The final episode of ACCA was not without it’s flaws, but it did release the mysteries it had been holding at last. As expected, Jean Otus had his own plans, showing the true nature of his character. Although it may not have been what some members of ACCA wanted, Jean makes a difficult decision that points the Dowa Kingdom down a more peaceful path, though it may not be ideal.
Shwan’s characterization has been inconsistent, but it’s been clear that although he might show some vague signs of competence, he doesn’t deserve the throne, even if it is just a figurehead position. He’s stubborn and reckless, and not especially smart. But, Jean doesn’t deserve the throne in the exact opposite sense. He is a very capable, but he dislikes his current position, in which he’s already in charge. Shwan, on the other hand, wants to be king, if for all the wrong reasons. Should someone like Jean be in a stifling position where people will try to use him, when he probably would be better off with more freedom to act as he chooses? Removing Shwan to replace him with Jean was an overly simplistic solution that would have caused more chaos than it was worth.
By nudging Shwan in the right direction, Jean was demonstrating a certain amount of trust in him, and by extension, asking him to trust ACCA to do what he can’t—run the country. When he realizes this, he seems to realize his own position, and that of the nation he has been preparing to rule for his whole life. He is still ignorant of the grace he has been shown. The coup is portrayed as a means of motivation only, and he doesn’t realize that he is greatly indebted to the very person he feared would overthrow him. Blind to his own weaknesses, he is unaware of how significant the trust Jean has shown him is.
Shwan is not a very relatable character, but at the same time, we are for more like him than we are like Jean. Rather than having the courage to trust someone unworthy, it is far more likely that we are unaware of the trust the people around us graciously show us, even after we fail them. God also could choose not to entrust anything to us, but instead he has given us the great mission of loving others, a calling we are so often unable to fulfill. Too often we take this fantastic gift for granted, completely unaware of the grace God shows us every day.
In final scenes, ACCA also extends grace to Furawau in the hope they might one day return. Nino is now free, which was a nice completion to his character arc, and although I think it came a little late, I am pleased with Jean’s resolution also. The ending didn’t surprise me. I really doubted that Jean would become King. Having a peaceful resolution was an interesting and satisfying decision but unfortunately, the way it was carried out was a bit mediocre. Although I could guess the ending, there was very little foreshadowing. It would have made a greater impact if we knew what we were rooting for, and then they could have avoided the info dump explaining the situation. Despite its weak points, I really enjoyed ACCA, which kept me engaged even with its slower pace. There was a lot of missed potential, but overall it was still worthwhile.
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Sorry for the late comment, I just finally caught up! Wow, I was kept guessing until the very end, especially with the reveal of who exactly was the princess’s protector at the end (though I’m still confused why Groessler was leashed by Furawau in the first place). And that is an excellent point about how similar we are as struggling Christians to Prince Schwan. Thank you so much for writing these episodic posts, I’ve really enjoyed them! I hope to see more in the upcoming season!
Thank you! I’m really glad you liked them! Yeah, I did not see the identity of the Princess’s protector coming. There were definitely still some loose ends that could have been tied up. It would have made more sense if Grossular was the princess’s protector, and Lillium found out and threatened to tell everyone…or something. I don’t know. Anyways, thank you for reading! I am taking a break this season, but hopefully will be back for the summer and/or fall!