Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth-

Episode 8

This might be a good moment to remember that the character Saint is based on is immortal. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's vampiric noble was born roughly four thousand years ago, and that seems to be holding true for Code:Realize's version as well, although perhaps not the vampire part. It seems that Saint has not necessarily been gathering people to protect Cardia, or even to help Lupin and his friends, but rather as part of his machinations as a member of a third interested party: Idea. Unlike the Cardia group or Twilight, Idea is interested in preserving the historical record (or so I gather) and has been doing so for centuries – I'd be willing to bet that the Guinevere Saint talks to this week is actually the Guinevere of Arthurian legend. She's convinced that Cardia needs to be eliminated for the good of history; Saint, up until the final minutes of the episode, seems less convinced.

That's probably just a bluff though, because we've seen hundreds of Cardias incubating in tubes. Killing this one won't do a whole lot to stop her father and may in fact help him, because the newer Cardias won't have present Cardia's knowledge and attachment to Lupin, Fran, Van, and Impey, plus it will be that much easier for interested parties to make off with the Horologium if it isn't attached to her living body. So unless Idea is secretly committed to helping Isaac Beckford, Saint killing off the present Cardia doesn't make much sense.

At this point, it may also be worth noting that Cardia's name looks an awful lot like obscure Roman goddess Cardea's. Cardea was the goddess of hinges, doorways, and thresholds, all of which are associated with movement from one place to another. That's what Twilight and Finis are trying to cause – a transition to a different sort of world made of flames and ashes. Since Finis' name is symbolic to that effect (it means “the end”), it would make sense if Cardia's was similarly symbolic. Of course, both of Sir Isaac's children's names imply great change (the end of one thing transitioning to the beginning of another), so things may not be as ominous as they currently appear.

And it does look ominous. With Lupin injured, Queen Victoria on the run, and Finis' men well on their way to taking over London, this may be the worst disaster since Boudica in 60 CE. Fortunately, Cardia has really come into her own over the last few weeks. She no longer sees herself as an abomination, and she's accepted that people actually care about her and want her around for herself, not just because of her acidic properties. She's even come to terms with her poison to a degree – this is the second time in as many weeks that we've seen her deliberately use her power to open a path, suggesting that she's no longer afraid of herself. That's a huge development, as is the fact that she has the confidence to stand up coolly to Queen Victoria when the woman implies that they need to have a sit-down after the battles are done; in earlier episodes, Cardia would have cowered or hidden behind someone else, but now she can look the Queen in the face and give her a polite dismissal. It's impressive both for the show's development and for Cardia herself, who has grown out of a blank slate and into a person.

Whether or not Saint is on the verge of betraying Cardia or Idea (it sure looks like he's about to betray someone), things are undeniably looking grim for our protagonists. Even the awesome belt buckle Frankenstein is wearing won't be able to save the city of London at this point. It's going to take everyone working together, but in the meantime…London Town is burning down, burning down, burning down…

Rating: B

Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.