Would you consider reacting to Epithet Erased by JelloApocalypse? It's a series he made based on his own tabletop game and it takes several elements from it, giving the series a unique animation style and a unique world mechanic. There is only one season with seven episodes but they are planning on making more in the future so I hope you will give it a shot.
Yes Stolas is a Demon prince talked about in the Lesser Key of Solomon, it is cool that you picked up on that. Another really small but fantastic detail no one seems to catch is the symbol in the summoning circle. In the Lesser Key all 72 of the demons have sigils that represent their names to use to summon and bind them and they actually used Stolas' in that scene.
@@nuggetsplace8273 mhmm, his trip to space and all the plants in his home were great nods to the fact that he is said to be quite knowledgeable about astronomy and botany.
I feel like the staircase bit in Blitz's allucination has more layers than you talked about, especially since his relationship with Stolas does have many layers: - it's interesting how Blitz immediately associates Stolas with heaven and light. Makes me question whether in the in universe canon Stolas, as a prince of hell, is actually a fallen angel (as in the biblical canon that's what princes of Hell are) - the feathers clean up the grime that is covering Blitz's vision, but before they do the staircase is covered with it, maybe as a symbol that the road to reach Stolas still has many obstacles? - Blitz's appearance changes as he climbs the stairs: his clown costume is replaced with his actual clothes, the grime covering him disappears and even the broken heart on his forehead turns into his usual mark. Pretty on the nose if you ask me... - Moxxie actually explains the scene pretty well: Blitz cannot fathom proper intimacy, yet he deeply craves it. In fact, he is crawling to Stolas, desperate to be at his level, but as he comes closer, he becomes chained, because he sees that closeness as being tied down, robbed of his freedom. - Stolas pulling him to him through the chain could be seen as both extremely humiliating and very erotic. Blitz and Stolas's relationship at this point is little more than sexual, but Blitz also feels very dependent, too dependent from Stolas, as you pointed out. However when Stolas pulls him close, Blitz blushes. Again, there's a very interesting dichotomy going on: the desire for intimacy clashing with Blitz's disgust at being so tied down by another demon. - the shadows of Blitz fanning Stolas like a king could symbolize how he feels at his mercy, because he needs his Grimoire to continue his activity, but also maybe show that deep I his heart, he cherishes Stolas, worshipping him as something precious? I mean, at the end of the episode we see the first real display of affection Blitz has ever shown to Stolas, and yes, it's still very sexual and rough, but Blitz and Stolas still don't know how to communicate in any other way. Stolas is tone deaf, Blitz is scared of affection: there's no way Blitz could be sweet with Stolas, but initiating the sexual avances and the kiss tells me that in his own special way, Blitz was grateful to Stolas for saving him and his found family, and was happy to show his gratefulness in the only way he could to him. So yes, I really hope more fans are gonna be able to accept this weird relationship in their heart, because season one is about to end, but season two has already been written, and I'm sure this is not the end of Blitz's disaster love adventures.
my take on their relationship. I don’t think their in love yet. I think they both are starting to develop feelings for each other and care for each other. Blitzo is scared to show it because of rejection. He thinks stolas sees him only as something to have sex with. Stolas cares About blitzo as well. His worry about his well bring seemed very genuine as well when he said good when blitz said he was alright. Blitzo noticed that. That’s why he initiated the flirting and kiss in the end scene. Their relationship I think will get better. I know for a fact vivzie loves this ship.
