(L) Shingeki no Bahamut ~Virgin Soul~ (S2)

[scififan]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I laughed during the scene at the end where El is wearing Nina's top with bra cups, and Nina is wearing El's garb with none. El's outfit reinforced his androgyny; Nina had no trouble fitting into his.

Some people from other forum observed this episode, and they found El hasn't putten on Nina's pantsu. After Nina escaped from the prison, the has that dark red(black?) pantsu. In this episode, they found El has white pantsu. Besides being the Angel, El is also young, and he may not reach purberty yet. The episode also shows that he feels down after Jeanne scolded him. It is probably the first time they have the conflict crisis.

Gabriel's grooming scene looks amusing.

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[kuromitsu]

Finally watched the episode! I can't decide if Nina flapping her arms as she was falling was the cutest or THE cutest.

And it seems they really forgot that Azazel can't be harmed by human weapons. Or maybe we're supposed to think that his magic is being suppressed, since he didn't use his snakes or wings either... Still, it would have been fun if Kaisar did in fact stab him, and Azazel just rolled his eyes like "come on, we've been through this once! kill me properly!"

Anyway, that aside, the arena fight was great! Even without Azazel being close to his normal form the fight was good, Favaro's intervention with Rocky and the smoke bombs was very true to character, Kaisar got to show the second time just how good he is, and Charioce's little smile in the end was the cherry on top. (I've been saying this for a while, but he really does seem to like Kaisar.) The other cherry on top was, of course, Kaisar and Favaro and every second they spent together on screen. Just... those two. They're so great together. If only this series was better known, they deserve to be on every "best partners in anime" top list. (In every sense of the word "partner", if you ask me.)

Over in god-land... oh Mugaro, Azazel would be so proud of you. Which is not necessarily a good thing, but at least Mugaro seems to understand that fighting is not the way to go. What is he planning, though? He's awfully confident that he can carry out his (self-appointed) mission, so he must have something up his sleeve other than his power.

The outfit-swap was a cute idea, especially that Mugaro just casually continued wearing Nina's clothes, bust or no bust. I kind of hope he'll meet Azazel in this outfit, just to confuse the poor guy even further. Last time they met Mugaro was wearing a dress, after all.

By the way, I can't be the only one who started humming Yakusoku wa iranai when Mugaro caught Nina... can I? That was a very Escaflowne moment.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I was trying to think if any human women in this show have over-sized busts like the female angels and demons. It strikes me that the human women are all pretty proportionately designed like Jeanne. She is full-figured but nothing like Sofiel or Cerberus.

On the topic of boobs, I continue to not quite understand Sofiel's. Just... how do they work? What are those marks on it? (Attempt to cover up botched plastic surgery scars?)

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Personally I kind of wish we'd see more of her backside though, it rivals Azazel's. /mind in the gutter

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by kuromitsu

on the topic of boobs, I continue to not quite understand Sofiel's. Just... how do they work? What are those marks on it? (Attempt to cover up botched plastic surgery scars?)

What a Trumpian thing to say!

Sacred tattoos, maybe? Hickeys from some divine orgy?

I'm not sure how to answer the "how do they work" question. You presumably have more experience than I, kuro-san.

BTW, being hugged by Mugaro-chan did not trigger Nina's dragon reflex.

[Master_Yoma]

I cant belive the angels where tricked to easily

[Albel VII]

To be honest, I don't really care if we can classify Chariot as evil or not, I'm more interested why doesn't he give a damn about the people he likes. I mean, he is clearly attached to Nina and Kaisar to some extent. Chariot is always happy to see Nina, (come to think of it, we only saw him happy and excited when Nina was around) and he was noticeably pleased when Kaisar escaped. So why doesn't he care about their well-being a bit more? It seems like he feels it's cool to have them around but wouldn't care much if they disappeared. He's kinda weird.

Unless, Chariot set this whole Kaisar vs Azazel duel so they could escape. I mean, Favaro had to know somehow that Kaisar is gonna show up in the arena today.

[Applehell]

The whole stuff with Kaisar, Favaro, Azazel and Rita were the best parts of the episode. The chase sequence by contrast was okay, but was drawn out a bit too long.

