October 23rd, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy Izetta: The Last Witch 04
Shumatsu no Izetta episode 04
Izetta, Die Letzte Hexe 04
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis
Princess Finé makes it home, but her father has died. In Neu-Berlin, General Grosskopf makes a report about the witch that defeated him to the king and his aide, Elliot. The next day, Izetta wakes up in a luxurious room in a luxurious bed and thinks she made a mistake. Princess Finé’s maid Lotte and Princess Finé’s bodyguard Bianca help Izetta take a bath, where she’s accidentally injured. Finé hears about this and is concerned, especially since her advisers want to use Izetta’s power.
Izetta is summoned, where she reveals the greatest secret of witches. Witches get their power from ley lines in the earth. There are none in Elystadt’s capital, Landsbruck. Elvira Friedman, a reporter from the United States of Atlanta, is hired to do PR for Izetta as Eylstadt plans to use Izetta with her permission. Izetta wants to visit the old castle of the White Witch, so Bianca takes her there. Izetta finds a secret room and brings back a map of the ley lines around Europe. Princess Finé shows up in her new outfit to look at Izetta’s find and discuss the situation with her.
Thoughts and Review
For some reason, I had thought that we might get an episode showing Princess Finé and her troops making the journey to the capital and fending off any other Germanian forces. Izetta: The Last Witch 04 skipped that and introduced some new characters instead.
No Hitler Here
Although Germania is based on the National Socialist Germany of World War II, there’s no Nazi feel in the Germania capital of Neu-Berlin. We’ve seen military vehicles with symbols that have a slight Nazi feel, and the military hardware is the same, but that’s about it.
Not only that, but Germania is a monarchy. I don’t know if their ruler is a king or an emperor (Germany had emperors). The country is ruled as a monarchy and does not appear to have a democratic element. So no Hitler here, even if the ruler of Germania is a total scum.
As an aside, is it me, or does the ruler of Germania and his aide, Elliot, look like a couple of smug bastards?
More About Izetta
I am glad to get more context from the childhood incident where Izetta was attacked by villagers. I had thought that she might have been attacked because she is a witch. However, it may be less about her being a witch and more about the fact that the bard blew up.
We got a bit of foreshadowing about Izetta’s power going out of control with the flashback. I’m pretty sure we’ll see that come into play before the series is over.
I will say that I am enjoying seeing Izetta dealing with being in a luxurious environment and waited on by servants. Apparently, she’s always been a poor, wandering nomad with her grandmother. So yay, Izetta! Enjoy the baths and such. 🙂
Speaking of Izetta’s grandmother, I wonder why she taught that the White Witch was a traitor. Maybe it was because she got involved in the world outside of witches. The room in the palace dedicated to the White Witch indicates that she was powerful, but she may have been involved with a man in a romance. That may have been offensive to the witches. (I note that the White Witch statue may be missing her staff.)
Princess Finé, the Queen
Although Princess Finé hasn’t been coronated yet, she is acting like a queen. Granted, we’ve already had the groundwork laid out for her to take her crown. However, I still enjoy seeing her being a leader rather than a ruler. Compare this to the ruler of Germania. He is a ruler, not a leader.
I found it interesting that Finé lessened her objections to Izetta fighting on friendship grounds. Instead, she used a very logical concern that Izetta’s powers might not be the end-all be-all her military leaders were thinking. Indeed, Finé was correct in her concern. But in spite of everything, she’s decided to let Izetta help if she wants. Further, she makes sure Izetta knows the consequences of coming out publicly as the White Witch reborn.
New Characters
I don’t like the United States of Atlanta character, Elvira. I’m guessing the Japanese are making a jab at their clichéd idea of an American. Either way, I learned that a woman cannot sexually harass nor sexually assault another woman. To suggest such a thing is to be homophobic. 🙄
Bianca comes off as a bit clichéd in her role as bodyguard for Princess Finé. However, I’m glad that in the end, she accepted Izetta and I’m guessing the two will become good friends.
