Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Last time on Nanatsu no Taizai we discovered the truth about Meliodas and Elizabeth’s past, got an uneventful fight between Meliodas and Escanor, and found out that Meliodas will be the new king of the demon clan much to the dismay of Zeldris. All this stuff and yet I feel empty and not at all invested in what’s going on. Let’s hope the second half can change that.
(Yume): It won’t.
(Nitsuj): I know. This is the second half of Wrath of the Gods.
Opening and Ending Theme
For the second half the opening is “delete” by SID which is pretty much a cry for out from Studio Deen. A good song as SID always performs well, but the song just feels a little too slow-paced as compared to the previous openings we’ve had. I will say that you can feel the weight and conflict of the series and what’s going on throughout the opening. However, I think I like the first opening more.
The ending for the second half is “Good Day” by Kana Adachi. I have to admit next to the first ending from the first season this is my favorite ending in the series. Once again it focuses on Meliodas and Elizabeth where it perfectly encapsulates what they both want, a happy day. Just one day where nothing is bothering them, they’re both happy, and they’re with each other.
Episodes 14-17
Not much happens in episode 14. Just a lot of talking and standing around. We do get to meet two high-ranking demons named Chandler and Cusack. Chandler was Meliodas’s master who taught him the full counter and everything while Cusack was the master of Zeldris. Chandler attacks the sins where he turns Merlin into a loli (just when you thought she couldn’t get more interesting) and made Diane the size of a bug (a travel size giant). This leaves only King and Gowther to fight (for some reason Ban is missing).
Episodes 15-16 gives us the fight with Chandler. In episode 15 Ban (oh there you are) joins the fight against Chandler where at first they actually do manage to beat him. Until he takes off the kiddy gloves, transforms into a demon, and becomes too powerful for them to handle. The group gets bailed out by Gloxinia and Drole who sacrifice their lives so that the sins can get away. Too bad it doesn’t last long as Chandler easily catches up to them again and at the worst possible time as Meliodas has woken up in his demon form (wow, he’s taller than Elizabeth now). He says he’s going to become the next demon king as this will be the easiest way to save Elizabeth (all honey and lies. You’re reward will be the death of her and your friends). He prepares to leave with Chandler and Elizabeth announcing that the sins are over and telling the others not to interfere or he’ll kill them.
In episode 17 the remaining sins discover that Hawk serves as a gateway to Purgatory (holy shit was Nakada a fan of the Black Cauldron?). Diane suggest they use this gateway to journey into Purgatory and steal back Meliodas’s emotions from the Demon King, but Merlin says that would be suicide as that place is literally a living nightmare that will make you go insane (Angel Beats and Death Parade lied to us) and there’s no guaranteed that you’ll be able to return. Ban volunteers for this mission seeing as how he’s immortal (and already insane). Meanwhile, Meliodas and Elizabeth arrive back in Camelot where Zeldris and Estrossa attack him (ah~ sibling rivalry). Zeldris refuses to hand the title of demon king to Meliodas and for some odd reason Estrossa wants Elizabeth (and who can blame him?). Meliodas easily takes down his brothers and after whispering something to Zeldris, he becomes docile and agrees to help Meliodas with his plan to kill the Demon King. Unfortunately, Meliodas is still too weak to defeat his father, so he wants Zeldris and Estrossa to retrieve the power of the commandments which should give Meliodas the power he needs to win. The only downside to Meliodas’s plan is that once he becomes the Demon King he won’t be allowed to stay in the world and will have to live in Purgatory. Not accepting this, Elizabeth manages to escape with a divine slap and vows to save Meliodas with the help of the sins (the romance is complicated with this one).
Episodes 18-21
Episode 18 is a pretty cool episode. Zeldris approaches the sins to retrieve the power of the commandments that Merlin has captured. Merlin reveals her true form to Zeldris and the two head off to talk in the sky (this is very DBZ-ish). We find out that at a young age Merlin was quite the hot commodity that both the goddess and demon king wanted, so they both gave her gifts, powers, and knowledge that nobody else can have and once she got all this she rejected both of them (damn, that’s cold). Naturally, the goddess and demon king were pissed and they took their anger out on the city of wizards by destroying the city and everyone in it except for Merlin because #blessed. While that’s going on, we see Margaret offer her body as a vessel for Ludociel who’s been alive all these years. In order to seal away the demon clan, he and the rest of the archangels had to sacrifice their bodies and he’s been waiting all this for a suitable host. Margaret offers her body to Ludociel so that she can rescue Gilthunder from a witch who kidnapped him and forced him to be her husband (uhh~ when was this?). The possessed Margaret (Ludgaret?) takes out the witch to save Gilthunder and manages to find hosts for the other archangels who rally the humans to join their side and vanquish the demon clan once and for all. Back with Zeldris and Merlin they negotiate in the sky where just when they reach an agreement, Ludgaret attacks them.
Nothing to say about episode 19 but a lot of things happen (the calm before the storm as they say). With Zeldris busy with Ludgaret, the sins use this opportunity to break into Camelot and rescue everyone. They even manage to find Elizabeth and escape with her where they name her the new captain of the sins. Chandler did try to kill her again but failed (just how much of a hard on do you have with Meliodas?). They retreat back to Liones where the archangels arrive as well. One of the angels is missing and apparently killed by Estrossa according to Ludgaret (why do I have my doubts?). The holy knights have formed an alliance with the archangels despite a few of them not really trusting them (smart people. Granted, the angels saved you, but would you trust a hungry tiger if it saved you from cheetah?). Elizabeth also forms an alliance with the angels as this is her best chance to save Meliodas.