[willyvereb]

Originally Posted by Albel VII

To be honest, I don't really care if we can classify Chariot as evil or not, I'm more interested why doesn't he give a damn about the people he likes. I mean, he is clearly attached to Nina and Kaisar to some extent. Chariot is always happy to see Nina, (come to think of it, we only saw him happy and excited when Nina was around) and he was noticeably pleased when Kaisar escaped. So why doesn't he care about their well-being a bit more? It seems like he feels it's cool to have them around but wouldn't care much if they disappeared. He's kinda weird.

Unless, Chariot set this whole Kaisar vs Azazel duel so they could escape. I mean, Favaro had to know somehow that Kaisar is gonna show up in the arena today.

Chariot is willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of mankind, including his own happiness. He's also strongly implied to be stern believer in rules. If there's a law that applies to everyone and not even the king can overrule that on whim. What Kaisar committed is treason and while Charioce may use his position to pardon him it'd go against his principles. Not to mention that unlike when he's caught first where arguably letting him go would've been easy, Kaisar now has the infamy of a traitor. So it'd also be quite harmful to the public opinion if Charioce lets him go. Just see what the crowd shouts at Kaisar during the gladitorial match. Nina's situation is similar, she's the dragon what terrorized the capital. Plus during Ep13 Charioce was straight out shocked by Nina's transformation. It also worth noting that Charioce has this "might makes right" view which is ironic given that most typically this is paired with a perception of divine will. Anyways, he likely also thinks that if Kaisar or Nina are worthy they will survive the encounter.

On a different note I do wonder if Charioce was inspired by the 15th century Hungarian ruler Mathias Corvinus. He was somebody who shouldn't have inherited the throne yet circumstances made him king at relative youth. In spite of that he was an enlightened and strong ruler who reformed the country and his time considered a sorts of golden age. Albeit his contemporaries thought differently. Mathias' taxation was heavy, he limited the power of nobility, invaded the Holy Roman Empire and overall had a critical lack of allies. He's also famous for his huge mercenary force known as the Black Army. Post-humously though he was known as a great and righteous king and legends said he was traveling the country under disguise to experience his kingdom with his own eyes (also to uncover crimes done by his subjects).

So Mathias and Charioce XVII shares a lot of things. Of course there are also numerous differences but I feel the inspiration is quite likely.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Sacred tattoos, maybe? Hickeys from some divine orgy?

I'm not sure how to answer the "how do they work" question. You presumably have more experience than I, kuro-san.

Ha! I just meant that they look... weird? And those marks kind of make me think of the boobs not quite being naturally attached to her body (which is probably not what the design is going for, but I can't shake the feeling... ). They look weird.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

BTW, being hugged by Mugaro-chan did not trigger Nina's dragon reflex.

Well, Mugaro is too young for her to have weird thoughts about... or to trigger her daddy issues.

Originally Posted by Albel VII

To be honest, I don't really care if we can classify Chariot as evil or not, I'm more interested why doesn't he give a damn about the people he likes. I mean, he is clearly attached to Nina and Kaisar to some extent. Chariot is always happy to see Nina, (come to think of it, we only saw him happy and excited when Nina was around) and he was noticeably pleased when Kaisar escaped. So why doesn't he care about their well-being a bit more? It seems like he feels it's cool to have them around but wouldn't care much if they disappeared. He's kinda weird.

What willyavereb said above - he's a fatalist in that way. He loves Nina and likes Kaisar, sure, but he'll sacrifice them for his cause, the same way he's ready to sacrifice himself. He set himself on this path years ago, probably way before he ascended the throne, and he's resolved to see it through, no matter the cost.

In a way he's similar to the Count in Gankutsuou/The Count of Monte Cristo* with his self-destructive drive, and lately I've been wondering if his arc will play out like the Count's - with Nina in Albert's role. (At this point I certainly don't expect him to survive.)
*not the original Count from the novel who never quite crosses that final line

Originally Posted by Albel VII

Unless, Chariot set this whole Kaisar vs Azazel duel so they could escape. I mean, Favaro had to know somehow that Kaisar is gonna show up in the arena today.

