Vatican Kiseki Chousakan – 03

「神々の秘密と666の獣」 (Kamigami no himitsu to 666 no shishi)
“Secrets of the Gods and the Beast of 666”

If I learned anything after this week, it’s that VKC is a tease. A ridiculous, aggravating, but no less amusing tease. Besides the plot which seemingly introduces more mysteries than it solves—a good thing—the show also has a demonstrated proclivity towards fan service fantasy. Sure yaoi baiting is nothing new for anime, but when you tease it this hard against a backdrop of priestly sexual abuse (and drug use) amidst real world accusations, it becomes a little disturbing. Not as crazy as that hilarious—and effective—jump scare of course, but something arguably better done without.

Before growing too annoyed at that superfluity though—then I’d have to talk about the show’s love for dark scenes—VKC’s focus this week was, if anything, on refining its mystery. The suspense and intrigue surroundings the miracles has grown substantially, with everything but the virginal birth having largely been disproven. Stigmata, floating, devil possession? Events explained away by drugs, bodily ailments, and some deliberate lying. I am thoroughly enjoying how VKC is handling this aspect, on one hand continuously showing the devoutness of our two investigators while dichotomously having them engage in acts others might consider heretical. The show may only be pulp fiction (in a sense), but there’s an intriguing theological argument here for Corinthians 7:17 and belief in the absence of organized religion. Definitely not bad for an anime all things considered.

The true meat, however, is the solving the mystery and here VKC is quickly making progress. While Nazis and the Teutonic love for all things pagan may be rearing its head in yet another story, to VKC’s benefit this well-worn idea is tied in both with bureaucratic machinations and some not so subtle hints towards demonic involvement—the best of both worlds. Added credit for Lelouch playing the demonic beast, definitely the best choice the situation (anyone remember Leopold from Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo? Best choice). The curiosity is how all of these components come together. Our missing virginal baby mama has ties to the cultic secret society (obviously), but we don’t yet know how this Heinrich organization factors in. Then there’s the spiel about Lord Janus, which screams devil summoning as Janus—for those familiar with Roman mythology know—is not only the god of doorways, but also of transitions and beginnings. Someone clearly wants to usher in a new age, and unlike Ewan McGregor’s Father McKenna, it’s not over a link between science and religion.

With all the pieces quickly coming together it should not be long before VKC’s first arc reaches its conclusion. I still have my concerns over parts of the show (ex. yaoi bait), but there’s no denying VKC’s mystery grows more interesting as the weeks wear on. Sure it was a rocky start, but if the show can keep this up and give us one hell of a conspiracy, I’m willing to look over a flaw or two. No idea yet if I’ll continue blogging VKC through, but given what I’ve seen so far, I’m definitely considering it. Just have to wait and see what next week brings.

Random Tidbits

The story regarding the Rusburg zeppelin is likely imagined. This zeppelin (LZ128) was the predecessor to the infamous Hindenburg and never actually built. Plus it’s hard imagining how one of those things would escape detection by the Allied airforce in the first place.

Full-length images: 20.

End Card