Helck

Episode 6

Finally, I think I can say with confidence that this was the best episode of the series thus far. It's funny, it had heart, it had character introspection, a lot of foreshadowing, there were lore implications, some decent action, and a solid sense of tension by the end. This is the kind of episode that makes you look back on previous ones and makes you wonder why we couldn't have this balance of elements much sooner. Usually when a cast of characters separates, that could create a circumstance where the story drags on as we wait for all the characters to reunite. Instead, the series uses this separation to its advantage and allows us to see new sides of our characters. The action and dramatic stuff are happening to the side characters, allowing them to show off, while the main duo is off seemingly in a completely different show. But this lighthearted and quiet place is perfect for Helck and Vermilio to actually talk to each other like people.

I like that Vermilio is starting to finally question her views of Helck, or at the very least is allowing herself to take a moment and listen to what he has to say. Helck is a little bit cryptic with his wording but you could also argue that this might be a difficult thing for him to talk about. In fact, Vermilio might've actually been correct all along about Helck putting on a façade. He's not putting on a façade to deceive the demons but rather his intentions are more to make amends for whatever happened in the past. Maybe he sees all of this as some kind of punishment and he's trying to hide behind the appearance of a joyous idiot? I don't know but these are the questions I wanted to ask myself when the series started because these are the questions that I was asking myself when I first read the manga. It might not be amazing by other storytelling standards but taking the show on its own terms and what it's trying to communicate, I definitely would love to see more episodes like this moving forward.

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Helck is currently streaming on HIDIVE.