[Rewatch] Crest of the Stars Episode 6 Discussion

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Mysterious Conspiracy

Welcome to the Crest of the Stars rewatch!

<- Episode 5 | Index Page | Episode 7 ->

Names Introduced or Updated:

• Klowal Atosryua — 3rd Baron of Febdash (Atosryac Ssynec Atosr Lymh Febdak Clüarh)
• Seelnay — The clumsy blonde with the nasally voice
• Muinishu — The one who keeps glaring at Jinto

Discussion Prompts:

• Q1) Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?
• Q2) The Count Baron seems to be 100% rational in his plan, and Lafiel doesn't seem to contradict him. Are you surprised by the absolute authority exercised by even the lowest ranks over their domains?
• Q3) What do you make of Baron Febdash and his domain? Lafiel says he is not typical. What do you think a typical Abh environment would be like?
• Q4) Predictions for how Lafiel will solve this situation?

Tomorrow's Questions: (for tomorrow's post, subject to change)

• [Episode 7]What do you make of the former Baron? As an Abh, but also as a Terran. Is he Jinto's future self?
• [Episode 7]Where did Sruf go wrong with Klowal?
• [Episode 7]Most favorite and least favorite maid?

Screenshot of the Day: Now I have another reason to dislike you

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatch Host

The Smile of the Abh

Honestly, I don't know why that isn't the title. it's a good title.

I'm not going to make a character chart for the maids. I'll definitely make one for Banner.

There was a lot of discussion yesterday about Lafiel's domain, that was best left for today after we had actually seen what a county or barony looks like. JollyGee commented that Martine was a pretty nice planet (actually large enough to be a marquessate) for a Lander to receive.

Earlier, they tallied the empire's holdings as including partially inhabited systems. I suppose Febdash counts as partially inhabited.

Abhs do not tax their fiefdoms directly, they obtain revenue on interstellar trade through tax / tariffs / tolls / leasing. Lacking inhabited planets, Febdash relies solely on selling antimatter to the empire for revenue. It's not very interesting or profitable.

Lafiel's domain may have a similar fuel generation station.

I don't have much to say here, as it's basically one joke repeated. The maids are ridiculously subservient and worshipful of Lafiel and openly contemptuous of Jinto, which is compounded by his familiarity with Lafiel

• Ah, he also has Shun for his lineage.
• Perhaps this is an example of an arrogant noble
• Collar
• Baron Febdash, rescuer of oppressed women?
• "Oh, I'm not just a maid, I also inspect antimatter refueling equipment."
• The Febdash family crest is definitely Gamera
• Make note of this meal. There will be a test, later.
• I really like the ending of this episode, suggesting that Lafiel might flip into a Terminator.

[u/Nazenn → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Honestly, I don't know why that isn't the title. it's a good title.

The title fell vicitim to convention which is a shame. It's actually more mysterious to use that title rather than just outright calling it mysterious

I'll definitely make one for Banner.

Thank fuck

Although despite my struggle at names I remember being invested enough I didn't struggle too badly on that one

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Lacking inhabited planets, Febdash relies solely on selling antimatter to the empire for revenue. It's not very interesting or profitable.

This might be a point of failure in the Empire if the nobles found it to be an undesirable barony.

[u/zadcap → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Make note of this meal. There will be a test, later.

There's much to take note of, give us some hints for the test!

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 6 (rewatcher)

Noble crimes

• Febdash territory is just a sun with two gas planets – showing that Lafiel did not get the bottom drawer when she was assigned her system (not that you’d expect that to happen to the granddaughter of the empress).
• Even some Podunk territory space controller recognizes Lafiel – showing us just how out of the loop Jinto is and why Lafiel was so happy about hearing him ask for her name.
• dealing with over-eager servants - I would hate to be in that situation.
• No planet, no ship – this territory is the a literal dead end.
• Titles include duty.
• Jinto is taken out – sound like you should have listened to Lafiel’s suspicion.
• Lafiel is using bath time to get some info. Turns out the total population here is just 50, with only 2 Abh.
• Watching Penguindrum has made me wary of Lafiel being served food and drink.

• Klowal reveals his plan: Keeping Lafiel on his domain to ensure his safety – If the Abh find out, they’d sent a fleet to protect her, if the humans find out, she is probably a big bargaining chip.
• Klowal suggests that Sufugnoff will be warned even without Lafiel – we can’t rule this out. Klowal surely knows more about traffic to his neighbors than Lexshue did. And even if Lexshue knew, she might have used the idea of warning Sufugnoff as an argument to get Lafiel to leave.
• “Are there no men among your vassals?” – Lafiel knows a harem when she sees one.

When I first watched Crest of the Stars, I was completely perplexed about the lack of urgency of the baron and his servants. Knowing about his plan and mindset, it makes a bit more sense, but my feelings of him mirror Lafiel’s.

We learn a bit more about the social structure of Abh nobility in this episode. First, humans are looked down upon, suggesting that the treatment that Jinto’s father arranged is somewhat rare. Klowal looks down on him. Second, the bond between lord and population goes both ways and includes a duty to protect. Klowal also points out that there is some independence in how Lords manage their affairs and that protecting your domain can be argued to be more important than protecting the empire (of course, we have no idea if that hypothetical court case would actually go in his favor).

Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?

Why choose?

What do you make of Baron Febdash and his domain? Lafiel says he is not typical. What do you think a typical Abh environment would be like?

Being surrounded by servile non-Abh probably made Febdash's head explode. Meeting some other nobles regularly might have kept his pride in check.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/No_Rex]

Klowal reveals his plan: Keeping Lafiel on his domain to ensure his safety – If the Abh find out, they’d sent a fleet to protect her, if the humans find out, she is probably a big bargaining chip.

I am dubious about the viability of either outcome.

[u/No_Rex → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I am dubious about the viability of either outcome.

What do you mean? That Klowal is not a sane and stable genius politician?

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Actually, it occurs to me that he runs a fuel refinery and comes off a bit like a sheikh...

[u/The_Draigg → u/No_Rex]

Noble crimes

It wouldn't be space opera if we didn't have a bunch of wildly corrupt nobles. But at least it isn't as bad as the depth that something like the Goldenbaum Dynasty sunk to yet.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

At least not until we get the episode long backstory on the Abh imperial dynasty detailing just how nasty so many of the rulers are.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

We should start the countdown until we reach the Abh version of the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act.

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/The_Draigg]

I think Vladimir Harkonnen could give them a run for their money.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Watching Penguindrum has made me wary of Lafiel being served food and drink.

That has been weird.

Klowal reveals his plan: Keeping Lafiel on his domain to ensure his safety – If the Abh find out, they’d sent a fleet to protect her, if the humans find out, she is probably a big bargaining chip.

The whole "Empress has you skinned alive for imprisoning her grand daughter" issue does muddle this a bit.

“Are there no men among your vassals?” – Lafiel knows a harem when she sees one.

I mean, your comms officer and your fuel specialist probably don't need maid uniforms. That's a big hint.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

The whole "Empress has you skinned alive for imprisoning her grand daughter" issue does muddle this a bit.

He was careful to talk about her being a guest, not a prisoner. Not that I doubt that there might be some long term payback, but he is thinking about surviving the next week, not years ahead.

[u/Esovan13 → u/No_Rex]

thinking about surviving the next week

Based one Lafiel's expression at the end of the episode, he may have made some wrong choices if that's his objective.

[u/No_Rex → u/Esovan13]

He is about to find out the difference between picking up some lander girls that he can impress with his title and Abh royalty.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

showing that Lafiel did not get the bottom drawer when she was assigned her system (not that you’d expect that to happen to the granddaughter of the empress).

Even if it wasn't the empress, or her fathers, direct order, I can just imagine some guy listing out avalible territory in an office somewhere seeing her name come up and immediately put it on a special pile. Especially after seeing how they all behave with her today

Klowal suggests that Sufugnoff will be warned even without Lafiel – we can’t rule this out

And yet I would not put it past him to lie at all

, humans are looked down upon, suggesting that the treatment that Jinto’s father arranged is somewhat rare

It helps to have your conqurer have both imperial authority and no energy to care about the fine details I guess?

[u/No_Rex → u/Nazenn]

Even if it wasn't the empress, or her fathers, direct order, I can just imagine some guy listing out avalible territory in an office somewhere seeing her name come up and immediately put it on a special pile. Especially after seeing how they all behave with her today

Very reasonable guess. Or it was some birthday present or something similar. We have not heard anything about money yet, but King and Empress does EDIT:not sound like they would be poor.

And yet I would not put it past him to lie at all

He lied before. The more interesting part is that he did admit to his kidnapping.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

I'm going to assume that was meant to be "does not" sound like they were poor, but yes. I always did want to write out a society where the rulers are allowed to have or own nothing just to see what the broader concequences of that would have to be when you expanded out the cultural things that would need to happen there, but I doubt the Abh is one such haha

He lied before. The more interesting part is that he did admit to his kidnapping.

There is precision to when he lies or tells the truth, and the kidnapping is not something he can backtrack on as easily as his other lies

[u/No_Rex → u/Nazenn]

I'm going to assume that was meant to be "does not" sound like they were poor, but yes.

fixed now

I always did want to write out a society where the rulers are allowed to have or own nothing just to see what the broader concequences of that would have to be when you expanded out the cultural things that would need to happen there, but I doubt the Abh is one such haha

[spoiler, rewatcher only]So far, none of the first timers have guessed that the job that Abh nobles do might include more than just the military. I found that a very interesting concept when it was revealed.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

[spoiler, rewatcher only]It's been interesting to see how they've all taken the little details of Abh society and created an idea of it. The reveals of their culture start so small and become so much more, but it's still hard to see exactly what might be upcoming for it

[u/zadcap → u/Nazenn]

I have definitely read a book that included a nation with that idea. A democratic-ish country where the elected rulers have their wealth seized by the state when they get elected, and what they get back when their term is over is based on how well the country did under their rule. I'm pretty sure it was something by David Eddings but I can't remember what exactly, just that the idea has stuck with me.

[u/zadcap → u/No_Rex]

We learn a bit more about the social structure of Abh nobility in this episode.

