Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

Episode 11

At least Leohart has a good reason for what he's doing. I wasn't entirely expecting that, not because this show isn't well-written (although I have some nitpicks), but because it hasn't seemed all that interested in its plot outside of Sophia and Louis' romance. But now, at the last hour, things finally turn back to Daybreak's plot in a big way – and it's surprisingly effective. Leohart's story may not be anything new – it has a few distinct similarities to Nina the Starry Bride, for one recent anime example – but that doesn't make it any less valid or have any less impact.

Leohart's not just out to kill the nobles because he feels like it; he's doing it because of the way he and his de facto family were treated growing up. He, his two accomplices, and a fourth boy named Cecil all grew up in the slums we briefly glimpsed last week, where they were forced to rely on the “kindness” of a nobleman who sometimes delivered bread and apples. When that noble offered to adopt Leohart and get him a blessing, his brothers persuaded him to accept it, especially since the nobleman said he'd continue to provide for the slum orphans. Somehow, they were too naïve to realize that the duke's character design might as well have been introducing the man as Evilly McEvil.

What's important about Leohart's past isn't that it leans into some familiar clichés, but that it's driven him to become the same sort of prejudiced person he despises. His biases are towards the nobility, who, I grant you, are probably much more deserving of it than those living in poverty. The nobles are awful because they have the privilege to be so; their gripe with the poor is that they're, well, poor, which is a terrible reason to dislike someone. But Leohart's tarring of all nobles with the same brush also isn't great, because he's not stopping with just the guilty. If he were, he'd have left town after shooting his adoptive father in the face. Instead, he's using the same violence that was turned against him, a “might makes right” sort of justice. I'm not saying he doesn't have a leg to stand on, but that he can't see that returning the horror measure for measure might not be the best plan.

More importantly for Sophia, he's also doing the same thing to her as was done to him. He didn't have a blessing when the duke adopted him, but his appearance may have given the man a hint that Leohart would be given a strong one. (It's the leopard god, which makes this a good moment to mention that in the manga, his name is translated as Leopold.) Like the gorilla, the leopard only blesses one person at a time, and Leohart's theory is that if he and Sophia teamed up, no one could stop them. He's as bad as the men who made her join the knights based on her blessing. He tries to frame it as him saving her from a life she doesn't want, but he's doing the same thing.

If he'd found her before she'd started training and before she'd met Louis, Isaac, and Eddy, he might have had a chance. But now Sophia's happy, and not just because she's got a boyfriend – she's learning to stand up for herself and to accept her blessing. She's more confident now, and I'm not sure she would have found that same peace with Leohart. Unlike Louis, Leohart only wants her for her gorilla powers. He can use her to avenge Cecil; he doesn't care about Sophia as a person.

I'm not counting on this series having any definitive, conclusive ending; there's too much in the air right now, and even if they rush, I doubt the finale will feel very, well, final. But if Sophia proves to herself that she's found a measure of confidence and happiness, it'll be enough, and I trust the show can pull that off.

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The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Sundays.