Chapter 3:
Turns out Hans did survive the attack from the last chapter. He just went unconscious. We also learn Hans was demoted to labor in the mines. Knowing Hans, I'm willing to bet he will rebel out of it later on.
So as Chapter 3 confirms, Corrin went missing during the fort-taking mission she was assigned to, and now the Nohrian royal family is frantically searching for her. They are told to not investigate near the Bottomless Canyon, with those orders coming straight from Garon.
Then we flash forward to what happened to Corrin. Yep, just like the games, she's been taken by Hoshido, and it looks Rinkah and Kaze are doing well. Seems like they really did manage to escape after they were picked up by Leo and his retainers following his Brynhilder attack on them. Moreover, we also have a change from the games: instead of Lilith saving Corrin when she fell down the Bottomless Canyon, it is Rinkah and Kaze that did that job instead.
Kaze tells Corrin about how they will be arriving at Castle Shirasagi, and what follows is the same conversation from the games regarding Corrin's belief that she will probably be executed, but then she finds out it will be opposite. The Hoshidans want to meet and welcome Corrin.
We also learn that the Ganglari is a spying tool that is used by Garon. He is able to see everything that is going on from Corrin's perspective thanks to the eye on the sword.
There is some brief dialogue between Leo and Xander as Leo is about to depart to the forrest for a walk, and then we have a scene where Laslow gives his report to Xander. We learn more about Nohr's famine problems during this scene. Garon allocated a part of the tax money to stockpiling grain every year, but 8% of the grain stockpiles in multiple storage facilities have gone missing. Moreover, the person in charge of grain stockpiles was transferred out, and no one has been appointed to replace him. Seems like there's some corruption going on within Nohr.
Xander then orders Laslow to investigate all the grain storage facilities in Nohr to find more answers. Laslow is surprised and overwhelmed by this order, but Xander convinces him that he will probably find many girls he can flirt with on the way. He basically tells Laslow, "Oh please, this order is not as bad as you think it is."
The final pages of this chapter show Corrin's arrival in Castle Shirasagi. Unlike the games, Corrin does not encounter Queen Mikoto and Ryoma inside the throne room. Here, she meets them outside the castle. Also different from the games is how Mikoto initially approached Corrin. In the games, she was rather calm yet still happy when seeing Corrin again for so long. Here, she runs to Corrin so fast that Ryoma tells to her slow down, but you can tell that Mikoto is running out of joy to seeing Corrin again. I like that change a lot. Having her run toward Corrin with tearful joy fits well for a mother who hasn't seen her child for so long, especially when said child was abducted.
Chapter 4:
The beginning of the chapter shows Leo and his retainers looking for Corrin near the Bottomless Canyon. A cavalier is sent to Leo's location to inform him that Corrin's location has been found. Leo learns that Corrin is in Castle Shirasagi in Hoshido, and he will be a part of the army division to rescue her. I am willing to bet this rescue division will involve the other royals as well, and this army division will be the ones present during the Chapter 6 battle.
The rest of this chapter mainly focuses on Corrin's experiences in Hoshido. Upon leaving her room, Corrin runs into Hinoka, who offers some oranges. Wow, Hoshido is so prosperous they are able to grow many different kinds of fruit. First peaches, then cherries, and now oranges. Yeah, Hoshido really is quite a utopia.
Hinoka offers to be an escort to Corrin, and we also learn that she has been mending Corrin's armor as well, hence why Corrin is wearing a kimono for the time-being. As Corrin walks away, Hinoka has a short monologue where she understands that calling Corrin family all of sudden would be too sudden for her, and that shows she understand's Corrin's amnesia regarding Hoshido.
Corrin also leaves this interesting bit of dialogue: "Prince Ryoma, Princess Hinoka, Princess Sakura... they are all such good people. I think that maybe someday even Prince Takumi, as well..." It's an accurate portrayal from the games where most of the Hoshido royal family was welcoming towards Corrin's return except for Takumi, who treated Corrin with suspicion. Of course, Takumi is perfectly justified with his attitudes toward Corrin at this point in the story, and in the next several pages, we'll see he acts much less jerkish here compared to the games.
Corrin eventually runs into Azura at a nearby lake, and we have similar dialogue to the games where Corrin praises Azura's singing abilities as the two proceed to explain their kidnapped origins. Azura mentions her mother loved Nohr, and the tune she sang came from her mother's homeland (a.k.a. Valla). She also mentions that she left behind a doll her mother made, but Azura doesn't mind it too much since she has been welcomed into Hoshido. Corrin cries remembering what she left behind in Nohr, and we see Azura comfort her.