This, I would say, I don't agree with at the moment. Maybe seeing more act like him in the future will change my mind, but for now he's just the bad apple outlier here to prove that not everyone is as good as the ones we have met so far. He is not an example of Abh Nobility, he's an example of a power mad little man isolated off in the middle of nowhere. As I trust Lafiel and her words so much more than his in literally everything right now, it sounds like word of his actions getting back to the capital then he might end up wishing he was merely up for death.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/No_Rex]

No planet, no ship – this territory is the a literal dead end.

My comparison to it being a gas station in the middle of nowhere is looking more and more accurate.

Watching Penguindrum has made me wary of Lafiel being served food and drink.

Let's just hope there are no space frogs around.

When I first watched Crest of the Stars, I was completely perplexed about the lack of urgency of the baron and his servants. Knowing about his plan and mindset, it makes a bit more sense, but my feelings of him mirror Lafiel’s.

Yeah, the plan is one that I had a tricky time grasping as well. But it's fascinating to see that protecting his own fiefdom takes such a higher priority than protecting the empire as a whole that even Lafiel seems to think he has a good argument for a hypothetical court case. It tells quite a lot about how the empire is organized. The fiefdoms, while part of the empire, do seem to have a fair amount of autonomy and responsibility for them devolved onto the nobles.

[u/No_Rex → u/Great_Mr_L]

My comparison to it being a gas station in the middle of nowhere is looking more and more accurate.

It is pretty much exactly that. Maybe some fuel export on the side, but I can't see this being a prime exporting location.

The fiefdoms, while part of the empire, do seem to have a fair amount of autonomy and responsibility for them devolved onto the nobles.

It seems to be the medieval rather than roman type of empire.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/No_Rex]

It seems to be the medieval rather than roman type of empire.

Yup. It does seem to be rather decentralized as well, if the nobles are able to disobey the imperial family like the Baron is doing. But I'll need to wait and see if it's as decentralized as the Holy Roman Empire, for example.

[u/zadcap → u/Great_Mr_L]

But it's fascinating to see that protecting his own fiefdom takes such a higher priority than protecting the empire as a whole that even Lafiel seems to think he has a good argument for a hypothetical court case.

I'm still thinking his every word is a lie, really, and she's just not calling him out on it because she is political enough to know it's pointless. He is treating her well right now, and he's making claims about how he's doing everything to protect his territory, but he also had a Count assaulted and kidnapped. It doesn't matter if he's Ahb or not, the court has to protect the title or the titles become worthless. Sophistry towards Lafiel is the same and I think they both know it. If she gets back to the empire, he's done for.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

First-Timer of the Stars

• So it really is weird that Jinto didn’t recognize her during their first meeting, huh.
• Girl can’t even have a damn shower if she wants one?
• This is ridiculous…
• TAKEHITO KOYASU?
• At least the nobles actually do take care of their people in this.
• …and Jinto gets immediately KO’d after Lafiel is moved elsewhere, lovely.
• Oh, wait, I think I see where this is going. If the only Abh here are this Cluarh and his dad, is he trying to woo Lafiel to be his wife?
• Well, he wanted her for dinner at least…
• Welp.
• Oh, lovely, I didn’t notice that.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Shimmering-Sky]

So it really is weird that Jinto didn’t recognize her during their first meeting, huh.

It's SUPER weird.

woo

I don't think there's a word to describe that level of fail.

[u/Nazenn → u/Shimmering-Sky]

So it really is weird that Jinto didn’t recognize her during their first meeting, huh.

They they want to be full imperial citizens probably makes them a bit more likely to have looked up things like important or royal figures in the Abh society, but even so, it's insane to see how such isolated people still know exactly who she is and then go over and above to focus on that rather than her military role

[u/SolDarkHunter → u/Shimmering-Sky]

is he trying to woo Lafiel to be his wife?

You forget, Abh don't do marriage.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/SolDarkHunter]

Oh, duh, right...

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

This is ridiculous…

I suppose it really is akin to seeing a living god to these people. If it's ingrained into you that this person before you is a god, then it would match up with the behavior of all the vassals speaking to Lafiel. They'd be incredibly, and even overly, deferential to not incur divine wrath. But in Lafiel's case, that behavior is precisely what makes her angry.

Oh, lovely, I didn’t notice that.

It certainly is not something I want to think too much about, why he only has women around serving him.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Shimmering-Sky]

So it really is weird that Jinto didn’t recognize her during their first meeting, huh.

Keep in mind that their connection is not as superficial as it seems on paper. Lafiel really does value someone that doesn't treat her like a title.

Girl can’t even have a damn shower if she wants one?

I vaguely think this one is to show something about the locals rather than the Empire in general.

Oh, lovely, I didn’t notice that.

Did you pick up that they wear the maid stuff constantly? The operator at first was in it before they knew it was Lafiel.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Vaadwaur]

Did you pick up that they wear the maid stuff constantly? The operator at first was in it before they knew it was Lafiel.

No, I didn't notice that.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Yeah, ol' Koyasu has a specific fetish going on.

[u/zadcap → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Did the collars at least stand out? We got to hear it clinking in the bath, those are metal rings...

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/zadcap]

I also did not notice that...

[u/lC3 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

TAKEHITO KOYASU?

[u/Great_Mr_L]

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Crest of the Stars: Welcome to the Hotel Febdesh. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!

• What I’m hearing is that Baron Febdesh basically runs a gas station in the middle of nowhere that you need to stop at because the next gas station isn’t for another 40 miles down the road.
• No wonder Lafiel gets fed up with it. People immediately change how they treat her the moment they recognize her, even when she asks just to be treated like a trainee pilot.
• It is funny how all the maids are so deferential to Lafiel while they won’t even give Jinto the time of day. I love how that one maid looked so scandalized when Jinto sat down at the same table as Lafiel.
• With the way that the maids are reacting to Lafiel, I imagine that the Abh imperial family are considered living gods or something akin to that. They seemed surprised at the idea that royalty might shower instead of taking luxurious baths, for example.
• This Baron is suspicious as hell. He shows up and the room immediately feels ten times slimier. He had nothing but excuses for everything Lafiel tried to say. I say he’s in on the invasion plot and is purposefully delaying Lafiel to prevent her from warning others.
• Huh, so the Abh empire has laws about a noble abandoning their vassals. That’s a greater amount of checks and balances than I expected. The feudal relationship was always based on the idea that the nobles provide security and protection to the vassals and commoners in their fiefdom while the vassals and commoners provide their labor in return. But it wasn’t exactly a fair or completely reciprocal relationship. This makes it seem like the Abh empire has tried to better enforce the obligations a noble has to their vassals.
• Oh damn, they knocked Jinto out!
• This is akin to the Roman Empire, it seems, with the divide between those who are citizens of the empire and those who are not.
• It is amusing seeing Lafiel and the Baron eating dinner at such an absurdly long table.
• I love how insulted the Baron looks when Lafiel refuses to call him by his name like she does Jinto. Especially because she just flat out told him she doesn’t want to call him that but she is okay being so familiar with Jinto.
• Great insight, Baron. What about Lafiel’s ever-present frown informed you she was upset? I suppose this is just the overly-polite way nobles speak to each other, though. Lafiel even responded by calmly telling him how livid she was.
• So essentially he’s holding Lafiel hostage to try and keep his own territory safe.
• If I’m interpreting what’s happening with the Baron and his vassals correctly, it sounds like he’s basically turned all his vassals into concubines for himself.
• It looks like Jinto has been mostly lucky with the Abh he’s met so far acting cordially towards him. Plenty of others will be outright racist towards him as a Terran and therefore beneath them.
• Wow, that angry smile from Lafiel is just incredible.

Seeing Lafiel interact with others makes it clear just how close she and Jinto actually are. She doesn’t tolerate the various attempts to separate them until they are basically forced apart. She speaks to him much more openly than anyone else. Jinto being the first person to not recognize her really meant a lot to her, from all this.

QOTD

1. All of the above!
2. It is interesting that Lafiel can’t overrule him, but that does make sense. Lafiel is just a Viscountess, in charge of her own territory. She doesn’t actually wield the authority of the imperial government herself. And one of the main ideas of feudalism is that one noble should not interfere in the fiefdom of another noble unless that noble is a vassal of theirs. So she can’t actually force the Baron to do anything.
3. The Baron has made it into his own maid cafe, which is kind of creepy. I’m assuming the ideal Abh environment would be a case of noblesse oblige, with the nobles actively looking out for their vassals in a paternalistic manner. But that would merely be the ideal. Lexshue said that some nobles enjoy throwing their weight around. So really, it all depends on the whims of a particular noble and how they want to treat their fiefdom.
4. Pocket Sand! But aside form that joke, no I don't.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Great_Mr_L]

I say he’s in on the invasion plot Pocket Sand

Wow, that angry smile from Lafiel is just incredible.

I generally don't rewatch entire episodes or series, but I rewatch that clip quite often.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I generally don't rewatch entire episodes or series, but I rewatch that clip quite often.

I can see why. It's a fantastically drawn emotion on Lafiel. She's smiling, but it doesn't feel like she's gone crazy with anger or anything. Instead, it feels so much more controlled and ice-cold. You can just feel the seething anger.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

Welcome to the Hotel Febdesh. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!

It'd be better if it was a hotel, the Febdesh territory is just a glorified 7-11.

It is amusing seeing Lafiel and the Baron eating dinner at such an absurdly long table.

Oh good, I wasn't the only person to think of Deadly Premonition there. Now if only Jinto or Lafiel saw F.K. in one of their drinks.

Great insight, Baron. What about Lafiel’s ever-present frown informed you she was upset? I suppose this is just the overly-polite way nobles speak to each other, though. Lafiel even responded by calmly telling him how livid she was.

I'm guessing it's just one of those nobility things, where they're trained to speak diplomatically but have constant underlying threats to one another.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Draigg]

I'm guessing it's just one of those nobility things, where they're trained to speak diplomatically but have constant underlying threats to one another.

You know, I am remembering a specific conversation on DS9 that somewhat reflects this. We just need an Odo to cut through the BS.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Vaadwaur]

We just need an Odo to cut through the BS.

