Makabe Melania Sayoko
 | This article contains major spoilers for the Assault Lily stage plays. Unless you're confident that you know them already, read further at your own peril! |
Makabe Melania Sayoko (真壁・メラニア・小夜子) was an Instructor at Ludvico Private Girls' Academy. Together with Kaido Beatrice Chiharu, she was appointed as one of the primary Instructors for Ludvico's first-year Lilies following the sudden resignation of Izumi Rosa Rina, while at same time secretly acting in service of GEHENA alongside Toride Suzanne Reika, aiding in their experimentations on Ludvico's students. Sayoko served as one of the primary antagonists in White Resistance ~The Promise's Path~ and White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~.
Personality
[edit | edit source]On the surface, Sayoko is exceedingly friendly and energetic, often to the point of eccentricity, putting her in stark contrast to her predecessor, the strict and hard-lined Rina. Sayoko is shown to enjoy sneaking up on others, be it Lilies or her fellow Instructors, and suddenly announce her presence, sometimes in a playful manner.
However, while initially appearing as genuinely friendly and good-natured, Sayoko's true personality is revealed to be a rather cold and sadistic one, with her high-energy and cheerful facade giving way to an aloof and heartless persona. She harbors little to no care for the lives of others, having no qualms over killing any of her students who attempt to interfere with her plans, notably allowing for the Huge to invade Ludvico's campus, in an attempt that cost the lives of most of the Garden's Instructors, and almost took the lives of all of Ludvico's Lilies.
Due to her nature as a Boosted Lily, Sayoko is an extremely arrogant fighter, often losing her cool temper due to the strong disdain she holds for any opponent. Sayoko enjoys sarcastically taunting her opponents whenever they attempt to hold back against her advances, as shown during her multiple encounters with Sano Matilda Kokoro and Matsunaga Brigitta Kayo, whom she was able to effortlessly overpower, as well as during her fight with Rina, whom she mocked for not being able to keep up with her despite the Instructor's past as a Lily of renown. On the other hand, Sayoko appears to be easily angered anytime her pride is wounded, as exemplified when she angrily called Haneda Catalina Mei a "piece of garbage" when the first-year was briefly able to fight back against her due to her Rare Skill, Zenon Paradoxa.
History
[edit | edit source]Sayoko was noted to be a highly regarded Lily during her time in active duty.[1] At some point, she came into contact with the radical GEHENA faction that oversees Ludvico, and grew sympathetic to their beliefs. Presumably during this time, she underwent a Boosting procedure, which allowed her to maintain her abilities at their very peak even after retiring and becoming an Instructor.
Stage plays
[edit | edit source]White Resistance ~The Promise's Path~
[edit | edit source]Main article: Assault Lily: White Resistance ~The Promise's Path~
After Instructor Rina's sudden departure from Ludvico, Sayoko and Chiharu, who had only recently become Instructors, are appointed to replace her in supervising the first-year Lilies' training, being joined by senior Instructor Toride Suzanne Reika. The students are left confused after learning of Rina's sudden resignation, but an enthusiastic Sayoko assures them that she'll do her utmost best to teach them in her stead.
Later, Lilies Sano Matilda Kokoro and Matsunaga Brigitta Kayo enter one of Ludvico's private rooms in hopes of learning more about the circumstances of Rina's disappearance. Unbeknownst to the pair, they were followed by Haneda Catalina Mei, eager to help Kokoro in her investigations. Mei is found by Sayoko, leading to Kokoro and Kayo also being found out, but while Sayoko scolds the Lilies for entering the room unauthorized, she allows them to leave in exchange for "becoming her friend", citing how she had trouble fitting in since taking Rina's place as their Instructor.
Sayoko approaches Chiharu, telling her colleague that she feels frustrated at how their students seem to still prefer Rina over her. Chiharu attempts to encourage Sayoko, telling her that she should continue to put in her best efforts as Rina did. After Chiharu expresses her own admiration for Rina, Sayoko somberly advises her to rethink her feelings towards the Instructor, citing how it was Rina who sent Kishimoto Maria Mirai to be experimented on by GEHENA, and ominously remarking that Chiharu could "meet the same fate as hers". Finally, Sayoko asks Chiharu that if she ever learns of Rina's whereabouts, she must tell her before anyone else.
