#ogedei

I really like the storytelling in Jaadugar in the sense that everything is honestly seen in a gray matter. Slavery is a terrible concept, but it’s treated in a morally gray way in this story where it’s both bad, but also beneficial. It’s bad to sell people, but people like Sitara and Anis managed to make a good life as slaves in their new homes. The Naimans gave Toregene away for marriage to the Merkets as a form of alliance, which is bad for both Toregene and the treatment of women, but she managed to find a good life as wife to Dayir and a member of their tribe. The Mongols, while are bad as conquerors, still provide their captives a good life where they aren’t restricted and can marry other slaves or have new careers.

I also like that Toregene and the tribes she’s a part of allude to Central Asian culture and customs. Given that Sitara is technically West Asian, it showcases that Mongolians conquered Asia in all directions; though, I don’t know if they conquered the South. I just really like seeing the various types of cultures presented in this story; it shows that the author has done intensive research and also seems to take joy and pride in showcasing their knowledge from brain to paper.

I feel bad for Toregene throughout this episode. She didn’t like her circumstances, but adjusted and when she thought her life was going to be at peace, tragedy hits. The episode perfectly paced all the ups and downs of Toregene’s life without cutting away in the middle. Seriously, her life is just as bad as Sitara’s in a way—that’s why they team up. I feel like Toregene has it worse because she got forcibly married to Ogedei who killed Dayir, who she loved but realized it too late, and even bore his children. Marrying your enemy and bearing his children is certainly a cruel fate for a woman.

The major characters introduced in this episode are all interesting. Dayir is the older man Toregene got married to, but he never once laid his hands on her after marriage but always shows her kindness and is considerate of her feelings; I can see why she’d develop affections for him. I really liked the scene of him dancing and showcasing the phoenix shape of his soul. The concept of kam feels so supernatural. I wonder if Mergens are spiritual people. Khulan and Kultukan are adorable. It sucks that the latter died and the former was married off to Genghis Khan as a sign of truce in a way. The way Khulan said all that after her father’s death makes me wonder if she only said that to not be killed by her enemies. I wonder if she is still alive; if she is, will she also be a part of the revenge?

The casting for this anime continues to be stellar. Dayir is voiced by the one and only Akira Ishida who is known for voicing characters like Akaza in Demon Slayer, Gaara in Naruto and Break in Pandora Hearts. I read somewhere that Japanese commenters understand why Toregene gained affection for him due to his voice being Akira Ishida’s; I find that funny. Khulan is voiced by Inori Minase who voiced Akane Kinoshita in My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv. 999, Jeanne in The Case Study of Vanitas and Rem in Re:Zero. Kultukan is voiced by Shoya Chiba who voiced Taiki Inomata in Blue Box, Nirei in Wind Breaker and Ouri in Tamon’s B-side. Kultukan’s older brother is voiced by Junichi Yanagida who is going to voice Lysander in the upcoming Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and voiced Mandrin in Unicorn Overlord and Milo in Metaphor: Refantazio.

This episode is really urging me to read books about Mongolian history as well as the history and cultures of the Asian continent. Does anyone have any book recommendations about these topics? I really want to read about them! Let me know your thoughts on the episode as well!

I also like how adjusted she becomes to life in Mongolia, but she’s still not completely turned. She still wears her cultural garments, and even puts on an under cap as a way for to still have Fatima in her heart. She becomes a more capable woman as she does a lot of things like getting medicine for a sick woman during a sandstorm, collecting stuff while dealing with mean sheep, and even draining out blood from a dead goat despite her culture only consuming meat from animals that died from cutting through the throat, which is the most painless way for them. However, since her goal is to get the book back, it does feel like she’s trying to deny getting accustomed to the Mongolian life as her fellow Persians start to get used to their lives there.

