For all the talk of uprisings in ACCA, what we’ve seen of Dowa kingdom has been very peaceful and fortunate. Certainly, there is a sense of unease, and we know there are greater events stirring behind the scenes, but the nation seems to be doing well overall. But in this time of tranquility, the people in power seem to be edging around each other in webs of hidden intentions. It is impossible to know what people want, and why. It is easy to keep up such an appearance when our lives are easy, but when troubling times come, there is no room for indifference.
While so far all the districts of the Dowa kingdom have been mostly free of suspicion, the Suitsu district stands out as the most obviously corrupt. Immediately, we are met with a striking sense of how closed off this nation is. The people are trapped inside the borders, and there is a visible class struggle. With the allusions to pre-revolutionary France, I wasn’t surprised that an ongoing rebellion was revealed. Yet unlike the other districts, which are wealthy but full of facades, the dissenters only hide their feelings for the sake of safety, and take action whenever they can.
Jean responds differently here. When he is captured, he faces them calmly, even offering to help the rebels in their cause. Although he doesn’t report the corruption, he does negotiate so that all the captives will be set free. Although he’s been kind before, he is more forthcoming than he has been for the past few episodes.
Despite the hardship the rebels in Suitsu have endured and their determination to bring down the people ruling over them, one thing that’s remarkable is how open they are. When they think Jean has overheard their plans, they don’t try to bribe or manipulate him. They just capture him, which was forceful and reckless, but not deceptive. They passionately inform him of their demands to the Dowa kingdom, even though they know he could bring them trouble. It isn’t the most organized resistance, but they still came to each other’s aid without hesitation for their own safety. Though it’s hard to tell, as always, I think Jean admired this honesty and wanted to honor it by being sincere himself—at least, to an extent.
When the politicians of Dowa Kingdom are scheming and manipulative, they are met with more schemes. In life, people react to how we treat them, and if we close ourselves off, others will do the same. But with God, it’s a little different. He has no need to prove himself to us, and he is open to all who seek him. Even when we aren’t willing to come to him, he comes to us honestly. He is faithful even when we are unfaithful. Our true feelings are already known to him, and he is just waiting for us to let down our defenses and turn to him.
Every time I think I’ve decided whether Jean Otus has hidden motives, I change my mind. He’s lying at least some of the time, but it’s hard to discern when he’s telling the truth. I liked how we began to see a little more complexity to Nino in this episode, as he comes to Jean’s rescue and is shown to likely be working for the unknown character who owns the building Lotta and Jean live in. While I know we’re off to a new region next episode, I hope that Suitsu will make an appearance again in the future, hopefully with a proper conclusion.
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