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This episode is based off of the events in chapters 38 and 39 of the manga, and marks not only the end of this first television run, but also the end of the Lord of Terror arc.
The story originally opened up with Urd dreaming about one of her fantasies, which is... get this... to be able to watch every single television station in the world all at once (or something ridiculous like that). It's interrupted when she wakes up, because in her dream the Lord of Terror/Fenrir taunts her. This is omitted from the anime.
When Urd wakes up, she still has no recollection of what had transpired when she was the Lord of Terror, and the scene with Skuld ensues ("The ____ is all YOUR fault!"). The sequence here is changed a smidge, since it was during this time and shortly after when Fenrir was fighting Midgard in the manga. In the anime, this happened last episode, with the cliffhanger that Midgard was the new Lord of Terror.
Originally, there was no ferris wheel. Also, Belldandy used a pole lying on the ground to form her barrier, although in the anime she seems to come pre-equipped with her standard-issue Goddess Staff O' Doom (tm).
Gaah, the sequence switching is happening all over again... let's do this. I'll list off the sequence of events in both continuities.
Manga Continuity
- Urd's nightmare
- Urd wakes up; scolded by Skuld
- Urd notices Belldandy's seal is broken, and has anticlimatic encounter with Fenrir (since it's being PWNED by the Midgard serpent).
- Midgard attacks, signalling that something's wrong.
- Belldandy's barrier.
- The group realizes it's infected by the Lord of Terror.
- Unveiling of the Universal Superstring.
Anime Continuity
- The group realizes that something is wrong with Midgard.
- Midgard attacks the ferris wheel.
- Belldandy's barrier.
- Urd wakes up, notices Belldandy's broken seal. Then scolded by Skuld.
- The group realizes that Midgard is the Lord of Terror.
- Unveiling of the Gate to the Demon World.
As a note, I have to wonder about their decision to changed the Universal Supstring to the Gate to the Demon World. True, the Ultimate Destruction Program's (The Lord of Terror's) new and reworked goal in the anime is to create a new world for demons... but also, in the most recent manga (which was done probably way after they were working on this arc's storyboards) there's actually a character named Gate, who acts as the literal gate for beings who pass through multiple worlds.
I'm no physics major, but the Universal Superstring is probably more important than a Gateway to the Demonic Realm in terms of the overall universe. The anime seems to be watering down or eliminating Fujishima-sensei's physical interpretation of the Ah! My Goddess universe. Then again, we haven't heard of any physics lessons in the recent manga anyway, so...
Manga Continuity
- Midgard informs them that once he cuts the Universal Superstring, the universe will cease to exist.
- Urd's little "fwip" of power.
- Grenades a la Skuld.
- Keiichi wonders why the Lord of Terror doesn't just cut the darned thing.
- Manual for the vaccine.
- Belldandy plays the flute.
- Lord of Terror aims for Skuld; gets Keiichi instead.
- People finally arrive (about time, don'cha think?)
- Back at Tarikihongan, Belldandy turns Keiichi back to normal size.
- Superstring still at Makuhari, Keiichi revealed to be new Lord of Terror.
- Gets a bomb thrown at him from Urd; informs them that Keiichi's his hostage (doi~).
- Kami-sama's force bolt/Gungnir.
Anime Continuity
- Midgard informs them that once we unseals the Demon's Gate, using catalysts would no longer be necessary.
- Urd's little "fwip" of power.
- Grenades a la Skuld.
- Skuld's funny comment how "she's not changed much from her time as the Lord of Terror..."
- Keiichi asks why he doesn't just cut it, and Skuld wonders why it doesn't attack them.
- They finally read the manual for the vaccine.
- Keiichi wishes Belldandy luck.
- Vaccination.
- Lord of Terror guns for Skuld, but gets Keiichi instead. (I personally like how they showed Urd trying to get there to save Skuld also).
- Keiichi revealed to be the new Lord of Terror.
- Lind descends.
Some minor changes were that in the manga, there were a lot of really cheesy and unnecessary attempts at humor sprinkled throughout this arc... and that when Belldandy played the flute to seal Midgard, it sounded like a dying animal. Also, like I said, I like how Urd was also concerned for Skuld's safety.
There was a bit more media coverage in the manga that was shown, but that's not as important as the other stuff.
Lind finally descends in this episode. Her appearance will most likely wreck any future appearances she'll make in this specific continuity, though... More notes later.
I personally don't like Keiichi's/the Lord of Terror's design very much in the anime. It seems too much of a Belldandy ripoff. It looked much... better... in the manga (even considering the artwork gap). As a side note, this is probably one of my favorite perios for Urd's hair because it's refined as it is, and when it gets wavy it takes a while until that gets refined.
Manga Continuity
- Belldandy shields Keiichi from force bolt.
- Lord of Terror orders Skuld to create a ten-dimensional scythe (because [a] the Superstring is ten-dimensional and [b] it can only be destroyed by somethig forged by a goddess).
- Abacus. Fwee. Skuld presents a ten-dimensional rice cooker and a ten-dimensional frog. This is a Japanese pun... and since I know nothing about Nihongo, I don't get it. But now you know why.
- Lord of Terror reveals that once he cuts the Superstring, he'll recreate the universe to one of his own conception.
- Belldandy hesitates; Superstring gets cut.
- Belldandy attempts to commit a double-love suicide with Keiichi. Lord of Terror is forced out, and he transfers to a floppy diskette.
- Skuld pops the tab, and uses a mega-powerful magnet to erase the Lord of Terror once and for all. (Is it just me, or is that a little too easy?)
- Kami-sama tells the goddesses they did well (although he put a note in Urd's file for her license suspension); Belldandy reaffirms that she'll be staying by Keiichi's side.
Anime Continuity
- Lind attacks; Belldandy shields.
- Belldandy's staff shatters.
- Keiichi resists the Lord of Terror, and shields Belldandy. Lind backs off... for now.
- Demon Gate reappears; command to create a ten-dimensional scythe directed to Skuld.
- Abacus. Fwee.
- Belldandy hesitates, Lind interferes. Chain is cut.
- Belldandy shields Keiichi, offers her body to the Lord of Terror.
- Failure to transfer. Floppy disc transfer.
- Magnet. Gate disappears.
- Lind informs them that Yggdrasil's down, and the subsystem is replacing the seal. Records have been erased, and they must escape under their own power.
- Belldandy reiterates that she's here not because of the contract, but because she loves Keiichi.
- Keiichi actually kisses Belldandy(!!!!!).
I suppose the important thing is that Yggdrasil is down. The biggest change here (not counting Lind, who more or less replaced Kami-sama) is that Keiichi takes the initiative to kiss Belldandy! This is a huge development.
If Lind appears in the future, her personality is almost guaranteed to be remastered, because in the manga in her debut arc she wasn't initially as kindhearted and understanding as she comes off in the anime.
This marks the last aired episode of the television series, and the last comparison I'll do for some time (until I can get my hands on the two OVAs being released onto the DVDs, or if a second season is made). I'm glad I could create something that people enjoy reading, and I thank all of you for supporting me.