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Record of Grancrest War Episode 6: Now, That’s Dancing and the Knife of the Red Crest

Quick Summary of Record of Grancrest War Episode 6

In Record of Grancrest War Episode 6, “March,” it’s Margaret Odius’s birthday, and Villar Constance remembered! So why is she so sad? Lord Milza continues to scorn Theo Cornaro’s philosophy of life, and they come to blows. Will Theo survive the fight? And will Siluca Meletes’s heart survive watching it? Finally, Milza decides to attack a castle by himself. How well do you think he fares? Does he really support Lord Villar’s ascendancy, or does he have plans of his own?

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 6

We’ve seen a lot of combat. In this episode, we saw a different kind of effort: actually decent dancing! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

If you watched Dies irae, do you remember how terrible the dancing was at the beginning of episode 7? Villar and Margaret’s dance in this episode (5:42) was every bit as good as Dies irae’s dancing was terrible. Their dance was everything I think a ballroom dance should be: graceful, energetic, and excuse to show off Margaret’s beauty. Even above that, what I really enjoyed about it was how much affection Villar and Margaret showed for each other. It shone in their expressions and movements. It gave a lot of dramatic weight to Margaret’s impending departure; I got a sense of tragedy from the moment, and I didn’t expect something that sophisticated from this show!

Moment Two from Record of Grancrest War Episode 6

Milza just can’t accept Theo’s perspective — or anything about him, it seems. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Courtly manners can be wielded like weapons, and in general, I like how this show has portrayed that (like when Theo had to be careful how he turned down the kingship in episode 4). In this episode, seeing Theo and Milza spar after Theo’s dance with Siluca (8:41), evoked a similar feeling. Milza’s in the superior position, so he has more latitude and can come closer to an out and out insult. Theo, still rising in the ranks, has to be more circumspect. After Milza more or less criticizes Theo’s dance moves (which, to be fair, were a valid target for attack!), Theo maintains his composure and says, “Even if it’s as a buffoon, to earn any praise from you, Lord Milza, would be a lifelong source of pride for me.” If Theo misspoke, even a little, it could have provoked an even more violent response than what came afterward. Too often, fantasies seem to ignore the subtleties of court, and I like seeing this show take them seriously. I wonder if they’ll be able to capture it to the same scale that Re:ZERO did?

Moment Three from Record of Grancrest War Episode 6

Is Milza really a bad guy? Because he looks like a bad buy here… Seriously, be careful attacking this guy! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I admit I felt some apprehension when Milza announced his intention to take out the “Venomous Snake of Forbes” all by himself (18:32). I figured he wouldn’t have to fight the Lord’s army and would instead focus on the nobility. Plus, the show did a good job this week of showing his off his skills when he “instructed” Theo. However, this type of bravado, if not portrayed well, can look cheap and disappointing. It was so absolutely not disappointing that I chose Milza’s single-handed slaughter of Lord Brannis and his cronies (19:35) as one of my favorite moments of the episode. Despite the odds, Milza’s didn’t even seem to break a sweat. His tactics were well-suited for a one to many battle, as he pointed out. He gets style points for how he dispatched Brannis (that’s one sharp knife Milza has). It easy to see why Theo decided to rely more on defense — Milza likes to strike during his opponent’s attacks. Milza also gets bonus points for asking Nikola to witness the event. It’s easier to build a reputation when there’s a survivor to tell the tale! And his red crest at the end? Visually very cool.

Theo might seem a bit more boring than Milza, but he has a potential of depth that I hope the series develops. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Thoughts about Record of Grancrest War Episode 6

Sigh. Only a brief glimpse of the werewolf maids this week. Well, it could have been worse!

What do you think of Theo? Does he seem a little bland to you? He seems a little bland to me, but I’m seeing signs he might turn out to be more interesting and praise-worthy in future episodes. We’ve seen his fighting improve a bit. He held his own, albeit defensively, against Milza for several minutes in this episode. The Theo we met in episode 1 would not have lasted as long, and watching a character grow is fun. We’ve gotten glimpses into his motivations that, while not being breathtakingly novel, are at least honorable. In today’s episode, we got to see his has a philosophical side, and I’m a huge fan of that kind of thing.

At 11:28, Theo said, “Wherever that man [ Milza ] goes, a pile of enemy corpses will be in his wake. But it’s possible I could leave a trail of dead allies in mine…” So often, I see heroes over-state the evil of their opponent and understate the impact of their own deeds. Especially in cases of nobility, lords or kings or others in positions of authority seem to discount the impact of their own decisions, especially in terms of body count. Theo, though, shows that he’s aware that his trajectory has a price, and he pauses for a moment to wonder if his is really much better than Milza’s — or anyone else’s. Siluca offers a lame attempt at consoling him when she says that’s just the way it is if one strives for justice (which is another reason I’m having troubles with people who yell too loudly about administering justice). I found his response to be very interesting: “…I’d rather not go down such a path” (11:42).

To her credit, Siluca again pledged to back up Theo’s direction to support those suffering under Chaos. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

We’ve seen multiple times that Theo is no coward. He’ll dive right into a fight if he thinks it’s necessary, and he literally offered up his life to save his companions (see episode 4). So when he says he’d rather not follow a path littered with death, he means that he wants to see a different destiny for those following him. It’s a level of empathy that I think makes him an interesting leader. Sure, he has his own goals, but he’s aware that his followers have goals, too. He’d prefer to find a path that offers a resolution for him and his followers. That empathy distinguishes him from the other Lords. I hope the show continues to develop this trait. It could transform him from someone who almost blends into the background to someone who’s worthy of center stage.

What did you think of this episode? What were your favorite moments? Let me know in the comments!

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2 thoughts on “Record of Grancrest War Episode 6: Now, That’s Dancing and the Knife of the Red Crest

  1. It was my first unofficial/long distance/unannounced collab! It was a lot of fun comparing notes through our respective reviews, and I think the broader perspective presented a more robust view of the series — certainly more so than my reviews alone!

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