English Dub Reviews: Vermeil in Gold: “The Mage of Heaven’s Will”

 

Overview: Alto (Mike Haimoto) takes the practical exam to astonishing results in how he executes it. 

Our Take: With how predictably “earth-shattering” Alto’s feats have been in his exams and trials he has faced at Ortigia, it was never in doubt that he would pass the practical exam. However, it is how he shatters expectations, literally, in the crystal ball flame test, there is more than just pure magical brawn to him. His raw power was beginning to run the risk of becoming plodding in him strong-arming his way through challenges, with little to no challenge. While that is still a core aspect, his victory is smartly handled in the knowledge he uses to know where and how to properly empower the flame, compared to other competing students. 

Lilia and Charolles passing with flying colors and Marcus skating by, things go about as one would expect for their practical test. There is an intriguing plot regarding a student getting a perfect score on both tests in their identity and if that will be a hurdle for Alto to overcome. 

Elena is a glorious fighter but she is also unsurprisingly much more than that if she was able to become student council president. Granted, deducing Alto’s feelings for Vermeil is not exactly rocket science, but the fact that she is more perceptive than most students, like Jessica, helps communicate that she’s smart as a whip. Also, her acceptance of a relationship as unprecedented as Alto and Vermeil’s shows she’s much more open-minded compared to how others would view a demon-human relationship, seemingly, even if it is just to further her own goals. 

Iolite has an aggressiveness to him that is more intense than simple foreboding villains who can spend so much time menacing without showing why they are to be feared. His merciless killing of a random, innocent student, no matter how pompous he may be, just to get some one-on-one time with Alto during the written test, violently expresses just how much of a threat he poses.