Armed Librarians 06-07: Noloty's Adventure Part 1

I guess we can forget about Volken for now as we focus on Noloty and the strange mission she gets from Hamyuts.
EPISODE 06: Thunder, A Monster and a Girl's Punch
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A masked intruder marches inside the library looking for Hamyuts Meseta. He kills the receptionist and causes a panic. Mirepoc, Mattalast and Mince arrive in time to stop him with little success. It seems the intruder can use two different kinds of magic -- control lightning and move cloth -- a skill that is practically taboo among magic-users. Meanwhile, Noloty is sent on a mission to oversee the transport of Luimon's book. However, the book gets stolen en route to their rendezvous point. Hamyuts later meets up with Noloty and gives her a cryptic mission concerning Zatoh, a man who has read a book which causes him to become suicidal. Interpersed among all this is the story of Enlike, a meat who is handpicked by Ganbanzel to become a monster.

EPISODE 07: A Smile, A Mask and a Man with a Death Wish
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Enlike learns to control lightning at a magic camp set up by the Shideki Church. That evening he challenges one of his fellow trainees to a fight to the death and wins. Back in the present, Zatoh tries to kill himself but fails as his wound immediately heals. Noloty, who has been following him all this time, tries to talk some sense into him to no effect. Meanwhile, Mince is sent out to scout the town for the "monster." The monster eventually appears and fights with Zatoh. Just when the monster is about to kill him, Zatoh uses his lightning magic, thus, revealing that he is the masked intruder all along. After Zatoh leaves, Mince takes off his "monster" costume and tells Noloty that he used his sacred eyes on Zatoh but could not see the murderous intent of the monster in him. Later, Noloty and Mince catch up to Zatoh but he isn't the same Zatoh that Noloty knows anymore.

COMMENTS:

I hate Noloty. I hate her perhaps less than I hate Volken, but still she is annoying. I really dislike self-righteous characters. I especially hate them when they force their beliefs on others. I mean, it's fine if you think you're right but to insist that everybody else, who are entitled to their own opinions by the way, accept your own views is the height of narrow-mindedness.

That said, this arc is not very interesting for me. I'm supposed to feel sympathy for Enlike. He just wants to smile, after all, and ends up getting bad advice. The motivation for his character appears shallow when compared to Shiron and Colio. At least Colio made up for his lack of personality through Shiron's colorful past inexplicably and intricately connected as it is with his present. Enlike, on the other hand, has zero personality. Worse still, he has no foil with which he can develop his character. If Noloty is it, then it's a poor, not to mention predictable, choice. Sure, pair up the gloomy suicidal guy with the cheerful girl with the lust for life. I cannot begin to count how many stories I've read with that premise. I know Armed Librarians: The Book of Bantorra is not trying to be exceptional so I can overlook it. What I can't overlook is the fact that this arc is all about Noloty. I'm sorry but I cannot find one redeeming cell in her body.

Then again, looking at the series in general and the direction it's taking, it looks like it's going to be divided into separate arcs of one or two episodes each with one main storyline holding everything together. I think Volken's little betrayal is going to be a big part in the main storyline so maybe the whole thing is only going to be resolved in the final episodes. I do still enjoy the series, just not this particular arc.