Kyouka and Yuuki were written as characters. While Yuuki’s subconscious is the main reason why the series has so much fan service in the first place, it never comes from someone whose purpose is to take advantage of Kyouka or any of the other girls. He’s a brilliant guy with remarkable, albeit basic, determination, but I digress.
Kyouka herself is more than just a pleasant character. She’s really hit a growth spurt throughout this season and it happens again in Episode 9. Her feelings for Yuuki are slowly coming to light and this episode is almost a tipping point for her after everything Tenka tried to do in the previous part. several episodes.
There’s nothing better than a chance to show how much Yuuki means to her—to Shushu, Mei, and Himari—than a mission to rescue Yuuki from her own sister. I wouldn’t say that Kyouka’s ability to sense Yuuki as her ability was an evasion measure since Nei couldn’t find him, but rather, it felt like it was used as a way to develop their relationship with each other. Kyouka actually seemed happy and relieved for once when she received a reward for her abilities and most of all, it was because she knew Yuuki was safe.
In an anime that is classified as ecchi above all else, you would think that character development and overall story development would take a back seat — it would never be in the car in the first place. But Chained Soldier showed Kyouka that that was not the case at all. We’ve seen Takahiro’s work in developing a strong and well-developed female protagonist with Akame in Akame Ga Kill, and now, it’s starting to become clear with Kyouka and her feelings. towards Yuuki not as her slave but as a human being and what he means to her.
Kyouka finds herself in a difficult position by not expressing the feelings that Shushu clearly shows for Yuuki. Now that she’s gotten to the point, though, it’s getting harder and harder to hold back — and that’s not a bad thing. In a series where all the girls develop some sort of relationship with Yuuki, it’s understandable that Kyouka has to serve as commander of Team 7. Last week, she was willing to let the others go with Yuuki despite knowing what the reward could be. This week, she shows legitimate concern for someone with whom she has developed a close relationship.
The Kyouka-Aoba contrast
This brings me to my next point and that is the contrast between Kyouka and Aoba and their relationship with Yuuki. While Kyouka begins to see Yuuki as nothing more than another slave under her command, Aoba begins to see him as her equal—as a brother or sister—someone she knows she can be a partner with if things go wrong. out conflict. Now, Kyouka and Aoba have essentially switched places in their own way.
Kyouka is currently on the path of seeing Yuuki as an equal that she truly cares about while Aoba only sees his brother as nothing more than property. While Kyouka let Yuuki have his own free will (for the most part), Aoba has now used force to place him in his own little bubble. All of this comes down to who cares about what Yuuki wants most — a Chained Soldier work that I love because it has objectively solid writing.
Kyouka and Aoba are both leaders of their respective groups but they couldn’t be further apart in terms of personality—Kyouka is the more stoic and calm, Aoba is the wilder one. Again, this creates an interesting contrast between the two most important characters to Yuuki. That being said, in this episode we see Yuuki hesitate at the thought of not being able to return to Team 7 and Aoba responds with anger and disgust.
Aoba is a hateful person. Whenever I see her on screen, I just know the episode is about to get a headache. It’s one thing to do with her energetic attitude, but it’s another thing to do with Aoba’s big brother complex. For a minute, you think she sees her brother as nothing more than her brother and is protecting him—which is understandable. But next, she compliments Yuuki by calling him hot and the most amazing thing anyone has ever witnessed right after seeing his naked body, and that makes me just sat there and said “Why?”
Kyouka saw Yuuki’s “subconscious mind” but she never once treated him differently or presented him as if he were a trophy. Although she was a bit possessive of Yuuki when Tenka joined the group, jealousy is a normal and human trait to have and it shows that Kyouka is not a stone cold ice queen either.
Chained Soldier Episode 9 Summary
The next episode certainly has me excited as Team 6 and Team 7 are joining forces to bring Yuuki back. What I love most about this final moment is how the Tenka and the Others series plays out. No joke. No fan service. There was nothing but “Let’s go get Yuuki back,” and that was it. I’m not too keen on Coco or Naon and honestly I don’t care what happens to them at this point, but a showdown between Aoba and Kyouka is definitely needed at this point.
Episode 9 rating: 10/7
If you loved Episode 9, The Chained Soldier, be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 10 of The Chained Soldier will be released on Thursday, March 7. HIDIVE is streaming the uncensored version of the anime.
Image via HIDIVE
© Takahiro/Yohei Takemura/Shueisha/Magical Defense Corps Public Relations Department