WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 12, "The Chosen Maiden," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim.
Fena: Pirate Princess was one of the most highly anticipated anime to premiere during the summer/fall season. The high animation quality was one of the show's strongest points, but in its ambitious pursuit of incorporating as many things as possible, plot holes were abundant. Some characters were introduced with hardly any focus on who they were or how they related to each other, but most disappointing was how Fena chose to portray the titular character. While fans expected a strong protagonist who wanted to take control of her life, due to certain storylines, Fena ultimately lost her independence.
Yukihisa and Abel's Relationship
One of the biggest mysteries that was dropped in the early episodes was how Yukihisa and Abel seemed to be corresponding with each other. At the beginning of Episode 3, Yukihisa sits near a window while a few white feathers lie scattered on the floor. The scene then transitions to Abel receiving letters via messenger pigeon, a sinister smirk on his face when he sees the pigeon. Clearly, there's a major connection between the two of them -- is Yukihisa the one leading Abel to Fena?
Viewers were waiting for the big reveal, only to be left empty-handed. Yukihisa knew the Houtmans for a long time and by extension, knew who Abel was through his relationship with Helena. Because Yukihisa was in correspondence with Abel, it looked as though he was using Abel to achieve his own goal of recovering the Kusanagi. However, this is all speculation, as there were no later hints about the nature of their association with each other. It's unclear whether the anime even intended to explore this further.
What Happened With Kei?
Aside from Abel, Shitan's brother Kei looked to be the next antagonist on the horizon. The Samurai Seven had just betrayed their clan to save Fena, who Yukihisa sees as a witch. The very mention of Kei terrifies the Samurai Seven. They all know that Kei will hunt them down for treason and that once he catches them, he'll show no mercy, regardless of the fact that Shitan is his own brother. This would have upped the stakes significantly, especially for Yukimaru, who probably sees Kei like his own brother since he rescued him from the Hope 10 years ago. It could have been quite an epic battle if Kei and Yukimaru/Shitan ever came head to head. However, this conflict never happens; Kei isn't seen again until the final episode and doesn't say a single word!
Another conflict that ended up being a missed opportunity was between Kei and Shitan. The two brothers' relationship was woefully underdeveloped. Shitan's past revealed that Kei looked down on his younger brother, calling him weak for his poor sword-fighting skills. This was a huge blow to Shitan's self-esteem until he found his calling in archery. One of the problems in Episode 8 was the shallowness of Shitan's redemption arc, but if Shitan had proved to Kei how much he'd grown since he was a boy, either through a fight or even just a conversation, it would have made the ending scene that much more powerful when Kei acknowledges Shitan for fulfilling his duty.
Fena's Lack of Autonomy
Although Fena doesn't go so far as to suggest that everything leading up to the conclusion was all just a dream or part of Fena's imagination, the way it goes about her story gives off the same feeling. Fena left the brothel to find out who she was and to be free. In the end, she discovers that she is only part of a story or cycle that has repeated itself hundreds of times. All the 'decisions' she made to guide her friends to Eden was just Fena going through the motions, following in the footsteps of her ancestors that came before her. It was never really Fena choosing, resulting in her character being nothing more than a passive protagonist.
What really hurt Fena as a protagonist was the amnesia plot point thrown in at the finale. She's set up to make a monumental choice of either destroying the world now or later, but it turns out that no matter what choice she makes, Fena won't even remember it by the end. This greatly lessens the emotional gravity of the situation. Fena is back to the beginning of her journey -- all she has been doing so far is going around in circles.
The Samurai Seven
One of Fena's strengths is how it develops the relationship between Fena and Yukimaru, and a little between Fena/Shitan and Shitan/Yukimaru. Unfortunately, the focus on these three characters meant that the other five Samurai Seven received far less attention. Although Fena does spend some time with each of them, most notably during her brief training period, these characters are barely developed beyond this.
The two characters who most suffer from this are Makaba and Tsubaki. Makaba really plays into the stereotype of the "gentle giant" who hardly says anything. Meanwhile, the audience barely gets to know who Tsubaki is at all. He doesn't even do as much in the way of fighting as the other Samurai Seven -- he's usually left on the submarine and has very little interaction with Fena and the rest of his comrades save for the twins. The one interesting tidbit we do get is that he seems to have supersonic hearing, as he senses Abel and his men approaching before the others do in Episode 11.
If ever there's a second season announced, viewers can only hope that Fena will expand more on these intrepid samurai heroes, giving some of the characters and their relationships the attention they deserve.
