Radiant Episode 18

I’m gonna be honest. I love the cliche of a character going berserk out of rage and anguish, especially if it’s the main character. So seeing Seth go on a berserk rampage was a treat indeed. However, it was pretty difficult to see Hamaline die again. Honestly, I feel like I could have shipped Hameline and Seth together if she had survived and joined their little ragtag team. Hameline was someone Seth had slightly changed and also someone he saw himself in. So seeing her die in front of him understandably crushed his heart.

Unfortunately, Seth gets smacked down by a douche of an Inquisitor but by some sort of triggering event, Piodon unleashed an uncontrollable monster out of Seth. Though it was probably partially due to the Inquisitor damaging the little bandage on his cheek. Piodon did say Seth’s true power was being stunted by that bandage. So it getting ripped a little probably allowed him a little into that supposedly repressed power. And while it definitely wasn’t a good thing Seth was out of control, it was still satisfying to see Von Teppes be punched into the next tomorrow.

I wished the fight between the Inquisitors and Seth lasted a little longer, but it is what it is. There will probably be a round two in the future anyways. Probably not in the anime, but definitely in the manga. It’s honestly really weird to see the Inquisitors use some form of magic and them to be praised as heroes while Sorcerers are despised. Though I’m sure it’s because Sorcerers use the same form of power that Nemesis do. But it does make me wonder how the Inquisitors are able to use this “Miracle” power. And while I dump on the Inquisitors most of the time, I do have to give them some respect for making sure to keep the people safe from harm (even if they don’t deserve it). Though I’m also glad they’re taking responsibility for Konrad’s actions and will bring him to justice for what he did. It’s kind of difficult to see these guys in the best of light due to them being terrible towards Sorcerers, seeing them all as an enemy. It’s even more complicated because you can tell that these guys (well most of them at least) are good at heart and are genuinely trying to protect the people.

It was also interesting (if not a tad anticlimactic) to find out that Grimm was actually behind the disappearances happening and was actually keeping them safe from harm. Whether it were people who stumbled upon the Nemesis or witnessing Konrad’s terrible endeavors, Grimm kept them hidden so they wouldn’t have been killed by Konrad, which was very kind of Grimm. Even if his hiding spot was… creepy as all heck. Grimm really is a good guy and it’s nice to see him help out Seth and the others. He’s just mildly awkward that isn’t good at explaining his actions. But hey, that’s pretty relatable. I too cannot explain things well and am awkward as heck.

This episode was not kind to Seth. Especially when he gets wracked with guilt over the fact that he feels like he couldn’t save anyone, especially Hameline. Even worse that Piodon seems to be able to enter his dreams now. And man did Piodon’s confession that they’re brothers did not sound convincing what so ever. When Seth asked if they were brothers, Piodon’s answer sounded more along the lines of “yeah, let’s go with that” rather than a genuine confession. Piodon you’re becoming shadier and shadier each time I see you.

And while it was sad to see so much destruction happen and Hameline die, it may have proved to be a decent wake up call to Seth’s world view. He had the idea that if he beat up the “bad guys” things would work out in the end. Unfortunately, that is not how the world works. Things are a lot more complicated and “beating up the bad guy” may end up making the situation worse. In Seth’s case, he realizes that his actions only lead to destruction when he lost control of himself after being unable to save Hameline.

At this point, Seth’s whole perspective has shifted and he’ll probably need some time to take in account his beliefs and actions. Since this was the first time we see Seth start to question if destroying Radiant will actually do anything. Will his actions stop the discrimination against his type of people? And while I do believe Seth defeating Konrad was ultimately a good thing, he was unable to change the hearts and minds of the people of Rumble Town. Even Seth points out that there are a lot more people out there just like Konrad. It’s a harsh truth really. Even when one terrible person is taken down, much more will take their place. On the other hand, I do believe he was able to save more people from falling to Konrad’s hand. It breaks my heart to see Seth so defeated. Someone needs to give the poor boy a hug.

Safely back in Artemis, Melie and Doc patiently wait for Seth to wake up from his rage induced coma. It was actually really sad to see Melie so stressed over it that her violent side is actually out. However, it’s cute to see that violent Melie seems to have a tsundere soft spot for Seth. (That’s really cute heh) The bad news is that it seems that Torque’s power caused Seth to lose his use of magic in his right arm (I’m presuming, it wasn’t too clear). However, Seth seems to take it in stride and even stating that it may be better that way since all that arm was capable of was violence. How is he even going to fight from this point on? Will he have to tweak his fighting style now that his right arm is out of commission? I do like that Seth is starting to question his ideology. That was one of the frustrating parts of Seth’s character was how naive he was about how things worked in this world. Things are not so black and white as he had initially thought. Hopefully this experience will help him to grow positively.

What I’m really happy for is that Hameline’s “siblings” are all okay and are living peacefully and comfortably in a capture facility within the city. They’re so freaking cute. Please continue to protect them.

Also, Master Lord Majesty continues to be shady as well. While he sent his train to rescue Seth and the others, why is he going out of his way to help him so much? Smells a little fishy if you ask me.

This series is coming to a close soon with only 3 more episodes now. I’m kind of worried the last few eps are going to be filler considering the travesty they pulled with like 6 episodes of filler. Hopefully I’m wrong, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Hopefully it will delve more into Seth’s psyche and help him find a new path after such a disastrous first mission.