UGH… UGH MY HEART. Not gonna lie, I was kind of bracing myself for this episode to be bad or fall back into filler. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t happen. Not only that, but we got to see more Alma Seth bonding moments in the past and it was FREAKING ADORABLE. A lot of interesting things were being set up this episode and I’m really tempted to satiate my curiosity by looking up what happens next… but I will try and resist.
For one, the Merchant Barons are apparently a big thing… which I did not know because I admit, I wasn’t paying that close attention to what they were all about. However, while they may just be merchants wanting to expand their trade with Cyfandir, that look that one baron guy gives me red flags. I mean, it was pretty evident he’s been up to something ever since his appearance in episode 2. However, I either missed what he’s after or we don’t truly know what their true intentions are. Though it seems like those weird magic ghosts things with Diabal are also very wary of them and are even thinking of attacking them. We’ve seen both sides attack Seth so I’m not sure if there is a “better” side in this case. Though a part of me wants to believe that Diabal isn’t a completely bad person as he seems more of a desperate and scared individual.
Also I can’t help but continue to laugh at how dumb those magic ghost things are as they just wave off certain things that are obviously going to come back and bite them. However, it seems like they’re VERY stuck in their old ways, saying things like that they need to protect what is left inside of Cyfandir and not make outside contact with others. Even willing to punish those inside who would be willing to trade with the Merchant Barons. Speaking of which, it seems like they are able to pose as a normal person and it makes me very suspicious as to WHO they are posing as. I tried listening to their voices carefully to see if they have a similar voice to someone we’ve met. But because their voices are very gurgled and autotuned, it’s difficult to tell. However, I have a strong feeling they are posing as someone we know since they wouldn’t show them transforming like that in the shadows so we couldn’t see their face. As for suspects, there are only like 3 characters that have made some sort of impact so far which are: Brangoire, Mordred and Sagramore. All three of them have some sort of suspicious activity attached to them with Mordred acting as if he’s hiding something, Sagramore’s disappearance during the last Spectre Nemesis and Brangoire just staring up at Ocoho. VERY SUSPICIOUS. However… when I paused the scene when he first comes in and turned up the brightness on my screen all the way… the disguise looked and awful like Mordred. And this scene happened directly after his visit with Ocoho. HMMMMMM….
I do like that this episode wasn’t completely devoted to setting up on mysteries as we actually got a conclusion (for the time being anyway) with Seth’s “beast problem.” But before that… WHAT THE HECK MYR. I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST A SIMPLIFIED PROJECTION OF YOURSELF, NOT YOUR ACTUAL BODY. The fact that Myr was actually a pixie and his beard was legit his body… I was not expecting that. Even though he teased it to us on multiple occasions. So well done Radiant… you got me. It was actually nice to get a little clarification on who and what Myr was since it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t completely human. Or in this case, never human to begin with. But with that information and the fact that magical creatures were the ones who first created magical items further expanded the Radiant world. I have dunked on so many shows for telling and not showing (glances over at Ensemble Stars and Fire Force), I think showing images of what they are talking about is a better storytelling tool because that way we get to actually SEE what they are referring to, even if it’s a panning still frame and not just seeing characters talk to each other.
It was sad to hear that Myr is the last of his kind due to how humans have spread out so much and made settlements throughout the forest, reducing its size considerably. Not only that, but because they cut down the forest so much, the amount of fantasia became scarce, which led to the “little people” creating objects from the remaining fantasia. And to protect themselves, they instead became one with the world. However, there is hope in the form of Myr and Jill’s children. Yes, children…I am also weirded out by this prospect but WHATEVER. And the fact that Seth wants to create a better world for their children to live in was freaking adorable. Seth is such a good boy. TvT I do appreciate that they didn’t linger too long on what was lost, but provided hope for the future and that it can be rebuilt.
Now for the biggest hit to the feels this episode. Seth takes on the “freeloader” inside of him once more, however, it seems as if he’s falling deeper and deeper into negativity, spiraling him into darkness. And I couldn’t help but see this as a visual representation of depression in a way. You try so hard to think positively, however, depression causes all your negative thoughts to overwhelm the good ones, making as if you’re falling deeper and deeper into the darkness. Seth nearly lost himself and I just loved how it showed the last embers of his humanity fading away with his eye fading back and forth, nearly disappearing. But before he was completely swallowed up, the tree bark (the world) gave way to show the light in Seth’s life, namely his friends. Was it cheesy and cliche: yes. BUT I LOVED IT.
When it showed all the fragment pieces of all the people who touched Seth’s life in a positive way so far, I just felt it was so fitting and touching that Alma’s fragment was front and center and clearly the largest out of everyone. It just showed that Alma has made the biggest positive impact on Seth’s life and it warms my heart because their bond is just so GOOD. Especially when it was accompanied by a brief flashback of when Seth was a child and just showing how much brightness Seth had brought into Alma’s life as well. Also seeing baby Seth is always a gift. PROTECT THAT SMILE.
It also highlights two other relationships that have impacted Seth in a big way. One being obviously Melie because she was legit his first infected friend that he could depend. Her words of encouragement has helped him in so many ways, especially to pull through. And then we see Hameline, who probably made as much of an impact on him, if not more as she was able to open his eyes up to the world and that it isn’t as black and white as he had once thought. However, despite the cruelty she had endured and is basically what Seth could have become, she put her trust in Seth that he could one day change the world. And as cliche as that was… it still hit my heart pretty hard. Especially since her sacrifice still hurts me to this day. Showing the three people who made the biggest impact on Seth’s life was just so touching and was able to overcome the deep seated hostility this freeloader brought. And bringing the visual representation back, it is true that you need others to break through depression. You can’t do it alone. The negativity was blinding Seth to the good things in his life and it was the people that cared for him that broke through the darkness, allowing him to see and grasp the light that had always been there. This scene was just so wonderfully done and I love all the visuals that accompanied it. And Alma’s final words of encouragement of “Don’t become a monster” and Seth replying that he won’t… SOBS PROFUSELY
Despite Seth having gained control of the freeloader relatively fast with the power of love and friendship no less, he was probably there for a while since time stands still while he’s in there. And the whole scene was just so touching because this series had focused so much on and built up his relationships with Alma, Melie and even Hameline that I couldn’t help but just feel so emotional while watching that scene. It was also touching to see that Seth had actually created something. Especially since he’s done nothing but destroy while he’s been in his “beast mode.” This probably meant so much to him in that regard. Also the fact that he is now inspired to create a new world where Myr’s children can live peacefully in. Ugh… Radiant has been punching me in the heart so much this episode. The implications that things will get better and that even amongst the darkness, there is hope. I think that’s such a powerful message and I feel like a lot more people need to take that to heart.
This episode was great. Probably one of my favorites so far along with the Seth and Melie fall out and reconciliation. I’m such a sucker for overcoming hardships through the bonds you’ve built with others. Yes it’s overused and cliche, but I don’t even care. They built up Seth’s bonds so much that it honestly felt so natural. I think this was a well needed happy episode considering there’s been a lot of struggles up to this point and it felt like such a win for Seth to gain control of the freeloader inside of him and is now finally going to meet back up with the others. However, there is definitely something big building up now that both the Merchant Barons and Diabal’s group are starting to make moves. I’m also VERY worried for Ocoho now that it seems like Brangoire has set his sights on her if the ending preview had anything to say about that. Especially since her ability to tune her sense to others is catching the attention of the Merchant Barons. PROTECT OCOHO.