As Kokoro and Kayo continue to pry into the Garden's affairs, Sayoko once again approaches Mei, offering the Lily a way to help Kokoro's investigation. She hands Mei a key, ordering her to deliver it to Chiharu. After Mei sets off, Sayoko contacts Reika, presumably informing the Instructor of their plan proceeding accordingly.
Later, Sayoko summons Amamiya Sophia Seren to speak in private. She reveals to the Lily that her mother did not die in combat as previously thought, but instead, she had been murdered by Professor Kishimoto, the father of her childhood friend Kishimoto Lucia Raimu, after he failed to use her in his experiments on implanting Huge cells on an unborn fetus. Seren is distraught at this revelation, leaving the room in a visibly unstable state.
Chiharu returns to Rina's old room after finding what was seemingly a piece of the Instructor's journal in her room using the key given to her by Mei. There, she meets Sayoko, who, seemingly wishing to learn what information Chiharu had found on Rina, invites her to speak privately. Chiharu is later found mortally wounded by Kokoro and Mei, dying right in front of the two Lilies.
Afterwards, Sayoko, together with Reika, announce Chiharu's murder to Ludvico's student body, declaring Rina as the perpetrator, placing the Instructor in the national most wanted list, and causing Ludvico to be on high alert for her potential reappearance.
White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~
[edit | edit source]Main article: Assault Lily: White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~
Following the formation of the rebel Legion Ironside, Ludvico's Top Legion, the Temple Legion, no longer has the sufficient members to perform the Neunwelt Tactic. As such, Sayoko joins them in one of their deployments, successfully aiding them in defeating a Gigant-class Huge. After the battle, Sayoko encourages the Temple Legion's captain, Ichinomiya Michaela Himari, to earnestly consider the predicament that her Legion is faced with, remarking that it could cost her position as their captain.
Reika and Sayoko inform the students that the captain of Legion Ironside, Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie, will no longer be participating in their usual training sessions as a penalty for ignoring the Garden's orders, with Sayoko pointing out that it was due to her refusal to integrate the Temple Legion that they struggled to defeat the Gigant-class Huge previously. After Seren and Raimu, who are also Ironside members, protest the Instructors' decision, they are promptly removed from the training grounds as well.
After learning that Raimu and Seren enlisted the help of Kokoro, Mei and Kayo in order to learn more about the death of Seren's mother, Reika orders Sayoko to kill the three Lilies. She finds them in one of Ludvico's secret rooms, once again rummaging through classified information. This time, however, Sayoko immediately begins attacking the Lilies, injuring Kokoro's leg in order to prevent her from using her Rare Skill, Shukuchi, while effortlessly gaining the upper hand even against Kayo's notoriously intense technique.
Sayoko turns her attention to Kokoro after the second-year manages to shoot her, but as she is about to kill the Lily, she is stopped by Mei as she awakens to her Rare Skill, Zenon Paradoxa. While Mei briefly manages to fight off Sayoko, the Instructor eventually knocks her down as well, before being interrupted by the appearance of Instructor Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko, who forces her to leave the room.
Reuniting with Reika, Sayoko learns that GEHENA plans to ambush Raimu and Seren with a Cave, as they are currently away from Ludvico. Sayoko worries that Raimu, their primary target, may die in the ensuing battle, but Reika assures Sayoko that their superiors must have a plan in mind. With the help of both Legion Ironside and the Temple Legion, Raimu and Seren are able to survive their ambush, having successfully retrieved Professor Kishimoto's old journal from Raimu's family home.
By Instructor Ryoko's suggestion, Raimu and Seren join Kokoro, Kayo and Mei in searching for more information within Rina's room. The Lilies are immediately met by Sayoko, who surprisingly gives them the opportunity to leave after all but Raimu and Seren are appointed to join the Temple Legion. Kokoro and Mei leave, but Kayo stays behind, joining the two first-years as they fight against Sayoko, who presses the Lilies on the contents of Professor Kishimoto's journal after learning of its existence.
Sayoko continues to fight the Lilies before being interruptd by Rina, who engages her in combat while allowing for the three Lilies to make their escape. Rina confronts Sayoko for attacking her own students, to which Sayoko replies that she did so for "the greater good of the world", pointing out that it was the same view that led Rina herself to allow Mirai to be experimented on by GEHENA. The two Instructors continue to fight, and Sayoko continuously has the upper hand due to being a Boosted Lily, revealing that she willingly underwent the procedure due to desperately wanting to retain the strength she had as a Lily. With Rina unable to defeat her, Sayoko leaves, with Rina choosing to not chase her due to hearing a student in need of help.
