©Omori Fujino/SB Creative/Danmachi 5 Production Committee
What Freya did was so cruel. I don’t think there are any two ways about this – she gaslights Belle and intentionally causes him emotional and mental pain while fooling the entire city, all for her desire to essentially possess him. She may not think so, and while I’m sure she knows she’s being harsh, she’s unwilling to change her plans. In Freya’s mind, she is a goddess, which means she can have whoever she wants. If the rest of the world doesn’t agree, she just has to make sure they can’t protest.
We see this in action when she orders Horne to find people whose brainwashing may not have been adequate for one reason or another and when she confronts Ouranos and Aina. While both are compelling encounters, they stand out for different reasons. Freya is almost happy when she’s with Eina – she sees how Eina’s feelings for Belle help her fight against Freya’s charm spell, and by taking Eina’s Bell Adventure Journal (which is also her ’s diary), she learns that not only has she deprived Ina of important memories, she has found a way to more fully manipulate Belle. When she quotes Ena’s journal at the end of the episode, we see just how angry she is with Belle – and so is she. Her reaction is one of delight and, frankly, horror, perhaps one of the clearest signs we’ve seen during this time. franchise So far, the gods are indeed different from humans…or maybe it’s just that Freya is so secure in her divinity and perception of her own righteousness that she no longer cares about human standards.
Regardless, she’s happy for most of the episode, which is disturbing considering how she’s systematically destroying Bell, the Hestia family, and even Orario’s traditional power structure. She knew Ouranos was fueling the fire and couldn’t stop her, and she seemed to enjoy it. Ouranos telling Fiers that he can’t take action until Bell does something is almost more frustrating than when Bell is in physical danger. The body heals more easily than the mind, and Freya is systematically destroying Belle’s body and transforming it as she sees fit. The potion she uses to disguise his Forna is almost stomach-churning, not only because she’s deliberately taking away some of his hope, but also because of how she Delighted She wants to do this. This winged Cupid was not just blinded as Shakespeare said, she put a blindfold on herself and let her do whatever she wanted. Even if we discount the fact that Belle is a fourteen-year-old child, her behavior smacks of abuse. She’s trying to cultivate Stockholm Syndrome (or at least pop culture’s understanding of it) in him, which doesn’t work.
Of course, there is hope. Aina begins to remember Bell, whom Ace can be pushed into, and Hestia sees as a trump card. Asfi and Ryu are not in the city at all, and Freya has already mentioned that they are outside her sphere of influence. Bell hasn’t quite sunk in yet at Freya’s efforts. What she didn’t seem to realize was that he yes He was only fourteen and he acted like this when they were in love. While others might have been thrilled by Freya’s not-so-subtle hint, Bell was horrified, and his rigorous training may have helped strengthen his resolve. Bell likes to be an adventurer, but he doesn’t necessarily like it struggleespecially not for its own sake. He comes back from the brink of death after his “own” family attacks him, which isn’t something he’s used to or wants to continue, so this might backfire on Freya, even if we (I) are interested in the The spell of resurrection is of interest. Bell was named after the Norse goddess Gullveig, who was resurrected three times, and perhaps another name for Freya.
This arc is hard to watch. It’s not as visceral as previous storylines, but its brutality is vicious, and it’s difficult to watch Belle shrink into herself as Freya’s plans crowd her sense of self. But what else could we expect from a goddess who inexplicably walks on her heels instead of heel-toes? Maybe the animators of the ending theme need to discuss this with the physical therapist…
grade:
Is it wrong to try to strike up a conversation in a dungeon? V Currently playing on HIDIVE.
