I have to agree with Moogie: Even when Faputa went on a killing spree to murder all of the villagers I can’t help but feel so much heartbreak for this girl. The way her body was getting absolutely mauled to shreds, losing Gabu, and questioning her entire life and what her purpose in life was. Faputa learned new things and doesn’t know how to process it all and I can’t say I blame her. After living a life with one purpose in mind since the day she was born, only for that to crumble before her…what does she do now?
I still don’t quite understand the sudden bond between Belaf and Nanachi, but I guess Belaf found that Nanachi was the perfect person to relay his memories and experiences to. I just wish that we had gotten more out of them because their characters feel kind of wasted. I especially feel this way towards Belaf after losing him this episode. Looking into his memories with Irumyuui, it seems he spent a lot of time with Vueko and Irumyuui. From the flashbacks before they arrived to the sixth layer, he was always there for Vueko and showed interest in Irumyuui. When it came to actual bonding, we really only saw it from the girls. So while it was super sweet that Irumyuui told Belaf that she considered Belaf to be her family like how she saw Vueko, which means she loved him lots, I really wish we could have actually SEEN it. If we had, Belaf’s breakdown upon learning of the secret of his life being saved would have been even more powerful. I didn’t think it, but I understand why people thought his mental breakdown came out of nowhere and was overdramatic. Knowing now that Irumyuui also thought very highly and lovingly about him, Belaf’s mental breakdown makes a lot more sense and is more tragic. But again, it’s super disappointing that we never saw any scenes of Irumyuui and Belaf bonding so we could really believe they had a familial bond. But in general I wish we got way more Belaf scenes beyond him exploring and being a guide. Like how we got emotional and personal scenes with Vueko and Irumyuui, I wish we had gotten that with Belaf. I always thought he was interesting and I loved his moment with Vueko back on the ship, and I was hoping that we’d see more of their relationship on a personal level. Vueko did shed tears for him after his death so we know they were on good terms, but I just wanted more. Belaf is sort of like Prushka in the “interesting, but didn’t have enough spotlight” way where their characters felt wasted, but Prushka was definitely treated worse.
However, because of Belaf sending Faputa all of his memories before dying Faputa learned something knew and was able to see a different side to everything. It wasn’t enough to make her want to stop her bloodshed, but it confused her and made her think. Faputa was born from anger and spite with a drive for revenge, it was all she knew. But all of a sudden, with those happy memories from her mother to now the villagers getting killed from the monsters coming into the village, something she was supposed to do. And NOW Gabu is gone. With all of this, then what even is the point? What’s her worth? What’s the point of being immortal if she has to suffer mentally and (literally) physically? I feel for her, but I still can’t say she was ever in the right. However, she is a very lonely girl where both her Haku are gone and she realizes that she really doesn’t know things and people all that much. So, following Belaf’s words she’ll determine her own value and path. Very ironic that Faputa consumed the same villagers that consumed her siblings that helped them live, in order to help her regenerate and recover. Technically she did that before but this was the actual act of eating. And so it circles back I suppose.
Now, I’m not sure what the very ending scene means. Was that the same symbol for a relic that appeared on Faputa’s eye? I have no clue. There’s also the fact that Wazukyan may be wanting to do something when it comes to Riko, Nanachi thinks. What she was thinking sounds plausible and Belaf did warn Nanachi about him, so something is probably going to happen next time. We’re going to get a big showdown next time in the finale.
Speaking of, the finale will be a 40+ minute episode and won’t air until two weeks later. It sucks we’ll have to wait until then but if it’ll give us the best quality for the finale then I’m all for it. I have no idea how this will all end, so I’m looking forward to the end of The Golden City.
