| Shuko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Japanese name | シュコ |
| First appearance | Episode 1 |
| Profile | |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 5+ years |
| Rank | Mascot |
Shuko is the mascot of the 1121st platoon, a Northern White-faced Owl. They run into it in Episode 1 in the abandoned part of the Time Telling Fortress. Shuko appears on photos of Princess Iliya, suggesting that she was the previous owner.
Speculation[]
- Intelligent
- Shuko may be helping the girls of the platoon
- By stealing Rio's bell, Shuko caused Kanata to chase after her, and thus find out about the giant winged skeleton (why leave the bell hanging on such a place if not so Kanata would try to get to it?).
- When Kanata and Kureha were exploring the school, they were about to run into the ghost. Shuko chased the mice, which in turn scared the girls and made them flee in the opposite direction from where the ghost was.
- When Kanata and Kureha were in the piano room and the ghost was approaching unseen, Shuko sprang into action and scared the girls away herself. This had the plus of making them believe they'd found what they were looking for, so they wouldn't spend any more time in the school and thus they would get away from the ghost.
- Usually sleeps on the grandfather clock after being adopted by the 1121st Platoon.
The infamous owl is a Northern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis Leucotis). It is found in a band across Africa between the Sahara and the Equator. The owl is likely to be brought to Seize/Helvetia by the army either as a mascot (see emblem) or because it has some usefulness in war, this would explain why it was out of place and why it features prominently on their emblem. It's possible that the owl is a major weapon against the "winged demons" (it seems to possess spiritual powers) or perhaps it's used as a scout. One possibility is that Helvetia/Switzerland is the last bastion of humanity against supernatural/alien forces (like in H.G Wells' War Of The Worlds) where the rough terrain is used for protection and hit and run tactics. Owls in this case would provide excellent scouts and it would also explain why the tanks are walkers rather than tracked. Perhaps the girls are some kind of forgotten unit designed to hunt and kill invaders using the tanks and owl.
Shuko helping the girls?[]
By stealing Rio's bell, she caused Kanata to chase after her, and thus find out about the giant winged skeleton (why leave the bell hanging on such a place if not so Kanata would try to get to it?).
When Kanata and Kureha were exploring the school, they were about to run into the ghost. The owl chased the mice, which in turn scared the girls and made them flee in the opposite direction from where the ghost was.
This wasn't enough to dissuade them, however, and when they were in the piano room and the ghost was approaching unseen, the owl sprang into action and scared the girls away herself. This had the plus of making them belive they'd found what they were looking for, so they wouldn't spend any more time in the school and thus they would get away from the ghost.
See Facts section: [Owls in Mythology][1] If would make sense that the owl would show up in a place with war, girls, ghosts, singing, and some kind of sickness. The Owl could also be taken symbolically, representing the current state of the world. This may be the reason an Owl was chosen as a symbol of the unit.
Gallery[]
