First Impressions / GOSICK

「過去の王国に遠吠(ぼ)えがこだまする」 (Kako no Ōkoku ni Tōboe ga Kodama Suru)
“Howling Echoes From the Kingdom of the Past”

Wow. It was a bad idea trying to piece together a mystery in GOSICK, because I pretty much got it all wrong. NEVER AGAIN. Nonetheless, my theory about the elder wasn’t at all improbable, and it made complete sense. The reality presented to us wasn’t absurd by any means, but I’d need some kind of trivia knowledge to have concrete proof that Herminia did it. The elder was obviously the red herring, and I fell for it, but linking pigeons to gold coins as distractions, and completely guessing from out of the blue that there was a prophecy that told Herminia she was going to die at 26, is just something I “admittedly” could not possibly figure out. Hiding in the clock and jumping out to stab someone in the back was also just way out there on the left field. I don’t think it’s hard to play the guessing game and see that Herminia was a possibility, but the show doesn’t seem like it wants anyone to really figure out who it is. It’s more just, “watch the show, you can’t possibly guess because we made it so, and just be amazed at the end.” Well, it did make Harminia’s reveal more mind blowing to me, so it wasn’t all bad.

But honestly, most people don’t seem to care about the mystery. The majority of the comments I’ve been getting only talk about how cute Victorique’s latest antics are. And it’s true, she is cute, and much of the development this episode made it clear that a lot of people care about her. Well, only Grevil and Kujou, but hiring Mildred to look after Victorique makes Grevil a tsundere, which led to a silent d’aww moment. The “fight” with Herminia reproduced the same overemotional Victorique, which is kind of weird to hear, since she’s usually screaming in this wavering brittle voice that makes me all confused inside. One peculiar thing is that when she’s holding Kujou over the cliff, neither Grevil, Ambrose, nor Mildred were there to help. I suppose they couldn’t exactly ruin such a convenient love-love development scene.

As a whole, the arc brought the two closer together, again, and shed light on the fact that the question Victorique asked was the same exact one Kujou did, creating this bittersweet fate the two share, making an even better tragic love story than Romeo and Juliet. Herminia inevitably fulfilling her own prophecy was chilling, which even further sets their fated separation in stone. Behind the scenes, we get a glimpse of Brian Roscoe and Cordelia, who isn’t too surprising to see alive. Being red-haired, Brian Roscoe looks strikingly similar to the magician.

The conclusions to these mysteries usually end up pretty satisfying, especially this one, and it helps that you typically get a healthy helping of Victorique MMM (maximum moe mode) to go with it. The introduction of Roscoe and Cordelia give an exciting foreboding marker of future plot, and our mains now acknowledge their affection for each other. They better not pull that, “let’s pretend all that emotional development never happened” BS though. The arc tied up rather nicely, and I think this was the best one so far. Next episode takes a break from the usual routine and will explore the character quirks of Victorique when she’s sick. A Victorique-centric episode is always a good episode. Oh, and more Avril too, please.

Is it weird that I thought Harminia was cute when she was scratching at her eyes?

 

Preview

62 Comments

    1. Yeah, but I didnt like the oracle’s prediction that they wont die together and would be separated but their hearts will never be apart, though it sounds cool and all, it’s meaning is just tragic. I especially dont like the “they wont die together part” more than so than being apart, cuz it foreshadows something tragic.

      X
      Reply

      2. I think it’s highly likely that at least they will be separated by WWII and probably much earlier. Japan’s aggression in China and Manchuria started in the mid to early 30’s. Kujo is the third son of an imperial soldier so the odds are that he will be in the army in the not too distant future.

        bear
        Reply

  4. Brian Roscoe is the Magician.

    why? because he is a descendant of someone from the village, and what is their special trait, golden hair and emerald eyes. The Magician has emerald eyes, looking back in episode 6. and as seen she’s in league w/ Victorica’s mom, it makes much more sense why Brian is funding for the electricity of the village, Cordelia might not be that hurt to curse her birth place so she’s still trying to help it.

    and the last, the most defining proof
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Zwei
    Reply

  5. *One peculiar thing is that when she’s holding Kujou over the cliff, neither Grevil nor Ambrose were there to help. I suppose they couldn’t exactly ruin such a convenient love-love development scene.*

    This part confused me as well. The fact that Kujou passed out made it seem like Victorique was stuck holding him for quite awhile.