In the first part of episode 20 Ludgaret attacks Escanor saying that he stole one of the Graces from the archangels. Graces are kind of similar to the Commandments of the Ten Commandments, they grant the archangels incredible power and the strongest of the bunch was the Sun Grace which belonged to Ludociel’s younger brother Mael who was killed by Estrossa. Escanor denies this saying that the power was given to him because it recognized him as the strongest human in existence (you’ve got to love that arrogance. Seriously, he has the confidence and pride to look down on an archangel like it’s nothing. I love this guy). They stop fighting (where surprisingly nothing got destroyed. Huh, I feel strangely empty inside). Meanwhile, back in Camelot, Arthur along with this strange catlike called Cath attempt to sneak into the castle to retrieve Excalibur. At first they get stuck in a illusion by a demon, but Cath finds the demon and eats it (wow, he’s like Kirby only more gruesome). This manages to destroy the illusion and they make into the castle where they discovered by Meliodas and the others but manages to achieve the goal and reclaim Excalibur where Arthur becomes powerful. It’s here that we discover why Merlin is so intent on saving Arthur at all cause (and no, it’s not because she wants the D. I mean she does but time and place). According to Merlin, Arthur is the one who will become the future king of all Britannia because he was chosen by Excalibur. Excalibur isn’t just some badass sword (with a cool name), that sword has been passed down through the ages from hero to hero with each hero infusing their skills and knowledge into the sword for the next hero to use (imagine the Avatar state except it’s in a sword). Once Arthur wields Excalibur, all the knowledge of the past heroes enters his mind and he gets major power boost (https://youtu.be/-dJolYw8tnk and permission~). He easily takes down Chandler and Cusack, and even manages to land a hit on Zeldris (the only downside is they censor all the gore. Come on! Stop holding back).
Episode 21 starts where episode 20 left off. Chandler and Cusack are fine as well as Zeldris. Apparently, Arthur’s attacks did nothing to them because he hasn’t awakened his hidden power as of yet. That, and according to Cusack he’s not on par with the heroes from the past, so he can’t draw out their power and using the sword takes a heavy toll on his body. Arthur soon becomes immobile and at the mercy of the demons, but he gets saved by Merlin who instant teleports to Arthur and escapes with him (wait, could you have done that any time you want?). Despite Arthur being in a safe location Cusack manages to kill Arthur by forcing him to stab himself with Excalibur. Thanks to Elizabeth’s healing Arthur is still alive but he’s in a coma (can you at least pull the sword out of him?) and it’s hinted Merlin might be in love with him (I feel so bad for Escanor. There’s always Gowther). A few days past the archangels along with the knights of Liones and the sins head towards the battlefield to face the demons. Even though Meliodas doesn’t have all the commandments he absorbs the ones he has hoping that will be enough to defeat the Demon King.
Episodes 22-24
So in episode 22 the second Holy War has begun. We get an action scene of the humans, angels, and sins fighting against the demons (where they actually add in some CGI). The humans, angels, and sins are able to push back the demons thanks to Elizabeth who managed to communicate with the demons telepathically and get them to retreat to avoid endless bloodshed (oh yeah, the blood came back this episode). In plot B of the episode, Estrossa finds Derieri and Monspeet hiding out in a village and talks them in order to get their commandments not so he can give them to Meliodas but because he plans he using them himself, something that Monspeet says is impossible for him and would break him as he’s not like Meliodas and Zeldris (he’s not short). He gets Monspeet in a headlock, but Monspeet swaps places with him and now has Estrossa in a headlock he can’t escape. Derieri makes the mistake of getting close to him (dumbass) and gets caught by him. Just when Estrossa is about to kill her, Monspeet switches spots with her, blasts her away, and dies at the hands of Estrossa.
In the last two episodes of the season, Monspeet blasts Derieri to the battlefield where Estrossa shows up trying to kill her (why? You have her commandment, killing her now seems pointless). He gets into a fight with the Archangels where he absorbs the two commandments he stole from Moonspeet and Derieri (and that’s when all hell broke loose). The commandments cause a negative reaction in his body and he goes on a rampage all while losing his mind. He manages to capture Elizabeth and doesn’t kill her as he’s in love with her (what is with you demon princes falling in love with angels?). Yep, he’s been in love with her since he was a child and got strong to be with her, but Meliodas beat him to the punch (in more ways than one I’m sure). He flies off with her to their secret spot with a few of others following after them ending the season on a cliffhanger.
Final Thoughts
So I think this clip sums up my thoughts about season 3 (https://youtu.be/rtbRZ8J9hyA). This was such a chore to sit through each week. There were so many animation mistakes, pointless censorships, boring fights, and uninteresting conversations that I found myself speed watching each episode that came out. The only good thing I got from this season was learning about Meliodas and Elizabeth’s past and the sad fate that these two are trying to fight. Other than that everything was a letdown.
Final Score
Final score for Nanatsu no Taizai S3 is 2.5/10. This was an anime that really should have been delayed as they just weren’t ready to air it. The fact that this anime even aired in the first place given all the mistakes is an insult to the author, the fans, and an embarrassment that Studio Deen should be ashamed of. I’m really worried about the fourth season and what will happen. I’m sure the animation will be better than this season, but will they be able to fix all the other problems like the storytelling, action and pacing of the anime? All we can do is hope and pray for the best. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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