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「記憶が目指す場所」 (Kioku ga Mezasu Basho)
“Where Memories Go”
I was super annoyed with the return of Diane’s King-related amnesia last episode, but this is done far better than I had feared. Here it’s not a way to turn back the clock on Diane x King, but to reveal character about both Gowther and Diane, and reveal a lot about Diane’s (and Meliodas’) past. That’s a much better use of our time than reverting to the status quo. I was wrong, and I’m super happy about it.
I had initially thought that Diane’s glowing eyes were foreshadowing to Gowther’s reawakening that’s already happened—that it was a sign he was keeping tabs and could wake up when he wanted to. That it was actually foreshadowing for this is a rather neat trick; some of the best foreshadowing is only correctly clear in retrospect, and this nailed that. It also shows that Gowther is still on his quest, and that Merlin’s bracelet isn’t preventing him from meddling with everyone—though maybe it restricts it in some way (away from bystanders, perhaps). To me though, the best moment was a line from King:
“I’m not angry. I’m just realizing how much I’ve been overestimating you.”
Oof. Deserved, though. The others Sins keep making the mistake of assuming that Gowther is closer to human than he actually is (except for Merlin, though it seems even she’s not perfect in this), so King’s admission is both brutal and enlightening. Gowther is dangerous, and it actually makes me more interested in him. He’s perhaps the most difficult character to weave in development for, because he’s the most alien. It’ll be interesting to see Suzuki-sensei does that going forward (no manga spoilers, please).
As for all the Giant Clan scenes, it was just cool getting to see another giant other than Diane. They’ve been sadly lacking from the series so far (we’ve even seen more fairies, even if they mostly suck), so it’s high time they got in on the action. It was just cool to see, even if “Vikings, but bigger” isn’t an exactly original take.
The drama around Dolores was done pretty well, because as much as it sucks that she got killed off-screen, that’s probably the most devastating way (to Diane) that she could have died, because it meant Diane couldn’t do anything to save her. Matrona (Satou Rina) was a compelling character as well, once again not the most original of character types, but considering she was dead within half an episode that’s probably for the best. Plus it’s cool to see the woman with the abs of steel whoop up on some treacherous humans. Fuckers.
By far the best moments had to do with Diane’s feelings and the nature of her sin. On the former, I found it incredibly sweet that the reason she began crushing on Meliodas was actually because she was attributing some of her scrambled memories of King to Meliodas. It shows that her love was King all along, and I’m a hopeless romantic so I love that. Though as a counterpoint, Diane has very good reasons to love (whether romantically or as a highly respected and valued comrade/friend) Meliodas as well, because he also treated her like a person rather than a scary giant, and he took responsibility for her after her sentencing to save her life. It may have always been King in her heart, but Meliodas damn well earned her respect early on, and for good reason. He’s a good captain.
As for Diane’s sin, it makes total sense that she was blamed for something she was innocent of. We already basically know that Meliodas did what he was accused of (though for better reasons than many would realize), and it’s easy to imagine Ban, Gowther, and Merlin getting up to some shady shit, while King has plenty of weaknesses (and responsibilities as Fairy King) that give avenues for misdeeds/mistakes. (No idea on the seventh Sin, Escanor, until he shows up.) It was Diane that was always the puzzler, as she’s the most explicitly good (along with King) and has never seemed like the criminal type. To find that she was falsely accused makes sense, and it really jives with her character. I’m not always a fan of flashbacks, but this was a really good one. This episode was also excellent. Loved it!
My SECOND novel, Freelance Heroics, is available now! (Now in print!) (Also available: Firesign #1 Wage Slave Rebellion.) Sign up for my email list for updates. At stephenwgee.com, the latest post: Book 3 Progress Report.
Preview
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Omake
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End Card
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You act as if we haven’t seen Ban’s backstory. It was in an OVA. We already know how he got his sin.
If you haven’t seen it, go see it!
It time snoo-snoo?
They do nail it pretty nicely with Gowther. It is an issue that the Sins and even us as viewers have overestimated Gowther. He isn’t human. Heck he isn’t even as similar to humans as Giants or Fairies or even Demons on an emotional level. He is technically on their side, but he doesn’t comprehend how they feel. He is probably the most alien person in the show.
And I do like how this isn’t really about Diane and King. But rather about exploring Gowther’s character and Diane’s past. It is interesting how so many Sins really aren’t responsible for their crimes. Diane was framed. Ban took the blame for Elaine’s death and the forest burning, probably because he hoped someone would be able to kill him and he could reunite with her. And King’s situation with his old friend was covered in S1.
It was nice to fill the gap between Diane’s run in with King and when she joined the Sins.