The Fairy King’s Lament – Seven Deadly Sins #72 Review

Dem feels, though.

WHAT A CHAPTER. Seriously, it rocked. I sort of expected King to come out all guns blazing and take the fight to Helbram right from the off, but in a way his anger and at Hauser for failing to protect Diane, and his own misery at having arrived to late to save her, made the eventual fight all the more epic.

Seriously, I don’t think a single attack in manga has made me so happy as the first one King landed on Helbram. Beyond awesome.

BOOOM.

King is often played for comic relief in the series, but not here as his inner anguish at his own failings – past and present – was painted in stark relief. It was a scene that punched right for the jugular, and was very, very effective at making me feel for King in his self-loathing. Damn.

King is deep down a pretty miserable figure, wracked by his guilt not only over the death of his sister Elaine and the burning of the forest but also for his abandonment of the Fairy King forest 700 years ago. It’s a past that Helbram feeds straight into – but more on that in a sec… Suffice to say, I really, really empathised with King, and couldn’t wait for him to cut loose.

And oh boy did he.

The majority of this chapter was given over to a killer fight as Helbram and king began their rematch. It looked epic, with King dealing Helbram a real pounding – despite the latter remaining as hacked as ever, able to call on a plethora of abilities at exactly the right moments to ride out King’s onslaught.

I can’t really put in to words just how satisfying it was to see Helbram finally on the ropes. He’s the sleaziest, most infuriating villain in manga right now (I reckon) and to see the smile finally wiped from his face was just brilliant.

Also, this.

King: Murderously Epic.

That was, of course, before the twist.

Turns out Helbram’s shapeshifting into an odd little helmeted figure was not simply a power used to annoy and amuse, but was in fact one that belies the truth of his identity. He is actually, in fact, a fairy. And not the sweet-dancing-at-Midsummer-kind, either…

King didn’t recognise his true identity, apparently, due to that helmet (which feels a bit of a stretch, but I’ll roll with it) but it looks like the two have previous – going back to King’s grim 700-year past. That’s a backstory I’m really excited to see fleshed out, and that could have major ramifications given the links already established between the fairy and demon clans in the past and present and Helbram’s involvement in – it would seem – just about everything.

More importantly for now, though, it also sets up one hell of a fight. Helbram’s demotion in stature is not a demotion in ability, and I’m hoping for a stellar fight next time as the two fairies go head to head…

Pumped. That is all.

THE GOOD!!

• This chapter really had everything in a microcosm. Seriously gut-wrenching sadness, unbelievably action, a heck of a twist, allusions to a dark past… what more could you want..? One of my favourite chapters of the year in manga, let alone The Seven Deadly Sins, it blew me away.

• I’m really struggling for negatives… I guess I’d feel better if someone could patch up Diane, already… It’s just horrible (but then, I suppose that’s really the point…)

Overall: I seriously think finding fault with this chapter would be unfair. So here goes… I give it a masterful 10/10. Oh yes.

Koba out.