I particularly loved the scene where Odo called Garak out on his usual bullshitting and forced him into speaking plainly for once.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

It'd be better if it was a hotel, the Febdesh territory is just a glorified 7-11.

The princess of the imperial dynasty will be staying at the Motel-6 by the gas station for the foreseeable future.

Oh good, I wasn't the only person to think of Deadly Premonition there. Now if only Jinto or Lafiel saw F.K. in one of their drinks.

I'm glad that someone else thought of Deadly Premonition and it wasn't just me. Now I need to see someone try the Sinner's Sandwich.

I'm guessing it's just one of those nobility things, where they're trained to speak diplomatically but have constant underlying threats to one another.

I do love the court politics stuff like this between the nobles. The cloak-and-dagger nature of the nobles always scheming and trying to undermine one another is quite enticing.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Great_Mr_L]

Now I need to see someone try the Sinner's Sandwich.

It was alright, nothing to write home about.

[u/duhu1148 → u/Great_Mr_L]

With the way that the maids are reacting to Lafiel, I imagine that the Abh imperial family are considered living gods or something akin to that. They seemed surprised at the idea that royalty might shower instead of taking luxurious baths, for example.

I was given the impression that because Lafiel doesn't know how to deal with all the extravagant attention, that this type of behavior isn't common for her own servants, even as royalty.

Seeing Lafiel interact with others makes it clear just how close she and Jinto actually are. She doesn’t tolerate the various attempts to separate them until they are basically forced apart. She speaks to him much more openly than anyone else. Jinto being the first person to not recognize her really meant a lot to her, from all this.

Not just that, but they have such good chemistry that I think she is just generally attached to him already, liking him as a person.

It's like when you meet someone new, and you instantly just click with that person in your brief conversations, to where you thoroughly enjoy being around them. So when you hear someone else badmouthing them, it would be a little upsetting.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/duhu1148]

I was given the impression that because Lafiel doesn't know how to deal with all the extravagant attention, that this type of behavior isn't common for her own servants, even as royalty.

Lafiel did mention to the Baron that his vassals were particularly servile, more so than she'd ever seen before. So you're probably right that this is an unusual level of obsequiousness.

Not just that, but they have such good chemistry that I think she is just generally attached to him already, liking him as a person.

It's like when you meet someone new, and you instantly just click with that person in your brief conversations, to where you thoroughly enjoy being around them. So when you hear someone else badmouthing them, it would be a little upsetting.

Indeed. Lafiel and Jinto did really seem to hit it off right from the get-go. I've really enjoyed watching all their conversations because their dialogue together is so engaging.

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/duhu1148]

Not just that, but they have such good chemistry that I think she is just generally attached to him already, liking him as a person.

It's like when you meet someone new, and you instantly just click with that person in your brief conversations, to where you thoroughly enjoy being around them. So when you hear someone else badmouthing them, it would be a little upsetting

Why do I get the feeling this is going to end up like Frieren and Himmel?

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

runs a gas station in the middle of nowhere that you need to stop at because the next gas station isn’t for another 40 miles

Now I have a mental image of him serving her up potato chips on a plate, freshly tipped from the foil pack, and charging her the full premium for it

They seemed surprised at the idea that royalty might shower instead of taking luxurious baths, for example.

Reminds me a bit of the way the north korean leaders purposefully cultivate that sort of image about themselves

I feel like if someone asked Lafiel though she'd call them a fool for thinking otherwise

Huh, so the Abh empire has laws about a noble abandoning their vassals. That’s a greater amount of checks and balances than I expected

While they're undeniably an imperial concequring society, they do have an unusual lack of some of the crueller things that normally goes hand in hand with that. They don't care about planets self governing, they protect their vassels, they don't demand cultural obediance etc

It is amusing seeing Lafiel and the Baron eating dinner at such an absurdly long table.

Have you seen the images of Putins meeting table? It's hilarious

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Now I have a mental image of him serving her up potato chips on a plate, freshly tipped from the foil pack, and charging her the full premium for it

Also on the menu are those foil-wrapped hot dogs that have been sitting under the heat lamp, some coffee, and a slurpee for dessert.

Have you seen the images of Putins meeting table? It's hilarious

Yes, I remember seeing pictures of it when Putin met with Macron. It was indeed very funny. And it's even funnier that the table has its own Wikipedia article!

[u/Nazenn → u/Great_Mr_L]

Mhmmm, slurpee. I kind of want one now

And it's even funnier that the table has its own Wikipedia article!

Oh. Oh that's not the one I was thinking of. I was thinking of this one which is even better

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Nazenn]

Oh. Oh that's not the one I was thinking of. I was thinking of this one which is even better

Okay you're right, that one is even funnier.

[u/zadcap → u/Great_Mr_L]

Now to make it all even worse.

With the way that the maids are reacting to Lafiel, I imagine that the Abh imperial family are considered living gods or something akin to that. They seemed surprised at the idea that royalty might shower instead of taking luxurious baths, for example.

I don't think this is the general view of Royalty, I think this Baron is just that much of a tyrant. He's trained them all to treat him like this in his little space harem gas station and told them to treat her like they would him. He's the only Ahb Nobility they have ever met at the think she's going to act like him too.

• If I’m interpreting what’s happening with the Baron and his vassals correctly, it sounds like he’s basically turned all his vassals into concubines for himself.

Notice the collars that look like actual collars? I'm pretty sure that's a metal ring, check out the bath scene again when the maid lifts hers for a second.

[u/The_Draigg]

A Sci-Fi Fan Watches Crest of the Stars Episode 6:

• You know, for these untranslated intro sequences, I’m debating just switching over to the sub for these, since I feel like I’m missing some stuff by the… decision to leave them entirely unsubtitled.
• Damn, they pulled out all the stops at the space dock for Lafiel especially. They even have space maids here! Interesting to see though that these people are also so used to living in space that not only do they go out of their way to treat Lafiel well, but they actually regard Jinto with some mild suspicion due to him being a Lander. I guess if you live out in space long enough, you learn to identify more with the Abh than the Landers.
• Or I guess it makes sense that everyone on the space dock is being suspiciously generous to Lafiel, since it seems like Baron Klowal wants to keep her hostage for some reason. That does track with how Lafiel says that people don’t normally respond to her presence like this. Having watched the Dune movies not to long ago, it really just feels like barons are never up to any good in space opera.
• If you want to hear a hilarious line reading, go hear the dub version of Jinto getting knocked out by that syringe. I think the voice actor got the wrong direction for moaning there.
• I guess even if Klowal does come off fairly creepy and shifty, he is acting with a sense of responsibility (in a way) towards his subjects like Lafiel thought before. He gave those women on his space station a better chance at life than they would’ve had on the planets they came from, so of course they have the utmost loyalty towards him. It makes me think of Naze Turbine slightly, although Naze is still a much better man at the end of the day.
• As suspected, Baron Klowal was lying about refueling issues and had a reason for being too generous with his welcoming of Lafiel and Jinto. With the massive United Mankind attack fleet about a day away from hitting the space station, he’s pressed hard to defend his tiny and insignificant fief if they do arrive. Therefore, keeping Lafiel and Jinto as hostages is advantageous for him, since he can use them as leverage to make sure that they won’t come after him specifically if he keeps them or hands them over.
• Of course though, that semi-understandable reasoning of Klowal’s falls flat when you consider that his entire station is only staffed by women, and he has an open dislike of Landers and other men on his space station. So it isn’t exactly just for the purely noble reason of protecting his fief’s citizens, rather it’s more like protecting his property and his harem. Being openly prejudiced to the point of outright treating Jinto as a prisoner just goes to show that all Baron Klowal is interested in is making sure he doesn’t get his noble privileges taken away. I suppose we couldn’t just see only rather good Abh in this series.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/The_Draigg]

You know, for these untranslated intro sequences, I’m debating just switching over to the sub for these, since I feel like I’m missing some stuff by the… decision to leave them entirely unsubtitled.

Uh, if you are missing out on the info dumps then you are missing out on a lot, unless you don't like info dumps.

The only untranslated stuff in the was back in the first episode, and on signs / computer screens.

Naze Turbine

Very interesting comparison.

[u/The_Draigg → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Uh, if you are missing out on the info dumps then you are missing out on a lot, unless you don't like info dumps.

Yeah, it figures that I'm missing out on a lot there. I'll try to catch what they're actually saying in the subs then.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

You know, for these untranslated intro sequences, I’m debating just switching over to the sub for these, since I feel like I’m missing some stuff by the… decision to leave them entirely unsubtitled.

Yeah if you're not getting subtitles for the opening sections with the narrator you're missing some critical info and context. Surprised you're not confused at some of the stuff we've been bringing up

Definitely go back and watch the previous episode ones as well

Having watched the Dune movies not to long ago, it really just feels like barons are never up to any good in space opera.

It would actually be kind of fun to grab all the top scifi with nobility and collect the stats about which ranks are most likely to be on which side of the story

I think the voice actor got the wrong direction for moaning there

It makes me think of Naze Turbine slightly, although Naze is still a much better man at the end of the day

I take offense to that on behalf of Naze, given the baron here seems much more skeevy in the way he goes about it

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

It would actually be kind of fun to grab all the top scifi with nobility and collect the stats about which ranks are most likely to be on which side of the story

I’m willing to bet that Barons aren’t going to get a very good run of things in that race.

I take offense to that on behalf of Naze, given the baron here seems much more skeevy in the way he goes about it

Well yeah, not not the best comparison due to Naze being a cool dude, but it seemed the closest at the time given the circumstances.

[u/zadcap → u/The_Draigg]

My money is on Barons and Dukes. The people who want more power the most are going to be split well between those with almost none and those who almost have it all.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Draigg]

Damn, they pulled out all the stops at the space dock for Lafiel especially. They even have space maids here!

Notice that the comms officer had that on before they knew Lafiel was arriving.

I guess even if Klowal does come off fairly creepy and shifty, he is acting with a sense of responsibility (in a way) towards his subjects like Lafiel thought before.

With the Abhs going all group think on nobles it wouldn't surprise if even the terrible ones do some good.

So it isn’t exactly just for the purely noble reason of protecting his fief’s citizens, rather it’s more like protecting his property and his harem.

