What a tumultuous adventure it was! thanks to the long list of translators that worked on this to for it to reach the end of the road.
This manga really illustrates greatly the mundane banality of war. The absurdity and comedy that can stem out of war. placing the main focus on a group of paper-shuffling bureaucrats was top-class in presenting that rarely seen aspect of war. But it also doesn't shy away from the obvious horror, pointlessness and often randomness (deaths) of war either, especially in its last chapters where people die without rhymes or narrative reason now that any and all plot armor is gone. Shows that both being be true at the same time which I love.
At least the sacrifices and pain suffered was not all in vain at least. The grand duchy army on the republican front and the the hundreds of the thousands of soldiers its compromised from were able to go back to their homes and family in relatively good and dignified order. The city was spared from what was shaping up to be a war crime on the same breath as many of the worsts war atrocities in our real world.
I'm really saddened by the sudden death of Anechka and Boyko though. Boyko's untimely end was least a dignified one, but Anechka's was just plain pointless and sad. At least we got compensation by seeing the ever-opportunistic and cynical Shinan die a terribly lonely (self-inflicted by the way) and sad death. His actions amounting to nothing but prolonging the suffering of war, forgotten into the dustbin of history. At least the boy he used as a tool had a very happy ending.
Kotsya, Yusuf, Kiril (shame about the eyes though), and Grom had the best post-war life, most continued their life that was abruptly stopped by the war. some of their lives were cut short anyhow despite managing to survive the war (R.I.P. mr resistance man, you had the most aura. oh and the pitiful company commander too) but hey that's life I guess.
As always, god bless the military/history otakus of japan, the last arc greatly resembles that of operation axis and the last days of the eastern front in WW1. There is also some allusions of the agezoko militias with the IRL ostbattallions. Stuffs that I don't think any other media come close to covering.
This manga really illustrates greatly the mundane banality of war. The absurdity and comedy that can stem out of war. placing the main focus on a group of paper-shuffling bureaucrats was top-class in presenting that rarely seen aspect of war. But it also doesn't shy away from the obvious horror, pointlessness and often randomness (deaths) of war either, especially in its last chapters where people die without rhymes or narrative reason now that any and all plot armor is gone. Shows that both being be true at the same time which I love.
At least the sacrifices and pain suffered was not all in vain at least. The grand duchy army on the republican front and the the hundreds of the thousands of soldiers its compromised from were able to go back to their homes and family in relatively good and dignified order. The city was spared from what was shaping up to be a war crime on the same breath as many of the worsts war atrocities in our real world.
I'm really saddened by the sudden death of Anechka and Boyko though. Boyko's untimely end was least a dignified one, but Anechka's was just plain pointless and sad. At least we got compensation by seeing the ever-opportunistic and cynical Shinan die a terribly lonely (self-inflicted by the way) and sad death. His actions amounting to nothing but prolonging the suffering of war, forgotten into the dustbin of history. At least the boy he used as a tool had a very happy ending.
Kotsya, Yusuf, Kiril (shame about the eyes though), and Grom had the best post-war life, most continued their life that was abruptly stopped by the war. some of their lives were cut short anyhow despite managing to survive the war (R.I.P. mr resistance man, you had the most aura. oh and the pitiful company commander too) but hey that's life I guess.
As always, god bless the military/history otakus of japan, the last arc greatly resembles that of operation axis and the last days of the eastern front in WW1. There is also some allusions of the agezoko militias with the IRL ostbattallions. Stuffs that I don't think any other media come close to covering.
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