Oh man, this chapter was brutal.
Still, at least I have my Ban plushie to comfort me…
Or not. Still, the art this chapter was pretty amazing, and that lead colour was beautiful.
In essence, this chapter was one great big smackdown, with Diane facing off against the combined might of pretty much every major villain in the series with the exception of Hendricksen. Somewhat predictably, it didn’t go all that well.
It also really doesn’t give me a great deal to talk about, as the story and progression gave way to about 25 pages of monstrous attacks and utter carnage.
Am I complaining? Hells no. This chapter was, without doubt, completely superb: the art was out of this world, the attacks looked and really felt horrible (I winced several times. This was rough stuff…) and Diane proved that even when facing absolutely ridiculous odds she is capable of taking an absolute onslaught and still coming out swinging.
Damn. Gilthunder really cut loose. Still, I’m sure that’s the worst of it…
Oh.
That combination-onslaught between Gilthunder and Hauser was epic (and that name is amazing. ‘Dragon Castle’? Love it), but also incredibly crushing as Hauser was forced by his obligation as a Holy Knight to go full-force against Diane, whom he clearly has a serious crush on. Poor guy. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Hauser might well turn on the Holy Knights in the future. He’s not a happy guy.
And then to top it all, that slimy, scheming git Helbram threw his own attack in there, too. Every series needs a villain you just love to hate, and Helbram certainly fulfils that requirement with flying colours. He is just infuriating -and I adore him for it.
Still, it was great to see him take the brunt of Diane’s retaliation – ‘ground gladius’ – full in the chest. I highly doubt he’ll snuff it, but it was definitely pleasing to see the dumb smile wiped from his face.
Take that.
So even after all that punishment, Diane was still dancing. Great, you might think. I know how this goes in manga; just when the hero looks down and out, they step it up, turn the tide. It was time for counter-attack. And even better, Gowther looked to be ready to come to Diane’s aid. Surely things would pick up from here, right?
Well… no.
Because that’s when Dreyfuss decided to put an end to this charade, by doing this…
That’s the power of a Great Holy Knight, folks. I said in my last review that I feared the worst for Diane, and it looks like I may have (unfortunately) been right. Will she actually die? I doubt it. But in any case, one of the Sins is in a seriously bad way, and the rest of the gang need to get it together before Diane bites the big one…
THE GOOD!
- The art. I mean, seriously, it was brutal, wince-inducing stuff. There wasn’t a great deal of dialogue or story here, but there didn’t need to be. On this occasion, the depiction of all those Holy Knights going full-force spoke louder than any words ever could.
- I’ve complained in the past that my two series (Seven Deadly Sins and Magi) are often lighter on the action than, say, Fairy Tail or One Piece. I guess you should be careful what you wish for, because this howitzer of a chapter brought the pain in abundance. I wanted insane action. This time, I got it. Oh boy.
- Diane was placed in an impossible position, and the mangaka Suzuki Nakaba didn’t shy away from it. That made the chapter tough to read, but there’s no denying its awesomeness. Heavy stuff – but fantastic all the same.
THE BAD!
- A minor point, but I don’t genuinely believe Diane will die, and that sort of lessens the impact of all this chapter. Hopefully, if not actually killing her off, hopefully Diane’s defeat will have major repercussions for the next couple of chapters and beyond – otherwise, this could all feel like a bit of a tease.
OVERALL: At times painful to read, always breathtaking art-wise and with (potentially) huge repercussions, this chapter blew me away. This arc has been simmering nicely, but looks finally to have exploded into glorious, action-packed life. I give it a 9/10.
Koba out.
PS – Did anyone else love the weird advertisement (I think..?) for some sort of Japanese body-wash tacked onto the front of the chapter? So weird. Still, I guess everyone’s got to make a buck, right..?
I suppose if he ever tires of being a part-demon badass, Meliodas has a ready made career in advertising…
Sleeping Geeks 