Episode 8 – The Witch and the Beast

I wager this episode ends with Ashaf and Guideau standing about twenty ft away from the place they began. That is to not say nothing occurs, however you possibly can really feel this arc turning its wheels The witch and the beast segues into the massive brawl between Guideau in beast mode and the unsheathed Ashgan. Quite than stunning the viewers with an sudden growth, the plot progresses by reinforcing and reiterating issues we already find out about these characters. Helga is a sympathetic individual failed woman, the Executioner is an actual bastard, and so forth. It is an okay installment, however not top-of-the-line within the sequence.

The wry humorousness nonetheless helps loads. Guideau thinks Ashaf seems like a popsicle and bitterly calls him an asshole, to which Ashaf responds by shaking off the ice cream and lighting one other cigarette. Their robust buddy cop shtick continues to allure me. That consistency additionally reinforces the uncommon moments when Ashaf loses his imperturbability, corresponding to when Helga is stabbed this week. When his eyes widen, you recognize it is coming true. Elsewhere, I like the steps manufactured from swords that Helga makes use of to get again to the roof. I do not assume it is meant as a joke, however I discover humor within the distinction between the harmful energy of the weapons summoned and their sensible applicability. Furthermore, I get pleasure from seeing how the badly injured Guideau angrily drags himself in direction of Helga’s adolescent fears within the ultimate scene. Once more, TWatB is aware of learn how to play juxtaposition for yuks.

That chortle can be obligatory, as a result of the episode is in any other case one of many darkest and heaviest issues on the present. The flashback to Helga’s witch household reveals the Executioner burning, brainwashing, murdering, taunting and torturing his victims with a vile relish. It is a bit a lot. To be clear: I like that TWatB would not shrink back from getting gory and exploitative, however these efforts ring a bit hollower than his earlier flirtations within the trash. We barely spent a minute with Helga’s coven earlier than her mom became a daughter-killing doll. It feels lazy as an alternative of cheesy. The Executioner is not a really enjoyable or distinctive villain both. His design is forgettable and his speeches are bloated and clichéd. His evil Frankenstein thoughts management gauntlet is the closest this stunner will get to a compelling gimmick.

Cugat, however, handles his heel-face flip with aplomb. Maybe most significantly, he seems a lot hotter with out the masks and with tons of battle harm. The confused one bishounen stylish is robust. We study that his sense of justice can be extra than simply institutional. Regardless of being betrayed by the Paladin Corps, he mourns his males because the Executioner callously sacrifices them to gasoline his evil plan. In highly effective distinction, Cugat sacrifices his limbs to his elemental to guard Guideau, Ashaf and Helga. Whereas he will not be a posh character, he suits effectively into this arc. When he’s humiliated, he doesn’t double down. He reassesses the state of affairs and adjusts accordingly.

This makes Cugat the right foil for the Executioner, whose tragic flaw is his hubris (although it is exhausting to name it “tragic” when he deserves what’s coming to him). His unwavering confidence in his energy and data clashes with Ashgan’s true nature as a senseless and uncontrollable avatar of destruction. The Executioner responds with denial and doubling down. And so far as a show of unparalleled energy goes, Ashgan slicing by a floating fortress and watching it crash to the bottom is fairly good. Sadly, the anime fails to seize the burden of this second, as the 2 halves of the fortress transfer like items of clip artwork which can be tough to line up. Microsoft Phrase doc. To not repeat myself, I am attempting to not complain an excessive amount of concerning the present’s restricted manufacturing values, however that was a very egregious (and humorous) occasion.

On the very least, this episode ends on a excessive be aware. Helga will get her first kiss and Guideau prepares to step out of the coffin for the primary time because the premiere. I respect the sequence’ restraint in bringing out their beast mode. In fact, it is extra enjoyable to see Guideau of their indignant femme gremlin kind (particularly once they’re gnawing on canine treats), however that restraint additionally makes this cliffhanger extra thrilling.

Judgement:

The witch and the beast at present streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Tweet whereas it lasts. He might be your witch or your beast. Or not one of the above if that is cool. You may also see him speak about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.