Helck

Episode 5

I can't quite put my finger on it but this was one of the more humorous and entertaining episodes of the series thus far. If I had to guess, it would be because I feel like the show was able to lean into the absurdity of its humor a bit more now that we've shifted location and initial priorities. Don't get me wrong, there is still the looming threat of these angelic heroes out there alongside the mystery surrounding them. However, before we can even worry about them, we first need to get Helck and Vermilio off of this island that feels like something straight out of a Fairy Tail. You look at that little green bird and tell me it isn't a creature that Natsu and friends would come across on their journeys.

So Helck and Vermilio were transported so far away from the initial demon realm that they are practically no longer on the map anymore. I think my favorite running gag is the fact that Vermilio is trying so hard to be skeptical of Helck but he comes off as such a wholesome and simple-minded dude that it's hard not to get caught up in his pace to the point where Vermilio ends up finding herself just going along with things or agreeing with what he says before she even realizes it. I wonder if it's because she doesn't have to worry about keeping up appearances in front of so many people or if the change in setting just makes it easier for her to let her guard down. This is kind of the tone I wanted the show to have in the first episode but it wasn't able to do that because it was trying to balance out this humor with the more serious foreshadowing. This episode I think keeps that humor-to-serious ratio to more of a 70-30 split which I think fits things much better. It allows the show to keep sort of a lighthearted entertainment factor while still dropping hints that there is something bigger going on in the background. I hope this is the show finding its footing for the rest of the episodes moving forward.

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Helck is currently streaming on HIDIVE.