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Record of Grancrest War Episode 5: A Shattered Alliance and Werewolf Maids!

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Quick Summary of Record of Grancrest War Episode 5

In Record of Grancrest War Episode 5, “Forest of Eternal Darkness,” Lord Dmitrie the Vampire King no longer wishes to fight the Chaos. That’s a decision that Clara, the Queen of Werewolves, can’t accept, but the problem is, she doesn’t have a Black Witch on her side, and the Black Witch Yana wants blood. Clara’s blood. After hearing of this conflict, who does Villar Constance send to find out what’s really going on? If you guessed Theo Cornaro and his entire entourage (which is to say, just Siluca Meletes), you’re right! What can Theo and Siluca do in the face of such ancient powers? And how’d Theo end up with twin werewolf maids?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

What’s In This Post

Quick Episode Summary
3 Favorite Moments
Thoughts
Related Posts

Interested in the OP?

Moment One from Record of Grancrest War Episode 5: Siluca Projects Force

Siluca has learned to use not only her intellect and strength to project force. She’s partially weaponized cuteness! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I like little character details, and I think I see a trend of these emerging from Siluca. She’s powerful and has a command of a variety of disciplines. She’s intelligent and quick-witted. Siluca is also ambitious enough to see the merit in a decidedly rough diamond like Theo. But she’s not at all above using her looks or moe factor to project force. In this episode, Lord Milza Kuces berates Theo for giving up so much, apparently just so he could stay with Siluca (6:20).

Theo bristled, but what does Siluca do? She smiles sweetly, shrugs every so slightly, and makes a cute little noise. In doing so, she defused the situation without giving away anything about her capabilities. She also manages not to embarrass her host. For a split second, I almost wondered if she were a Bene Gesserit who had learned how to perfect their techniques to use the “seductive wiles of a courtesan with the untouchable majesty of a virgin goddess.”

Moment Two from Record of Grancrest War Episode 5: Dmitrie’s Honesty

I have to admire the Kind of Vampires’ honesty. Hard to berate anyone for not wanting to die! His methods, though… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Dmitrie knows that if the Lords’ Crests unite into the Emperor’s Crest, Chaos will be destroyed, and his power will be gone. That means he dies. He comes out and says that his motivation for what he’s done, and what he’s about to do, is that he just doesn’t want to die (14:32). I have to saw that’s a pretty basic and understandable reason! Siluca goes on to suggest that he was the one to cause the disaster that started the series (14:37). Though he doesn’t come out and admit it, I get a sense she was right. So now, five episodes in, we meet a character who might be an interesting main villain with a sensible motivation. Sometimes, simple is best!

Moment Three from Record of Grancrest War Episode 5: Emma and Luna Join the Party

So, Theo ends up with two werewolf sisters — twins, no less — in his entourage. I wonder how Siluca will react? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I am irrationally delighted that Emma and Luna, the werewolf twins, are now maids serving in Theo’s household (21:31). It’s not that I have a thing for maids, per se. I just really enjoy twists on the trope. When I saw that twin werewolf sisters are joining the cast, it reminded me of Overlord’s Pleiades Battle Maids. Their raw power and supreme arrogance really appealed to me. I think Emma and Luna are going to bring a more playful dimension to the role, but I expect them to be every bit as ferocious as the Pleiades. After all, they didn’t hesitate to stand up to Yana, and they already knew there were overmatched!

Thoughts about Record of Grancrest War Episode 5

When we heard about the Forest of Eternal Darkness, was I the only one who wondered it it was inhabited by Rodents of Unusual Size?

Clara asks Theo to take her daughters out of the forest. He promises. So where does he take them? Into his household — in the forest! Oh, Theo… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

And didn’t Theo promise Clara that he’d take Emma and Luna out of the forest? But isn’t his new residence in the forest? And Aren’t they maids in that residence? Hmmm…

After that mad dash that was last week’s episode, this episode’s pace felt a lot less frenetic. I think I finally understand what the writers were trying to do with the first four episodes, and I’m relieved they didn’t maintain the trajectory of episodes 1 through 3 into the future. Why?

The first three episodes introduced us in particular to Siluca and Theo. We got to see how ambitious she is; we got to see her indulge in the over-confidence of a talented young adult. We also got to see that she can learn from her mistakes, and that in the process, she didn’t seem to lose the essential core of who she was. I admire those traits.

Theo showed us that he’s a naturally capable leader. He knows how to instill a sense of loyalty in part by demonstrating loyalty. We also learned his main motivation, which was to save his people from a harsh and unfair Lord. That’s a hero I can root for.

Theo and Siluca are turning into interesting protagonists. Now, if the pacing can just let them shine… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

And the trajectory? I’m glad for what happened in the last episode, though it was certainly tough on our heroes. I’m glad because the two were amassing so many successes so quickly that it just wouldn’t be realistic for that trend to continue. A combination of beginner’s luck and fortunate circumstance easily explained their first successes. Extending that streak would drain the dramatic energy in proportion to how long the winning went on. Their setbacks in the previous episode were necessary to keep things interesting.

Now we know our heroes’ motivations. We know their capabilities. And we get to see them bounce back from a significant set back. That’s good stuff! That’s making the series interesting to me! Between a solid villain and the addition of twin werewolf fighting maids, I think I’m set for the rest of the series!

Now, if the writers just learn a little pacing restraint…

What were your favorite moments in this episode? Let me know in the comments!

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