Anyways, SItara is introduced to Tolui’s wife Sorghaghtani who wanted the Elements book. She’s not exactly a bad person, but I guess she can be described as self-centered in a way? She has no malice, but she cares little about Sitara’s people nor does she ask or care about where the book came from; all she cares is that she has it in her possessions and that she can use it to obtain knowledge to help Tolui and the empire. That’s all she cares about. I can see why Sitara got so infuriated with her. Sorghaghtani has little concern about the people of the world beyond the steppe she lives in yet, she wants to obtain their knowledge. It’s a very contradictory yet complicated mindset. Sorghaghtani has no idea that the book in her possession came at the cost of many lives, including those dear to Sitara, but I can tell she doesn’t care about that since she only cares about things that benefit her. On top of that, she and Tolui have children of their own—not sure how many they have, but two are shown, Kublai and Hulge. It’s a bit sad to see Sitara being so friendly to them while Tolui forgot who she was at the moment.

Speaking of Tolui, I bet there are many who was surprised the next emperor after Genghis Khan’s death was Ogedei and not Tolui. I was the same, but it does make sense why Tolui wouldn’t be the next Emperor as he’s kind of a simpleton. Yes, Sorghaghtani would’ve helped him with the ruling, but he probably does have other factors that didn’t fit to be a ruler. And it’s also obvious if you look up some of Mongolian history and see the series of events; however, it’s is still too complicated for me to grasp… I would like to learn more, though.

I do wonder what happened to Shira. Eight years passed and he hasn’t been seen present-day once. I don’t think he’s dead? If he was, Sitara would’ve mentioned it? Maybe he’ll be mentioned later on? I think the eldest son Jochi went off to make his own pasture, hence why he’s not present, but it’s a little weird that he didn’t show up for his brother’s crowning ceremony, or did he? I don’t remember clearly.

Anyways, the most surprising thing about Sorghaghtani is that she’s voiced by Misaki Kuno. Yes, that Misaki Kuno; the voice actress of lolis like Klee in Genshin Impact, cute girls like Xiaolan in Apothecary Diaries and adorable mascot characters like Brushbuddy and Chiropmon. This is not the first time she’s playing against type but this is her first ever married/mature woman role. She sounds very different and it honestly surprised me with how well she did; I wouldn’t be surprised if she books more of these types of roles later on. Kublai is voiced by Hiiro Ishibashi who voiced Euini in Witch Hat Atelier and Yorita in The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity. Hulge is voiced by Ayumu Murase who voiced Cure Wing in Hirogaru Sky Precure and Hinata in Haikyuu. There’s also Genghis Khan’s brother Temge who is voiced by Shinji Kawada who voiced Ibe in Banana Fish; too bad there’s not a lot known about him right now…

Ogedei as Emperor means that Torgene will probably become important; I wonder if becoming Sorghaghtani’s spy will cause Sitara to switch her loyalty or something… It’s crazy how she’s being sucked into the political drama when all she wants is to get the book back… Also, Jaadugar got a dub starring Cristina Vee as Sitara! Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

I’m honestly surprised with how intelligent the translator boy Shira is. He stated in this episode that he still doesn’t know how to read or write well, yet he’s the one concocting all these plans to move up in the world with Sitara wanting in on it too. However, it’s unknown if he can be trusted as Sitara only sees him as a necessity and not as an ally; she did say everyone is her enemy, after all. It does make me wonder if she’ll team up with Toregene who doesn’t seem to like her husband, the third princes Ogedei, that much. It’d be a team-up of the century if that’s the case.

Anyways, we also get to see the Mongolian princes aside from Tolui. The way they all act about the damages they caused in the war is scarily composed, especially since Tolui just boasted about how he got his wife book he ransacked from Fatima’s house. The way his carefree attitude about how the book is in a foreign language yet he has no idea if it actually is the book shows how cruel war and the people who cause it can be. Tolui is just basically boasting how he killed people for a random book that might even be the book he’s searching for. It’s honestly crazy; I can see why his older brothers look perplexed. He’s definitely a hatable character with his only one redeeming trait is being a wife guy.

By the way, if you listen to Sitara’s dialogue, she tends to speak in a stilted manner around the Mongolians. This is because she’s still not fluent in the language, so she’s basically speaking a bit childishly like how every person learning a new language does. Remember that she only knows some basic Mongolian at this point because Shira, who’s more fluent, taught her. I honestly like that detail and I commend the subtitles for catching onto that.