"- Moxxie actually explains the scene pretty well: Blitz cannot fathom proper intimacy, yet he deeply craves it. In fact, he is crawling to Stolas, desperate to be at his level, but as he comes closer, he becomes chained, because he sees that closeness as being tied down, robbed of his freedom. " You got it in 1 in this statement, but was slightly wrong. It's not Just Intimacy. From words and visuals on both sides, Blitzo, (The o is 'Silent' not 'gone'.), thinks he has to do everything himself, with NO ONE else. Be they a lover, friend, coworker, or even Stranger. He doesn't let 'Anything' get 'Close', not just with Intimacy, but everything. It's probably why he only has Moxie and Milly as Employees and not any other Imps, or demons. But at the same time, he heavily fears rejection. The second the 'Fake' Moxie asked if he was afraid that he, Moxie, would have enough too one day, Blitzo instantly snapped and shut down emotionally in retaliation, giving into and hiding behind anger. I am guess, somewhere in his Past, Blitzo was hurt very badly by people close to him, that he heavily relied on. And since it was hinted he had 2 Sisters, it was most likely them that did it. But whatever it was, it burned him so badly he pushes everyone away that tries to get close to him. But again, as Moxie pointed out, he also craves those relationships and don't want the people to leave. Blitzo wants, what most people romanticize Family as, people who stick with you, no matter what horrible shit you say or do, cause they are family. Or homies for the gangsters out there, or Nakama for any Pirates out there. Blitzo knows he is a hard person to like, he is a brutish asshole goofball living life HIS way. And that turns away most people, not wanting to deal with his shit. But even being like that, he still wants friends, family, and interactions with people. It's also why he probably worships Stolas. Cause in comes this higher being, a person much more better than him in every way. And yet, this creature, this god, 'loves' him. Wants him. Needs him. And no matter what bullshit stuff he does, Stolas loves it and enjoys it. Notice how in every scene and interaction with Stolas and Blitzo, Blitzo still acts his normal every day hardass troubling self. And yet Stolas always smiles, laughs, and ENJOYS it, while telling him so. Even if he doesn't show it, I bet Blitzo loves the fact Stolas enjoys him being himself, where as Moxie questions and disapproves of everything he says or does. I wouldn't be Surprised he only allowed Moxie to Join, because he wanted and liked Milly, who is a happy go lucky person who seems to not mind or also enjoy Blitzo's normal everyday bullshit. Same with Loona I bet. I bet she was the only hellhound who could stand to be around him, and that's why he picked her to adopt.
25:28 - Funny thing is, if you look closely after Stolas opens up the portal on his own at the end, you can see Loona closely reading the book as she climbs through, so it's possible she's doing exactly that in case something like this happens again in the future!
yeah-- but what people may not understand is that this is a spell. There's a reason it's not a single page-- It's a whole book, meaning it may have changes depending on the moon's position in the sky, the place you're going, where you are, all that may depend on the moon's phase, and then mix that with the language itself being complex to understand-- it makes sense that she didn't just memorize it off the bat. Spells are *hard*.
@@yogurtofthemultiverse2200 and it is also entirely possible that the book is neccesary as a medium as well, meaning even if memorized, without the book you'd still be unable to cast it. There's a reason that book is considered exceedingly precious
@@cindermoth3421 Yea I doubt any of them are powerful enough to just be able to cast the spell without the book being involved. Pretty sure if they could just memorize the spell and not need the book at all then they wouldn't even be borrowing it from Stolas any more other then Blitz lying to himself to use needing the book as an excuse to have a relationship with him. But still don't think that is the case as they would have still memorized it already in case of an emergency like when they were separated at the start of this episode. If they didn't need the book then Blitz probably would have just had the spell memorized so he could open a portal himself and escape with Moxxie. But I figure none of them have bothered to memorize any of it due to the fact that they haven't had any need to as if they need the book anyways then why bother. It's just now they probably will just in case they get in other situation where they can't read it. But hey who knows maybe they need to actually read it from the book to activate the spell due to how low they are on the chain of hell. Have seen it in other fictional works where even powerful mages or other such things still need to always open a book and read in order to cast a spell. Stolas on the other hand is powerful enough to open a portal to earth without the book and then open one back up to hell without it as well. Now to enter he had to do a lot more work as he had to control multiple people and get them the draw out a portal and seemed to have to control the female agent over to the portal and in order to release himself from her and enter human realm. While opening a portal back to hell just took him moving his hands which is probably due to the book being right there but wouldn't be shocked if he could open one just as easy without it seeing how should be pretty simple for him to open a portal back to his own realm with or without the book.
It's so refreshing to see a review of helluva boss that isn't just random TH-cam personalities laughing. Your artistic analysis and deeper appreciation are so appreciated.
One detail I noticed, during the whole self summoning scene with Stolas, a Prince of Hell from the Ars Goetia, Loona was recording the entire thing on her cellphone, just after the scene of the female agent vomiting that black substance that made Stolas' body you can see her holding her phone in one hand with the grimoire in the other, you can even see her presumably thumb the record button.
