First impressions:
This episode as a whole is able to balance out the humour and tension. In times where there is too much tension, humour is added in to bring down the seriousness. This is good because it ensures that we do not get overwhelmed too much. Even though the plot shift seems quite abrupt, it is still extremely enjoyable especially during the fighting scene. Of course there's the cliffhanger as well. The cliffhanger is making me anxious and restless for the next coming episode.
Highlight (scenes):
1. Cross Marian's assassination
The first scene introduced to us are the knocked out guards suggesting that someone entered the room to kill Cross. Okay so from my observations, the fact that someone was able to enter the room and kill Cross (who is one of the more powerful people in the series) suggests that the assassin is powerful or even more than Cross. Furthermore it was stated that it was the Central Agency's doing. This introduces a new player in the plot. Leverrier was not aware of their plan and neither is the Order aware of Leverrier's own plan and thus the issue has become more complicated. I also have my suspicions that DGM Hallow will explore the grey area in the Black Order more, who knows the there may be more than one antagonist in the series. After the guards closed the door, immediately a crashed is heard and Cross's body disappears leaving only his innocence, Judgment and his mask. The disappearance of his body reflects that Cross has dangerous secrets that can threaten the Central Agency hence his assassination and stealing away his body. Okay, I have my hopes up and I am being optimistic here that he is not dead because the body was not present and technically we can't pronounce him dead...yet.
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| Disappearance of Cross Marian |
We also get to hear Cross's last message to Allen. I felt that the message was very heartwarming and it shows a more humane aspect of Cross. We really get to feel that Cross do care about Allen. However there is a particular scene I would like to focus on. There is a scene where it shows Allen wearing a clown mask similar to Mana which ties in closely to Cross's last words of "Stop wearing Mana's mask." This is certainly one interpretation of the scene but I can't help but think there's something more to it. Wearing a mask symbolises a facade, hiding secrets which we know Allen has but he may not be aware of. Maybe I'm looking too much into the scene but still I feel there is a deeper meaning of it that we may not know yet.
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| Allen wearing Mana's mask. |
2. Pursuing Phantom Thief G
The chase and fighting scene here is quite exciting and it also helps reveal more about Link. After being possessed by the Thief, we get to see that Link is actually well versed in combat and he has the skills of a CROW which is revealed to be part of the Central Agency and also one of the masked and hooded men that dealt with Allen in episode 1. We can be sure that Link will have a greater part to play in this series. The humour added was good as well. During Link's identity reveal there seems to be a heightened tension and when the humour is added, it allows us to release our breath. From the fight we can to witness more of Allen's innocence for instance the Crown Belt. The sequence is quite cool. One of the most memorable parts would be Allen stabbing his sword into Link. Possessed Link's reaction was hilarious and I can't help but laugh my way through. In the midst of the humour, Allen smugly stated that his "sword can't hurt humans". We kind of known it before but mentioning this again seems like a foreshadowing to me. We know there is something dark within Allen and I'm pretty sure that if one day the sword harms him, we immediately know that he is no longer human.
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| Allen stabbing Link with his innocence |
3. Meeting Timothy
Timothy is a brash child but he also has a loving heart that cares deeply for his family. Immediately I feel for this child as we get to know his background and why he became a thief. His character reminds me a lot of Allen when he first started out as an exorcist. His attitude reminds me of Daisa Barry. Oh damn, I really miss him, he was one of my favourite secondary character. The fact that Timothy not only can possess a person but also use their powers as well reflects the huge potential that his innocence has. But does that mean that he can possess an akuma? If he can switch souls with another person is it possible for him to switch people's souls around? If so, that will be extremely dope and awesome. I hope that his character can develop further along with his innocence and I am looking forward to his action sequences in the future.
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| Timothy. |
4. Akuma fighting and cliffhanger
Okay, I've stated this before but I will say it again, the fighting is quite good but I wish it was more epic enough though. Maybe we will get to see more action in the next episode. What stands out from this part is when Allen can't open the ark and also he can't use his cursed eye to look at the Akuma's soul. First thing that went through my head was: "What the hell is happening to Allen? Why is he suddenly so weak?!" I'm not sure if it is intentional or not but Allen being shot by the Level 4 Akuma so easily seems weird...I've seen Allen unable to defeat strong opponents before but not to this extent. I dare say there wasn't much a fight put on. The end though! What the hell?! The episode ends off with Allen infected by Akuma virus and then almost fainting/weak with exhaustion. This is such a mood killer, now I will have to restlessly wait for the next episode to come out! The other OMG moment is when Link turned into a doll. His energy in fighting the akuma by demonstrating his powers is awesome but the fact that he became defeated so quickly really drops the mood. I am sure he will survive but there will probably have to be a cost. My theory is that killing the akuma will turn Link back into a human. After all, his character has an important role to play in this series, killing him off like that would be such a waste.
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| Damn cliffhanger |
Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-2
Overall as mentioned at the beginning, this is episode has great fighting actions and the plot really makes me invested to watch the series. I hope the next episode will explain Allen's sudden weakness as well as develop more time for showcasing Timothy's innocence. Let's list down the positives and negatives!
+ there are some good action scenes
+ balancing of tension and humour is done well
+ emotions are being evoked in certain scenes
+ great potential in developing Link's and Timothy's character
- there is an abrupt shift in plot (maybe it's just me)
- Why is Allen suddenly weak (intentionally/ unintentionally?)
-action sequences can be more epic and the level 4 Akuma does not look as good as the original one
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