The episode also introduces Uyghurs, who are a Turkish ethnic group and Master Changchun, who’s actually a real-life historical figure, Qiu Chuji. The purpose of this scene is to showcase how powerful wisdom and knowledge are. It’s also to showcase that immortality isn’t something to be sought after. Maybe it could be some foreshadowing in a way?

Anyways, the voice cast is also high budget alongside the animation. Now that Tolui’s words are able to be understood, his regular voice actor is Ryota Suzuki who voiced characters like Kurosawa in Cherry Magic, Trey Clover in Twisted Wonderland and Hiiragi in Wind Breaker. The first prince Jochi is voiced by Kenji Nojima who voiced Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon Crystal and Eiji Okumura in Banana Fish The second prince Chagatai is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa who voiced Yu Narukami in Persona 4 and Kazehaya in Kimi ni Todoke. The third prince Ogedei is voiced by Hiro Shimono who voiced Zenitsu in Demon Slayer, Dabi in My Hero Academia and Hakuto in My New Boss is Goofy. His wife Toregene is voiced by Ami Koshimizu who voiced Yukiko Amagi in Persona 4, the spider mother in Demon Slayer and Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon Crystal. 

I just hope nothing bad happens now that Sitara met Tolui’s wife Sorghaghtani. She has to be smart to move up in the world, so I’m sure she’s not going to demand the book back. Instead, I am more curious on what she’s going to do. It’s going to be hard waiting a week. Also, I just hope I can spell all these names correctly going forth… Let me know your thoughts on the episode!

Other than that, this episode is mostly a build up towards a possible Sitara and Toregene team up in the future. For now, the transitions are very interesting. Originally, Sorghaghtani wanted Sitara to sneak into Chagatai’s group to be a spy in order to see if the brotherly bond between the brothers will change now that Ogedei is the ruler. However, circumstances make it so that Sitara accidentally gets taken under Toregene’s wing after going through a series of unfortunate events.

By the way, Shira finally reappears in the story! He still looks the same, especially with that black eye still being in that same spot, but older. He works under Tolui and is also aware of Sorghaghtani’s desire to make Sitara a spy which was why he was the one concocting the plans. However, his plans don’t seem to execute well due to the lack of concrete explanation and that the bezoar stone really threw Sitara off course.

Toregene is formally introduced now. She’s Ogedei’s sixth wife and possibly the black sheep of the bunch. She’s the least eager to be married to him and distances herself from the other wives like Moge and Kyrgyztani. There are hints that she’s only married to him due to the Mongols invasion of her people, which makes sense why she’s hostile.

I also like that Sitara is very conflicted with herself. She hates the Mongols, yet the peaceful life she has in Mongolia has her reconsider her revenge, which she hates. I do like that she has these complicated feelings because that’s what a human heart does. Sometimes, pain is unforgettable, yet it can always be healed. While the Mongolians are hateful due to their invasions, they’re also a nation full of people with their own culture and also bring in people from other cultures; for example, the two slave women Sitara talks to are enjoying their lives in Mongolia as one of them got married to another slave and have children. In a way, they’re able to make their bad situation good, but Sitara feels conflicted for feeling that way. I feel like, had she not met Toregene, maybe she would forgive and move on, but since Toregene is like her, someone who hates Mongols, the fire burning in her grows and spreads to another fire.

Toregene’s retainer Qadaq is voiced by Yusuke Numata who voiced Shiitake in Digimon Beatbreak. Moge, one of Ogedei’s wives who is the tall one with the ponytail, is voiced by Ayaka Asai who voiced Yolei/Miyako Inoue in Digimon Adventure Last Kizuna and 02: The Beginning and Hazuki Kato in Sound! Euphonium. Kyrgyztani, the shorter of Ogedei’s wives, is voiced by Mayumi Shintani who voiced Haruko Haruhara in FLCL and Jakuzure in Kill la Kill; hilariously, Toregene’s voice actress Koshimizu voiced Ryuko, so it’s a bit of a reunion.

Anyways, I’m interested to see what Toregene’s story is and how Sitara is going to team up with her to get their mutual revenge on the Mongolian Empire. I also wonder what she’s going to do with that bezoar stone later on… Let me know your thoughts on this episode!