Episode 07: Runaway? Stray? Demon Sword in Motion!
Episode 07: Runaway? Stray? Demon Sword in Motion!
If you need to watch the episode, check out this post (community locked) for information!
This time, we begin the fun back in Castle Voltaire, where Günter has brought Gwendal a basket of strawberries to apologize for the…um, laughing gas he inflicted upon them. What happened in there, huh?? *gets ideas* What he finds, though…!
Gwendal, are you knitting or are you just happy to see me? *shock* Well, it’s NOT a hobby, Gwendal explains, it’s only to clear his mind. So pay no attention to the room full of fluffy stuffed…er, pigs?
…That’s a teddy bear, Günter. >_<
But anyway. Hey, where did we last leave Yuuri?
Ah yes, at ye olde coliseum, dressed as a gladiator, facing off with Rick, the apprentice he met on the boat. Only Rick isn’t the innocent victim of circumstance that Yuuri thinks he is…
…He was one of the pirates! (Which makes one wonder - where is his sailor outfit?!) In any case, he’s definitely serious about this sword fighting thing, because unless he kills Yuuri, he’ll be killed himself!
So Yuuri dodges for a bit, thanking Shinou that this kid really sucks at sword fighting -
…but then realizes that he has Demon Sword Morgif on his side! Let’s try…Morgif Punch! Morgif Kick! Morgif Wing~! *crickets chirp* Well, it’s not very effective in battle, unless you want to make the other guy die laughing:
Just as our hero looks like he might be in serious hot water (and where did Yozak and Wolfram run off too, anyway?), something comes to him…not so much an idea as random messaged from aliens something.
”I’ll do what I can”? What the…
While Yuuri’s trying to figure out who’s “talking” to him, he turns and - uh-oh!
Luckily, Yuuri got his wits about him just in time so to speak, spun and hit a home run!
Okay, so it’s closer to a bunt. But anyway, it worked!
More importantly, now he can save Rick. The crowd starts going on about wanting a kill, but Yuuri scolds them all and offers Rick his hand. Rick accepts it and is getting up…
…when he gets hit by an arrow. Does it NOT LOOK in that cap like Yuuri’s ecstatic about Rick getting shot?? Looks like these guys have a different idea of ‘justice’ than Yuuri does…and pretty bad aim, I’d say, if that was supposed to be a ‘kill’ shot. Yuuri could punish them all, but then he’d turn into the Demon King again and become someone else. So he fights it off.
Hey, what’s wrong with that random old guy in the front row?
While Morgif carries on about something, the old man in the front has a heart attack and dies! That’s what he gets for watching executions at a hundred-odd years old. And his soul…
Well, Morgif eats it right up.
And just as Yuuri’s realizing what happened, Morgif activates!
Conrart tries to come help Yuuri, but Morgif is out of control! And then, Yuuri gets another strange message: ”Call my name, and I’ll do everything in my power! My name is Willem du Soliel Eli de Morgif.” Either Yuuri’s lost his marbles, or Morgif’s secret power is cryptic telepathy.
But somehow that lets Yuuri stop Morgif from running amok. Maybe he is Morgif’s master, after all? Or there’s a huge plothole.
As Yuuri tells Conrart to gather Rick up, he spots in the crowd the old lady who tried to help him before the match! Yuuri offers her some money to help her out.
But the lady doesn’t want his money because Yuuri is a Demon. She wants to know if he’s there to destroy the humans with his Demon Sword. It’s Yuuri’s first real taste of the feelings of the “other side,” which earns us his patented Sweet Angsty LookTM.
Yuuri leaves the money on the ground and runs off with the lady shouting behind him. He and Conrart find Yozak and Wolfram, and they disguise themselves as human soldiers to escape. Holy crap, how HOT is this?
What’s that ship over there, with the greatly coincidental timing? …And the hearts floating out of it…?
Why, it’s Lady Celi! What’s she doing here other than providing Deus Ex Machina?
As Wolfram explains, she’s on a worldwide cruise in pursuit of “Free Love.” Isn’t that sweet the hoochie? And she wastes no time cuddling up to Yuuri:
…much to Wolfram’s chagrin. I revise my earlier assessment: she’s a hoochie mama. *rimshot*
As the former Queen and her son fight for Yuuri’s affections, Conrart leaves the room. He finds Yozak and propositions him underneath the sunset sky demands to know why Yozak placed Yuuri in danger like that.
