Helck

Episodes 13-14

So here it is, everybody; we finally get the much-needed intricate backstory of Helck! We'll finally understand what it was like for him to grow up, his relationship with his brother, and what twisted fate started him on this path of despising humanity. We weren't going to get everything in a single episode, but now that we are halfway through the season, do we restart strong with some intricate and invested storytelling or world-building? No, not really.

I don't know if this is part of the potential joke but this backstory was exactly what I thought it would be. There was no subversion of expectations or anything overly unique about this tragic hero's backstory, but I would argue that's the point. Helck is a story that tries to have some fun with the standard tropes of the valiant hero fighting demons by making the heroes the bad guys and having us be sympathetic to the demons they would usually fight in any other story. Helck is pretty much the embodiment of the strongman Hercules type, so to have him stone-faced say he wants to destroy humanity is a solid premise on paper with a lot of comedic and some interesting storytelling potential. We've already gotten some comedy out of the series, but what does it mean for the larger narrative?

I didn't hate these two episodes; there were some pleasant moments. Helck, as a child looking after his brother, was adorable and endearing. I knew that his brother wouldn't die, and the whole classism thing was beaten over our heads, but the bond between Helck and his brother feels genuine. There is also some foreshadowing here, like how Helck seemed to awaken his hero powers from a very early age, making him appear more endearing. There's probably an alternate timeline where he decided to say screw everything and attack people to make ends meet, but our hero stuck with the high ground.

In some ways, it's funny that Helck's existence is such an anomaly that it's almost impossible to keep a straight face. We already saw how Vermilio reacted at the beginning of the series, but once Helck gets older and is forced to fight, humans react similarly as he takes hits from these giant, abnormal monsters.

The show tries to have a serious conversation about the consequences of war or the idea of hard work versus natural talent, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Those serious conversations don't match the show's overall tone. We could've taken some scenes out of these episodes, and nothing would've changed regarding the overall narrative progression unless specific things get tackled later on.

There were some interesting moments here. This show always saves bits of foreshadowing, rarely overtly drawing attention to them, even when it would be to the narrative's benefit. For example, the subtle implication is that Helck might be built differently than your average hero. There's also the mystery of the monsters constantly attacking the demon and human continents. The humans like to believe that these attacks were brought upon by the demon king, which Vermilio makes clear was never the case. She even sounds a bit bitter about the fact that her people were associated with those creatures. But the question is, where did these monsters come from, and what purpose do they serve? They have to be coming from somewhere, and there seems to be some coordination in their attacks, but is that because the creatures themselves are actively evolving, or is it because someone or something is directing them on these attacks? If it's the former, then where do they come from, and if it's the latter, then I have to wonder to what end is all of this for?

Again, it feels like we're in the throes of building up Helck as this potentially tragic martyr. He's constantly on the verge of losing his brother and establishing a second family with this mercenary group he has been working with for the past couple of months. We're even getting glimpses of some of the soldiers we would later see turned into awakened heroes today. There must be some major defining incident, and I don't think you can get more defining than charging into the demon king's castle. Hopefully, next week will bring us closer to what I was looking for. For now, this is a solid start to something exciting, but whether or not it will pay off is unknown.

Rating:

Helck is currently streaming on HIDIVE.