They're hitmen (hitdemons?) by trade and they use guns agains swords. And yes, Stolas is OP, the whole point of major demons who have control over large parts of hell is that they're so strong that the souls of the damned bend to their will
@@refurbishedtechpriest9076 yeah, and Moxxie’s trip was very phantom of the opera! It's super cool how they mixed all these different forms of media references and different animation styles to give each hallucination it's own feel! They really knocked it out of the park on this one!
I personally do not mind at all if you stop or rewind to point things out :) It's interesting to hear your thoughts on the camera work and the professional techniques being used. There have been some interesting fun facts/trivia bits posted on other reactions to this magnificent episode, that I thought I'd share here as well: - Moxxie's hallucination is inspired by the animated film "Anastasia" (and also Phantom of the Opera as you noticed :D) and used a more Don Bluth-style animation with the soft lighting. - It seems like Blitz hallucination was inspired by a Pink Floyd video. Sadly I forgot which one :( ... Maybe somebody else can shed some light on it. - Yes, Stolas is an 'actual' demon from the Ars Goetia. He is very powerful but not quite as powerful as the seven princes of hell which represent the seven deadly sins. - It actually does make sense that Loona and the others cannot cast the portal spell without reading it directly from the book since they do not normally have the powers to cast it without the book. It is not just a textbook but actually seems to be some sort of "magical catalyst". That would also explain why Stolas needs it to perform bigger spells/rituals such as the curse of the harvest moon and taking himself and Octavia to the dying star in episode 2. This definitely was not the season finale don't worry :) As far as I know there are 2 episodes left.
One other detail missed in the Blitzo trip is that the broken heart is on his forehead until the chain appears on his neck and then it goes back to the normal symbol.
I loved the attention to detail in this episode as well!! So many little things! One that I noticed is that when the truth drug is in the room, it actually responds to their breaths, especially when Blitz says, "How fuckin' DARE you!" That was a really neat little detail I wouldn't have thought about and didn't see it the first couple times I watched the episode, but when I saw it I was amazed they included it!
I do very much appreciate when reactors/reviewers take the time to pause, rewind and talk about the scenes rather than just keeping it rolling and laughing hysterically or talking over important plot sections. big plus points for that!
Agent 1 -“Why are we only using weapons from japan's edo period!.” Agent 2 -“hey! the edo period was badass and you know it.” Agent 1 -“damn it you’re right.” 🍜spoken like a true weeb 🍜
The quality and execution of the animation, sound design and how they all get their own theme music during the action scene is just amazing. Such a high production quality on something they release on youtube for us all to watch for free is just insane.
"a Great Prince of Hell, commands twenty-six legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and is knowledgeable about herbs, plants, and precious stones. He is often depicted as a raven or a crowned owl with long legs." Stolas is Demon Royalty of the Ars Goetia. Vivian has clearly done a ton of research on Demonology and Religion which shines beautifully in this episode by using the proper sigil Stolas is known for. it makes me excited to see how open this world Viv created will get given the very extensive list of royal demons, and lesser demons there are. and we can't ignore the angels we glimpse in Hazbin Hotel and the cherubs in Helluva Boss. it makes me wonder if Nephilim will make their way in as well
Not to mention the different art styles and the feeling of each of them: Moxxie's hallucination: Disney movie/Phantom Of The Opera mashup Blitzø's hallucination: Acid trip
Never seen you before but your reaction was amazing!!! I don't usually listen to reactor's ramblings but yours was super insightful and you noticed stuff I didn't even pick up!! I think the biggest one is Stolas not being corporeal until the ritual, I had just thought he got there but him needing the ritual to be fully there made so much sense!! Also your filming facts and comments were great, loved this reaction so much, your pauses and rewinds was delightful.
I'm not too sure he actually needed the ritual to get there. I believe it was a show of power to Agent One and Two. It feels in character to drum up such drama when dealing with humans to show how out of their depth they are when dealing with demons. He has shown he can open portals into the living world from Hell and with the end of the scene versa. Though that's my head canon. It is likely powerful demons do require a ritual to be summon to the living world, though with Grimoire perhaps Stolas has a unique advantage over other royal demons. Only time or a simple question to the story team will tell.
