(Hi) Helck

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for ep1:

I see potential in its serious parts, but as far as the first episode goes, it was literally Mikakoshi screaming for about 15 minutes
And I guess that's... funny? Maybe, I guess

At least compared to that other "Hero wants to betray humans and join demons because of a mysterious reason and his partner is a girl with red hair (yeah I know, even the hair color is the same)" anime that occurred a few seasons ago (and another one years ago), it wasn't preachy and some of the humor worked

I just hope it isn't another "Angels evil, demons are good" thing again. The first few times they switched the roles, it was probably new. But these days, all angels are eeeeevviiill and the demons are good (and humans suck), so you're not creative.
Also, I'm sure Helck didn't kill his brother. Probably the angels did him in, along with the other humans, because God is an asshole or something.

Anyways, there isn't much to watch today and the season itself is pretty disastrous in general, so surprise me. It doesn't say much, but I'll put this in the top 5 first episodes this season

[FlareKnight]

I like that there's still a bit of mystery here about Helck. Can't make quick judgements yet because something seriously is wrong in the human world. The odds seem low that Helck killed his brother as claimed. Plus that doesn't explain the deserted towns and what appear to be angels on the attack.

Managing a good mix of comedy and drama at the moment. I completely get freaking out over a human hero being in the competition too. But clearly seems like he's got good reason to be there. And will probably have to rely on him pretty soon with how this episode ended.

[felix]

Dunno what surprised me more. Going in and not expecting it to be as good as it was or the fact it's 24 episodes and not labeled a comedy.

Is that accurate? is this actually a serious adventure kind of show? Was sure it was intended as a comedy while watching Ep1

[stray]

Originally Posted by felix

Dunno what surprised me more. Going in and not expecting it to be as good as it was or the fact it's 24 episodes and not labeled a comedy.

Is that accurate? is this actually a serious adventure kind of show? Was sure it was intended as a comedy while watching Ep1

It kinda depends how they adapt it but in general it goes back and forth between comedy and adventure I guess... there's also a lot of 4komas that supplement the main manga.

[felix]

Spoiler for Ep02:

Ann's many faces are nice fanservice. Its been a while since had fun with all the colorful expressions a single character makes. She also seems to be the good type of tsundere, ie. not just an asshole that we're suppose to like when she goes full yandere psycho later or something.

[grecefar]

Ann tsukkomi in the race were hilarious, "At least straddle it!!". lol I died.

[Kanon]

Helck carrying the "horse" was too obvious, but Vermilio's reactions were still gold. And did I miss or did they not explain how the other Elite Four got so badly injured? The guy was on death's door. If the Elite Four are supposed to be stronger than Demon Lords then it's no ordinary opponent who did this to him.

[magnuskn]

The Man Emperor of Demonkinds ascension continues. We'll see if the series takes a bit of a more serious tone next episode.

[ssvb]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Helck carrying the "horse" was too obvious

I somehow expected Helck to show off some crazy support magic skills and enormous top tier buffs applied to the "horse". BTW, I also liked how that other contestant also dismounted his "horse" in the end. Kinda makes us wonder whether the use of "horses" was effectively a handicap in this kind of contest, actually degrading their performance

[FlareKnight]

Helck is a treasure and Vermilio's reactions were so good. Someone has to be the sane person in the middle of this crazy comedy and she's got that job. Though Hyura "I'm fine with third place" was pretty good too. Just wouldn't let herself get swept into that goofy sprint at the end.

I love the phases of that race. Helck actually talking calmly to his "steed" and actually motivating it to race in the early going. Not actually carrying Helck, but at least running . All while Helck laughs his maniacal laughter .

Was pretty nice when Vermilio and Helck had that little handshake. The start of a beautiful friendship. Next episode should be interesting since it might be a bit more serious with the situation they are facing. It might be anyways...

Originally Posted by grecefar

Ann tsukkomi in the race were hilarious, "At least straddle it!!". lol I died.

That really was great and had me laughing pretty well .

[Alchemist007]

If the ED is any indication, she'll warm up to him...at least somewhat, probably.

[frubam]

Another ep full of laughs! Loved every second of it. When Helck gave it that pep talk to the fake horse, then it turned from looking sad and flustered, to having that look of determination, I was floored laughing . This is comedy done right!

