Nancy Schaal Bancroft gets established in the first episode, when all the Incarnates are sitting around a table, talking about their loved ones. In this moment of calm before the storm, John William Bancroft mentions his daughter, and talks about his orphanage. Right then and there, the focus shifts from Hank’s bland revenge story of just killing people, to Schaal’s inner fight in understanding the Incarnates. In turn, I truly think that Nancy Schaal Bancroft is the true main character in To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts!
In this crazy and wild adventure, Schaal is our moral compass, not Hank. She’s the one who grows, changes, in the story, not Hank. She’s the one you’ll care about. Not Hank. In this crazy adventure, she’s the one who’s a fish out of water, trying to figure out the world. While it starts as Hank’s story, it develops into Schaal’s saga.
PS. This opinion is based on the TV anime, and not the manga.
Factually, Hank is the main character, but Schaal’s story is the focal point in To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts.
Without a doubt in mind, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts is a story of Hank Henriette. It’s his personal journey to kill all the remaining Incarnates, most of whom have lost their minds and become wild and violent. In this adventure, he battles his inner demons and faces emotional struggles, doing what he must to save people from his former soldiers; the Incarnates.
The 12-episode anime starts and ends with Hank, but Schaal is the true main character of the story, as she’s the one who actually acts like a protagonist. While episode 1 sets up Hank well, Schaal’s story is far more personal, much deeper, and develops into more sub-plots than any Hank side-plots does. In addition, Schaal is actually proactive, willing to challenge her views, talk with everybody, and push herself to limits she didn’t even know she had. While Hank just finds an Incarnate, one after another, and kills them. It’s hurtful, sure. But it’s not deep or any kind of thought-provoking material. However, Schaal is the one who we care about, not Hank.
Schaal gets 2 whole episodes to herself. Believe it or not, this means that Schaal appears in a total of 11 episodes, while Hank only appears in 10. If that doesn’t show us that Schaal is the true main character of To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, I don’t know what does!
Hank is a bland character, with a dull and boring mission.
Hank’s storyline is extremely simple, straight-forward, without an ounce of nuance. It’s about killing the Incarnates that he promised to deal with if they ever turned wild and violent. While there’s also a storyline of him getting revenge on Cain Madhouse for killing Elaine Bluelake, it isn’t engaging or interesting. It’s an afterthought. After all, the 12-episode anime comprises of chasing down the various Incarnates, episode after episode. While Cain shows up in a handful of these episodes, it’s always a cock-fight between him and Hank. There’s no depth to it, or an ounce of growth in the characters. In turn, Hank has this dull mission of killing Incarnates, and sometimes he faces off against Cain Madhouse.
Worst of all, Hank is a bland character, with no distinct traits. He’s an honorable leader, who is in love with Elaine, hates Cain, and wants to kill all the Incarnates. Is there anything I missed? Where’s the actual characteristics? Sure, he’s a badass fighter with a werewolf incarnate, but who is he? What’s he all about? Why doesn’t have have any personality? Let’s be honest, Hank was just written to be “the cool, buff, lead character with a crazy ability and cool fights”.
Hank Henriette is a crutch for other characters, who are far more well-written than him. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Shcaal’s personal journey is well illustrated, making her far more interesting than Hank, in just 10 minutes.
When Nancy Schaal Bancroft debuts in episode 2, we get an extensive backstory of Schaal and her father, including the orphanage they run together in a small rural town. We get a thorough insight into the children they care for, why they help them, how they struggle with money, and how life is treating them. In this glimpse into their lives, we see their struggle. We also see that John was an amazing father, and that Schaal is an innocent young soul who isn’t ready to pull the trigger on killing a deer. While it means losing food and going hungry, her moral struggles are shown early. When her father left for war, and later returned as a huge dragon, Schaal was once again dealing with another setback. One that would change her for life.
When the episode concludes, with Schaal chasing down Hank, who “killed” her father, she’s thrown into a wirlwind of confusion. It’s a world she doesn’t understand. She’s from a small town, with small-minded people. And now she has to tackle the reality of life and death, the Incarnates and the upcoming war. Worst of all, she gets herself right in the middle of Hank’s difficult journey, and she finds herself nearly killed on more than a half dozen occasions. It’s what makes Schaal so engaging, as she’s reacting to all of it for the first time. We are living through her experiences more than Hank’s.
How is Schaal the “true” main character of show?
Schaal is the moral compass for us as viewers, not Hank. She’s the one who questions things and actually thinks about them, while Hank just does things without thinking. In turn, Hank’s always made to be “right” even when he’s doing something wrong. In turn, Hank doesn’t feel relatable or human. While Schaal is just that, relatable and human in her approach to things. Together with a far more personal story and a more interesting thought-process, Schaal just comes across far more important thank Hank.
Schaal cares about the Incarnates, and she tries to understand them. She talks to them, and is often trying to find a peaceful solution, something that Hank doesn’t believe to be possible. It shows us exactly how shallow Hank is, as he is just like all the other beasts who are just trying to kill others. While Schaal showcases time and time again how important a healthy dialogue is. Whether she’s speaking to Incarnates or the likes of Claude, she’s constantly putting herself in the middle of things, pushing the story forward. It’s what makes Nancy Schaal Bancroft the true main character in To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts.
Like it or not, Schaal represents the innocence lost in conflict, and is far more well-written than Hank.
While I’m fully aware that many people didn’t like Schaal, it’s important to note that she was written to be the opposite of Hank for a reason. The one who would challenge his worldwive, while inadvertedly challenging herself. She goes above and beyond to find out the truth about her father, the Incarnates, Hank, and the impending war. She’s the innocence that gets lost in conflict, and she represents it well. You see, it’s not as simple as just saying that “Schaal is silly and annoying”. That’s not an argument, it’s a bad opinion. If anything, she is exactly what the anime needed to add some layers to this slow-paced and dull chase for big dumb monsters.
To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts might be a story about chasing monsters, but Schaal’s inner struggles and mindful persectives is what makes the story worth watching. If it’s solely about Hank’s journey, I would’ve stopped watching the show. It’s uninteresting. There’s no depth or any real progress he makes personally. And he doesn’t have the personality or behavior to be interesting or engaging. But Schaal is all of those things, and so much more.
Nancy Schaal Bancroft is the “little sister” of the story, who’s a fun, awkward, sometimes irritating, person to follow. That’s a part of her charm!
Before I finish this opinion piece, let me just say that Schaal is an easy character to like if you’d give her a chance. It’s not eays for the annoying brat to become likable, if you already hate her, no matter what she does. It’s important to understand that Schaal is written to be a nuisance for Hank, so that Hank’s journey doesn’t end up being completely dull and boring. Our Schaal gives the story color, vibrance and actually makes it fun to watch!
Whether you like her or hate her, you feel something about her, don’t you? Being polarizing as a character is a good thing. It means that Schaal did her job really well. While I’m sure you got your own thoughts and opinions, I’m happy you read through my perspective. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I think that Schaal is the true main character in To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts! 🌠
If you enjoyed this list, check out my list of the best To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts songs!