Yozak’s excuse is that it’s okay to take things over from the shadows to make sure that things go in the right direction (was gonna make another comment but…nah, this one’s too easy), but Conrart accuses him of doing just what Stoffel did. He tells Yozak that if he ever puts his favorite little cutie-pie Yuuri in danger again, he’ll be a dead man.
After that serious face, Yozak’s a little less glib. And maybe a little nervous. Oh, you Big Strong Man, you! <3
After a bit, they land on an island…for some reason? In any case, Yuuri explains to Conrart the reason he was thrown off his baseball team: because the coach was scolding a first year who missed a play while substituting for an older player who was injured, and being really loud and cruel about it. So Yuuri went up and socked him (that coach for yelling, not the kid for sucking) right in the face because he couldn’t stand to see his junior embarrassed. Although now, he wonders whether that was really the reason… *cue dramatic emotional After-School Special music*
Yuuri also thinks it might be best to leave Morgif on the island, considering that it could be dangerous. Conrart respects his reasons and tries to hit on him.
But then Wolfram comes up, out of breath ooh, baby and wondering what Yuuri and Conrart are doing getting so cuddly there on the beach. >.>
But more importantly! Something’s wrong with Morgif!
Oh Morgif, why are you being all whiney and annoying?
…Oh. Celi happened. Well, he got a bite on Lady Celi’s finger, so I guess they’re even. But also, something fell off Morgif while all that was going on:
It’s the obsidian stone that was in Morgif’s head! It must be the source of his power, because it glowed when Morgif activated. What are they going to do with the stone? Celi wants to make an earring out of it. Maou Bling, yes/yes?
Yuuri decides that Yozak should keep it and do what he thinks is right with it. Everyone is shocked, but Conrart seems to think it’s a great idea. Yuuri warns Yozak not to make him regret his decision. *serious moment of significance*
Back at Voltaire, Yuuri is greeted in the now-customary fashion by Günter!
And it looks like Morgif has been locked up on the Treasure Vault in Yuuri’s Castle.
The maids are hearing some funny noises down near the Treasure Vault lately, come to think of it. Perhaps it’s a ghost!
In any event, as Gwendal explains, Cavalcade seems to have called off their war threat, and is sending a delegate to meet with Yuuri.
Anissina suggests that she entertain them with… what the heck is THAT?
So why did Cavalcade halt their threat? Well, it seems Yuuri helped out the youngest son of the King and how they are in his debt. Who would that be? Why, the bald Heathcriffe that Yuuri met on the boat and his daughter, Beatrice!
…It seems like Yuuri and Conrart didn’t exactly expect that. But hey, it all worked out in the end. ^_^
The next morning, as Yuuri’s just getting to enjoy waking up on something that’s not swaying back and forth…
…he hears a moan, turns, and…!!!
Wolfram, what are you doing here looking all hot and nekkid?! Yuuri flails a bit and dashes off, a bit overwhelmed for first thing in the morning, leaving Wolfram to wonder what the heck just happened.
After Yuuri’s through trembling in Post-Traumatic Shock,
…he decides to take a bath to clear his mind. But…oh, no, not again!
When the world stops spinning, he’s face to face with Murata Ken, in the public bath. Poor guy, there are Hot Nekkid Boys everywhere!
Muraken explains that Yuuri seemed like he was drowning in the public bath. And hey, that drain looks familiar…
In any case, Yuuri says that he’s decided to be a permanent pacifist. Muraken thinks that’s a very manly thing to say. Of course, Murata, we can’t have an unmanly Demon King, now can we even if he IS surrounded by Hot Nekkid Boys?
My thoughts on the episode:
At first watch, this episode didn’t seem to have a ton of plot development. But the second time though, it was coming at me so fast I could barely take notes!
First, Demon Sword Morgif. I can’t tell whether he/it was initially put in for crack or for plot, but I think he’s a nice parallel and conflict for Yuuri. On one hand, Morgif will help him prevent a war by his reputation, but on the other hand a human soul is needed to power him. On one side, Yuuri is Morgif’s master, but on the other, he can’t really control the power and his use of it seems to be largely unconscious. Am I nuts, or is this totally symbolic?
