The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8

The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8

Monstrine

The majority of The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8 was boring. While I like Akari’s Pure Concept in theory, I hate Akari’s character. Any time she’s on screen and her Pure Concept isn’t the focus, I lose interest. And, unfortunately, there was a fair amount of Akari content this week.

But, there was a small amount of the episode that I enjoyed. That’s the content I want to focus on in this week’s review. And to start the discussion, we need to take a look at a drug found in Libelle called Monstrine.

Monstrine is a drug that has one known effect and one implied effect. The known effect is that it causes euphoria. In that regard, it’s like many other drugs. But the other effect is where the name comes from. Someone (Manon Libelle) can turn anyone who takes Monstrine into a monster.

Dead monsters from the anime series The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8
Dead monsters

But, how does Monstrine cause these transformations? It all comes down to how Manon creates the drug. It’s made by using sin magecraft, which in this case means human sacrifice. We saw Manon sacrifice a child using an iron maiden. And considering the lack of missing person reports, the sacrifices were likely orphans.

On its own, Monstrine isn’t actually all that interesting. A drug that turns people into monsters isn’t a very unique premise. Magatsu Wahrheit is one example of a series based on this plot. But, what makes Monstrine interesting is how it’s connected to one of the Four Major Human Errors.

And something I like about this connection is that it shows the Four Major Human Errors aren’t over. These aren’t events that happened in the past and don’t affect the lives of people today. They’re still dangerous and always will be. That’s why Menou’s job is so important.

Momo and Ashuna Reunited

Something I’ve noticed about this series is that it has a lot of animation that’s not very good. Action scenes involving Menou, for example, often look pretty bad. But, the worst offender of this episode, for me, was Momo eating while at the bar with Ashuna.

Anyway, that’s not actually what I want to talk about now. Instead, I want to move from Monstrine to the truth about the Pandemonium. We finally got a concrete answer about what the Pandemonium is. And, my prediction from the Episode 7 review was pretty spot on.

The wall of fog isn’t the Pandemonium. That’s what seals the Pandemonium and keeps it in check. The Pandemonium is actually the result of the Pure Concept of Chaos, which was the ability of a young girl. It allowed her to create monsters from her own body.

Ashuna and Momo in a bar from the anime series The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8
Ashuna and Momo in a bar

So, how was I correct? Well, I said that I didn’t think that one monster we saw attack Akari within the fog was all there was. I said that the Pandemonium was more likely a collection of monsters and conditions. And, for the most part, that seems to be correct.

But, Momo’s explanation of the Pandemonium isn’t even the most interesting part. She also tells Ashuna that it’s the Pandemonium that’s responsible for all monsters. The monsters that roam the wilderness are the result of this Major Human Error. And, the monsters Ashuna fought within the ruins are likely connected to it too.

And this is why I was saying that the Four Major Human Errors are still ongoing. Monsters are still roaming the world thousands of years after the Pandemonium occurred. The Sword of Salt is also still as dangerous today as it was when it destroyed an entire nation.

Manon Libelle’s Pandemonium

Now, it’s time to connect Monstrine to the Pandemonium. Who’s the one manufacturing and using Monstrine to turn people into monsters? Manon Libelle. Where is the Pandemonium located? Off the coast of Libelle. What did the Pandemonium unleash upon the world? Monsters.

Are you starting to see how this is all related? I doubt it’s a coincidence that this whole Monstrine saga is happening in Libelle. Libelle is pretty much monster ground zero. The Pandemonium may not be being used in a direct way like how Orwell used a shard of the Starhusk. But, it seems pretty obvious that it at least influenced Manon’s plan.

Oh, and the one sacrifice we saw was a young girl. Could Manon have chosen her because she’s the same age as the user of the Pure Concept of Chaos? That, we don’t know. It’s possible that it’s a coincidence. But, it’s still something to think about nonetheless.

Manon Libelle from the anime series The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8
Manon Libelle

For now, it’s a bit unclear what Manon’s plan is. We know she wants to get revenge for the death of her mother. Flare killed Manon’s mother, and so Manon wants to kill Flarette (or make her suffer). But that doesn’t mean she’s creating monsters to do only that.

We also know that Manon despises her council of advisors that tell her what to do. She’s killed three of them so far. And those who are still alive could turn into monsters whenever Manon chooses. So, whatever her plan is, it has a couple of moving parts.

My prediction is that Manon wants to create her own mini Pandemonium. She can turn her advisors and everyone else who’s taken Monstrine into monsters. Then, she can unleash them upon the city. And in the chaos, she can target Menou and her allies (Akari and Momo).

Conclusion

What do you think of The Executioner and Her Way of Life Episode 8? Are you still liking the series as much as you did after Episode 1? Did you correctly guess the true nature of the Pandemonium? And what do you think Manon’s ultimate plan is? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 9 is available now.

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