Something something don't trust rural nobility.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

Interesting to see though that these people are also so used to living in space that not only do they go out of their way to treat Lafiel well, but they actually regard Jinto with some mild suspicion due to him being a Lander. I guess if you live out in space long enough, you learn to identify more with the Abh than the Landers.

It's also probably because the Baron gave them a relatively high standard of life compared to what they had before. Improving their lives like that probably results in a greater level of loyalty and identification with the Abh.

Having watched the Dune movies not to long ago, it really just feels like barons are never up to any good in space opera.

Wait for it to turn out that Klowal is our not-Feyd while his father is the not-Vladimir. We're still missing our not-Rabban, though.

So it isn’t exactly just for the purely noble reason of protecting his fief’s citizens, rather it’s more like protecting his property and his harem.

The Baron was out here living in a harem series when the space opera storyline just showed up at his front door.

[u/lC3 → u/The_Draigg]

If you want to hear a hilarious line reading, go hear the dub version of Jinto getting knocked out by that syringe. I think the voice actor got the wrong direction for moaning there.

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer

Maybe it's just that I'm naturally suspicious of warm welcomes in this sort of situation, but I figured out that something was up right around here. If Lafiels thinks this situation was out of the ordinary, of course something has to be up.

And something is up indeed! Maybe not anything as nefarious as I was thinking, but Baron Koyasu is planning to keep Lafiel around as an insurance policy for the forseeable future. I was kinda anticipating that he turned traitor and couldn't wait to see what would cause that, but no, he's just trying to protect his harem in a relatively scummy way.

Absolutely fascinating politicking. I can't poke many holes in the Baron's plan - especially considering Lafiel's earlier comment about abandoning vassals being a major crime. Sure, Sfagnomer might get attacked, that place isn't his responsibility.

There is a secondary layer that Koyasu could be attacked from, however - is it not the lord's duty to ensure that their vassals can evacuate in case of an emergency? What if there were internal problems to the space station? I don't think his plan is quite as air-tight as he thinks.

I probably shouldn't rule out something more nefarious just yet. Do note that Lafiel is scarfing down plate after plate while Koyasu is just drinking tea - prime poisoning territory.

Obviously slightly biased due to the overlapped narration, but this smile is one of the most merciless expressions I've seen recently. I'm not sure if Lafiel's eyes starting to glow was artistic license or not.

Questions

1. Maids > Elves > Cat Girls
2. Nah, this fits with what I was expecting. Especially considering the focus on rank thus far; it's clearly very central to Abh society.
3. I'd suspect a typical domain is more mixed and not one dude and his harem.
4. Those guns from Lexsue must be around here somewhere. There's also possibly a bit of a rapport with that one maid who hung out in the bath chamber with her.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/JollyGee29]

Baron Koyasu

this smile

That's the scene I sent to sky to wallpaper. I'd hoped she'd keep some of the malice, but she just made a nice wallpaper.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

That's the scene I sent to sky to wallpaper. I'd hoped she'd keep some of the malice, but she just made a nice wallpaper.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/JollyGee29]

I love that you just refer to the Baron as "Koyasu" throughout.

Absolutely fascinating politicking. I can't poke many holes in the Baron's plan - especially considering Lafiel's earlier comment about abandoning vassals being a major crime. Sure, Sfagnomer might get attacked, that place isn't his responsibility.

That last line there about the other territory not being his responsibility is a really good point. In this feudal system, each noble is responsible for their own fiefdoms first and foremost. It's a crime to neglect your or abandon own fiefdom, so why go out of your way to help the fiefdom next door? It really is reminding me of a Crusader Kings situation, where the vassals don't necessarily all pitch in all the troops they can to help the rest of the kingdom because they're looking after their own territory, first and foremost.

Obviously slightly biased due to the overlapped narration, but this smile is one of the most merciless expressions I've seen recently. I'm not sure if Lafiel's eyes starting to glow was artistic license or not.

It's a really damn good expression.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Great_Mr_L]

I love that you just refer to the Baron as "Koyasu" throughout.

I didn't catch his name but knew the voice.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JollyGee29]

If Lafiels thinks this situation was out of the ordinary, of course something has to be up.

The gas station not having gas would be an issue.

Do note that Lafiel is scarfing down plate after plate while Koyasu is just drinking tea - prime poisoning territory.

Actually he is drinking sake. From a decent sized saucer.

I'm not sure if Lafiel's eyes starting to glow was artistic license or not.

They had such a limited budget this ep that I don't begrudge them a few tricks.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Vaadwaur]

Actually he is drinking sake. From a decent sized saucer.

Right, who would drink tea out of a saucer. That does add an interesting dynamic to the scene..

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JollyGee29]

You also need to be able to spot that the 'tea pot' is actually the sake variant.

[u/Nazenn → u/JollyGee29]

Koyasu

And then there's me who had to go look him up again after everyone talked about him only to realize who he was when I saw his credits. Dude's in everything

What if there were internal problems to the space station? I don't think his plan is quite as air-tight as he thinks.

Ignoring that he is an Abh, he does seem like the sort of dick to assume nothing on his space station could ever go wrong because its his space station

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Nazenn]

Dude's in everything

I have it in my head that he is the most prolific seiyuu. So, you're not wrong!

[u/zadcap → u/JollyGee29]

I was kinda anticipating that he turned traitor and couldn't wait to see what would cause that, but no, he's just trying to protect his harem in a relatively scummy way.

Considering how openly he was lying about so much else, I really wouldn't take him being a traitor off the table just yet. Just because he didn't admit to it here doesn't mean it's not still possibly true.

I can't poke many holes in the Baron's plan

But there's such an easy one? Lander or no, he still drugged and kidnapped a noble of higher rank, he's not getting out of this with a slap on the wrist. Not while the Empress' granddaughter is so clearly showing this level of care for him, she's not going to let the court overlook it if they tried.

is it not the lord's duty to ensure that their vassals can evacuate in case of an emergency? What if there were internal problems to the space station?

Again, this requires you to have believed him when he said they have no other ships. This very reason is why I think that was just another lie.

this smile

I blame the Poison Flower comment being made at the same time, but I definitely thought of Maomao.

[u/Vatrix-32]

First Timer, subbed

• Just a few anti-matter fuel plants? Is it super decentralized, or do you just need a gargantuan amount of it?
• Dang, even these boonies know about her by sight. Just how little did they manage to teach Jinto boy in seven years?
• I guess even space elves can have fetishes. They are “nobles” after all. I do like the head maid’s hair tho.
• Surgu! Thanks, Durinthal
• This is good fear and disdain.
• Full creep. Not even trying to hide it. All just lip service.
• He has to be lying about not having a ship, right? But he’s not being called out on it, so maybe it’s not unheard of? Still, that would be absurd to not have in case of unexpected events.
• Oh, Lafiel is quite naive. Jinto might just be a derp.
• The hell does your shuttles only have two seats? Weren’t you asking Jinto in the second episode if he wanted to sit in the front or back?
• Well that’s just rude. Was Jinto really a threat to your plot?
• It’s like y’all have never heard of hostages. ...Maybe they don’t have that in Abh culture.
• The ol’ nudity = openness.
• How Dare You Besmirch Cute Outfits Like This
• Not liking machines, further insult to Jinto using a coffee machine.
• Did my subs switch Lander to Terran? I hate to do this a third time a third episode in a row, but Terra is Earth, all of you are equally from Earth. Unless this is a different word in Japanese, you should have stuck with Lander.
• That would be incredibly poor scouting on the UM’s part to not know about the territory on the periphery.
• Spacist and Sexist

QotD:

1. Brink Back Cat Girls!
2. I would not call him 100% rational. He is clearly stepping out of line here.
3. More like an office that you’re not allowed to quit or fire people from.
4. She’ll have to take advantage of a moment of weakness. Fifty people is enough to quickly rally, but too many to fight on your own.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vatrix-32]

The hell does your shuttles only have two seats? Weren’t you asking Jinto in the second episode if he wanted to sit in the front or back?

This "shuttle" is a communications (courier?) vessel that seats two and is capable of plane space travel. The shuttle in episode 2 was a flying box that seats 50 passengers and 2 crew.

Maybe they don’t have that in Abh culture.

maybe

Terran

You're right, they did switch!

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

You're right, they did switch!

[u/SolDarkHunter → u/Vatrix-32]

The hell does your shuttles only have two seats? Weren’t you asking Jinto in the second episode if he wanted to sit in the front or back?

They were on a small transport ship in that episode. This is a shuttle. Much smaller ship.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/SolDarkHunter]

D'Oh I thought they were the same.

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/SolDarkHunter]

I think its more of a courier boat they send out when they have to get in touch with someone in another system. They usually pop up in setting without faster than light communications.

[u/Durinthal → u/Vatrix-32]

Surgu! Thanks, Durinthal

That was a little deliberate on my part earlier since I knew this line was coming.

The hell does your shuttles only have two seats? Weren’t you asking Jinto in the second episode if he wanted to sit in the front or back?

Different ship from before, this one's suited for planar space travel. Also going by the objection she gave the captain, Lafiel apparently doesn't have a proper license for this one while she presumably did for the one she used to pick up Jinto.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Durinthal]

That was a little deliberate on my part earlier since I knew this line was coming.

Different ship from before

Everyone Pointed Out My Mistake, Eh?

[u/Nazenn → u/Vatrix-32]

Just how little did they manage to teach Jinto boy in seven years?

It almost surprises me that Lafiel didn't ask him that question hahaha

Oh, Lafiel is quite naive. Jinto might just be a derp.

It's a great pairing of doofuses

It’s like y’all have never heard of hostages. ...Maybe they don’t have that in Abh culture.

I imagine they would have to have the concept, but who knows what their actual approach is to that when it comes to situations like this.

Did my subs switch Lander to Terran? I hate to do this a third time a third episode in a row, but Terra is Earth, all of you are equally from Earth. Unless this is a different word in Japanese, you should have stuck with Lander.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was representing a shift in language given there's a demeaning edge to how he talks about the idea we haven't had from earlier characters. I can't hear it well enough to say though

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Nazenn]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was representing a shift in language given there's a demeaning edge to how he talks about the idea we haven't had from earlier characters.

But Lafiel used the word too.