…Or maybe I’m seeking significance in the crack. Anything’s possible! ^_^
The other thing that struck me about the episode was Yozak and Wolfram’s motivations in talking Yuuri into that tournament. I wonder how much they knew - Yozak’s talk with Conrart seems to indicate that they knew what Yuuri was in for, but were pretty sure he would find a way to handle it. We already knew Yozak was testing Yuuri, in a manner of speaking, but I wonder what was going on for Wolfram? Maybe he’s looking for Yuuri to prove that he’s serious about being the Maou?
When I think about that, it’s kind of encouraging, and kind of upsetting. Both of them believe in Yuuri and want him to succeed, but it makes me wonder about the lengths that they - and the rest of the country, for that matter - would go to in order for Yuuri to “prove himself” to them. Proving himself will take time, it’s not something that can be done instantly, but as all the backstory is showing, the Mazoku don’t feel very comfortable trusting people in power.
And as a further shock to Sir Gurrier, it seems that if Conrart had his loyalties divided before, he certainly doesn’t anymore. Things are changing in their world, and that’s never easy. Spoilers! I’ve said a few times now that the relationship between the two of them seems to have changed a lot with the appearance of Yuuri. Conrart trusts Yuuri unconditionally, Yuuri is the person that he perceives as his purpose (IMHO) and the reason he was “saved”...it all goes back to Julia's death and how hopeless he felt after Lutenberg and losing her, but then given the task of watching out for her soul changed him from a bitter angry person to the smiling, lovable damaged cutie we see today. On the other hand, Yozak doesn’t trust Yuuri and doesn’t know why he should, given everything they went through with Lutenberg and their own government sending them to die. Conrart and Yozak have their past together, their bond as soldiers and survivors of Lutenberg and shared trauma of war and their childhood bond and their bond as half-humans who don’t really belong, but Conrart has put the past aside for Yuuri’s sake. If I were Yozak, I’d be confused/pissed off about that, too. They have the past, and neither seems to want to acknowledge that the past is over (Yozak’s calling him “Captain” and then saying he can’t give him orders because he left his duty is a good example of the contradiction, and also how he openly challenges Yuuri even over Conrart’s objection but then eventually shuts up when Conrart gets all uber-protective). My favorite way to explain the two of them (and I’ve said it before, sorry) is that they can’t seem to figure out whether they’re friends pretending to be strangers, or the opposite. It's interesting to me how they walked the same path in so many ways and yet found different philosophies for how they want to live.
I do love the moments between Conrart and Yuuri on that island. The way Yuuri opens up to him like that is sweet, and how he explains himself about the sword and saying “it’s not like I think this is a game.” Yuuri really wants Conrart to know he’s serious about his position and he has no intention of acting like a kid.
Wolfram and Yuuri have some interesting moments, here, to say the least! Celi flirting with Yuuri is endlessly amusing to me because I somehow know that 65% of her reason for doing so is to get under Wolfram’s skin (the rest is because she’s Celi). It’s an…interesting parent/child relationship, and it makes me wonder (spoilers?) how Wolfram really looks at his mother. He respects her, obviously, but when he was born she had all her responsibilities as the Queen, and then made some very bad choices as Maou, and now she’s off roaming around for “free love,” when Wolfram seems to be pretty traditional if his insistence at the engagement and Yuuri’s fidelity is any indication. It’s an interesting contrast. But anyway, Wolfram in Yuuri’s bed there was just…oh, writers, you LOVE the fangirl-bait, doncha?? You know we’re slaves to your whims! *ahem* Anyway, Wolfram is getting pretty darn attached to Yuuri, it seems - or at least, he’s staking his claim. ~_^ There’s a lot I could say about this but I think I’ll wait for future episodes. XD
And I can not forget Gwendal and his knitting! It’s one of his more endearing qualities to me, because the big angry stoic warrior guy likes knitting cute stuffed animal…things. I can only imagine what he’d think of plushies… ^_^
Wow, that was really rambling and/or philosophical. >_< Enough of that…let the fangirling over the boys in gladiator uniforms commence! ^_^
Next Episode: Episode 08 hosted by sagemuraken!
