Dance with Devils

Episode 10

I'm not sure how I'd feel about this show without the musical numbers. There's a decent chance that I'd take it more seriously if I didn't lapse into mad giggling fits once an episode, as I most certainly did this week with “Emo Liar,” Shiki, Mage, and Urie's song to Rem about how he should just quit being such a chicken and admit that he loves Ritsuka. (“Don't be a chicken” is an actual line in the song.) But would taking it seriously detract from the show and reveal it to be as ludicrous and self-important as it often presents itself? Fortunately we don't have to try to figure that one out, but nevertheless this week's offering comes across as going whole-hog for the melodrama, with the vampires offering Ritsuka answers to questions she's had while shamelessly manipulating her into working on their behalf.

For those who have been curious, we finally see the face of the lead pink-haired vampire who has been popping up for the last ten episodes. His name is Jeck and he works directly for Nesta, Lindo's dad. Nesta, he claims, can remove the power of the Grimoire from Ritsuka, and he fully admits that he's not sure how that can be accomplished. Naturally my immediate answer is “Over her dead body,” but Ritsuka, whose survival instinct I think must be lacking despite my earlier hopes to the contrary, doesn't appear to entertain that possibility; she agrees to go with Jeck and rid herself of the pesky tome. Given, however, that being prey for supernatural beings seems to be a family trait, maybe we can trace the blame back to her grandfather: Jeck tells Ritsuka the secrets of her origins, and they are not only not entirely human, but squarely laid at the feet of Grandpa, whose research into the Grimoire caught the attention of Maksis, the Demon King, in the first place. (Presumably Nesta fathered Lindo with Ritsuka's aunt due to the research as well.) Ritsuka takes the news surprisingly well, seeing it as the answer to why such weird things keep happening around her and why she's never quite felt like the normal girl she professed to be. That's actually quite a nice touch, as it shows that Ritsuka's recklessness may be due less to a crippling lack of instincts and more to a desperate search to learn about herself. Devils showing up and taking off into creepy otherworlds may have felt like something that she was waiting for most of her life.

Those devils spend this week's episode harassing Rem, with Mage, Urie, and Shiki all coming together to take Rem to task about his feelings. It's interesting that Rem insists that he has no such thing as “feelings” because he's a powerful devil while Urie chides him that just because he isn't human doesn't mean that he is exempt from emotions. While Rem has spent quite a bit of time looking constipated, this suggests that it's not just because of Ritsuka – he may just be uncomfortable with himself in general. Certainly he seems to have less of a grasp on his own personality and preferences than the other three, who are all totally self-assured and know precisely what they want and why. It gives Rem a vulnerability that is kind of appealing, or at least more appealing than he might otherwise be.

On the topic of appeal, it's worth it to pay close attention to the signs in this week's version of the creepy dark alley – all of them appear to bear some relation to devils or vampires. (Many of them are also written in English, so that's a plus for us.) As Ritsuka follows Jeck down one of those alleys her town seems to be riddled with, she looks a little more apprehensive than usual. We could chalk it up to her having just left Lindo unconscious in the school infirmary (and her having kissed him, I think on the forehead), but it could also be because Jeck is the least subtle about who he is and what's going on. The signs feel like an indication of this, as each subsequent supernatural suitor has taken Ritsuka to increasingly unsubtle places – she may finally be starting to think better of her habit of just going along.

It's clear that we're really heading towards a finale – previews for next week show us Ritsuka in the blue gown and hat from episode one, and Loewen looks way too pleased with the way things are going. Rem and Lindo had better get themselves moving (Rem especially; Lindo doesn't look up to much), because Ritsuka's clearly in more danger than she has been, and it doesn't look like she's going to be able to get herself out of this mess she blithely wandered into.

Rating: B

Dance with Devils is currently streaming on Funimation.