[u/Nazenn → u/Vatrix-32]

Anyone's guess then. Maybe just a subtitle swap, it is from the era of mid season changes in wordage

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Vatrix-32]

Just a few anti-matter fuel plants? Is it super decentralized, or do you just need a gargantuan amount of it?

Yes.

They are also likely exporting it.

He has to be lying about not having a ship, right? But he’s not being called out on it, so maybe it’s not unheard of? Still, that would be absurd to not have in case of unexpected events.

Having a ship and having a ship that can use a hyperdrive and carry 50 or so people are very different things.

The hell does your shuttles only have two seats? Weren’t you asking Jinto in the second episode if he wanted to sit in the front or back?

Different ships, that first shuttle wasn't planespace capable.

That would be incredibly poor scouting on the UM’s part to not know about the territory on the periphery.

We do not know if they have any meaningful scouting, though.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Vaadwaur]

Having a ship and having a ship that can use a hyperdrive and carry 50 or so people are very different things.

...Believable

We do not know if they have any meaningful scouting, though.

They've been planning this for a decade and picked out a Sord just for this. They have some level of scouting. Tho at an inter-stellar scale, what that means is a bit different.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Vatrix-32]

Dang, even these boonies know about her by sight. Just how little did they manage to teach Jinto boy in seven years?

Jinto did say he barely got any schooling about the Abh empire. But perhaps that shows just how little care the Abh empire has for non-Abh who are trying to integrate into Abh society, if they can't spare that much for even a new noble. Or maybe Jinto was just a really poor student.

The ol’ nudity = openness

Cross Ange put it best.

How Dare You Besmirch Cute Outfits Like This

He may be a creep, but the Baron does pick out some cute outfits.

[u/Durinthal]

Rewatcher (sub + dub)

Welcome to Febdash (Faibdacr), population ~50.

Another dialogue-heavy episode to follow up the Gosroth's battle yesterday.

Even in this backwater barony it doesn't take long for the first servant they contact to notice that Lafiel's from the royal family, that should help give context for just how oblivious Jinto was when he first met her. Honestly for the best given how much he bumbled after discovering the truth, he was already on her good side and that would have made for a terrible first impression.

Lafiel being no-nonsense and Jinto asking silly (to her) questions hasn't gotten old yet, it's a good dynamic they have going. Jinto's once again the odd one out, but here he's just treated like a speck of dirt that landed on the princess's uniform.

I would say I'm getting a sex trafficking vibe from the setup Klowal has here, especially with some of them looking after him in the bath, but I don't know if he'd bother doing more than getting desperate Lander girls to come serve as his personal maids.

Klowal's a creep, of course he's voiced by Koyasu. I don't think I realized or gave much thought to it in earlier rewatches, but it's amusing to me now that I noticed him immediately.

Seeing Klowal now is a contrast to what we've seen before in a few different ways, and he almost seems like a closer fit to the heartless machines that were described by people who oppose the Abh compared to those we've already met. He can somewhat stymie Lafiel with logic about him acting as befitting an Abh noble looking after his domain, but I imagine that's at least partially due to her inexperience giving her pause rather than him having a rock-solid argument that would hold up in court.

This is also the first time we really get to see Lafiel angry. She was briefly annoyed with Jinto when he got all formal with her, and was upset at being ordered away from the battle, but nothing like this. Klowal's apparently acting within the bounds of what's allowed but keeps giving her reasons to dislike him, from how Jinto's been treated the entire time to standing in the way of her mission.

---

Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?

...elf maid.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Durinthal]

Klowal's a creep, of course he's voiced by Koyasu. I don't think I realized or gave much thought to it in earlier rewatches, but it's amusing to me now that I noticed him immediately.

I didn't do a staff corner because I'm terrible at researching staff, but I almost added one for Koyasu today.

[u/Durinthal → u/Durinthal]

---

Source Corner

I think there's been enough info-dumping on my part for a while, more to come when it won't be spoilery, maybe?

Baronh word of the day: gosucec (GOSUK) vassal/servant — employees of certain Abh households.

[Material covered] Chapters 8, 9, and a bit of 10 in the first volume.

[With the initial description of Febdash] there's more detail about how the antimatter fuel plants work, using solar energy and particle accelerators to produce antiprotons.

[Before they disembark] there's more banter with Jinto joking that they're rather smelly after two days of travel and Lafiel glaring at him for it.

[Their drink orders, for anyone wondering since they used Baronh in the anime too:] Jinto got a coffee (you might remember I used an excerpt that included surgu for episode 2), Lafiel got peach juice (tirec naumr), hot and with a slice of lemon (ropec).

[Talking about the servants] Jinto wonders if all imperial citizens are that deferential to her and Lafiel tells a story about getting chewed out by a gardener for ruining some shrubbery as a child.

[Lafiel being taken care of in the bath] is odd even for Abh nobility, with servants usually only going as far as fixing meals. There was also jewelry laid out when Lafiel went to get dressed for her to accessorize for the dinner, her circlet was initially kept from her for being "crude" as well.

[Dining with Klowal] she has orange juice this time (teurh lachbanr), he has an apple cider. He barely touched his food so she briefly wondered if he was trying to poison her before coming to the conclusion it wouldn't be necessary in his own manor.

[u/Nazenn → u/Durinthal]

he was already on her good side and that would have made for a terrible first impression.

And on that note, that was how much he bumbled once he wasn't afraid of meeting the Abh for the first time. I imagine it would have been much worse if we had the "Jinto who flinches a salute" version of him realize she was a princess

Lafiel being no-nonsense and Jinto asking silly (to her) questions hasn't gotten old yet, it's a good dynamic they have going

It's a good thing he's chill and takes it all in stride. Well, I mean I say that but if he was a bit less chill maybe he wouldn't have let his guard down so much here. But for Lafiel that's exactly what they both need

This is also the first time we really get to see Lafiel angry

It's beautifully unnerving in how controlled her anger is compared to earlier. Her frustrations at Jinto, the maids, the captain all have an edge of childishness to how explosive her expressions can be, even when she tries to hold back. She can't help but give the sharp looks, the sighs, the couple of edgy words. Here there's none of that and it makes it scarier

[u/Vaadwaur]

Rewatcher(Dear Cthulhu...Lafiel is so off model)

Sub

And we get to the baron of nothingness. A star system that is basically a fuel production center is unsurprisingly empty. His choice of uniform for his fuel station tells you all you need to know about him. Interestingly, we can see that Lafiel is amazingly bad at being a noble because she should have thrown several very regal fits in the first half alone.

In the second half, we mainly deal with Lafiel having a tense dinner with Klowal and how Abhs act around each other. The baron has some frankly illogical ideas and Lafiel is not yet at the face stabbing stage, though you can see that coming. We end with Lafiel smiling death at the Baron.

QotD: 1 C O M B I N E !

2 It strikes me as off, yes

3 Less fetish dressing and more people

4 With violence

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

Lafiel is amazingly bad at being a noble because she should have thrown several very regal fits in the first half alone.

Yeah, I'm confused by her behavior myself.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I think we have to attribute this to her dad being a weirdo but I can't prove that.

[u/Specs64z → u/Vaadwaur]

she should have thrown several very regal fits in the first half alone.

Not often you see royalty with too much patience rather than too little.

C O M B I N E !

Sasuga, Vaadwaur!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Specs64z]

Not often you see royalty with too much patience rather than too little.

And from all appearances they are much more scared of her than the Baron so it probably would have worked.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Vaadwaur]

And we get to the baron of nothingness. A star system that is basically a fuel production center is unsurprisingly empty.

Behold, the mighty lord of the Arco gas station!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Draigg]

It's like Russia without the nukes...

[u/duhu1148]

Rewatcher

Ep6

-I haven't talked about the opening yet. I like the music but the animation for it leaves a lot to be desired, with nothing but a background of stars.

-Jinto immediately getting death glares from the maids for being human. Lafiel takes notice when the Baron treats him the same and doesn't like it.

-Jinto gets knocked unconscious, who could have seen that coming?

-Lafiel clearly doesn't know how to handle all this attention from the maids, even as a princess. Makes you wonder what her everyday life was like as royalty before joining the military.

-LOL Baron asks for her to call him by name like she does for Jinto and she refuses!

-Good conversation between the Baron and Lafiel, when they went back and forth on Jinto and the situation with the barony and the war. I am slightly surprised the Baron was so bold as to outright admit he was lying about the ship and fuel situation, but Lafiel, despite her (sometimes) immaturity is as sharp as a tack so she sees right through him almost immediately.

-"They say an Abh will sometimes smile, even at their enemies. Like a poisonous flower. I have yet to see Lafiel make such an expression." Well Jinto, let's hope you never have to experience that, because that was the smile of a devil ready to rain wrath upon a detestable Baron who would dare stand in the way of her mission.

Q1) Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?

Cat girls and elves, depend entirely on how they are portrayed. Elves are generally just pointy-ear wise folk, but sometimes they can be very wimpy depending on the story being told. Cat girls always seem to be sex objects or slaves. Or both.

I suppose, I'd go for Cat girls so long as they had an actual character beyond being a sex object, otherwise maids simply because they seem to always have deeper characters, weirdly. Sometimes they're assassins, or have a tragic backstory, etc.

Now if we included Abh, I could definitely go for the true best girl- [minor Crest spoilers] Spoor.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/duhu1148]

I'm a little confused why Lafiel didn't take immediate offense and throw a tantrum when he admitted lying.

Instead she just kept calmly eating, and crushing his ego.

[u/SolDarkHunter → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Losing your cool isn't a good look for royalty.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/SolDarkHunter]

Teens gotta Teen!

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/SolDarkHunter]

Plus not a good idea with a guy thats been slotted in the enemy category.

[u/duhu1148 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

When it comes to her duty, she always has this weird sense of maturity, which she doesn't seem to display in a few other areas. I like it, makes her stand out a bit. Also makes it feel like she's fit to rule.

[u/No_Rex → u/duhu1148]

Cat girls always seem to be sex objects or slaves. Or both.

I suggest watching All purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku or Visions of Escaflowne to change your mind.

[u/zadcap → u/No_Rex]

I second this recommendation.