Don't forget to fill out the poll on screecaps for future posts!
If you need to watch the episode, check out this post (community locked) for information!
This time, we begin the fun back in Castle Voltaire, where Günter has brought Gwendal a basket of strawberries to apologize for the…um, laughing gas he inflicted upon them. What happened in there, huh?? *gets ideas* What he finds, though…!
Gwendal, are you knitting or are you just happy to see me? *shock* Well, it’s NOT a hobby, Gwendal explains, it’s only to clear his mind. So pay no attention to the room full of fluffy stuffed…er, pigs?
…That’s a teddy bear, Günter. >_<
But anyway. Hey, where did we last leave Yuuri?
Ah yes, at ye olde coliseum, dressed as a gladiator, facing off with Rick, the apprentice he met on the boat. Only Rick isn’t the innocent victim of circumstance that Yuuri thinks he is…
…He was one of the pirates! (Which makes one wonder - where is his sailor outfit?!) In any case, he’s definitely serious about this sword fighting thing, because unless he kills Yuuri, he’ll be killed himself!
So Yuuri dodges for a bit, thanking Shinou that this kid really sucks at sword fighting -
…but then realizes that he has Demon Sword Morgif on his side! Let’s try…Morgif Punch! Morgif Kick! Morgif Wing~! *crickets chirp* Well, it’s not very effective in battle, unless you want to make the other guy die laughing:
Just as our hero looks like he might be in serious hot water (and where did Yozak and Wolfram run off too, anyway?), something comes to him…not so much an idea as random messaged from aliens something.
”I’ll do what I can”? What the…
While Yuuri’s trying to figure out who’s “talking” to him, he turns and - uh-oh!
Luckily, Yuuri got his wits about him just in time so to speak, spun and hit a home run!
Okay, so it’s closer to a bunt. But anyway, it worked!
More importantly, now he can save Rick. The crowd starts going on about wanting a kill, but Yuuri scolds them all and offers Rick his hand. Rick accepts it and is getting up…
…when he gets hit by an arrow. Does it NOT LOOK in that cap like Yuuri’s ecstatic about Rick getting shot?? Looks like these guys have a different idea of ‘justice’ than Yuuri does…and pretty bad aim, I’d say, if that was supposed to be a ‘kill’ shot. Yuuri could punish them all, but then he’d turn into the Demon King again and become someone else. So he fights it off.
Hey, what’s wrong with that random old guy in the front row?
While Morgif carries on about something, the old man in the front has a heart attack and dies! That’s what he gets for watching executions at a hundred-odd years old. And his soul…
Well, Morgif eats it right up.
And just as Yuuri’s realizing what happened, Morgif activates!
Conrart tries to come help Yuuri, but Morgif is out of control! And then, Yuuri gets another strange message: ”Call my name, and I’ll do everything in my power! My name is Willem du Soliel Eli de Morgif.” Either Yuuri’s lost his marbles, or Morgif’s secret power is cryptic telepathy.
But somehow that lets Yuuri stop Morgif from running amok. Maybe he is Morgif’s master, after all? Or there’s a huge plothole.
As Yuuri tells Conrart to gather Rick up, he spots in the crowd the old lady who tried to help him before the match! Yuuri offers her some money to help her out.
But the lady doesn’t want his money because Yuuri is a Demon. She wants to know if he’s there to destroy the humans with his Demon Sword. It’s Yuuri’s first real taste of the feelings of the “other side,” which earns us his patented Sweet Angsty LookTM.
Yuuri leaves the money on the ground and runs off with the lady shouting behind him. He and Conrart find Yozak and Wolfram, and they disguise themselves as human soldiers to escape. Holy crap, how HOT is this?
What’s that ship over there, with the greatly coincidental timing? …And the hearts floating out of it…?
Why, it’s Lady Celi! What’s she doing here other than providing Deus Ex Machina?
As Wolfram explains, she’s on a worldwide cruise in pursuit of “Free Love.” Isn’t that sweet the hoochie? And she wastes no time cuddling up to Yuuri:
…much to Wolfram’s chagrin. I revise my earlier assessment: she’s a hoochie mama. *rimshot*
As the former Queen and her son fight for Yuuri’s affections, Conrart leaves the room. He finds Yozak and propositions him underneath the sunset sky demands to know why Yozak placed Yuuri in danger like that.