I don't really think so, but wouldn't be very surprised if he had a hand in it. I don't think he has any love for Azazel, but I wouldn't be surprised if, deep down, perhaps without admitting it to himself, he wanted to give Kaisar and himself a chance so he could "redeem" him and let him go. If Kaisar dies then that's as far as he could go, but if he doesn't... That little smile as he watched the rescue/escape unfold was so different from the usual closed off, expressionless face that there must have been genuine emotions behind it.

[haseo0408]

Originally Posted by willyvereb

Demons and humans had abyssal relations even before and Gods had a strained relationship to humans based on the latter's subservience to them. Michael acknowledges this but things only got worse since Genesis. Humans denying worship and then even attacking them sure didn't help for the public opinion but their relations long eroded before that.
So relations between the three factions were awful to begin with and Charioce's actions barely change it. So why both Gods and Demons plotting to attack them? Because humanity is strong now and poses a threat. Simple as that. The balance of powers broke and this calls for escalation of conflict.


Ironically enough once the war is over I actually predict the opposite of what you are thinking. This likely has no conscious part on Charioce's actions but once the wars are over and the conflict is settled I expect humans, demons and gods living in a peace like never before. Why? First off, demons and humans.They had centuries if not millennia of hatred between each other. Demons view humans as inferior weaklings to be trampled on, humans view demons as heartless monsters. What happened now? Demons are beaten by humans and shown they are not superior. Meanwhile most humans agree that the enslaved demons look pitiful and not the kind of scary inhumane monsters they imagined them to be. When the balance is restored neither race would have their reasons to be belligerent to the other. It might not be completely peaceful but way-way better than it used to be. Gods? Again, humanity no longer will be their servants and children. They'd be treated as equals and as such the relationship Michael dreamed between Gods and Humans would become a reality. At the same time if Demons and Gods manage to fight together (and potentially as knockdown effect of the relationship between El and Azazel) the two ancestral enemies might even manage to mend their relationships. They still would likely oppose each other but do it with respect.

I predict that the series' ending is going to be exactly this. Demons, Gods and Humans all making peace with each other and working for a brighter future. Charioce may remain the king, may resign or may sacrifice himself in battle. Either scenario is plausible right now. Either way his actions unwittingly resulted in a scenario which allows this to happen. With massive effort from the side of Nina and the rest of the heroes added to it, of course. I hope. Because if the writers asspull that such outcome was Charioce's plan all along I'll call absolute BS. He's a jaded man willing to sacrifice anything for humanity who feels might makes right. Not some Lelouch-like figure.

I hope you´re right and all ends with some sort of balance between the races but in my experience the scars left by hatred last a very long time and that´s exactly what worries me, Charioice´s legacy, a curse for the human race as a whole becuase I don´t humans will keep that curse magic Charioce is using so once they loos control of it, and they will, it will be payback time for all the races.

[willyvereb]

Originally Posted by haseo0408

I hope you´re right and all ends with some sort of balance between the races but in my experience the scars left by hatred last a very long time and that´s exactly what worries me, Charioice´s legacy, a curse for the human race as a whole becuase I don´t humans will keep that curse magic Charioce is using so once they loos control of it, and they will, it will be payback time for all the races.

Several problems with that but let's collect it into three points:
1.) Even if Charioce steps down or killed and Dormos is deacivated, humanity is still powerful. The only reason Gods were crushing mankind because El was a ridiculously specialized weapon to nullify the humans' magic. There's no way either Gods or Demons can crush Mankind now. Not without El backing them which he explicitly refuses to. Even if they group together Mankind outnumbers them and now can produce fighters and warmachines that are more than capable of taking on god/demon warriors 1-on-1.

2.) You assume that what mankind did under Charioce would make demons hate mankind more than they already do. Unlikely since they were at total war before. They gonna have grudges? Welcome to the club, that's what humanity had for decades while demons were just torturing them for no reason other than plain bigotry. As for Gods, they do get grudges but their future leader is El who desires peace. Yeah, no dice there. Especially if you add that Gods have the self-entitled belief that they should be guiding Mankind to the right path. Retribution is fine but once punished the ones responsible you don't get approval from the general populance to make human lives shit. That's what Demons would do.

