Chained Soldier (Episode 10) - War, Naon, Recite

Naon tells Yuuki about how she was in a Mato Mishap and ate a peach out of desperation, but the effects were not the same as those who ate them back in the real world. Then, the real horror began!

Chained Soldier (Episode 10) – War, Naon, Recite

What happened?

Naon was a model, obviously, and had decided to wait to eat a Mato peach because she didn’t want it to impact her modelling career. So, when she was caught in a Mato Mishap, she had no way to defend herself from the Shuuki. She saw a peach tree and ate one. However, something unexpected happened, causing her to pass out. The Shuuki were killed by the reaction. When Naon woke, she was in a strange facility and her body had changed. She was told that they were going to experiment on her and maybe find a cure for what happened to her.

There, she discovered that her ability allows her to phase through objects and people. When the time was right, she escaped, taking Coco and all the other test subjects with her. Aobi had a slightly different story. She had the same reaction after being taken to Mato when she ate a peach, however, she then spent three years fighting against the changes, desperate to maintain her humanity. After that, she found Naon, Coco, and the others. Yuuki was horrified by their stories and was desperate to change things, but what could he do? The fact that he had never heard of any of this proved that the Onmyou Bureau has the political clout to keep it hidden.

Chained Soldier Episode 10 Naon reacting to the peach

Chained Soldier Episode 10 Naon's body changed

Yuuki wanted to tell Kyouka and get the Demon Defense Force to help shut it down, but Aoba believed that they were a part of the same thing. No! The only way to shut it down was for them to destroy it and anything that got in the way. Before they could do anything, however, Kyouka and the others arrived at the hidden village, following Kyouka’s need to reward Yuuki for his efforts. This was the perfect chance to warm up ahead of the main event. Coco and her Shuuki Kuma attacked them at the entrance. Sahara and Shushu engaged them, allowing the others to continue inside.

Then, Naon’s Shuuki Akura forced Himari and Yochiho to attack, leaving Kyouka and Tenka to go after Yuuki. They quickly found him and then quickly left, utilising Tenka’s ability to teleport. However, Aoba caught up with them and was about to attack when Yuuki jumped in between them. He told Kyouka and Tenka about the Onmyou Bureau and it horrified them, but they couldn’t let Aoba attack as many innocents could be hurt. However, Aoba wasn’t ready to wait and see if two cogs of the same machine would be able to stop it. Meanwhile, Jouryuu had been watching things unfold and reported back to Shikoko who wanted to make the most of the situation.

Chained Soldier Episode 10 Coco kicking Sahara

Chained Soldier Episode 10 Yochiho shooting Akura

What did you think?

Well, I nailed it. The Onmyou Bureau (Demon Defense Force) is experimenting with the peaches. The fact that they kidnapped Naon and Coco and many more to experiment on them after they had eaten a Mato peach in Mato, tells me that we can’t exactly trust the group that has all the power. I know, shocking! Anyhow, this was a fascinating episode as it put everyone in an awkward position. Yuuki gained nothing by telling Kyouka and Tenka about what happened. He may well have been better off keeping quiet and helping them escape, leaving Aoba and the others to take care of the Onmyou Bureau. But, he couldn’t do that.

Of course, with everyone at each other’s throats, it seems like the perfect time for Shikoko to step in and make friends out of them all. I can see a temporary truce as Shikoko seems to want to stamp her authority on things and she seems to think she’s a god, or as powerful as one. She did save Rairen from Tenka’s blackhole so she’s certainly got plenty of power. Regardless, I think we’re in for a fairly exciting end to the season with only two more episodes to go. It’s definitely not going to wrap things up, so I’ll be hoping for another season, which I think would be considerably better than this one as we wouldn’t need to reintroduce everyone and the situation. They can just get on with the story.