chapter 178 SPOILER -- voiceless Belldandy and oth

[tedne]

Trying to figure out what Belldandy thinks and wants and the nature of her relationships is as challenging and time-consuming as anything in the AMG universe. For example in chapter 178, K1 and Bell are walking together through the NIT campus that is becoming unfamiliar.

Belldandy is thinking to herself as she watches him:

You can't turn back time...the present becomes the past in the blink of an eye...being unable to return to the past, this proves you have come a long way...this is such an amazing experience!...But there is something I really want to tell you...even if we can't turn back time...revisiting old places is also good...that is what I want to tell you...

At this point she brushes her hand into his, he takes her hand and says: "Although we can't go back to the past...I can come here anytime."

and she thinks:

My feelings reached him.

Considering how rare it is for them to hold hands it is obvious that something really important has happened. But what? What was so amazing?

This seems to lead in to Urd's comment in Chapter 192 about Belldandy's muteness. Evidently Urd was referring to Belldandy when she talks about "the power to protect...to save someone who is seeking help but is mute." It is not totally clear that Belldandy is the mute person seeking help but that's strongly implied.

Anyway, in this portion of the story Belldandy is literally mute and is being partially helped out by Urd.

So Sora takes a step forward in the world (in the Karaoke episode she even show some cunning), Urd doesn't (at least on the surface), and something is may or may not be happening for Belldandy. These recent story arcs are twining together in some subtle way. The key seems to be that Belldandy has something she wants very much to say but cannot say it.

There is also another obscure comment that Hild made shortly after her appearance. It is some sort of comment about Belldandy's father; it is totally obscure but Belldandy seems almost devastated by it. I wonder if this ties in somehow. As in the movie there are hints of dark secrets in Belldandy's past. Things seem to be slowly building to some kind of crisis. Urd seems to be grimly putting herself into the best possible position to face it.

Seem reasonable?

[mvjz8]

Nice post. =) What was Hild's comment? Are you talking about her appearance in Volumes 21 & 22?

[Timotheus]

I believe this is the conversation being refered to.
(translation curtesy of Nekomi Kodai.)

Kodansha release Dec. 1999, Hild arc, part 7,
Chapt. 136, Agreement? Contract?, Vol. 22.

Hild: Bell-chan!
Hild: Could you come here a second?

Belldandy: Okay. .
Belldandy: What is it?

Hild: That Keiichi's a good person, isn't he.
Hild: From this Daimakaicho's opinion...
Hild: He doesn't seem like the type that can think for himself.
Hild: Kind of ignorant...

Keiichi: ...

Hild: Won't you give him to me?

Belldandy: That is impossible.

Hild: You're very frank, aren't you.

Belldandy: Hild.
Belldandy: Can I ask you one thing?

Hild: What? Why we split?

Belldandy: No.
Belldandy: Why did you wait to come until the phone call?

Hild: I didn't particularly wait...

Belldandy: Is that so? That's okay, then...

Hild: ...
Hild: You're really like that person, aren't you.
Hild: Speaking of which, I really disliked that about him.

(Not having seen the art work that goes with this story, I can't comment on Bell's reaction.)

(Peorth: Huh? Where did Belldandy go?) off panel

Hild: Urd and I...
Hild: Like this everything is alright.

Belldandy: Is that so?

Hild: It is.

End of chapter.

[tedne]

Yes, that's the conversation I was talking about. It is very mysterious and seeing the pictures doesn't clarify very much. But Belldandy is left staring at the ground with what seems to be a hurt expression on her face although her expression is not real transparent.

[Timotheus]

The scene in question is from the second chapt. of the three part Singing Competition arc (The Thing To Steal, The Thing To Protect, Kodansha chapt. 178, Vol. 28, July 2003). In it Keiichi and Belldandy have been sent to the Nekomi campus student festival (held in Oct.) by Chihiro (who declares a state of club emergency and lets them off work) to help Sora recruit new members for the NIT MCC.

Keiichi starts the scene by commenting about how the turmoil around them seems both familiar and strange, then lapses into deep thoughts. Bell, who can't talk, thinks about what she wants to tell Keiichi.

What Belldandy seems to be trying to say refers to how the two of them have been involved in this festival every year since she arrived (the first manga chapter is set in October, K-1's first year, afterwards each following year's festival has had a chapter associated with it; second year - I'm the Campus Queen, third year - On a Wing and a Prayer, fourth year - Call Me Queen. This, the fifth year, is the Singing Competition arc.), but this is the first time as non-students (Keiichi is just taking one credit and is working the rest of the time, Bell is out of it (probably didn't register) completely and therefore can't be a club member.

So even though the bustle of the campus festival is familiar, it's also strange. Old friends aren't there, the club booths are manned by unknown students, new clubs and events are being promoted and old ones are missing.

Bell's thought commentary on this simultaneous sense of familiarity and strangeness explains how their lives have changed since the last time they were there and that this is why everything seems different. Then she goes on to comment on how this is okay because that's how life is supposed to be. She brushes Keiichi's hand for comfort in the face of these nostalgic feelings and for reassurance that he's still with her like they were back when such events were new. He responds as she'd hoped, recalling the past fondly because they were there together. In this way, their mutual feelings of time passing and nostolgic loss become a symbol of the strength of their present relationship. Then Sora interupts.

At least that's how I see it.


Did you get the symbolism of Keiichi's shadow stretching out behind him? There's also a lot of obvious guest shot charactors in the crowds around them, but I can't identify any of them except for yet another visit from "The Scream" in the karaoke audience.

The recruiting poster Sora was given by Tamiya and Otaku is very similar to the one that Keiichi was posting in the movie.


Finally, I agree something is in the works. But what is hard to say. The stories keep shifting direction.

Somewhere earlier on this forum I commented on how all the stories from the Lind arc to the current one have been closely related and lacking in blank time (unscripted story time) between them. Chapters 155 to 192 barely cover two months of story time, and their events are highly interconnected. So it's very likely that Mr. Fujishima is working off a well planned storyline, but where it's headed nobody knows.

I don't think Bell was the mute being refered to by Urd, it was more of a abstract comment. But a strong effort was made to show the depth of her feelings on the subject of her sisters and that WILL probably prove important.

This edit was necessitated after I finally got a chance to re-examine the chapter and review what I had said before.EXT

[tedne]

Actually I don't believe I have.

Timotheus wrote:
Did you get the symbolism of Keiichi's shadow stretching out behind him?

[tedne]

You forgot about me!
I presume you are talking about Keiichi walking along that curving path--it seems to be as much in Belldandy's mind as anything and almost seems to be an expression of her fear that he may outgrow her.

Sounds like your take is different.

[Timotheus]

Sorry...

I've been kinda preoccupied with restoring the Newsletter over on the Dark Horse site after Lina crashed the whole darn thing. (12,000 hits, 500+ posts, rats) It should be pretty much restored by now.

As I recall, what I was thinking was...

a) It symbolises K-1 heading into the dark, unknown future leaving a track of known (light) memories behind him. (Treading the path of the past toward the future.)

b) Belldandy is watching him from behind, she can go with him but he has to find his own way.

c) The white path seems to connect Belldandy to him.
The memories of their life together bind them together against the uncertainty of the future. (aka the scarlet cord of destiny)

Bell was hoping K-1 was thinking the same things she was and is happy when he proves he was.