3.) I explored this a bit above but do you seriously think the heroes would allow either side to behave cruelly to the other by the end of the series? Whatever happens to Charioce and his supporters the end result for the rest of Mankind will be peace and understanding with the two other factions, also likely with the rest of the beings on the mortal realm (as it's obvious now that the Human side is just one portion of the beings and possible factions living in the mortal world). Besides, anything less would basically be just a breeding ground for the next Charioce XVII. And given the potential of humans, you really-really-really wish to avoid that.

[haseo0408]

Originally Posted by willyvereb

Several problems with that but let's collect it into three points:
1.) Even if Charioce steps down or killed and Dormos is deacivated, humanity is still powerful. The only reason Gods were crushing mankind because El was a ridiculously specialized weapon to nullify the humans' magic. There's no way either Gods or Demons can crush Mankind now. Not without El backing them which he explicitly refuses to. Even if they group together Mankind outnumbers them and now can produce fighters and warmachines that are more than capable of taking on god/demon warriors 1-on-1.

2.) You assume that what mankind did under Charioce would make demons hate mankind more than they already do. Unlikely since they were at total war before. They gonna have grudges? Welcome to the club, that's what humanity had for decades while demons were just torturing them for no reason other than plain bigotry. As for Gods, they do get grudges but their future leader is El who desires peace. Yeah, no dice there. Especially if you add that Gods have the self-entitled belief that they should be guiding Mankind to the right path. Retribution is fine but once punished the ones responsible you don't get approval from the general populance to make human lives shit. That's what Demons would do.

3.) I explored this a bit above but do you seriously think the heroes would allow either side to behave cruelly to the other by the end of the series? Whatever happens to Charioce and his supporters the end result for the rest of Mankind will be peace and understanding with the two other factions, also likely with the rest of the beings on the mortal realm (as it's obvious now that the Human side is just one portion of the beings and possible factions living in the mortal world). Besides, anything less would basically be just a breeding ground for the next Charioce XVII. And given the potential of humans, you really-really-really wish to avoid that.

You have good points there and I hope it all turns out that well but I wasn´t just talking about the Dormos but about that green magic in general, only the Onyx Knights use it and most likely have severe side effects, there is no way in hell that a magic that can nullify all other magice can be used without consequences.

[shmaster]

Originally Posted by willyvereb

3.) I explored this a bit above but do you seriously think the heroes would allow either side to behave cruelly to the other by the end of the series? Whatever happens to Charioce and his supporters the end result for the rest of Mankind will be peace and understanding with the two other factions, also likely with the rest of the beings on the mortal realm (as it's obvious now that the Human side is just one portion of the beings and possible factions living in the mortal world). Besides, anything less would basically be just a breeding ground for the next Charioce XVII. And given the potential of humans, you really-really-really wish to avoid that.

The real problem lies in how can they can achieve this while still make the story believable.
Because with how the hatred between human and demons still raising in every passing second. It'll feel completely fake that the two sides end up all love and peace just because our protagonist said so.

[kuromitsu]

I don't think "peace and understanding" necessarily translates to "love fest"... Sometimes peace and understanding just means leaving the other side(s) alone and not meddling in their business. I don't like speculating so far ahead, but what I expect right now is possibly a restoration of the status quo from 2000 years ago, and the surviving main characters finding their own place in it.

I'm most interested in where Nina, Jeanne and Mugaro end up... I imagine Favaro will continue to wander, Kaisar will a) die, b) stay a knight or c) go with Favaro (OK, this is just my wishful thinking), Rita will probably be near wherever Kaisar is, Azazel will either die or go home (or settle down with Mugaro and Jeanne /wishful thinking), and Charioce... I hope he won't die but I can't see him not dying, he has all the death flags, and in any case I just can't see him living a quiet life somewhere far away from everything.

Mugaro, though... I can't see what's going to happen to him, and Jeanne's fate is obviously tied with his. In a way Nina's as well, since right now she's his ally.

By the way... the Kaisar & Favaro spinoff manga Twin Heads is going to be out soon, and this is one of the extras you can get with it, depending on where you buy it. Yeah... Favaro, just stick with your pseudo-medieval outfit. Kaisar looks really good, though. Like, really good.

