Helck

Episode 12

Wow, did we get an episode that was like 80% plot? That's insane! All joking aside though, I like how the first part of this episode was catching us up to speed on what was going on back at the main demon continent after being away from it for so long. After all, it's only been a few episodes for us, but for the characters in the show, it's probably been days or maybe even weeks since Helck and Vermilio were separated from everybody. There was a part of me that didn't think any fighting was going on even though there were talks of a battle plan the last time we met up with everybody so I wasn't expecting this ongoing battle to have been taking place between the demons and the humans. Turns out the demons have been constantly fending off the attacks from the humans who are taking advantage of the idea that they are immortal to slowly level up through experience. Again, it's kind of a comedic version of the power mechanic from Dragonball Z.

I like that the show establishes that the revival ability of humans isn't broken. It's not like they die once and then come back with Ultra Instinct. The humans have lost almost every battle they've engaged in and at the time of this episode, they're still arguably under-leveled compared to some of the tougher demons in the demon realm. However, the problem is that their skill level is still growing and the rate at which it's growing seems to also be increasing after every battle. Combine that with the fact that resources are always going to be limited and it's only a matter of time until things get dangerous. That's why Helck and Vermilio coming back is still important.

Next week it looks like we're finally going to get the thing that everybody, including myself, has been begging to get since episode two and that's Helck's backstory. We're going to find out what happened with him and his brother and possibly why Helck has this hate towards the human race. I thought we were going to get a little bit of it here because we still had time in the episode…until that time was dedicated to what was probably just a few comedic side chapters in the manga. I think it would be better if the episode started with that side story and then just went back into the drama for a smoother cliffhanger into next week's episode but I can also understand that the creators probably wanted to get us back to the demon continent as soon as possible after so much prolonged waiting.

I will say that my favorite bit about this episode is the conversation between Helck and Vermilio right before that aforementioned cliffhanger. I love Vermilio's characterization throughout this entire show because she goes from being a pretty paranoid ice queen to a surprisingly levelheaded friend. I like how she's honest with Helck about how she never trusted him from jump but after seeing who he genuinely is these past couple of trips, she does consider him an ally and a friend. So much so that Helck gives her permission to stab him in the back if he gets out of line and she feels hesitant to take that opportunity. That is such a stark contrast to how their relationship was established at the beginning of the show and is hands down the best element about it. Even if I wasn't reviewing this every week, it would probably be the main thing that would keep me coming back. I feel like these two are friends who could trust each other which is why it now feels appropriate for Helck to sit down and expose himself physically and emotionally to Vermilio. I can't believe I'm saying this but I am genuinely looking forward to what next week has in store for us.

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Helck is currently streaming on HIDIVE.