English Dub Review: Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia “Tengri”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Ogedei and Tolui launch their offensive to take the Jin capital Kaifeng, but tragedy strikes soon after.

Our Take:
This week’s episode once again brings us both the good and the bad for the Mongols.  For the former, Tolui’s attack against the Jin army proved to be a success thanks to the blizzard’s “lucky” timing.  Unfortunately, this huge victory proves short-lived, as Ogedei eventually falls ill from rahj al-gar poisoning, the same sickness Boraqchin had in the previous episode.  I swear, the rahj al-gar is starting to become kryptonite for the Mongols, especially when taking high doses.  Even worse, Toregene appears to be the prime suspect in the incident.  Since Toregene isn’t as close to Sitara as she was before, this doesn’t help her case, putting Sitara’s trust in the Khan’s wife in question.  As a result, Sitara volunteers to serve as Ogedei’s antidote, but the Mongols perform an alternative cure to purge the sickness: an exorcism.
“Tengri” further validates that trust is seen as both a strength and a weakness, with the latter highlighting Toregene’s sudden change in behavior towards Sitara.  Because of this, we now start to question Toregene’s honesty regarding whether she actually poisoned Ogedei.  However, another point worth noting is the episode’s title itself, especially in relation to Tolui’s role as the Great Khan.  Tolui shares a belief in his own god, or “Tengri”, as he’d refer to it.  This leads him to perform the jadadishi rite to call forth a blizzard and weaken the Jin army.  It also shows his fearlessness and confidence when he volunteers as a sacrifice for the Mongols’ exorcism, though his status remains unknown until the next episode.  With these two elements in play, “Tengri” continues to elevate the anime through its own answered prayers.