One thing I am surprised you did not mention from a Videographer standpoint during the Stolas summoning scene was how it kept that theme of red light/darkness throughout it. There is so much good things to dissect from this episode in many aspects.
Oh, this was a great video, especially with that musical bit with Moxxie and Blitz's bad trip and the horror elements was amazing. And also, that little pointing to the Rule of Cool of never using guns but swords.
Agents: Nobody at Corporate's going to ignore this Their Boss: Yup no matter how I look at this these were just some guys in costumes and special effects you put together just to be taken seriously. You're fired.
I do hope that there is an episode or a few scenes later on about this, where instead of people believing them some "higher up" demon will find out and.. stuff happens
liked this reaction ! I think it's kinda normal that you interrupt the episode as soon as you need to react to it , the episode is available on youtube if people don't want interruption :')
So apparently the Symbol at which stolas is summoned by and the book that he owns is the Geotia Symbol for a Mythological Demon known as Viné or Vinea, that is also the name given to an ancient war machine made of wood and covered with leather and branches, used to overthrow walls. and has control of 36 Legions of Demons
Something that you'll only fully appreciate coming back to this episode after watching some of the later ones: the musical leitmotif that plays during Stolas' summoning is the same melody as his song 'Stolas Sings' aka 'Owl in a Cage' from S2E1. I love musical callbacks and connections like this.
I'm not fluent in English but you spoke so clearly that I could understand it perfectly and didn't even see the time go by. I hope to see more of your reactions. Congrats dude 💖❤️💕
in case someone else didn't answer your question about the mark on blitzo's forehead. no, he shown to have it on a poster of him and his sister(pilot but for those who say that doesn't count. first episode in his office he has a poster of himself he has the mark.) plus another scene is episode 2 flashback when he was trying to be a performer.
Viv confirmed that we will be seeing more Ars Goetia aristocrats like Stolas in Helluva Boss, as well as the main Ring Rulers. If you haven't yet, I recommend the Hazbin Hotel pilot, too, since it focuses on the main royal family, King Lucifer and his daughter Charlotte, as well as the Sinner type demons, who are dead souls.
If you haven't seen episode 2 yet you really need to go back and watch it. It is one of the better episodes for character development of Stolas especially. Like 2, 6, 5, 3, 4, & 1 is how I rank them for how good.
22:08 when you realise the flashing effect of blitzo actually shadow of one guy spinning japon weapon in front of ceiling light how detailed is this wtf
You would think with how many times Loona’s cast that spell she would have it memorized by now. Or is it she needs to be able to see it as well for it to work?
A hour long video might be a bit overconsuming but dedicating a 5 or 10 minute video on something you are knowledgeable about and telling us why the team did great might be a good idea.
Stolas is described in the Lesser Key of Solomon. It contains descriptions of other demons and the symbols needed to summon/bind them to your will. You can get a copy from Amazon.
Stolas is a real demon in demonology and is considered a more benevolent one! Like he is dangerous but he's not considered one of the MOST dangerous demons you can interact with. He is a scholar and astronomer, a teacher. He teaches astronomy, history, and stuff like info on poisonous plants, herbs and precious stones to people who summon or invoke him according to demonology The symbol on the floor that the corpses drew was his actual sigil
No, Stolas didn't put the mark on Blitzo's head. In earlier episodes we see a poster with Blitzo & his sister as "the Amazing Imp Siblings" and they both have the mark. That's when fan theorized that the forehead mark was a brand that members of the circus Blitzo was part of had. Episodes after this, supports that. AS for Loona not remembering the spell, I theorize that it's a spell you can't remember. Magic works in different ways in different settings. I know of some gaming settings (and the books associated with them) that spells had to be read in the morning and memorized for the day, if not read for that day, they can't use it. In some settings, a being has power in it's native reality/dimension, but it's lessened in Earth's reality so it/they create a focus (statue, book, weapon) that will allow their power to manifest on Earth. In other settings, sometimes a book is the source of the power and person reading it is the focus of that power, as opposed to the person having the power and the book providing a spell to focus the power. I think that's part of whats going on here, Stolas has power, some he can manifest on Earth, but it has to be near his Grimoire. And this is how he was aware of Blitzo being in trouble, he's aware when it's used and was able to spy on them (this was shown in episode 1) and the why behind "I have my ways" comment. But if other people try to use the book, since they are not Stolas they can't memorize the spells, so have to read it each time.
