You're reading too much into it. Asseylum is not doing this out of a personal love for one person (and no, painting him as a walking textbook doesn't invalidate him as a potential lover, should that be her choice). She's doing it because she recognizes Earth's right to self-governance and the possibility of coexistence between the two people. Is it the harder path to take? Maybe, but that alone doesn't disqualify it. Even Slaine's vision of a united people doesn't guarantee anything.Amion wrote:This episode was quite the mixed bag of lack-luster and sheer excellence. That scene with the Emperor (glad his seiyuu got one last great performance) in particular.
I just find myself shaking my head at Asseylum. So basically, she fell in love with a walking textbook from Earth and decides to side with his planet so she can be with him. I'm not surprised, but it's annoying all the same to see her prattling on about useless conflict simply because it gets in the way of her reasonable but selfish personal life.
Asseylum has revoked everything that should mean anything to her as a Versian princess. And while that part of the speech "I regret the use of this power that wasn't meant for us" bit was awesome and profound, it's the only bit of profundity in her whole logic, assuming she has any going on right now.
Essay inbound:But hey, at the end of the day it's all cool. After all, the alternate original ending is that Asseylum and Inaho die tragically.Spoiler
First: Cruhteo said it best: exactly what's to prove she's the real princess? Slaine has all the cards still: Lemrina if she's willing, plus the necklace that proves who's princess and who's not. Second: Emperor isn't dead and yet she's blatantly succeeding him. Not beyond her reasonable power or position regarding his critical condition, no. But the Orbital Knights showed in last season that they don't care. Why listen when they have an excuse not to? Are we going to retcon the whole idea of them conspiring to murder her? I doubt Saazubaum was the only one doing this, not to mention the commoners like Harklight who obviously want liberation from their tyrannical leaders.
Ignoring the Knights' decisions as alterable, her ideals have no substance for the future to make me cheer for her. Sure the war's got a point! The people of Mars are in poverty and the Earth isn't fully recovered from Heaven's Fall, which they caused somehow. Slaine's idea is to take the Earth, ensure the people of Mars are free of their cruel caste system and also to eventually make Mars habitable while first restoring Earth with Aldnoah, fixing what his father probably caused. What will Asseylum's ceasefire accomplish by contrast? The Terrans will get to keep their planet under the token Corrupted Federation Government (It's a trope at this point!). The people of Mars go back to their caste system or at least still remain in a state of ecological distress.
If she thinks they're all going to go to Earth and be welcomed back no problems then she's in for a reality check. Remember the girl who strangled you, Princess! She was technically Versian too! But since she thinks herself Terran she felt no compunction about trying to kill you! There are whole armies on Earth out there willing to buy into that kind of hurt thinking!
It would have been nice, at least, if Slaine hadn't been given the role of what amounts to liberator and instead was given a true villain's role. But he's done nothing that counts for war crimes thus far. His only moral sin being to lie to Lemrina about her sister's recovery is petty and technically wrong, but hardly a case of "he's an evil man who lusts for senseless violence so we gots to stop him and spread peace!" Some viewers may not like him, but others like me do. He's suffered, he's grown, he's developed and come up with a solution. Why shouldn't I be rooting for Slaine? Option two is Inaho and his lovestruck Hime-sama. They want Slaine to seem like a nasty person, so why not just have him order the mass slaughter of civilians this episode? Because he's not evil, and instead gave direct orders to engage the military units like he's expected to do.
As it stands, Asseylum has no real reason to fault Slaine for continuing the Emperor's will as well as the best interests of both worlds (in the long run) other than love. It's a pity. It's a shame. And while it's consistent with the story and isn't shamelessly putting her opinion on a Lacus pedestal of Sanctimony, its still infuriating to watch the only man who's ever given us a gameplan have it ruined by his spurned lover who's got the hots for a dictionary with a robot eye that's better at expressing affection than he ever will be by himself.
At least I got my Tharsis in all its controversial beauty, as well as the awesome backstory and Aldnoah special affects.
And regarding Saazbaum's conspiracy to kill her, it may or may not be him alone, but it definitely wasn't widespread among the counts. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so secretive about it.
As for Slaine's growth, I'll comment on it when I see it. So far, he's just trading one extreme for another. First, it was simply to protect Asseylum, now it's to make a world fitting for Asseylum, regardless if she even wants that world. His entire reason for being has always been and so far continues to be for Asseylum.