The final season of Fena: Pirate Princess reveals what Fena’s role in the series is and how her crucial choices will determine the fate of the world.
Warning: this post contains details Episode 12 of the anime Fena: Pirate Princess
There is no shortage of questions flooding the viewer’s mind when Fena: Pirate Princess end. While many of the questions are answered in the final episode, it also feels rather counterintuitive since it’s all been prepared in advance. Much enthusiasm has waned in the final two episodes after Abel’s death, as the primary threat is now gone and we enter the analysis of the story. Episode 12 may still have some viewers reeling, but it offered a resolution to Fena and Yukimaru’s story that many would be pleased with.
Fena comes from a list of maidens whose lives are ruled by the likes of Cody and Franz, symbols of Eden. The ‘primary instincts’ that Fena relied on to get to Eden were predetermined by inherent powers, so her choices were never made according to her own will. Fena’s ancestor, Joan of Arc, passed on her memories to Fena, which explains her vision. All of this is a test to see if Fena has what it takes to become a chosen maiden who will decide the fate of the universe. Everything that happened, since before Fena was born, all led to this moment to make a single choice.
Cody/Franz argues that a woman must decide between two destinies. The first is that Fena can choose to leave the world to continue as it is, and it will be destroyed in the future. Cody gives her a vision of the past when her mother died – it’s clear that Helena has decided to let the world continue as it is. The vision changed and the Samurai Seven rushed into battle and was killed to her horror.
The second is destruction and rebirth – Fena can choose to let the world be destroyed now and from its ashes a new world will be created. If she chooses this, Fena can go up to the Ark of Time with Yukimaru (along with other randomly selected souls) and leave safely while the rest of the world is wiped out. Although it was framed as a choice, like everything else in her life, Fena never really had a choice to begin with.
Fena: Pirate Princess offers a ruthless twist: whatever her choices, Fena will lose her memory of all that has happened so far in order to free her of the suffering to come. She will also need to continue her bloodline. Fena appeared in front of Yukimaru, long hair, looking like he was out of his reach. The ending of the anime is emotional as Fena tells him that she has never forgotten him, even after she tried to forget everything else. She promised Yukimaru that she would work to create a future where the Seven Samurai would exist.
Their embrace was brief before being forced to part. Yukimaru promised himself that he would find her and make her remember. Right before she disappeared, Fena confessed that she had a crush on Yukimaru.
However, Yukimaru and Fena weren’t apart for long. When Yukimaru woke up, he was on an island with nothing but a young black-haired girl standing in the middle of the ocean. It was Fena, but had no memories and possibly signaled the end of her role as a shrine maiden. In a rather amusing twist, the crew takes Fena home, sailing through the various ports and places they’ve been to during the adventure, thus completing the song “Vice Versa.”
Finally, Yukimaru gives Fena the knife she used to cut her hair in episode 2. He gently tells her that he will always be by her side and confesses that he loves her. Fena immediately caught him, an echo of what Yukimaru once did to her. She beamed at him, tears welling in her eyes – perhaps pieces of Fena’s memories were coming back.
And so, Fena’s journey ended – something like that. In the final episode of Fena: Pirate Princess tried to tie all the stories together, while offering an ending that was open enough to leave room for a second season. In the last few seconds, Fena sees two children who look like Helena and Abel run past and hears a voice in her head asking if she has any hope of finding fragments of her memories. Since Fena chose the 2nd option, it’s likely that the second season will focus on how she creates a future where her friends live.
It’s not really clear how much of an impact losing her current memories will be, since they need to find Eden, this is done. It’s puzzling considering that Fena has been set up since Episode 1 to make this big decision… basically everyone before her has done it. Season 1 of Fena: Pirate Princess feels like a rushed and confusing set-up for something bigger that ends up being almost unnecessary – because we’re returning to where Fena’s journey was. before start.
Via: Kodoani.com