Character Appreciation: Dlanor A. Knox
by
, 04-06-2016 at 02:58 PM (7695 Views)
I tried coming up with an Umineko character I could write a post like this about without spoiling anything. I failed; it's just not really possible. But I'll still try to be vague enough not to take anything major away.
Umineko OST - JUSTICE
Dlanor A. Knox is an antagonist in Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru. She's first introduced in Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch as the subordinate of Erika, who introduces her as an emotionless killer doll who carries out her duties as the Head of Eiserne Jungfrau without hesitation or remorse. And indeed, when she's first summoned by Erika into battle with the protagonists, it's made abundantly clear that she is indeed a very fearsome opponent as she almost manages to completely corner and execute them right there.
However, Battler narrowly manages to achieve a tie. And just after the battle Dlanor visits him in the rose garden and joins them for a small tea party. Not to fight, not to argue, simply to enjoy some tea and to properly introduce herself to Battler.
This is where you get to know a different side of Dlanor, one that even her superiors aren't aware of. She reveals that while she is firm in her beliefs and enjoys a good fight, she doesn't enjoy being cold-hearted and more often than not finds the people she battles against pitiable and sympathizes with them. Nonetheless, she is willing to set aside her emotions and fight because it's her job.
And so she basically becomes the "friendly rival". Never holding back when crossing blades with Battler, but glad to chat quietly and peacefully with him when she's not. Every single fight scene with her becomes a joy to watch, as it feels more like old friends having a friendly competition than bitter enemies murdering each other. She never backs down until the side she's on is truly defeated and when that's finally the case she accepts it gracefully.
Dlanor also defends Erika when she needs it the most, earning her respect and friendship, allowing for scenes where we get a better insight into Erika whom we only see the worst of outside of the scenes where the two of them are alone. We get to see why Erika is the way she is and why she will never accept Battler's viewpoint instead of just condemning her as a villain for the heck of it, all thanks to Dlanor. At the same time I'd also say Dlanor and her chat with Battler is one of the primary reasons for the latter's growth throughout Episode 5. Her unique position allows her to bring out the best in both opposing sides, which is just great.
Umineko OST - Hello Your Dream
In Ougon Musou Kyoku she's also one of my favorite characters to play as. She moves extremely slowly but she can shield herself from projectiles, her attacks have a very impressive range and she can counter air attacks very well. Though what she really excels at is command grabs, which she can even link into from a combo for a great finisher. Getting cornered by Dlanor is a very tough position to recover from.
In an episode as dark as Episode 5 where the protagonists are extremely close to losing several times, and where the cast of mostly terrible people is extended by outright hateable antagonists, Dlanor stands out as while she is in opposition to Battler and siding with the antagonists, she is still an incredibly likable character regardless.
And the voice performance by Miyuki Sawashiro is just great, if you happen to be playing the UmiTweak version.
This character appreciation post is now FINISHED.