Helck – 19, 20 – Random Interest

Episode 19

Episode 20

「帝国四天王ヴァミリオ / 謎の女性」 (Teikoku Shitennou Vamirio / Nazo no Josei)
“Vamirio of the Four Elite Lords / The Mysterious Woman”

When a series begins to include interludes and mini-quests, you know you’ve reached the endgame. After all, you need to build up that suspense and intrigue in order to be ready for the last big fight. Or, in Helck’s case, giving reason to bring demon and hero back together to go out in a blaze of glory – or, at the very least, having humanity’s heavenly monsters do so.

While there may be a few things to say about how Helck has handled its tale (particularly in the latter half), one thing I do love is the predictability of Vamirio and her ambitions. Although the child remained a hothead beneath that pint-sized exterior, her trust, loyalty, and sense of honor practically predisposed her to side with Helck once she had the whole explanation, and this was precisely the case here. When this nugget of character growth occurs, never discount it; more established characters have had whiplash swings for the sake of audience shock and awe, so having Vamirio totally side with Helck and ensuring tragedy does not hit the planet as a whole is a pleasant thing to behold. Especially when it allows all of the adorable and entertaining hijinks to continue.

The significant news over the last few weeks is that humanity’s ultimate goal has been awakened. Needless to say (as previously stated), humanity’s monarch and his remaining followers aren’t really human, and the growing frequency with which it’s being teased points to a very significant twist down the road. Aside from Azudra anticipating it, Asta notices a notable anomaly in Raphaed’s daughter Sharuami surviving totally human and being locked up for the trouble. Coupled with the knowledge that humanity’s new angelic selves aren’t seemingly powering up to the degree expected (that remark about Cless lacking strength during his original foray into the demon lands is telling enough), it’s easy to believe that defeating demonkind isn’t the only goal of this whole scheme.

It’s unclear what that could be, but considering the preview and the soon approaching start of the finale, I don’t believe we’ll have to wait long to find out.

Preview