Yozak’s excuse is that it’s okay to take things over from the shadows to make sure that things go in the right direction (was gonna make another comment but…nah, this one’s too easy), but Conrart accuses him of doing just what Stoffel did. He tells Yozak that if he ever puts his favorite little cutie-pie Yuuri in danger again, he’ll be a dead man.
After that serious face, Yozak’s a little less glib. And maybe a little nervous. Oh, you Big Strong Man, you! <3
After a bit, they land on an island…for some reason? In any case, Yuuri explains to Conrart the reason he was thrown off his baseball team: because the coach was scolding a first year who missed a play while substituting for an older player who was injured, and being really loud and cruel about it. So Yuuri went up and socked him (that coach for yelling, not the kid for sucking) right in the face because he couldn’t stand to see his junior embarrassed. Although now, he wonders whether that was really the reason… *cue dramatic emotional After-School Special music*
Yuuri also thinks it might be best to leave Morgif on the island, considering that it could be dangerous. Conrart respects his reasons and tries to hit on him.
But then Wolfram comes up, out of breath ooh, baby and wondering what Yuuri and Conrart are doing getting so cuddly there on the beach. >.>
But more importantly! Something’s wrong with Morgif!
Oh Morgif, why are you being all whiney and annoying?
…Oh. Celi happened. Well, he got a bite on Lady Celi’s finger, so I guess they’re even. But also, something fell off Morgif while all that was going on:
It’s the obsidian stone that was in Morgif’s head! It must be the source of his power, because it glowed when Morgif activated. What are they going to do with the stone? Celi wants to make an earring out of it. Maou Bling, yes/yes?
Yuuri decides that Yozak should keep it and do what he thinks is right with it. Everyone is shocked, but Conrart seems to think it’s a great idea. Yuuri warns Yozak not to make him regret his decision. *serious moment of significance*
Back at Voltaire, Yuuri is greeted in the now-customary fashion by Günter!
And it looks like Morgif has been locked up on the Treasure Vault in Yuuri’s Castle.
The maids are hearing some funny noises down near the Treasure Vault lately, come to think of it. Perhaps it’s a ghost!
In any event, as Gwendal explains, Cavalcade seems to have called off their war threat, and is sending a delegate to meet with Yuuri.
Anissina suggests that she entertain them with… what the heck is THAT?
So why did Cavalcade halt their threat? Well, it seems Yuuri helped out the youngest son of the King and how they are in his debt. Who would that be? Why, the bald Heathcriffe that Yuuri met on the boat and his daughter, Beatrice!
…It seems like Yuuri and Conrart didn’t exactly expect that. But hey, it all worked out in the end. ^_^
The next morning, as Yuuri’s just getting to enjoy waking up on something that’s not swaying back and forth…
…he hears a moan, turns, and…!!!
Wolfram, what are you doing here looking all hot and nekkid?! Yuuri flails a bit and dashes off, a bit overwhelmed for first thing in the morning, leaving Wolfram to wonder what the heck just happened.
After Yuuri’s through trembling in Post-Traumatic Shock,
…he decides to take a bath to clear his mind. But…oh, no, not again!
When the world stops spinning, he’s face to face with Murata Ken, in the public bath. Poor guy, there are Hot Nekkid Boys everywhere!
Muraken explains that Yuuri seemed like he was drowning in the public bath. And hey, that drain looks familiar…
In any case, Yuuri says that he’s decided to be a permanent pacifist. Muraken thinks that’s a very manly thing to say. Of course, Murata, we can’t have an unmanly Demon King, now can we even if he IS surrounded by Hot Nekkid Boys?
My thoughts on the episode:
At first watch, this episode didn’t seem to have a ton of plot development. But the second time though, it was coming at me so fast I could barely take notes!
First, Demon Sword Morgif. I can’t tell whether he/it was initially put in for crack or for plot, but I think he’s a nice parallel and conflict for Yuuri. On one hand, Morgif will help him prevent a war by his reputation, but on the other hand a human soul is needed to power him. On one side, Yuuri is Morgif’s master, but on the other, he can’t really control the power and his use of it seems to be largely unconscious. Am I nuts, or is this totally symbolic?