    Soiyeruda
    Reply

  8. I guess you haven’t watched all of them. lol I mean, come on… have you seen Puella Magi or Hourou Musukou? If you have and you thought even those were generic then this conversation was over before it started.

    Justa_Dream
    Reply

  9. I must have gotten lucky or I was eating my Wheaties on this one, because I pretty much got it. The show made it pretty obvious those guys were out to score some loot. The bit with the jug registered as Archimedes test for gold on me, so that bit was clear too. Gold coins = pigeon trick, got it, although I thought it was to distract the people that came on the murder scene and not a distraction for the victim.

    But the twitchy scary maid lady did it? I stuck with that even though it felt like I was going with “The butler did it.”.

    Bet against me next mystery, you’re bound to win.

    tudza
    Reply

    1. I didn’t pay much attention to the side mystery guys, but I’m surprised you got the gold coins distraction. Seriously, unless you knew that they were once used as a distraction (if that’s even true), I don’t see how you could possibly guess they were thrown by someone so they could jump from a high point and stab.

      Kiiragi
      Reply

      1. In my country, today that trick is being used as a ‘modus operandi’ of street robber especially in public transport vehicles.

        First, they scout for potential victims. Then the robbers (works as a group), drops some coins on the floor. As a display of courteousy, the victim helps the first robber to pick up the dropped coins. That’s when the second robber comes in. Dunno, maybe snatch the wallet or cellphone inside the victim’s pocket.

        That’s why I believe gold coins can be a form of distraction.

        kabayongtao
        Reply

  10. So when the incident happened back then, without any evidence to prove that Victoria’s mother was guilty, they exiled her away. Now Victoria helps to prove the innocence of the current leader of the village and that bastard isnt even thankful. He even acts like some fucking king. If I was Grevil, I would call for back up from the headquarter and arrest the asshole!
    Victoria is just so cute this episode and I want to see her meeting her mother soon. Would be nice if by the end of this series, they do something about that asshole father of Victoria also.

    UFO
    Reply

    1. Yea, I got that ‘wtf’ moment too. She set off like five HUGE blazes across the city within like 5 seconds. I guess it’s just a sped up scene to save time, but really unrealistic to me.

      xcswmboy
      Reply

    6. She’s more of a skilled arsonist than a ninja. I doubt if a ninja can do that.
      Covering several blocks in mere seconds. Cant help but to facepalm … that scene really
      blew the episode, i’m totally absorbed then suddenly .. WTF >_<

      Anyway, its a good episode. Brings Kujo & Victorique even more closer.

      Progeny
      Reply

  12. There’s no way that was her mother at the end right? That would mean she never grew an inch since being exiled! My guess is that its a twin sister Victorica never knew she had or something.

    Justa_Dream
    Reply

      1. hmm, I’m still not completely convinced though. I still have one question… if it is Cordelia, why did Roscoe say that her sin was burning away when she was innocent the entire time? I mean, as far as I know she never did anything wrong so what sin was he talking about?

        Justa_Dream
        Reply

    2. Victorique isn’t a kid if you haven’t noticed. So she is unlikely to grow much beyond how tall she is now. If she ends up like her mom so is she at least likely to fill out a bit 🙂

      znail
      Reply

    3. It is Cordelia. When Roscoe said “your sin is being burned away”, he meant the sin she was being accused of is gone as she’s been proven innocent, not to imply that she sinned.

      Chocolate
      Reply

  13. So…the police rushed in, the crazed maid was convicted, and NO ONE thought to even tie up her hands?

    The qualms I have with GOSICK is just that they try so hard to make every mystery inter-related that they skimp on the common sense details that normal mysteries carry. I’m watching more as a great slice of life relationship story like Spice and Wolf instead of like a mystery.

    xcswmboy
    Reply

  14. Well Kiiragi, I don’t know how to put it… IT IS WEIRD:P but anyway, i was complaining about the mysteries and how the chaos is reconstructed in the past episodes, but now i’m really satisfied as it all made sense. I hope that they can keep that up. And hey, i haven’t said a word about Victorique’s cuteness, great success:D

    prejsu
    Reply

  15. So Harminia was SIX years old when she killed the previous Village Elder? Since everything happened 20 years ago and she is 26 now.
    Yet she had the same face, clothes, and was already working as a maid?
    A bit inconsistent I think…

    aranma
    Reply

  16. Clearly, trying to second-guess Gosick is bad idea. I was convinced that it was the Elder, but noo, it’s a teleporting-psycho-ninja-maid. What.

