Episode 03 – “Hestia Knife: The Blade of a God”

I guess before I start complaining, I should make it clear that I’m still liking this series a lot. It’s just that the logic sometimes doesn’t register with me in the way that the creators intended it to. A lot of the “fat” from could have been trimmed off if we just had Hestia give Bell the knife in the first place. I get that she had to explain to him the significance of the knife and what power it holds, but I think it could have all been done in a less time-consuming way.

Very little is accomplished in the way of character development by having Hestia run a literal circle around back to Bell. Sure, Bell is driven by the guilt he feels when he left his grandfather alone and believes that he’s responsible for his death. With this motivation, he thinks the best course of action is to leave Hestia behind and fight the Silverback. But really, I think he could have received the Hestia Knife sooner, and it wouldn’t have compromised his intended character direction at all.

But what happened happened, and the fight with the Silverback plays out as one might have imagined. As by the books as it might be, it’s still a well-composed fight and a far cry from Bell’s unsuccessful bout with the Minotaur. The sound design is excellent as well. I’m not an expert, but I think the Silverback’s sounds were compressed in a way to make it sound extra monstrous. Although Bell didn’t need it in the end, Aiz was waiting in the wings during this battle in case he needed to be saved like he did earlier.

I like that there’s a distinct sense of progression happening with Bell’s character, and it makes me excited for where we’ll go from here. I’m also curious about what Freya’s true intentions are. Surely, it has to be more than wanting Bell as a play thing, and it’s most likely related to why Hestia collapses at the end of the episode. Also, let’s all appreciate how Hestia has sold herself to being Hephaestus’s personal maid.

“The Bell Cranel I know, who’s in love with that monstrous Wallenwhatsit woman, could defeat that monster easily.” ~ Hestia

B.W.