…Or maybe I’m seeking significance in the crack. Anything’s possible! ^_^
The other thing that struck me about the episode was Yozak and Wolfram’s motivations in talking Yuuri into that tournament. I wonder how much they knew - Yozak’s talk with Conrart seems to indicate that they knew what Yuuri was in for, but were pretty sure he would find a way to handle it. We already knew Yozak was testing Yuuri, in a manner of speaking, but I wonder what was going on for Wolfram? Maybe he’s looking for Yuuri to prove that he’s serious about being the Maou?
When I think about that, it’s kind of encouraging, and kind of upsetting. Both of them believe in Yuuri and want him to succeed, but it makes me wonder about the lengths that they - and the rest of the country, for that matter - would go to in order for Yuuri to “prove himself” to them. Proving himself will take time, it’s not something that can be done instantly, but as all the backstory is showing, the Mazoku don’t feel very comfortable trusting people in power.
And as a further shock to Sir Gurrier, it seems that if Conrart had his loyalties divided before, he certainly doesn’t anymore. Things are changing in their world, and that’s never easy. Spoilers! I’ve said a few times now that the relationship between the two of them seems to have changed a lot with the appearance of Yuuri. Conrart trusts Yuuri unconditionally, Yuuri is the person that he perceives as his purpose (IMHO) and the reason he was “saved”...it all goes back to Julia's death and how hopeless he felt after Lutenberg and losing her, but then given the task of watching out for her soul changed him from a bitter angry person to the smiling, lovable damaged cutie we see today. On the other hand, Yozak doesn’t trust Yuuri and doesn’t know why he should, given everything they went through with Lutenberg and their own government sending them to die. Conrart and Yozak have their past together, their bond as soldiers and survivors of Lutenberg and shared trauma of war and their childhood bond and their bond as half-humans who don’t really belong, but Conrart has put the past aside for Yuuri’s sake. If I were Yozak, I’d be confused/pissed off about that, too. They have the past, and neither seems to want to acknowledge that the past is over (Yozak’s calling him “Captain” and then saying he can’t give him orders because he left his duty is a good example of the contradiction, and also how he openly challenges Yuuri even over Conrart’s objection but then eventually shuts up when Conrart gets all uber-protective). My favorite way to explain the two of them (and I’ve said it before, sorry) is that they can’t seem to figure out whether they’re friends pretending to be strangers, or the opposite. It's interesting to me how they walked the same path in so many ways and yet found different philosophies for how they want to live.
I do love the moments between Conrart and Yuuri on that island. The way Yuuri opens up to him like that is sweet, and how he explains himself about the sword and saying “it’s not like I think this is a game.” Yuuri really wants Conrart to know he’s serious about his position and he has no intention of acting like a kid.
Wolfram and Yuuri have some interesting moments, here, to say the least! Celi flirting with Yuuri is endlessly amusing to me because I somehow know that 65% of her reason for doing so is to get under Wolfram’s skin (the rest is because she’s Celi). It’s an…interesting parent/child relationship, and it makes me wonder (spoilers?) how Wolfram really looks at his mother. He respects her, obviously, but when he was born she had all her responsibilities as the Queen, and then made some very bad choices as Maou, and now she’s off roaming around for “free love,” when Wolfram seems to be pretty traditional if his insistence at the engagement and Yuuri’s fidelity is any indication. It’s an interesting contrast. But anyway, Wolfram in Yuuri’s bed there was just…oh, writers, you LOVE the fangirl-bait, doncha?? You know we’re slaves to your whims! *ahem* Anyway, Wolfram is getting pretty darn attached to Yuuri, it seems - or at least, he’s staking his claim. ~_^ There’s a lot I could say about this but I think I’ll wait for future episodes. XD
And I can not forget Gwendal and his knitting! It’s one of his more endearing qualities to me, because the big angry stoic warrior guy likes knitting cute stuffed animal…things. I can only imagine what he’d think of plushies… ^_^
Wow, that was really rambling and/or philosophical. >_< Enough of that…let the fangirling over the boys in gladiator uniforms commence! ^_^
Next Episode: Episode 08 hosted by sagemuraken!
Don't forget to fill out the poll on screecaps for future posts!