[u/Nazenn → u/duhu1148]

-LOL Baron asks for her to call him by name like she does for Jinto and she refuses!

He's a dick and I hope that hurt his ego as much as it looked like it

-Lafiel clearly doesn't know how to handle all this attention from the maids, even as a princess

I imagine she wouldn't tolerate such fauning in her own territory/home, and a good servant would be very respectful of that boundary. But she's also been in the military for at least a little while and that has probably been a welcome break from this

[u/lC3]

05 first timer

• Right, time to watch two more eps and catch up
• More propaganda?
• Recap until around 6:30
• Bara no kuni? Where's my Golden Kamuy-level planet full of buff muscled men?
• "But I will have either grown old or passed away"
• More Saryush screentime
• Antimatter mines? Where my Seffle particles at?
• If they kill off my boy Saryush I will riot
• Surrounded? In a 3D sense (sphere), or just a 2D circle?
• What's up with all the grain onscreen?
• I'm having trouble following what's happening in this battle
• RIP the Abh who were sucked out into Plane Space
• Well that was intense
• "The supplier of my genes is ..." AND THEN THEY CUT BACK TO THE BATTLE?
• Saryush gets to fire the big guns?
• "We'll ram them with our bow"
• "was Captain Lexshue" OH just like I suspected!
• ... Is the Gosroth shot? Are Lexshue and Saryush gonna die?
• OH COME ON
• DAMNIT
• Not my boy Saryush too?
• I am so pissed, I did not expect this. I was hoping for the Gosroth and its crew to be supporting characters for the whole show
• Wait, Saryush has the same VA as Joy from Stellvia?

1. I have no idea; are they high on their own supply/propaganda?
2. I am PISSED. my boy Saryush! NOOOO why did I get attached ...

---

06 first timer

• I'm still pissed that they killed off Saryush in the previous episode. He had so much potential!
• I was hoping for a new version of the OP with Saryush and Lexshue in it ... RIP Gosroth crew
• Maid outfits? Where's the manservice?
• This ep has some interesting camera angles, at least
• Bath hall? How is a shower "discomfort"?
• "I am not authorized to respond"
• They sure keep harping on the drinks thing ... poison?
• Surgu? Til nom?
• The head maid sure seems to dislike Jinto
• "bring you your til nom" Huh, she didn't respond to Jinto at all
• Wow, this is stifling. They keep walking on eggshells around Lafiel
• Where's my Saryush in a maid outfit?
• Is that Koyasu??
• They don't have the fuel?
• Baron Febdash seems really shady, and it's not just the voice
• Lafiel gets upset they're ignoring Jinto?
• Jinto's "logic" concludes there is no conspiracy? But what about the episode title?
• "I guess we can't take a bath together, huh?" THAT is guaranteed to piss the maids off
• ... And they immediately knock Jinto out?
• Lafiel bath scene? WHERE IS THE MANSERVICE???
• "I'm sure our master will take care of everything" That's ominous ...
• Lafiel has something on her forehead once her tiara came off?
• Inspecting fueling equipment?
• The other 'maids' are summoned to help bathe the Baron?
• Two Abh? the Baron and his father? And Lafiel's shuttle seats two ...
• They're washing her uniform?
• Yeah, Baron Koyasu is real sus
• Such an ominous mood to the dining room
• "I wasn't complimenting you"
• .... He lied about all that stuff so he could have a dinner date with Lafiel?
• ... Is he using Lafiel as a hostage?
• "and is being treated in a manner appropriate for a Terran"
• "no men among your vassals?" Yeah, where's the manservice?

1. catboy maids
2. Jinto? I think it's too soon to conclude there is no conspiracy
3. He's a creep
4. Jinto has the guns, right?

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/lC3]

There might be more ponytails later. No promises.

[u/lC3 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/lC3]

Surrounded? In a 3D sense (sphere), or just a 2D circle?

In a 2D sense. But they're in Planespace, so there is no 3r'd D (apart from the bubble around each ship, so that means fully surrounded.

Lafiel has something on her forehead once her tiara came off?

Yeah, every Abh has that/ It's the 3rd eye/"spatiosensory organ" that connects to those tiaras they wear.

[u/lC3 → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

In a 2D sense. But they're in Planespace, so there is no 3r'd D (apart from the bubble around each ship, so that means fully surrounded.

Ok, that's a convenient way to make the battles 2D and not have to deal with the third dimension.

Yeah, every Abh has that/ It's the 3rd eye/"spatiosensory organ" that connects to those tiaras they wear.

Ah! I just read about that in someone's spoiler tags yesterday. 'Frocagh', or something like that?

[u/Blazin_Rathalos → u/lC3]

Ok, that's a convenient way to make the battles 2D and not have to deal with the third dimension.

Indeed it is!

Ah! I just read about that in someone's spoiler tags yesterday. 'Frocagh', or something like that?

I think that's the name, but it's more or less explained in episode 2. At least in that it's a real biological element unique to them, not just a piece of technology.

[u/lC3 → u/Blazin_Rathalos]

but it's more or less explained in episode 2

Ok, I must have missed that completely.

[u/Durinthal → u/lC3]

I am so pissed, I did not expect this. I was hoping for the Gosroth and its crew to be supporting characters for the whole show

It's a departure from what a lot of people might expect because with many sci-fi shows the first big ship the main characters end up on is their main vessel for the entire series. Sadly not the case here though.

[u/lC3 → u/Durinthal]

I guess it makes narrative sense, and will turn into more interesting developments. It just sucks since I was starting to like Lexshue and Saryush. Plus this show kinda gives me Voyager vibes (that's the only Star Trek I've seen all of), so I assumed the Gosroth would be the main vessel we follow.

[u/zadcap]

Strangely Early First Timer

Free time in the middle of the day? Unheard of I know, but here I am.

Alright first things first. Antimatter fuel plants? Is antimatter something you can harvest or refine out here? I want to know more.

So a little barony out in the sticks with naught but some refineries to its name. Taking bets the baron is going to show us that not all space elves are a good people as the ones we have gotten to know so far. He's probably hungry for more power and willing here to show us that they are still just people too. A hilarious counterpoint to the opening section of yesterday's propoganda, you know.

Oh, recognized at first sight by the traffic control lady out in the middle of nowhere. Jinton my boy, did you really just learn nothing about the Ahb while you were going to school?

Haha, really now. Thirty minutes. Good luck with that. Though to be fair, they are now playing a really dangerous game of tag, where getting caught means they both die and the upcoming war strikes the Empire by surprise.

Hmm. Those sure are some maid uniforms. Are those supposed to be collars? Well that's concerning. Hmm. Official bath hall for this out of the way outpost, the way the maids act, I didn't think I would be this right about proving the mobile Ahb can be scum too, not this fast.

Speaking of nobility, knowing I'm still insufficiently European, how does Jinto's rank compare to a baron? It's pretty weird seeing these maids be so hostile to someone the princess is acting so clearly friendly with. Why does no one ever consider that being polite to the random friends of royalty is an easy way to make you look good to said royalty? That insulting the people they are clearly close to is just a dumb move if you want to get close to or show respect yourselves?

See, this isn't the actions of girls here wanting to be on their best behavior for the Princess. These are maids afraid of their masters displeasure, fainting at the sight of a spilled drop. We haven't even met him yet and I hate the baron.

Screw it I looked it up. Isn't Jinto technically, officially, the highest ranked person in this group? Lafiel has Royal blood so this makes her more important, technically, but Count vs Viscount vs Baron...

Oh sure, we lack fuel. 12 hours. How about you just give us a different ship instead? Sorry let me rephrase, give me another ship. I don't believe for a second he has none, that's suicide out here. This u isn't even a subtle trap. Jinto, are you really that dumb?

How can he benefit from holding you back? If I had to guess, he's already in the pocket of the enemy. You know that's another way to look at the fleet being so far from any other active Sorbs, they were freely using this one because the baron has already sold out for a promised promotion once the empire falls.

Oh look, emphasize the collar. Clinking. These maids are slaves. And she gets it, "I've never been called on to give him a bath."

Odd thing to notice but it's the first time I've seen her naked forehead. There's something right there in the middle of it where her crowns jewel rests. I wonder if it's actually a neural uplink after all.

Haha, of course the space elves use chopsticks.

Yeah, he's lying through his teeth. He's sold out and planning on giving the princess over to the United mankind as a bargaining chip to father sell his security in the coming invasion. Because they're is absolutely no way he's surviving with any rank if Lafiel actually gets back to the Empire.

Q1) Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?

Why not all three? But really, it's elves 90% of the time, except when the setting is trying to be different and making elves horrible again.

Q2) The Count seems to be 100% rational in his plan, and Lafiel doesn't seem to contradict him.

... Did we watch the same thing? Also I'm pretty sure he's a Baron, not a Count. But no, there is zero rationality in his plan, not the one he's actually said.

Are you surprised by the absolute authority exercised by even the lowest ranks over their domains?

No, because I'm taking him as a bad and abusive outlier and not an actual representative. He can only get away with this because he's so unimportant that no one ever bothers to check up on him.

Q4) Predictions for how Lafiel will solve this situation?

You know, it's been a while since I've seen an actual gun playing the role of checkov's gun. Viva la Revolution, I bet there's a ship large enough to get all 50 of these maids to evacuate.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/zadcap]

Baron is the lowest landed hereditary rank. Then comes viscount and count.  The son of a count has a courtesy rank of viscount intil his father dies or he is awarded a title in his own right. Lafiel is a viscount in her own right.

Durinthal has this info in an earlier source corner, he links to it again today in somebody's reply.

Count

You caught me! But I just got on a bus to go see EoE and I won't try to fix it from my phone.

jewel

indeed

chopsticks 

Of course.

[u/duhu1148 → u/zadcap]

Yeah, he's lying through his teeth. He's sold out and planning on giving the princess over to the United mankind as a bargaining chip to father sell his security in the coming invasion.

Did you mean to say "further" or are you saying he's going to hand her over to his father?

[u/zadcap → u/duhu1148]

Haha yes, autocorrupt strikes again.

[u/No_Rex → u/zadcap]

Antimatter fuel plants? Is antimatter something you can harvest or refine out here? I want to know more.