    I guess they sort of foreshadowed it, with all of the lady’s psychotic spasms, but still, the show spent quite a while implicating the old guy =.=
    Maybe I should lay off trying to find out whodunit.

    Pandorakun
    Reply

  18. I dunno, I kinda think GoSick’s mysteries are really bad. Maybe I just played too much Phoenix Wright series, but I feel like in Phoenix Wright’s cases are like WAYYYY OUT THERE compared to Gosick but yet gave the audience enough context clues straight from the start that the audience can really piece together things by themselves before it’s revealed.

    I admit PW is just lots of plot devices for the protagonists to be able to luckily get the clues at the right moment, but throughout the story the players were definitely clued in as much as the attorney while here we have a Victoria figuring out stuff that’s only possible to figure out if she has previous knowledge of certain contexts that weren’t given to the audience. Not to mention the mysteries themselves are simple but dragged out in GoSick.

    Trying not to be baised, but Detective Conan and Phoenix Wright have better mysteries in my opinion.

    Turnabout Judgement (Phoenix Wright) > Detective Conan > GoSick.

    Though to give the author credits, it is REALLY hard to make a detective story, so I command the author for trying.

    thenewhorde
    Reply

    1. No, you’re right. They’re awful. She makes wild guesses which just happen to be right, and the criminal confesses without bothering to ask for evidence. Which is lucky for her, because she has none. It only works because everyone else is dumb.

      Even Neuro had better mysteries than these. And Neuro solved his cases with actual magic!

      name
      Reply

  19. I thought this ep ended weak and was so cliche

    i mean the whole bridge scene and kujo fighting what happened to him in the first fight on the boat he kicked ass then he got weak the clearly show he was trained in karate or something so what happened to that

    why does he keep taking hits and acting like he cant fight

    then how did tiny little victorica catch him at all and as said above where were the others while kujo is about to fall to his death glaviel and ambrose could have reached him easy if victorica was holding him and they where gone and how did she hold him through that semi confession scene

    and the maid moved through the town way to fast and easy like instant transmission much i really enjoyed gosick till this ep that was just weak though

    Meh
    Reply

    1. Yeah I somehow agree. I can’t believe the maid got caught just because she admitted it herself.

      Anyways, does anyone know what Kujo specifically spoke to her? Some kind of magic words in Japan? 🙂

      kabayongtao
      Reply

    2. They’re just story conveniences that happen all the time in writing. That’s not an excuse for it to exist though, but it’s forgivable this time. For everyone saying the maid gave up too easily, she’s been feeling guilty for 20 years, she wasn’t born a killer, she just had to do what she thought would keep her alive. Once “Theodore” confronted her, her mind just cracked.

      Kiiragi
      Reply

  21. I was thinking……. Didn’t the psuedo time warping maid say she went to the oracle 20 years ago? If she did then that doesn’t mean she actually killed the elder the same night, does it? So it could be that the lived with the profecy for like 10 years. Though if you think about it that would be problamatic because of her hight. She’s not build als Cordelia or Victorique so could she even hide herself in the top shelf of the grandmaster clock??? I thought from ep 7 that the maid was the culprit no hard evidence but just my gut like in the queen berry arc. When I heard about the oracle I instantly thought ”self fullfilling profecy ” 😀 I thought the culprit heard something from the oracle and doesn’t want that to happen so let’s kill the guy who said I would die or something and even at the end i got it right. 😀

    Tonameki
    Reply

  23. “Is it weird that I thought Harminia was cute when she was scratching at her eyes?”

    Kinky. Yes. But nothing wrong with that! We just know you have a turn-on for crazy maids who scratch at their eyes :3.

    Zanibas
    Reply

  27. Well psycho maids are always disturbing… Does the mystery come off being a little weak? Does the novel handle the explanation any better? Please reply in spoiler tags.

    Flappy
    Reply

  28. That maid sure run very fast, imagine she was able to set ablaze different areas across the entire town in a span of less than 20 seconds running. Also, whenever that eye of Victorica glows you know its over.

    Victorica gives me the Detective Conan vibes. lol

    Ghostalker
    Reply

  29. No it’s not wierd, I thought Harminia was cute when she was scratching her face too, though that’s just my love for Yanderes bias talking.

    That cliff scene was pretty much wtf, I know those A holes was standing there watching and not helping.

    anishuma
    Reply

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