Can we talk about how the 2 Agents have 3 fingered hands at the start and then in the next scene have 4 fingered hands, and then back to 3 again, and then back to 4, etc?
For that handheld feel shot you were talking about, all you need to do is make the background far wider than your view allows you to see so you can just can move around and zoom in as the animation goes on like you would with any other kind of video.
Stolas is allegedly a Fallen angel who followed Satan upon his fall and was a Pacifist by nature which is why he used Reasoning to not have to kill the humans. In our world he was basically nothing more than a book keeper and logistics man with army of Angels that fell. Of which the 72 rose up from as I understand it.
It has been announced by vivzi that the fifth episode leads up to the ‘final four’ of the season. Meaning there are now THREE MORE episodes left. Therefore this is NOT the finale!
He corrects himself, but I gotta say it anyway. Phantom of the Oprah is what happened after Josh ran her over, Moxxie's dream was Phantom of the Opera. An understandable mix up.
Not a spear but actually a naginata, a Japanese weapon originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and others as well. (Yes I'm a nerd deal with it.)
25:27 i think it's like a conjuring spell or one that requires the book to be the anchor to create the portal from Hell to Earth. be kind of pointless to have the book to begin with if you can just remember symbols or words.
i mean, it's the same way Stolas needs both a living body on Earth and a summoning circle to become a real entity seeing as he is just images on screens and invisible to the naked eye.
Thank you all for the support🤠 Feel free to join the Discord (link in description). What should I react to next???
dunno how i got here. and no i dont mind the pause. better than talking over it. or skipping parts.
Would you consider reacting to Epithet Erased by JelloApocalypse? It's a series he made based on his own tabletop game and it takes several elements from it, giving the series a unique animation style and a unique world mechanic. There is only one season with seven episodes but they are planning on making more in the future so I hope you will give it a shot.
I'd be interested in a longer breakdown, tbh. Not sure if I'm alone on that, though.
deez
Yes Stolas is a Demon prince talked about in the Lesser Key of Solomon, it is cool that you picked up on that. Another really small but fantastic detail no one seems to catch is the symbol in the summoning circle. In the Lesser Key all 72 of the demons have sigils that represent their names to use to summon and bind them and they actually used Stolas' in that scene.
This show has always done its homework on these things... which is awesome as hell. And Stolas is terrifying in this.
Ooo.
Appreciate the lore🙏
Stolas is an actual goetia demon! It's really interesting
@@nuggetsplace8273 mhmm, his trip to space and all the plants in his home were great nods to the fact that he is said to be quite knowledgeable about astronomy and botany.
Love him or not, Stolas really knows how’s to make an entrance!
I can appreciate it😂
No kidding. That dark owl form makes Raven's astral projection look like a blacklight poster
I still get goosebumps every time I watch that scene when he makes his entrance.
I feel like the staircase bit in Blitz's allucination has more layers than you talked about, especially since his relationship with Stolas does have many layers:
- it's interesting how Blitz immediately associates Stolas with heaven and light. Makes me question whether in the in universe canon Stolas, as a prince of hell, is actually a fallen angel (as in the biblical canon that's what princes of Hell are)
- the feathers clean up the grime that is covering Blitz's vision, but before they do the staircase is covered with it, maybe as a symbol that the road to reach Stolas still has many obstacles?
- Blitz's appearance changes as he climbs the stairs: his clown costume is replaced with his actual clothes, the grime covering him disappears and even the broken heart on his forehead turns into his usual mark. Pretty on the nose if you ask me...
- Moxxie actually explains the scene pretty well: Blitz cannot fathom proper intimacy, yet he deeply craves it. In fact, he is crawling to Stolas, desperate to be at his level, but as he comes closer, he becomes chained, because he sees that closeness as being tied down, robbed of his freedom.