The maidservant Lotte nearly stole the episode. While she might just be short, I got the distinct impression that Lotte may be a young teen. Regardless, she goes about her duties seriously, but cheerfully. This is certainly an alien combination in today’s world.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
While I am not making a judgement call on the lack of Japanese honorifics in the Crunchyroll subtitles, I am “amused” at how they have to be treated. I understand the logic that says no Japanese honorifics to be used in a European country. Certainly, while the people of Eylstadt dress as European, their mannerisms are almost completely Japanese. So there’s some non-Western behavior in a Western country for you.
Further, since the Japanese use honorifics as a literary device, many of the staff in Princess Finé’s staff heavily used the “-sama” honorific to indicate their great respect and subservience. So even though Izetta and Bianca aren’t nobility or royalty, we get “Lady Izetta” or “Lady Bianca” to cover for it. That’s always bothered me a bit. But as I said, I’m not passing judgement here.
In the end, Izetta: The Last Witch 04 is a very enjoyable episode, setting the table for the next stage of this story.
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Even Germania’s Neu-Berlin shown looks like the central dome Hitler wanted to build in Berlin as his new building, but I think having a Hitler type dicator might be too much of a suggestive negative. The group that captured Izetta in chapter 1 already gave the feel of some form of the Gestapo or SS.
The Germanian Emperor’s throne room reminded me how the Japanese leadership was as they transitioned to western living. Kinda like when Tom Cruize delivered the sword in “The Last Samurai”, with leaders standing in two rows. So there might be a mixing of pre-world war government styles. Dressing in military uniforms by Emperors were popular also, but more pre-ww1. The Germanian guy reminded me of what Napoleon would have looked like on the throne of France. I was expecting the Emperor to be wearing a german officer’s uniform…maybe again parallels to Hitler may have been too obvious and it wasn’t done.
The image of the “US” consultant Elvira is stereotyped to more the 30s right after the ‘Roaring 20s’ like a ‘flapper’ than ‘victorian’, and how Germany saw the US living a loose decadent sexual lifestyle.
Interesting the ‘symbol’ on the wall under the castle looked like the top of the staff/wand in the paintings on the wall, and that it looked like the top of the staff that is missing. To be revealed later it seems…
Looking at ep 4 again, there were other symbols that Izetta passed before opening one when she went to that castle’s basement. I’m wondering if they represented other families/clans of witches, and if she is really the last witch or just the last witch of that clan. It may be nothing, but its interesting that the anime made sure to show there was a running pool of water right below the statue, and the edges were lit by candles more than the paintings on the wall.
When Izetta was explaining her power and the flow lines, I kept musing and remembering Obi Wan explaining ‘The Force’ to Luke in Eps IV of Star Wars.
ObiWan:
heh – Maybe Izetta is a jedi too! – jedi are like nomads – Imperial officers look like Germanian officers, 🙂 Naahhh!
I did notice those as well. I figured that they were hieroglyphics that Izetta could read, which is why Izetta knew where to find the secret door, even though she’d never been in that castle before.
The room was clearly a shrine to the White Witch. I’m guessing someone other than the White Witch made it, but who knows for sure. I also noticed the pool and flowing water, but I didn’t know what to make of it.
More like the Jedi are witches. 😉 Well, except that the Star Wars canon has witches of sorts established.
I guess.
Well, even when the Japanese feature something Western in nature, they don’t really bother doing much of any research on how things would be in the West. So they just give the folks Western clothing, but otherwise, they act Japanese.
I missed that. I should go back and look.
ANB – you have a pic above – the one with the white witch statue – look at the two pics in the back ground, Then go to the episode and see the same symbol on the wall where Izetta opened to get to that chamber with the white witch statue.
You mean the antler-like headpiece for the staff?
Yes!
You Tube now has a parody on Izetta – titled Downfall Parody but this has Hitler and what he might have done. Its said ” imitation is the sincerest form of flattery “.
I’m vaugly aware of the Downfall Parody line of videos where Hitler goes off on things. I didn’t see one for Izetta. I must have missed it.