The final episode ofArknights: Prelude to Dawnisn’t quite the colossal battle that some fans might have expected, nor does its dialog bring things to a satisfying conclusion by the end. It’s very much the end of the beginning, and there should be a lot to pique interest for what comes next, but there really isn’t.
Last week was a reckoningfor the cast as the ethics of Rhodes Island and Reunion weren’t so much dissected as they were shared and attacked loudly and broadly. It was the culmination of a dilemma that has progressively been approached with less and less nuance, leading to a cliffhanger that felt contrived.
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Return of the Skullshatterer
With the death of Alex, AKA Skullshatterer, Amiya has broken a rule that - given the inconsistent direction ofArknights' action - didn’t seem like a hard and fast rule. Amiya has killed someone, despite her assertion that Rhodes Island didn’t need to kill to accomplish its goal, and it has driven a wedge between her and Misha, whom she hoped to protect.
Misha’s reaction to Alex’s deathseemed at first - as stated above - contrived because she could plainly see what Alex was about to do. He was going to die no matter what and Amiya had no choice but to intervene. Perhaps with more control, Amiya could have disarmed Alex without killing him, but for what it’s worth, it was a necessary outcome.
The season finale does address that Misha isn’t exactly oblivious to this fact and paints her distrust of Amiya as less of a full turn to evil and more of a mental breakdown. She’s spent her entire life viewing Reunion as an enemy but also feels guilty about not being there for her brother. Through intense grief,she looks at the aggression of Reunionas a way to atone for what she sees as the greatest sin: her willful ignorance of the plight of the infected.
With some time to ruminate on her feelings, it’s not quite as contrived a conflict as first believed and her actions, while not the most logical, are understandable. ToArknights' credit, it certainly raises questions about the morality of the conflict (should one care to ask them), and there are a few ways to look at the dilemma.
From the get-go, Rhodes Island might not have killed, but they worked side by side with people that have no qualms about killing. Is Amiya’s use of lethal force truly a betrayal or a sign that she was already complicit in death? Furthermore, is killing something that is ultimately necessary for this war? And, is that just a harsh lessonor a hypothesis for Amiya to disprove?
No Hesitation
This series seems to have been directed in such a way as to appeal to a wide audience, likely younger as well, hence a noticeable amount of censorship, and a lack of blood. It’s what makes it hard to tell if certain characters die for real. However, it’s appreciated that the finale seemed to address this confusion head-on by acknowledging that the LGD is killing when they feel they need to.
Ch’en has been a particularly aggressive character to Rhodes Island despite consistently being an ally. While Amiya’s ideals demand that she doesn’t kill to preserve a vision of unity, Ch’en is portrayed as more of a realist who has already drawn battle lines andsees Reunion as an aggressor.
Contrary to her introduction, she’s also revealed to have been much kinder to the orphans and those “below her” than many might have assumed during her introduction. So for Ch’en to be the one to kill Misha in a moment of Amiya’s hesitation was quite a bold choice, one that not even Ch’en could comfortably make.
By the end of the episode, the battle has never truly taken center stage, nor has the action truly served as a vehicle for the drama. It has all centered around these character moments that have beenbuilt upon a shaky foundation. There is some depth, but dive in, and viewers might wonder if the swim is worth the quality of the water.
Throughout the whole series,Arknights: Prelude to Dawnhas looked good and on occasion truly ensnared with its world and the promise of exploring it. But the finale stands as a reminder of all the ways the series failed to build up to it properly. And even then, the closing collage of imagery hints at more on the horizon, but all it does is remind the viewer of what they wished the series offered instead.