[SeijiSensei]

Sounds like my Jeanne X Kaisar pairing isn't on the horizon then. I thought there were a few sparks there at the bridge back during the escape. Kaisar might have trouble putting aside his view of Jeanne as a Saint and relating to her as a normal human woman.

How about Azazel X Sofiel? You know that deep down inside Sofiel wants a more "interesting" life.



Sofiel is probably the most sexualized female character in this season other than the elf demon who didn't live very long. Nina is too adolescent, Jeanne too heroic, Gabriel too cold, and Rita is, well Rita. Cerberus isn't getting enough screen time this season to be in the running.

I do think Rita would be unhappy if Kaisar ended up with Jeanne or anyone else, but Rita is still hundreds of years old. She's seen a lot of men come and go.

[willyvereb]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I do think Rita would be unhappy if Kaisar ended up with Jeanne or anyone else, but Rita is still hundreds of years old. She's seen a lot of men come and go.

If anyone Sofiel would possibly hook up with Bacchus. It seems like they used to be an item or at least close to it before Bacchus went off to chase a human woman. They certainly have a relationship which might be more than being old friends.

As for Rita, who knows? Although a bit of correction, AFAIR she spent those hundreds of years in that village and deluded herself to have a family. Her character arc in S1 was exactly that she couldn't let go. So she's unlikely to just move on.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Sounds like my Jeanne X Kaisar pairing isn't on the horizon then. I thought there were a few sparks there at the bridge back during the escape. Kaisar might have trouble putting aside his view of Jeanne as a Saint and relating to her as a normal human woman.

I think Kaisar just reveres Jeanne too much to think of her in romantic terms. And let's face it, his heart is full of red afro.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

How about Azazel X Sofiel? You know that deep down inside Sofiel wants a more "interesting" life.

But whether Azazel is the right person to provide that... I don't know, I could see her becoming disillusioned with him very soon. I agree that she has some chemistry with Bacchus! It would be kind of cute if they ended up being stuck with each other in the end in some way.

On that topic, a while ago in May there was "June bride" theme Bahamut article in... Otomedia, I think? where the Bahamut guys were asked about what they look for in a potential bride, and how they would propose. Azazel said he wasn't interested in marriage, and if someone insists then they should just (in quick and dirty translation) stay by his side and not expect anything or get in his way (邪魔にならないように勝手にそばにいろ). There's no female character in this show that would fit this description. (Charioce, by the way, said he'd propose in bed after a passionate night. I hope Nina is prepared... not that they're very likely to ever get to that point.)

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Cerberus isn't getting enough screen time this season to be in the running.

And that is a crying shame. Come back Cerby, I miss you!

By the way, the preview images have been released, and awww, Nina continues to level up in cuteness:
http://www.animatetimes.com/news/img...122304&p=1&n=3

Also, it seems like Mugaro might just meet Charioce?! Wow, that would be a hell of a cliffhanger, considering that while Mugaro knows him, Charioce probably wouldn't recognize him in his current form.

(It's kind of hilarious that these news pieces keep calling him by his official name, "Charioce XVII". Also, I wonder if "Charioce" is his actual name, or if it's just a regnal name that comes with the position. That would explain Charioces XIV-XVI, I really can't imagine it being a very popular name after the walking dumpster fire that was Charioce XIII...)

[Darthtabby]

I can't really imagine Azazel and Cerberus as a couple, but I'm kind of hoping they at least run into each other before the end of the season.

[Incest Emblem]

My predictions:

Kaisar x Favaro
Jeanne x Sofiel
Nina x El
Alessand x Cerberus
Azazel: forever alone

Charioce pushing daisies

Charioce could be a dynastic name of some sort rather than a regnal name of choice. Or it could be his actual name. Personally I think the latter makes more sense than 3 dead kings in the span of about 5 years.

[shmaster]

Speaking of Sofiel, what are the chances that she'll eventually dye her wings black and change her name to Olivia?

[Stark700]

Beautiful episode this week. Nina and Charioce's relationship this season brings me nothing but smiles.