Petite Princess Yucie: Episode 16 Commentary
Harvest Festival. Yucie's Decision!
A festival episode arrives. It’s a harvest festival where kids dress up on outfits, which definitely sounds fun. Gunbard, however, isn’t really one for crowds.
Just like at the beach, it seems Glenda’s the one interested in things in the human world (as Yucie points out it was Glenda’s idea to wear costumes).
The costumes I find a bit strange. Cocoloo’s an angel, which seems a bit stereotypical of the people of sky world (the same as in the book on the Eternal Tiara that Yucie and Arc found in the library). Another girl is dressed as a fairy. What would Belbel think of that costume? Would it be flattering, or an insult?
The name Gunbard has come up as a hero. This raises a question: just how much does Yucie know about her father’s past? She mentioned him to Ercell in the first episode in a way that suggests she at least knows he’s a retired warrior.
Coincidentally, Gunbard uses this chance to remind Cube that he was once known as “Courageous Gunbard”. Perhaps “Courageous Gunbard, hero written of in the book”. Cube seems less than impressed with Gunbard’s use of his past status. Did Cube know Gunbard back then, or meet him after? Was he hired to help look after baby Yucie?
Thanks to Arc’s detective work, it’s now know it was Yucie’s own father, “Courageous Gunbard”, who put together the pieces of the Eternal Tiara. This is something Gunbard never mentioned to Yucie—so, why not?
I’m starting to like Arc a bit. He knows how to take joy in teasing Yucie about wearing a costume to the harvest festival, something only kids do.
In the flight scene, Cocoloo is riding along with Glenda on Glenda’s broom, while in the opening theme portion, Cocoloo is seen flying on her own, as a ghost might. She must prefer not doing ghostly things often (such as walking through walls and flying through the air). On top of this, she definitely doesn’t feel secure when Glenda flies lower quickly.
The soldiers are still after Arc, this time with one Lord Frederick. Er, Lord Frederick’s English voice sounds like a relatively new voice actor with little practical experience. It sounds like he’s reading from a script, rather than speaking for a character.
I hadn’t noticed it before, but there’s a nice small waterfall on a flowing river with a neat stone bridge making up the path leading up to Yucie’s house. That’s got to be a nice sight to see each day, and might even impress ones friends.
Poor Gunbard, he has the same reaction as the demon king when it comes to the thought of his daughter dating. (I’d be just the same if I was a father, so I can relate.) I wonder how the sky king would feel about Elmina dating (assuming she hasn’t already).
Gunbard’s reaction to Arc’s statement of his search for the man who completed the Eternal Tiara is most telling. It’s already been given that Gunbard is the Gunbard from the book, and the reaction confirms it.
When everyone’s at the table, Yucie’s wearing her normal outfit. Did Gunbard and Arc talk at all while she changed, or did they simply sit in silence? While I can’t imagine Arc saying it, it would be something to say, “So, Gunbard, I bet you’re kicking yourself for not keeping that tiara, huh? If you still had it, Yucie could have made a wish on it by now, eh?”
Did Gunbard outright lie to Arc, even lie about lying? Something really big must have happened related to the Eternal Tiara.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but I really like Gunbard’s outfit. I wouldn’t mind getting an outfit like that for myself.
After Arc is revealed to be Prince Arrow, and Frederick spoke, again it feels like someone lacking experience voicing him. I don’t blame the voice actor completely, though. It’s one part voice actor, one part voice director (for lack of knowing the actual job title) who has the voice actor repeat a line until it’s just right.
During the pep talk from the other candidates, the shadows and sunlight from the overhead clouds passing was well used. Very nice touch.
Glenda another good scene where she’s crying after seeing such a moving scene between Yucie and Arrow. Afterwards, there’s another “Elmina secretly follows the sky/demon rivalry” moment. Aside from her prior statement of reluctantly agreeing with Glenda about Yucie, now she stuffs her face with both her and Glenda’s shares of the snack Gunbard made—and Glenda seemed to be the one waiting the most for it, too.
One final “Glenda loves the human world’s beauty” moment is seen as she watches the fireworks. Deny it as she may, she’s got to be loving every minute as a candidate in the human world.