We eventually see the entire Hoshido royal family preparing for the ceremony where Corrin will be welcomed back into the royal family. I enjoyed this scene quite a bit because it really emphasizes what a celebratory event this is. I mean, Corrin and Sakura get hair arrangements, and Corrin is given a ceremonial gown. In the games, Corrin just showed up in her armor and that was it.
Heck, even Ryoma wears ceremonial clothes.
And I'm going to say this right now: Ryoma looks SO much better in that outfit compared to his lobster armor. I mean, the lobster armor has its moments, but most of the time, it can be hard to take Ryoma seriously when he resembles a lobster. Here, his majestic hair is more pronounced, and the clothes he wears resembles that of what an average samurai wore in traditional Japanese times. Seriously, I think this is the kind of clothing Ryoma should've worn during Fates. It looks elegant yet still badass.
Only Hinoka and Takumi choose not to wear ceremonial clothing. Hinoka rushes off to find Azura, while Takumi expresses impatience over the length of time it takes for Corrin and Sakura to get ready for the event. Well Takumi, that's just how girls are; they take a while to prepare for events like this. Ryoma even comments, "Time will go even slower if you're not patient, Takumi." Ryoma has a point: patience is a virtue, and simply dreading the length of an event really does feel like it isn't flying by fast.
Mikoto also states she can send an envoy with Corrin should she ever choose to return to Nohr, acknowledging that Corrin is probably wondering how they people dear to her are doing back at home. Mikoto also seems to be aware about the love Corrin's Nohrian family has for her, as the reason she lets Corrin wear her armor during the ceremony is because she recognizes the clothes were probably a gift from the family. Mikoto even seems to have prepared a Haori for Corrin for every year. Wow, she really has been preparing for Corrin's return at any moment. Again, it's a great addition to the story because it gives us a better sense on how much Mikoto loves Corrin.
Corrin decides to wear the sword as an "accessory." You know, if Corrin left her sword behind, the disaster at the Town Square that killed her mother probably would've never happened, and it really shows in the next few pages where we switch back to Garon's perspective. Because Garon can spy on Corrin through the Ganglari's eye, he learns that Corrin will bring the sword with her, and it is from that Garon states, "It's all over." Keeping the events and reveals of Revelation in mind along with the details revealed in the manga, we understand how Garon carried out the orders to execute that disaster in Hoshido.
On the way to the Town Square, Corrin begins to remember some of her past memories in Hoshido when she sees the cherry blossoms. Sakura comments that she (Sakura) was named after that flower, so it seems to imply the Ryoma and Sakura supports took place before the events of the game even started (since it was there Sakura learned where she got her name).
The royalty gathers around the Light Dragon statue. Takumi opposes the idea of standing beside Corrin because he "can't trust someone that's suddenly claiming to be [his] older sister." Ryoma tries to protest against that claim, but Mikoto backs Takumi up and says, "Takumi... still needs a little time."
Reading Takumi's impatience about the preparation and his disapproval of standing next to Corrin, Takumi doesn't behave as rude here as he was in the games. Even then, this rudeness is justified, as Takumi says it himself. Why should you completely trust an individual who is claiming to be your long lost sibling, especially when that sibling has spent such a long time in the opposing nation? It really shows Takumi's reaction is very realistic. If you don't think it is, I encourage you to check out the Birthright Drama CDs, because it's there where you better understand why Takumi acted the way that he did in Chapter 5 of the games.
Corrin mentions how she wants the two kingdoms to become allies, and that drives Mikoto to tears. Sakura gives her a handkerchief, as Ryoma proceeds to begin the ceremony. Corrin notes that she smells rainwater, which is strange considering the weather was currently sunny at the time. That's when she sees the hooded man in the distance take her sword and then uses it create the dark explosion that we remember from the games, and it is there the chapter ends.
I found it odd that Corrin smelled rainwater at first, but upon re-reading the chapter, it makes sense why she sensed it: the smell came from the hooded man! Remember how those shadowed figures from Valla appear during Revelation? They emerged from a watery substance. Just look at Mikoto's cutscene in Revelation and you'll understand what I mean. Considering that the hooded man is also from Valla, it now makes how the hooded man managed to appear outside of Hoshido: by emerging from a watery substance out of thin air. It also ties in pretty well into Birthright Chapter 11. There, the hooded man makes his return appearance, and he emerged out of the sea-water. Thus, those shadowed figures Corrin and the army attack during various moments in Fates are primarily composed of water.
This was quite a good chapter overall. It's pretty clear the next chapter will show Mikoto's sacrifice to save Corrin, Corrin's dragon transformation, and the resulting battle that follows. I REALLY hope Ryoma will not run back to the castle to pick up his lobster armor and instead actually fight in that ceremonial outfit he is wearing for the coming battle. That would be so badass!
