5 Point Discussions – Radiant 6: “Drops Of Friendship -Melie-“

Seth needs someone to teach him magic! But does he even know any magicians?  And whatever happened to the quest he was going on? Remember, if you like this article and 5 Point Discussions, please share it on Facebook or Twitter! It really helps. And if you’ve got any comments or questions, please hit me up @SageShinigami.

1. Having found Yaga, Seth (like the viewer) is finally ready to get this show on the road. But nope, Yaga finds his lack of Magic control so disgustingly low he ignores his requests, even burning Seth’s neat introduction letter from Alma. Instead, Yaga explains Seth will at least have to learn the most basic of attack spells, Meteor Drops. This leads Seth to seek out Melie for help, but since she’s only got full control of her abilities when she gives into her curse, she suggests he go to Doc and rely on his ability as a researcher.

2. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Doc until this episode. This poor schmuck has to deal with two talented sorcerers who happen to be idiots, and it’s going to drive him nuts. When Seth and Melie find him, he’s at his favorite restaurant trying to work up the nerve to ask the waitress out. They distract him from asking her out with their quest to find Seth a magic teacher. Worse, the waitresses’ curse is apparently having a talking puppet she thinks is her father which dislikes Doc entirely.  Puppet Dad tosses Doc’s flowers away and even goes so far as to call him a bug not fit to ask her daughter out. Yikes.
Doc gets roped into agreeing to help Seth learn spells in an attempt to impress the waitress, and while trying to train Seth they nearly kill Doc not once but twice thanks to not being able to control their magic attacks. Being Doc is suffering.

3. Eventually, Melie panicking over Seth not having a trainer leads to her going into “Crazy Melie” mode. But instead of this version of her teaching Seth, she snaps and starts attacking him with Meteor Drops, wrecking parts of the city around her. It’s only when a stray attack destroys part of a bridge she’s under that Seth is finally able to unlock his ability and casts the spell to save her.
This clears Yaga’s test, but he still finds Seth unqualified for entering Radiant. We get confirmation the place exists, but he also talks about how multiple talented sorcerers have tried and failed to enter it…and Seth isn’t close to being considered talented.  So of course…its time for more training. Which means Seth had to find a trainer to teach him so he could be considered worthy of his real trainer to train him.  This sounds is basically a poorly designed RPG quest.

4. The close of this episode explains something I probably would’ve complained about in another episode or two: where’s Seth living? Doc (rightfully) isn’t exactly a bit fan of him, and Artemis is money hungry while Seth is very, very broke. Mirroring a moment at the start of the episode, Seth crashes into Melie’s bedroom and asks if he can sleep on her couch. Up until now he’s been trying to sleep on random benches and in parks, but of course Artemis charges for that too.
Melie agrees to allowing him to stay there, claiming it’s because she has more fun whenever Seth is around, but here’s a different theory. Like most sorcerers, Melie’s probably spent the majority of her life being trashed for being “cursed”. But worse, she’s kinda ditzy and Doc doesn’t seem like a guy who believes very much in positive reinforcement. Combine all of that with her curse essentially releasing her id and being a nuisance, and it’s easy to see she’s a woman with few friends and probably fairly often told she’s useless.  Seth isn’t just the first person who doesn’t see her as a burden, but he actively seems to look up to her and view her as a friend. Something she desperately needs, since she lives with a bunch of puppets.

5. Next Episode: Wait a second. Doc gets kidnapped by a monster next episode?  Jeez, he’s one beat down away from being Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Anyway, even though Seth’s supposed to be training with Yaga, he gets pulled into saving Doc instead. The preview talks about his Titan Punch not working, but…does it ever? Guess he’ll have to rely on his stunning ingenuity…or Mjolnir, since we’re naming things he doesn’t have.
Radiant is available for streaming on Funimation.