Alto joins the Student Council as he prepares for the Bronze Level exams. Vermeil enjoys increasing Alto’s mana levels.
Episode 8 – “Selection”
Hmm.
Vermeil in Gold cut corners when it introduced the veiled holy woman we see in the opening credits. What caused Alto to see her (Fatima, according to the official website) in his dreams? Was it his stable mana levels with a demon heart? Did his worrying about others knowing Vermeil’s secret demoness status cause the nightmare? Part of the mantra of good storytelling is “show, don’t tell.” That might blow up a production committee’s budget, but we don’t want to see talking heads lay an info dump on an audience. But it also means doing the work.
Foreshadow, lay groundwork, or connect the dots. Alto handled Vermeil’s book to transcribe her contract seal in the first episode. He didn’t dream of the busty veiled lady after that. Why now? Because now, it matters. That’s lazy. Stories need to do the work to show us that it matters right now. Vermeil in Gold did not do the necessary work in this anime adaptation. Suppose we had two extra scenes of Alto breathing as he slept as his demon heart glowed in golden light in time with Vermeil’s heaving chest before he dreamt of Fatima. That would have been enough. I understand we’re watching a booby fanservice tale, but even heavy breasts can be the source of competent storytelling.
Vermeil in Gold’s shortcoming of foreshadowing demonstrates the pitfalls of adapting anime from serial chapters of the manga. Storytelling’s impact differs in each medium. For a manga chapter, starting from a confusing scene that leads to plot development or a character revelation is proper reader engagement. Using manga as a storyboard often results in confusing anime adaptations. Just look at what Mappa did to Attack on Titan when it took over from Wit Studio! The soft rule for anime episodes has been three chapters of a weekly manga. But anime needs flowing transitions between those manga chapters to maintain narrative flow. An anime adaptation also has the advantage of borrowing from the manga’s subsequent plot progression to facilitate foreshadowing. Fatima’s introduction to Alto showed laziness in the Vermeil in Gold anime production crew.
Heh.
Let’s pick up from last week. Elena invited Alto into the student council for the superficial reason of watching Vermeil. But Alto did defeat Chris, a current member. Alto has credentials! Look at Elena’s sly smirk.
Alto’s friends are shocked! Alto doesn’t look happy at the invitation, but he knows that strings come attached. Cheryl and Marx believe the cover story of Alto “having potential” because he defeated the Duel Master Chris. Vermeil likes Alto’s ambition, but he should be careful of Elena. Vermeil in Gold has shown us creepy clues about Elena’s sword, so Vermeil shined a spotlight on it. Enough talking. Time for action! Alto and Vermeil need to exchange mana all night long! Oh, all that stuff Vermeil said about Elena being dangerous was correct! Elena sliced the head off a saint’s statue. That’s a crime of vandalism inside a church! Won’t Elena get in trouble? Who will repair the large sculpture? And who is this saint that Elena prays in front of? What an economic scene.
Ten seconds into Alto’s job as a student council member, he has already made an impact! He opened a door, and the three girls on the council showed us their underwear! Voice actor HanaKana’s (Kana Hanazawa) “ara” slays me. Poor Jessica. The other girls are more reasonable. They forgot to lock the door, so it’s not Alto’s fault. The pure-hearted Jessica is comedy gold.
Vermeil in Gold goes back to business. The paper golem that Elena faced during the Obsidian incident has complicated magic. Only a Platinum Square could devise the intricate spells. And suddenly, we’re looking at the suspected villains. Does the world of Ortigia not have cell phones? Kohakumiya, the Japanese-styled magician, needed a magic smartphone! Iolite follows the Joker character model. Uh, are they growing Cthulhu in a vat? I will look for more Lovecraft influences now. Ah. Kohakumiya needs demon parts to manufacture Frankenstein’s monster. Professor Obsidian didn’t work out, but Alto and Vermeil are potential leads.
Alto dreams of Vermeil’s origin story. Okay, Vermeil in Gold could have used a transitional scene before we met the mysterious magical lady. Alto needs to choose the path of justice or destruction. I’m not sure why benefiting humans precludes benefiting Vermeil. Ahaha! Blu-ray bait censorship! Hey, exchanging golden fluid is work, not pleasure! Uh oh. Nice foreshadowing. Alto “accidentally” brought Vermeil’s prison book to the Bronze Exams.
Yay! Vermeil is back in the virgin killer dress! Hoho. Alto and Vermeil gave each other man all night long. I like how Marx mentioned his “secret weapon” for the Bronze Exam. I’m waiting for his punchline now. Vermeil in Gold is spending a lot of time setting up a practical exam.
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.