After Seto Veronica Ichika and Tachibana Theresia Nagisa succeed in defeating Nosaka Jacqueline Kazane, who had been resurrected by GEHENA, Sayoko shoots down Ichika in retaliation, leaving the Lily severely injured. However, she is once again interrupted by Instructor Ryoko, who takes to fighting her directly this time, driving her away from the scene.
With a Gigant-class Huge being deployed by GEHENA near Ludvico, both Legion Ironside and the Temple Legion set off to defeat it. As the double-Legion team performs a Neunwelt Tactic, Reika and Sayoko interrupt them, purposefully intending to drain all of them of their Magie, so they could more easily retrieve Raimu. Reika asks that Himari order her teammates to withdraw, but she refuses to back down, prompting the Instructors to corner the Lilies with more Huge.
Reika then turns to Seren, demanding that she hand over the last page of the journal of Raimu's father, Professor Kishimoto, which purportedly contains vital information on Raimu's abilities. After Seren refuses, the Instructors disable the protective barrier that surrounds Ludvico, allowing multiple Caves to form, leading the Huge to directly attack the Garden's campus. As such, most of the Temple Legion members leave in order to protect the Lilies in the Garden's facilities, while Legion Ironside and Himari begin fighting against Reika and Sayoko.
The Instructors tell Seren that it was her father, Professor Amamiya, who was responsible for leading GEHENA's experiments on unborn fetuses, and that he used Raimu's mother as a test subject after Seren's own mother refused to follow along with his plans. Seren, now enraged, attempts to attack Reika, but the Instructor effortlessly knocks her down. As Reika is about to kill Seren, Raimu unleashes the power of her Rare Skill, Charisma, leading Reika to conclude that if she witnesses Seren, her childhood friend, die before her eyes, the trauma will cause her powers to grow even further.
As the Lilies are continuously overpowered by the Instructors, they are joined by Rina and Instructor Ryoko in fighting against them. In the ensuing battle, the pair succeeds in disarming Reika, but unexpectedly, Ryoko kills both Reika and Sayoko in cold blood. Impaled by her own CHARM, Sayoko's final remarks were that none of them can hope to save this world while remaining as "mere Lilies."
Trivia
[edit | edit source]- Sayoko's confirmation name, "Melania", is in likely reference to a pair of Catholic Saints who lived in the fourth and fifth century, Melania the Elder and her granddaughter, Melania the Younger.
- Sayoko's personality suffered a major change in the revival versions of the stage plays. While still appearing as friendly and enthusiastic, she presented herself in a much more mellow manner in the original versions, while the revivals portray her as much more loud and eccentric.
- In the original version of White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~, Sayoko uses the Gungnir Carbine when attempting to kill Kokoro, Kayo and Mei. In the revival, however, she instead uses a dagger given to her by Reika
- Sayoko's hobbies include swimming and card games.[3]
- Sayoko is noted to dislike dealing with Instructor Ryoko[2], and in fact, Sayoko is the single Instructor who Ryoko only interacts with when either in combat or when attempting to defend her students.
- Sayoko's frequent encounters with Kokoro highlight multiple parallels between the two:
- Both are users of the Subskill Stealth.
- Sayoko always approaches Kokoro by sneaking up on her in some form, often when Kokoro is sneaking around herself while conducting her investigations.
- Sayoko always manages to evade Kokoro's detection, something that Kokoro is not only notorious for doing to other Lilies, but is also able to easily detect whenever anyone else attempts it.
Gallery
[edit | edit source]Designs
[edit | edit source]-
Sayoko's original design, by Hotaru
Stage
[edit | edit source]-
As portrayed by Hayashi Chinami -
As portrayed by Sakai Shiori
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://x.com/ludojyo/status/1540953335552913408 @ludojyo Twitter, June 26, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://x.com/ludojyo/status/1020866929517449216 @ludojyo Twitter. July 22, 2018
- ↑ https://assaultlily-stage.jp/2308stage/2308stage_cast/ Assault Lily Stage: Official Website - "Assault Lily: White Resistance ~The Blade of Truth~" - Cast
Navigation
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