Alto watches the events in Vermeil’s past that led to calamity hundreds of years ago.
Episode 11 – “Past”
Hmm.
Vermeil in Gold spent a whole episode showing the loving family Vermeil came from. The vile environment of religious prejudice that existed when she was a foundling resembles classic works like The Scarlet Letter or The Crucible. The tragedy that followed Vermeil’s emotional outburst had a proper foundation. But two details caught my attention in the retelling. The first was that the statue of God looked like the one in the magic school’s chapel. There are 500 years of history between Vermeil’s memories and the present. Vermeil in Gold also referenced a plague in the city that could be The Black Death. Judging by the events of European history, we can place the era of Alto and Vermeil in the equivalent of the late 1800s with magic electric power grids. The Church in Vermeil in Gold still has prominence too. One of the Platinum Squares was the bishop of the cathedral Iolite attacked. It remains to be seen how much authority God and the Church will have after Vermeil’s forced revelation to the world.
The other detail from Vermeil’s past was how she asked the mysterious mage to seal her 200 hundred years after her first calamity. I believe the more pertinent memory is how Vermeil found the veiled lady. Vermeil asked to be locked away after rampaging for centuries and building her reputation as “The Strongest Scourge.” The credits for Vermeil in Gold show the Veiled Lady’s name as “Fatima,” but no one in the anime has uttered that name. Yes, we’re dealing with an adaptation from a manga source, so the knowledge is out there. But that information should come from the story we’re watching, not the medium we’re referencing. We only have one more episode for the anime to get that detail right.
Heh.
Can you imagine Vermeil ever being so small? Look at that adorable girl! Sister is a beautiful mother figure for Vermeil in Gold. Aw. The other orphan children are full of love too. Mielle is the protective older sister type. This dialogue of children bragging to other children is so realistic. Lin and Cait are the younger siblings competing for Sister’s attention. A genuine family. Sister took Vermeil in and covered up her demon horns. Sister has no prejudice against demons. Some did evil things, but not all devils are evil.
This happiness can’t last. Vermeil in Gold foreshadowed tragedy quite well. A common accident for girls is losing a hair ribbon, so that occurrence started the coming disaster for Vermeil. Ooh, this is compelling. Mielle ran off the bullying kids, but she was the one who warned Vermeil about how demons are the enemy of God. How will Mielle react to Vermeil’s devil horns? Like Sister! Vermeil was blessed with a loving family. But that foreshadows a horrible ending for them.
Then mob violence and hysteria took over. A plague inside the city coincided with Vermeil’s demon status, so here come the torches and pitchforks. Never mind that Sister is caring for orphans inside a church. These citizens are supposedly virtuous, yet they pinned heretical voodoo dolls to trees. The Faith in Vermeil in Gold is sketchy. God may forgive the mob, but Sister won’t! The orphan family won’t let Vermeil sacrifice herself to the angry mob. But can Vermeil abandon her family? Oh, no, she can’t. The pitchforks are coming for them!
No, no, no, no, no! Even the little ones. The insane mob hanged the children too! This city deserved everything Vermeil gave it. Even as a youngster, Vermeil’s max power demon form had gigantic gazongas. This is the young Vermeil and blast zone that Alto saw in his dream. I wonder if that crater is still visible in the modern city of Ortigia.
Ah! Did Vermeil remember Alto’s appearance to him in the past? What is Vermeil in Gold looking at here? Besides the confirmation of Alto’s love for Vermeil? What does it mean? The current Vermeil is here now? Did she take back her missing memories? Ooh. Vermeil’s emotional chains are breaking. And now we’re back to the collapsed classroom with Iolite.
Next time, the season finale for the thicc demoness and the short goldeneye.
Vermeil in Gold (Kinsou no Vermeil: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyou no Yakusai to Mahou Sekai wo Tsuki Susumu) streams weekly on Hidive in Japanese audio and English subtitles.
