English Dub Review: To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts “Songstress of Sleep”

Overview:

There’s a monster in town.

Our Take:

Triss is a Siren Incarnate, who used to be a former singer. Unfortunately, following the war, she is reviled as a horrible creature, and her career is ruined. She doesn’t seem to have done anything wrong, but she is perceived to be a monster.

All in all, Schall is positive. She doesn’t see the Incarnates as a threat initially, so she is more willing to give them all a chance. Since Triss view the Incarnates as former humans and not as monsters, her first reaction isn’t violence, but compassion. As a result, she is quick to befriend Triss, and the two of them bond significantly. It’s almost sad to see Schall’s positivity, knowing that people really aren’t as forgiving as she’d want them to be.

The people are certainly unforgiving, killing the bar owner just for being suspicious, but who is truly unforgiving is the military. The young commander that Schall has befriended, it turns out, has quite a few issues of his own. It’s revealed that Cain is actually his older brother, and he feels a responsibility in putting Cain down. He deeply respects Schall for having the bravery to put down her rampaging father, even if she struggled with the idea. To Schall, violence is a last resort, where to him, it’s a first. As a result, he can’t comprehend why Schall is so hesitant, when she should have just shot to kill from the get-go.

This episode I felt hit harder than the rest. Even though I could guess what was going to happen from the very start, this felt very different. For one, Triss starts out nonviolent and pretty much for most part, remains as such. She puts the people of the town to sleep, but that doesn’t kill them. Her attack seems to be one forged out of grief, the shock from having her close friend and one of the only people to care about her after the war be brutally murdered. It’s really not that far-fetched of a panicked grief reaction. And yet, the army still opts to kill her, despite Schall’s pleading, because all Incarnates must be dangerous, and have to be killed. Unlike the others, who all turn violent, Triss was never violent, and even in her worse state can be reasoned with. And yet, she is still mandated to die.

Also, Liza has game. Every time she and Schall are on screen together is such a delight.