Maoyū Maō Yūsha - 4

"If That Happens, I'll Take a Bite Out of the Hero!"

Wait, how long was Yuusha hiding in that box?

Even when Maoyuu tries to go for emotional impact, the political and economical agenda remains at the forefront. It's clear that Maou is at a bit of a loss without Yuusha, but it doesn't stop her from being a capable politician when it counts. It's what I really like about Maou; she can pine away in love all she wants, but in the end, she's a solid businesswoman, one more than able to stand on her own without a man to help her, and that's exactly what makes Yuusha feel useless when he's at her side. When he agreed to Maou's contract, he was hoping to be of some use, and as a soldier, he thought that meant that she required his fighting skills and prowess. Maou, however, has other plans, and she's skilled a tactician enough to know when force is required and when it isn't, which leaves Yuusha at a loss. As I've mentioned before, he's found himself essentially unemployed now that he's out of the war, and soldiers always find that reintegration into a peaceful society is much more difficult than actively being at war. He wants to help Maou somehow, and right now he's too hesitant to talk to her about it, which is why we find our hero cowardly hiding away in a box, for apparently not the first time, as he avoids meeting with Maou for over six months.

His absence does take its toll on Maou, as strong-willed as she is. She bothers Head Maid with complaints and worries over why Yuusha has only sent letters, and her listlessness is noticed by everyone, including the Sister Maids. Still, when the Alliance arrives at her doorstep for business (very dangerous business, that, bringing assassins to a conference), she once again becomes the shrewd scholar we've become accustomed to seeing. This time, she's brought out a new secret weapon, a familiar little vegetable known as corn. Anyone well-versed in Native American history can tell you just how versatile maiz is (it was grown throughout both the Northern and Southern American continents, for example) and how nutritious and useful it can be. Her plan here is to offer the Alliance Merchants a monopoly over the corn, which is suited for the agriculturally barren Central Nations and a highly profitable theoretical market. When asked what she wants in return, Maou brazenly remarks that she wants the war to end without a victory on either side, and the Merchants denounce her as a traitor to the human race.

Of course, this is an excuse by the Alliance to take Maou out and remain with the profits of the trade, for they care nothing about the war unless it has to do with money, and Maou knows it. In a very brave and almost stupid (but actually brilliant) move, she calls the merchants out on their bullshit, applying to their sense of pride as merchants, and her audacity wins them over, securing their contract and the affections of Young Merchant, who sees plenty of advantages in a proposal with Maou. Not only is she intelligent and beautiful (and I suppose the low-cut dress doesn't do much harm with that ridiculously disproportionate cleavage of hers), but she proved herself as ballsy and shrewd as any merchant. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him in the future, despite her refusal (she should have just said she was married already; she practically is).

For now the business is over, and Maou's household (including Female Knight, who I'm now calling Kishi, and who's become a swordsmanship instructor) returns to its uneasy wait for Yuusha's return, while the rest of the Southern Nations unwillingly step into battle. For every brilliant politician, there is a terrible one, and unfortunately that's the case for the South. While supported by ties to the Central Nations financially, this places the Southern Nations in a tricky position politically, as it is easier for the Central countries to manipulate them for war. Perhaps this incoming disaster is what will allow Yuusha to better use his talents in helping Maou, but the war also threatens to destroy the many advances Maou has brought to the South.

This is a series I both love and get impatient with. It's definitely an interesting and smart little anime, but occasionally I get a little disinterested, and that mostly comes from the use of conventional romance antics. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but Yuusha and Maou's relationship hasn't progressed much at all; they're like children afraid of even touching each other despite being, for all intents and purposes, a married couple. Watching Head Maid try to force Maou into being more direct with Yuusha seems crude and also somewhat demeaning to Maou, but she does have a point, and she makes her point again by giving Yuusha solid relationship advice: communication is everything. I mean, everything. If you're not communicating, don't expect your significant other to stick around, and don't expect things to go smoothly forever. If you're willing to share your life with another person, you must be willing to share everything about your life as well or you will eventually hit a snag, and depending on how much you've kept to yourself, that snag may just rip your relationship apart for good. Hopefully Yuusha will get the message, because these two need to be more open and progress their relationship more than they have been doing already.