i rewatched ersatz again today and just wanted to share some things i noticed
first up, i was interested in these images shown at around 10:08, then multiple times again in the background of several other scenes. The text under the first one says "Harding-Boltzmann / Fractal / Courtesy of His Majesty / & / The Crown Army." Just to explain the basics, the "Boltzman Equation" is an equation used to describe the behavior of a thermodynamic system. A fractal is a geometric figure made up of small parts that each mirror what the whole looks like. And the Boltzman Equation CAN be visualized as a fractal.
What really stands out to me is that the Boltzman Equation has been historically used most to predict the behaviors of gas molecules-- especially a sudden, unsteady release of them (like in cases of deadly gases being used in war, maybe?) Fractals on the other hand, have also been used in fractal therapy, which could be what they are being used for in the pilot.
next i looked towards' the nurse's room, which seems to serve a double purpose according to the entrance signs
But I took a look at some of the images on the walls to identify them, and here's some of the following
(Image 1: an English Highlander/soldier, illustration as part of a set of trade cards) (Image 2: An anatomical illustration by Vesalius, used to show the layers of human muscle)
from the brigade list that the nurse gives mophead, we can also see all of Eriche's squadmates
The list is as follows: "Lewis, Erwin / Doyle, Clarence, J. Wolff, Eriche / Davy, Munroe / Yang, Michael," and the outgoing soldiers, "Joy, Ryan, and 'Ginger,'" which I couldn't make much sense of.
but what really caught my eye is this image here. even after a long while of trying to find an exact match, I couldn't manage to. But a few sources indicated that it may be a medieval recreation of the biblical story "parable of the workers in the vineyard." though I could definitely be wrong, the moral of the parable-- that God will give eternal life to all who enter his kingdom-- hits a little too close for me to dismiss the theory just yet.
another thing that stood out to me is that at 16:26, we get to see a better glimpse of the alter in the mess hall.
we can see clearly that the saints and angels' faces have been crossed out, and the saint in the center is drawn over with what could be a soldier. this could mean a lot of things-- maybe a feeling of dissent that the soldiers have for their eternal life or the nature of the infinite war?
looking a bit closer at 15:21, we can see the saints are defending against what seem to be monsters-- so maybe the soldiers are demanding recognition for protecting their nation? who knows, I could be wrong with this interpretation