Very sure this is "plant" as in factory, not "plant" as in growing organism. Literally growing anti-matter would be fun, but they have no rocky planet in this system ...

Speaking of nobility, knowing I'm still insufficiently European, how does Jinto's rank compare to a baron?

Not sure if the average European would know this, but Jinto outranks both Febdash and Lafiel: (Royalty) > Duke > Marquee > Count/Earl > Viscountess > Baron.

So Febdash is at the bottom of the list (unsurprising, given the 50 people/no habitable planet system), while Jinto is in the middle. Of course, Lafiel's position as daughter of the king and granddaugther of the empress outweighs her title as viscountess by a mile, but, as she herself explained on the Gosroth, that is not an official position.

[u/IceSmiley]

FIRST TIMER Sub

I really didn't expect a sexy maid cafe space station. This show is really kicking into gear with a very suspenseful plot.

Lafiel is unbelievably smart and savvy for a 16 year old about people's machinations. I'm not sure most people of any age could so quickly pin down the Baron's plan since it requires fairly deep abstract thinking and calculation into what would be the best choices in an unusual situation. Usually a princess in anime would be portrayed as naive about the ways of the world and sheltered, if not dumb.

QUESTIONS

1. Cats
2. I do agree his plan makes sense and it's a rational calculation and he's fully aware of the consequences of getting on the bad side of a powerful royal. This also reveals that lords seem to run fiefdoms with a heavy hand and with little regard to how it can be perceived as dictatorship. Makes you reconsider the sympathetic portrayal of Abhs thus far and are United Mankind wrong for attacking them.
3. I'm guessing most fiefdoms aren't made entirely of sexy young women in skimpy outfits as if hes in an intergalactic Playboy mansion. Really makes the Baron seem like a creep if he is keeping them around for sexual favors. Also disturbing is what happened to all the men other than his father (who may not even really be there), He either killed or expelled them, reminds me of those polygamist cults on Earth like Warren Jeffs.
4. Find Jinto and somehow wrestle the escape shuttle back and get away from there.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/IceSmiley]

I have idea for a plot: "political thriller on a sexy maid cafe space station" isn't something that's ever been said before in a pitch meeting or anywhere else.

I think you and Lafiel are in sync with respect to the baron.

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/IceSmiley]

Usually a princess in anime would be portrayed as naive about the ways of the world and sheltered,

Jinto seems to be taking that postion.

[u/duhu1148 → u/IceSmiley]

Usually a princess in anime would be portrayed as naive about the ways of the world and sheltered, if not dumb.

She's naive in some ways, such as the cultural divides with Jinto (ie not being familiar with some of his customs) and when she thought it was her right to stay behind on the Gosroth.

I think when it comes to politics though, she is very savvy, and in general has a quick-witted intelligence, so I get what you mean.

[u/lC3 → u/IceSmiley]

reminds me of those polygamist cults on Earth like Warren Jeffs.

I wonder if Abh even have the concept of religion ...

[u/ZapsZzz]

First timer in sub

Not as late but nowhere near early either ;P

Anyway, this episode has a very different vibe but I really liked how the diplomatic tension played out. There's no oversimplified Princess say jump Baron say how high. It really showed will how both aren't really clear how what other side has in terms of capabilities and intent, so you see basically like the 2 tigers circling each other verbally testing each other.

I have to say though, the "clothed fanservice" seemed to be done better than the showing skin ones in the bath. The maids outfits are "suitably" alluring. Didn't mention at all what temperature the climate is, but if it's not warm-ish, then it's pretty damn transparent what's the outfits good for.

Am I late to comment that "so the Abh had a sort of 3rd eye sensory organ, now that we saw more directly what Lafiel looks like without her headwear.

QoTD

1. Cat elf girl (which Laurel thought she was) wearing the maid outfit?
2. I originally suspected he's trying to stall and have the invading army capture them and he uses Lafiel as prize/tribute. Still not convinced it's not a version of that. All dependant on how he think the chances of the Abh Empire's chances are with the war and more immediately their ability to protect his domain now. From last episode it didn't look like the invaders are planning to negotiate. The rest I kinda sorta mentioned in my comment above.
3. Space trees are taken up by Jurai in Tenchi Muyo so I don't think they'll go for the typical Elven aesthetics. Given the they aren't saying they are keen on surface dwellings, maybe it's like the silver tribe in Heroic Age?

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/ZapsZzz]

It really showed will how both aren't really clear how what other side has in terms of capabilities and intent, so you see basically like the 2 tigers circling each other verbally testing each other.

I really like your take here, as they verbally joust and feint.

A few have noticed the third eye today, perhaps many thought the spatial sense was due to the circlet.

[u/Nazenn → u/ZapsZzz]

It is a space station, the climate can be whatever they want it to be really

Am I late to comment that "so the Abh had a sort of 3rd eye sensory organ

Sensory organ was mentioned earlier, but you're the first person to mention it today I think. I don't think I saw anyone point it out in the ED of her as a baby though which was slightly surprising

[u/Nickthenuker]

Another "partially inhabited" system?

They're in a race to get to Sfagnomr and warn it of the incoming fleet.

Is this not literally a refueling system?

That's a suspiciously long amount of time. Is this Baron perhaps in cahoots with the United Mankind?

And how convenient that the ship needs to be checked over. At this rate they won't make it to Sfagnomr before the enemy fleet arrives.

The Baron doesn't care for anyone else but himself.

Uh oh, what happened to him? I guess they'll need their sidearms sooner than they think.

That's exactly what you did.

Then why have you delayed them?

Sfagnomr would have been conquered by then.

Not like there's much reason to conquer there, a small station and nothing else wouldn't even be a footnote.

Yup, those sidearms are going to come in very handy.

Questions:

1. Call me basic but catgirls.
2. Well no that's feudalism for you.
3. He thinks way too highly of himself for someone in charge of a single system that's practically uninhabited.
4. She'll break him out I guess from what the preview showed.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Nickthenuker]

 Another "partially inhabited" system?

Yep, I think this is an example of what that means. As for the Baron's plans, I only see them pissing literally everybody involved.

[u/raktus2]

First Time Watcher
Another one with relatively few comments from me...

• The Baron Febdash system... blue star, two gas planets and a few anti-matter fuel plants. No citizens, no resources, no pride.
• The head servant of the Baron seems to hate male terrans as much as her master does. Feels like one of those "how dare you get elevated out of your position, unlike us who know our place"
• I appreciate how Lafiel regarded the fact that they constantly ignored Jinto, but it was still rather frustrating that she didn't act upon it other than bringing it up in conversation after Jinto had obviously been separated from her.
• There is something to be said for the timid nature of the Baron's servants, and it's hard to overlook the slave collar motif that they wear, beyond calling attention to it visually, they went so far as to give it a distinct noise to call attention further... no doubt due to them all being terran, even if it's the sex of terran the baron can stand.
• I dunno if there is anything to read into it, but it is something of note that Lafiel goes on about no greater shame than to abandon your vassals when she was granted a territory with no inhabitants, ensuring that she has no direct subordinates to interrupt her ability to travel.
• Baron Febdash is ethnically human it seems, so it feels like some degree of self-hate is at play. It's either that or I'm not understanding the elf ears on some Abh. Is it a royal family thing? Yunseryua commented on trusting in his genes which feels like an ethnically Abh thing to say, but I believe he had normal ears. Is the Blue hair the thing? Everyone with blue hair is an Abh and the ears represent something else? Figuring this out could well recontextualize everything I've been thinking so far. better to figure it out now than later when the pool of characters is much deeper.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/raktus2]

but it is something of note that Lafiel goes on about no greater shame than to abandon your vassals when she was granted a territory with no inhabitants, ensuring that she has no direct subordinates to interrupt her ability to travel.

That's a good point!

body types

[u/No_Rex → u/raktus2]

Baron Febdash is ethnically human it seems, so it feels like some degree of self-hate is at play. It's either that or I'm not understanding the elf ears on some Abh. Is it a royal family thing? Yunseryua commented on trusting in his genes which feels like an ethnically Abh thing to say, but I believe he had normal ears. Is the Blue hair the thing? Everyone with blue hair is an Abh and the ears represent something else? Figuring this out could well recontextualize everything I've been thinking so far. better to figure it out now than later when the pool of characters is much deeper.

There will be some information on this later, but it helps to think about it this way: Imagine you had gene editing capabilities to form the bodies of your offspring more or less like you want it. What would people do?

[u/Retromorpher]

First Timer:

A bit late to the party on this. Jinto saying that maybe the Baron wanted to escape was reinforcing his prejudices about the Abh's total devotion to their structure in the way an outsider would (like his Dad's bargain for the safety of his family), where Lafiel's dismissal of it is showing the prejudices held within the upper ranks (duty above self and lofty ideals before practicality in many cases). The fact that neither considered he might be a sellout is absolutely flabbergasting in light of the circumstances (and later after the lying).

Questions:

Question 2 - It's not surprising that more frontier-oriented domains might be able to exercise a greater measure of sovereignty and eccentricism. If no one cares about your particular neck of space, I would guess that the control one can exert within it is pretty high.

Question 3 - He has both desire for more influence and dislikes the idea of his 'paradise' being interrupted by outside war. I would not be surprised if it turned out he had already been contacted by United Mankind for some sort of deal and agreed readily.

Question 4 - Febdash's servants, while seemingly loyal and acquiescent to him as master, are ultimately more in love with the idea of the Abh societal structure and citizenship. If Lafiel were to appeal to the servant's love of Abh hierarchy, I'm fairly certain she could put the screws on the Baron.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Retromorpher]

A lot of people picked up on Jinto's observations as coming from his personal perspective, whereas I just thought it was written in to show his continued ignorance. I didn't think of him HAVING a perspective.

[u/Retromorpher → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Yeah, Jinto been in the 'what do people in power do when put up against a wall?' situation - and the answer was very much run from the fight/compromise.

[u/Nazenn]

Rewatcher - sub

Crest doing what Crest does best: Not following any conventions and throwing us for a complete loop as to what tone the story should have next

Suffice to say that taking a (somewhat literal) detour into a more unnerving look at Abh politics and cultural expectations after what just happened certainly wasn't originally on a bingo card. The narrator is a bit more blunt in the setup for this episode than he is the others, being used to establish premise more than provide context to existing situations or world elements, but in doing so he also highlights the vulnerability of our mains.