Vermilio great as usual, I love her char so much. She hated being called "-chan", but was still concerned about Azudora being so hurt. She brings just the right amount of tsun energy without going over the top, just a great performance so far. I can't wait to see her and Helck's interactions, now that she's tagging along.

Originally Posted by Kanon

And did I miss or did they not explain how the other Elite Four got so badly injured? The guy was on death's door. If the Elite Four are supposed to be stronger than Demon Lords then it's no ordinary opponent who did this to him.

They've only said Vermilio was supposed to replace him to oversee the tournament, but given the bit they showed about their relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if it's something silly like she blew him up after ticking her off. It looks like the assistant has to be careful too it when she gets riled up, and that's just from collateral damage .

[Twi]

Review done.

Honestly, this was pretty faithful as far as adaptations from the source materials go. It covered Chapters 4-6 of the Manga.

Spoiler:

1. To explain the Dark Green Rings, the only ones who can equip them are those who signed the Dark Green Contract that prevents the contestants from hurting anyone else. But once they put it on, taking it off or destroying it is impossible until the contract is expired.
2. Ista originally wanted to go with Vermilio, but the latter wanted her to look after Azudra since to make those contracts and the rings he had to trade his power as the price, meaning he’s largely helpless until the effect ends.
3. Since most people don’t know Vermilio’s face, she opts to not wear a mask since that might make Helck a bit wary. Considering it was a silly-looking mask, probably would have had the opposite effect really.
4. The point of the mask was actually to hide her facial expression, as Azudra explains in an Omake chapter, as she can’t really hide her expression when meeting him (as we saw). He also ended up on her bad side by constantly pranking her when she was younger by giving her horrible candy, with Ista noting that he’s changed from then given that he wishes he could reconcile.

[ryllharu]

Spoiler for Episode 3:

I love that everyone is some degree of dumb, oblivious, aloof, or super perceptive that any attempts at subterfuge or deception just immediately fail, but weren't needed or don't matter. On the other hand, when someone isn't being deceptive, others tend to assume that they are.

But the best gag this episode is, "I'm very skilled at restoration magic" [smashes the two things back together with brute force].

The gags are wonderful because they are quite often background visual gags that they don't focus on and are not explained. The humor somehow manages to catch you off-guard frequently. Not through subversion, but simply good timing. It feels very classic in that manner.

The demon realm is quite hostile in nearly all aspects. It makes you wonder why the humans wanted to invade at all.

[magnuskn]

Yeah, I was wondering the same, why the humans would want some poisoned wasteland in the first place. Makes you wonder what else is going on in the background.

[felix]

Ah yes the pacing of a show with a lot of episodes, forgot about that.

[Kanon]

Well, this episode provided the answer. Azudra got so injured because he fell for his own traps while attempting to run away from the intimidating Helck

The big barrier guy had the best gags this week. He's hilarious.

[grecefar]

I guess they are lucky that helck is there with them, maybe vermillion could take the leader.

[FlareKnight]

It definitely raises some questions. Honestly the demons being aggressors makes all the sense in the world since who'd want to live in a toxic wasteland if they could help it? But instead they've been doing what they can to live out there and keep that toxin from spreading any further.

I'm sure a few things will become clear once the spy makes her way to the Capital. If something has happened then that place should at least have some kind of answers. Although if even that place is deserted then things really could be bad on an apocalyptic level.

Obviously charging for the leader was a risky move. Though I get her thought process. If she seriously wants to win then that kind of risk is what is necessary. Unfortunately it didn't work out for her! But that ending for the episode did help the tension settle in. This whole situation isn't a total joke.

Just that a lot of the things they deal with are handled in a joking manner . The journey was a funny one. It helped show the state of the Demon's territory and continued to build things up. Makes you wonder what Helck was doing there in the first place before he was directed towards this tournament...

Still not getting any impression that these enemies are humans. Still feels like an invasion from heaven is the most likely answer. Plus it would make sense why the human territory was gone after first if that is the case. You'd obviously invade the nicer area and then take care of the rest after. But that's just extreme speculation. Need that spy girl to provide some answers if Helck himself isn't going to.

[magnuskn]

Yeah, the yellow cat eyes are kind of a giveaway that they are not human at all. ^^