12.20
Ech man for hymself, ther is noon other.
As seasons change, so do our nature. Just as Ryuko grows enough to outmatch anybody in front of her, the oceans widen for big fish to become mere minnows. A titan in a sandbox is a mere footman in the stadium. Whatever strength or vitality we see in ourselves only dwindles when our world broadens, necessitating the desire to become stronger. This is the ultimate vexation of the food chain, that there will always be a challenger to our climb up the top. Those with ambition must carry the knowledge that they are one among many, no matter how much they ascend. But despite such toil, that dream of being better than our peers is what fuels the human spirit, no matter if we gain or lose from that fancy.
Harime signifies the barrier to that dream. All of her actions throughout the past two episodes involve disrupting a set system. Both sides become ensnared by her actions; making our two leads drive themselves into fury. She dances where others march, which gives me a theory: She’s not a person, but a creature made out of Life Fibers. She spits out cotton when being attacked, with her eyepatch resembling fabric used for old ragdolls. I see her as the playful doll that Satsuki’s grown too old for, yet can’t let go. By spouting lines to the effect of “How does it feel for the project you put your heart and soul in to stab into your heart and soul,” she creates a playing field more fit for bogeymen and fair folk than warriors of rational thought.
So beckons Ryuko’s transformation into a monster, filled with jagged teeth and corpse-like appendages. The new form brings to mind abominations from other worlds, resembling Ryuko just like a graveyard resembles a civilization. To fight inhuman beings, she must sacrifice her humanity. The grotesque juggernaut thinks in ways that a sound fighter cannot, who hungers for blood instead of victory’s honor. Her terror inspires, causing those thought to be villains to become crusaders in shining, white armor. Despite Mako’s consolation, this is only the first of a metamorphosis. If someone like Harime can exist, then there will be more like her to force Ryuko out of worldly skin and into hellish casing. In one swoop, she gives Satsuki the reason to answer her dreams, to become the ruler who smites discord, because to do otherwise would be to envelop oneself in eldritch garments.
But despite that revelation, the knight must still play the king. Satsuki must put on a campaign to bolster her power, to prove her desire is not without meaning. To justify absolute order, she must bathe herself in conflict to establish her might. The horror of war must be embraced in order to acknowledge and vanquish future bloodshed. That’s why she keeps Ryuko alive, telling her she ordered the doll into her father’s home to reclaim her hold against her rival. Swords cannot be sharpened without good practice. The shadow must be upheld to prove why light needs to exist. Illumination cannot rise without darkness to show it the way. After all, who is the knight without her dragon?
But who wields the sword to guard, and who raises the flame to blaze?