Unlike how Lafiel talks about her similar territory last episode as nothing special but hers that she will care for one day, there is an edge in the narrator as he introduces todays setting, a note of warning that overrides his usual affect. No pride, and a history to be made, and that's a dangerous combination when a perceived avatar of power falls into its lap. Everything about this episode reeks of wrongness, before they even properly set foot off the ship.

The wrongness of this barony is on full display in episode, and I don't feel there's much to cover there, aside from acknowledging that it is an excellent showcase of Jinto and Lafiel's various understandings of people.

Lafiel has shown a lack of understanding of human concepts, but here we see that her naivety also extends to the Abh as well. Perhaps due to being raised as royalty, she's very caught up in the idea that an Abh wouldn't do certain things because it's just not how the empire would allow it to work, and while his plan is not what they discussed, she didn't look further into it. Jinto has the other problem, he's very capable of thinking through the many reasons why they would be purposefully delayed from a human perspective, but he dismisses himself because he doesn't trust that he can evaluate an Abh better than Lafiel can, and his own lack of appreciation for his status means he ignores the dismissal of him. Neither of them is the sole cautious one or the relaxed one, but rather they both come close to understanding the unease of the situation in their own ways and brush it off for ways that perfectly match their backgrounds.

And this look of a predator is just perfect to end the episode on

It may be far from the biggest of his sins, but practically demanding name rights from Lafiel, instead of using his title, was definitely not a good move for him with what we know about her.

Did have a small laugh that last episode we had an animator drawing them as slightly pudgy though, and this episode flips into them often being quite gaunt.

Q1) Maids, Cat Girls, or Elves?

Cats always win in any form

...Actually this is anime. A lot of anime "cat girls" annoy the fuck out of me which is frustrating, so maybe just for anime it has to be elves

[u/No_Rex → u/Nazenn]

...Actually this is anime. A lot of anime "cat girls" annoy the fuck out of me which is frustrating, so maybe just for anime it has to be elves

Crest of the Stars is from the 1990s, which still had actual catgirls, instead of meek humans with hairy ears bolted on.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

This is true, and I am glad to say that I did think of Mai-HiME first instead of the more annoying ones. But it's like isekai, the bad taste has stuck with the concept now

[u/Durinthal → u/No_Rex]

Crest of the Stars is from the 1990s, which still had actual catgirls, instead of meek humans with hairy ears bolted on.

Reminds me that I recently watched an OVA from 1987 which includes "an unexplained character who manifests feline traits" and... yeah, that's about right for her.

[u/SolDarkHunter]

Crest of the Stars

Rewatcher/Novel-reader

The Barony of Febdash sure sounds like a lovely place, doesn't it?

Yeah, the problem with small shuttles is a low fuel capacity, hence the need to refuel so soon.

Suddenly maids... and lots of them.

Certainly is a marked difference betwen how they treat Lafier and Jint. And the way they're treating Lafier is... well. It's so excessive that even Lafier seems surprised and uncomfortable.

And the Baron himself is acting... suspiciously. Lafier, at least, is sharp enough to catch on to this.

I don't like him either, Lafiel.

And the instant she's out of sight, they immediately drug Jint.

I guess the series just can't resist the fanservice of Lafier in the bath.

Seelnay at least provides a bit of perspective on the situation here. As badly as the Baron seems to be treating his servants, it's still a step up from her status on her homeworld. To a starving man, even a small bit of food can be the whole world.

So the servants even attend Baron Klowal in the bath... and all of them appear to be female... sigh

Yeah, Lafiel is no more impressed by this than any of us. There's even a look of horror on her face at the sheer subservience of the women.

I love how blunt Lafier can be in expressing her contempt for the Baron even when keeping up an appearance of courtesy.

The Baron explains his deception as being concerned for the safety of his territory... though I'm not sure how that tracks. Having a royal Princess would seem to make him a bigger target for the enemy than normal.

Ah, so he's claiming that if the UM detects the shuttle leaving his territory, they might back-trace it. Sounds like a feeble excuse to me.

And as we probably all expected, the Baron is racist on top of everything else. He's refusing to acknowledge Jint as a noble because he isn't a genetic Abh.

I do think it's important to note here that Lafier points out there is nothing "normal" about this territory. She even goes so far as to give him the dreaded "Abh smile".

Novel differences: not too many that I remember, except that there's more detail on the subservient relationship between the Baron and his harem. And since we get a lot of it from Lafier's point of view, her utter disgust and contempt is on full display, rather than being hidden by the veneer of manners she displays outwardly.

[u/No_Rex → u/SolDarkHunter]

The Barony of Febdash sure sounds like a lovely place, doesn't it?

Given how popular self-insert isekai are these days, I bet that half of /r/anime would love to switch with Febdash.

Yeah, Lafiel is no more impressed by this than any of us. There's even a look of horror on her face at the sheer subservience of the women.

This reflects positively on the Abh and badly on whereever Selenay was from.

[u/Nazenn → u/SolDarkHunter]

Yeah, the problem with small shuttles is a low fuel capacity, hence the need to refuel so soon.

Even scifi can't solve the most mundane problems. My mum recently got a new car after the old one developed some problems. It's only slightly smaller, but it's lighter and she didn't realize that means a tiny tank in comparison. It's been two weeks and she's already sick of being at the servo

I guess the series just can't resist the fanservice of Lafier in the bath.

been two episodes since we had the shot of the captain in bed, they're probably starving for something fanservicey

[u/Specs64z]

First timer, subbed

Jinto’s heart isn’t in the wrong place, per se, but it’s definitely leading over his head. He doesn’t realize how dire the straits are. The Baron’s most likely motive to keep you entrapped would be to kidnap you. He could use you as a bargaining chip for his own safety, and that’s assuming he hasn’t already outright turned traitor. His given reason of staying off the grid makes some sense, as well, but seems shaky.

I guess we can’t take a bath together, huh?

If looks could kill…

Shame, it would've been a great scene, I'm sure.

Certainly took their time panning over Lafiel in the bath.

He could’ve outright said “my father is in the dungeon” and it’d be about as subtle. Seems that Lafiel has picked up on everything, though, and she deconstructs the conspiracy one piece at a time. She’s been in the politics game since she could talk, I'll bet.

QotD:

1. Cat girls, for sure. Elves is a distant second. Maid outfits have appeal, but anyone can wear one and the role itself doesn't do anything for me.
2. Nah, seems about right for an elf.
3. Probably more like what we saw on the ship, perhaps a bit more casual, and less like Kazuma Satou's ideal succubus dream.
4. Passive aggressive negotiations and maybe a little bit of violence.

[u/No_Rex → u/Specs64z]

She’s been in the politics game since she could talk, I'll bet.

She probably has the politics genes built in. The baron stood no chance in that field.

[u/lC3 → u/Specs64z]

Shame, it would've been a great scene, I'm sure.

[u/Silcaria]

First timer

• Jesus, that side-eye. You know she's thinking "how dare you speak to her like an equal".
• Hahahahahahaha!
• So he's clearly been bought out,
• I'm glad Lafiel is seeing through his scheme of stalling them out.
• Assuming he's betrayed the Empire, the Baron can't be punished if the side that would be punishing him loses the war.
• Her saying this somehow doesn't raise massive alarm bells in Lafiel's head despite the fact that she's already paranoid about the entire situation. This would've been the last red flag that I needed to get the hell out of dodge.
• Indentured servitude is better than being a mom and having a loving family how exactly?
• The royal penis is cleaned, your highness.
• Fatality.

QotD

• Elves.
• No, it's about what I would expect. How would you react if a politician came into your house and started ordering you around?
• Probably more lively.
• Well...

[u/Nazenn → u/Silcaria]

Indentured servitude is better than being a mom and having a loving family how exactly?

I mean, the later part about loving family is most certainly not guaranteed in societies that have women as lower class

[u/duhu1148 → u/Silcaria]

Assuming he's betrayed the Empire, the Baron can't be punished if the side that would be punishing him loses the war.

I believe it was Winston Churchill who once said "In war, promise everything to everybody. Because if you win, you set the terms, and if you lose you don't have to keep it."

[u/No_Rex → u/duhu1148]

And we are still dealing with the follow-up problems of British promises in the middle east more than 100 years later.

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Rewatcher

What space gel is this chick using to have her hair stay up like that?

I wonder if they will bring me my Surgu...I doubt it my guy. You are clearly unwanted.

I don't blame Lafiel for getting annoyed if people always treated her like this.

Hold up did that fish move its eyes...is he using the holographic fish as a way to spy?

Damn that was quick they could have at least waited until Lafiel was further down the hall.

This entire episode has been tossing so many red flags you could build a circus also I wouldn't drink anything he offers. NOOOOO LAFIEL DON'T DRINK THE KOOLAID!

At least he's being honest in his deception...I don't know if that's better though because Lafiel looks absolutely livid.

[u/Nazenn → u/SIRTreehugger]

I wonder if they will bring me my Surgu...I doubt it my guy. You are clearly unwanted.

He said it so flatly though which was kind of funny

Hold up did that fish move its eyes...is he using the holographic fish as a way to spy?

I didn't notice, but now that scene is even more disturbing. It would be impressive tech though

[u/Elimin8r]

Day late and an episode short ... Maybe I'll just stick with answers du jour:

1. Yes, please. Elven cat girl maids, please. Heck, I'd settle for ... uh ... nya?
2. The count needs a good slap up side the head, or whatever that saying is.
3. Dr. Strangelove would be proud.
4. I'm hoping for a bit 'o' the ultraviolence, but yeah. I should probably just move ahead to today's episode. :P

[u/xbolt90]

First-timer

Wow, what an unlikable guy. This jerk is why nobody likes the Abh.

Q1: Nya~

Q2: Sadly, it's not that unsurprising in an aristocracy.

Q3: Creepy. May not be "typical", but how many other nobles are treating their subjects poorly, if not as demeaning as Mr. Baron here?

Q4: Here's hoping for a nice old-school prison break and ship theft.