Goodness, this episode was crazy, but also super exciting! It was packed with action from start to finish!
The fight didn’t break out at the party like I had initially thought it would, but since Hestia refused to play the War Game, Apollo didn’t waste any time of having his Familia stake Bell and Hestia out. They are absolutely ruthless, destroying the run’d-down church that served as their home, dicing Bell up real good, it was brutal to watch. There was no miraculous turn-around, at least not today anyways. It took the intervention of various allies who were willing to put themselves on the line, Takemikazuchi’s children and Liach and Naaza, alongside Lili and Welf to give them the cover. Nothing makes me happier to see these guys step up to help them in the time of need! Especially when we understand how this kind of relationship is relatively uncommon between Familias due to their rivalry or feuds.
Bell has been warned and advised to surrender due to Apollo’s persistent nature of always getting what he wants, no matter the cost or how long it takes to do it. Many, if not all the members of his familia had experienced his relentless pursuit, and eventually caved in, such as Daphne and Cassandra. And that is why, even though we all know Bell is pretty damn good at running away, even he can’t outrun Apollo, much less when he has to face adventurers like Hyakinthos who are a level above him. We saw it last week, and we saw it again this week how Bell didn’t stand a fighting chance against him. Certainly doesn’t help when the guy is out for blood, all because he is jealous of the fact Bell is Apollo’s new favourite he wants under his wing. That’s why Hestia told him they had two choices. Either they accept the War Game, and fight a battle they may not win, or flee Orio. It was certainly no secret that Hestia was very open to eloping with Bell, especially since not only it would be just the two of them, but he would be away from her rivals, haha!
Unfortunately, despite having confessed her earnest feelings for him, Bell was stumped, and said the thing we all expected him to say: He respects her (bless this child!). In the end, because of his rejection, Hestia made up her mind and decided they will play the War Game (not without throwing the glove at Apollo’s face, YOU GO GIRL!). By doing so, at the very least it gets Apollo and his children off their backs until the rules are arranged, and Hestia hopes at the very least she will be able to buy enough time for Bell to become strong enough to stand a fighting chance.
But Bell was not the only victim today. With the reemergence of the Soma family, Lili too found herself in trouble when Zanis, whom we saw for the first time (I believe?) talking to Hyakinthos last week. Lili was thought to have been dead until now, as (if I recall correctly, from the first season, those who had left her for dead ended up getting killed by Freya’s Minotaur.) The most startling part about their encounter was how Zanis appeared to have triggered a hypnosis of a sorts, putting her in a vulnerable state and successfully retrieved her. This leads me to believe that it was Hyakinthos who tipped Zanis off about Lili’s whereabouts, and the two familias (or at least the children) are cooperating with each other. There is possibility that the two of them may be planning else entirely though, and whatever it is, it’s ought to be bad news, especially when the Souma’s are involved.
But before Bell can even go out to save Lili, he must become stronger and fast. The best person to help him do that is none other than Ais, who has played a big part in his growth, so naturally he went to seek her out. Luckily for him, despite being told not to meddle with the current affairs, Ais is determined to help him out, unable to turn a blind eye to his predicament. She is able to do this thanks to the assistance of Tiona and Tione, who will also be chipping in with the training as well.
Considering the pace of which everything is unfolding, I am quite curious how quickly we are going to get down to the war game between Hestia and Apollo’s familia, and whether or not something else will spoil the plans of what is suppose to be a fair fight. There is also the prophecy of,”A wounded rabbit hops over the moon and devours the sun” to look out for, as we know Bell is also known as “The White Rabbit”, and Apollo’s association with the sun, doesn’t take much imagination to guess what it probably means, haha!
”A wounded rabbit hops over the moon and devours the sun”
Also, Soma is the Hindu god of the moon.
Ah that’s right! Forgot about that!
It’s gonna be wild, I’m sure! Loving how this season went from 0 to 100 right from the start! 😀
For me, story is everything.
And with this many characters, it will be the interplay between the characters, that moves the story forward.
So far, your writeups have been spot on (minus some major spelling and grammar errors, you were in a great hurry, with the first episode commentary); and it remains bloody obvious that guesswork about future episodes will be erroneously premature (including my own).
I think Ais will take up where she left off with her training young Bell. But being a strong level-2, help from one of the few level-6 soldiers, will be invaluable. Because his immediate Apollo enemy is a level-3, he must perform at least at level-3 in order to beat him, regardless of Bell’s level-2 strength on paper.
My larger concerns deal with the obvious (for us) hidden alliances everywhere, against not only Bell Cranel, but I have sneaking suspicion that Hestia is in somebody’s sights, for ethical and moral destruction.
The first season made things clear, that Hestia had gone through a period of some moral turpitude. I hope I’m wrong here. But I have this gut feeling, that somebody wants to return Hestia to a previous point in her own behavior.
Enough for now. In the mean time, we have to wait for episode-3, on tenterhooks.
I wish to expound a bit more, on Episode-2.
It is obvious that many viewers are missing a few points.
Why did Hestia direct Bell to go South, instead of North to the Guild Hall?
It didn’t seem like it, but this event is pivotal in our understanding of Hestia. If we return to the scene under the canal-bridge, what is said between friends is everything. Hestia commits the unpardonable sin of being in Love with Bell, and admitting it, beyond any point of misunderstanding.
She explained to him, that she would run away with him, and be his woman. Even though that act would return her to an earlier time in her Life, when she was liar, a cheat, and manipulating bitch. We know this, because Heaphestus explained her feelings about Hestia, in season-1.
And yet, here is Hestia trying to talk Bell into doing the one thing that Bell would not do. Anything to save Bell, her true Love.
Anything, but to have to face down Apollo. Who is not only the leader of the largest Familia, but powerful in his own right. While, in this story, Hestia is one of the lesser Gods.
Let’s go a little further. While Hestia had found honor and basic decency, with Bell; Apollo had allowed himself to become petty and corrupt, in his power.
And so, while Bell is carrying her through the streets of Orario, to protect his Goddess, she is thinking. And instead of running away with Bell, she decides to place her faith in Bell, squarely into naked danger, and stand and fight, in a psychological battle against Apollo; every bit as epic as the things she has seen her Bell do, every day.
Hestia, for once in her Life, is going to be the person Bell believes in.
Because Bell said; “I respect you.”