- Stolas pulling him to him through the chain could be seen as both extremely humiliating and very erotic. Blitz and Stolas's relationship at this point is little more than sexual, but Blitz also feels very dependent, too dependent from Stolas, as you pointed out. However when Stolas pulls him close, Blitz blushes. Again, there's a very interesting dichotomy going on: the desire for intimacy clashing with Blitz's disgust at being so tied down by another demon.
- the shadows of Blitz fanning Stolas like a king could symbolize how he feels at his mercy, because he needs his Grimoire to continue his activity, but also maybe show that deep I his heart, he cherishes Stolas, worshipping him as something precious?
I mean, at the end of the episode we see the first real display of affection Blitz has ever shown to Stolas, and yes, it's still very sexual and rough, but Blitz and Stolas still don't know how to communicate in any other way. Stolas is tone deaf, Blitz is scared of affection: there's no way Blitz could be sweet with Stolas, but initiating the sexual avances and the kiss tells me that in his own special way, Blitz was grateful to Stolas for saving him and his found family, and was happy to show his gratefulness in the only way he could to him.
So yes, I really hope more fans are gonna be able to accept this weird relationship in their heart, because season one is about to end, but season two has already been written, and I'm sure this is not the end of Blitz's disaster love adventures.
Blitzo could be sweet later on I hope
my take on their relationship. I don’t think their in love yet. I think they both are starting to develop feelings for each other and care for each other. Blitzo is scared to show it because of rejection. He thinks stolas sees him only as something to have sex with. Stolas cares
About blitzo as well. His worry about his well bring seemed very genuine as well when he said good when blitz said he was alright. Blitzo noticed that. That’s why he initiated the flirting and kiss in the end scene. Their relationship I think will get better. I know for a fact vivzie loves this ship.
@@bluebubble229 Ooo.
"- Moxxie actually explains the scene pretty well: Blitz cannot fathom proper intimacy, yet he deeply craves it. In fact, he is crawling to Stolas, desperate to be at his level, but as he comes closer, he becomes chained, because he sees that closeness as being tied down, robbed of his freedom. "
You got it in 1 in this statement, but was slightly wrong. It's not Just Intimacy. From words and visuals on both sides, Blitzo, (The o is 'Silent' not 'gone'.), thinks he has to do everything himself, with NO ONE else. Be they a lover, friend, coworker, or even Stranger. He doesn't let 'Anything' get 'Close', not just with Intimacy, but everything. It's probably why he only has Moxie and Milly as Employees and not any other Imps, or demons. But at the same time, he heavily fears rejection. The second the 'Fake' Moxie asked if he was afraid that he, Moxie, would have enough too one day, Blitzo instantly snapped and shut down emotionally in retaliation, giving into and hiding behind anger.
I am guess, somewhere in his Past, Blitzo was hurt very badly by people close to him, that he heavily relied on. And since it was hinted he had 2 Sisters, it was most likely them that did it. But whatever it was, it burned him so badly he pushes everyone away that tries to get close to him. But again, as Moxie pointed out, he also craves those relationships and don't want the people to leave.
Blitzo wants, what most people romanticize Family as, people who stick with you, no matter what horrible shit you say or do, cause they are family. Or homies for the gangsters out there, or Nakama for any Pirates out there. Blitzo knows he is a hard person to like, he is a brutish asshole goofball living life HIS way. And that turns away most people, not wanting to deal with his shit. But even being like that, he still wants friends, family, and interactions with people. It's also why he probably worships Stolas. Cause in comes this higher being, a person much more better than him in every way. And yet, this creature, this god, 'loves' him. Wants him. Needs him. And no matter what bullshit stuff he does, Stolas loves it and enjoys it. Notice how in every scene and interaction with Stolas and Blitzo, Blitzo still acts his normal every day hardass troubling self. And yet Stolas always smiles, laughs, and ENJOYS it, while telling him so. Even if he doesn't show it, I bet Blitzo loves the fact Stolas enjoys him being himself, where as Moxie questions and disapproves of everything he says or does. I wouldn't be Surprised he only allowed Moxie to Join, because he wanted and liked Milly, who is a happy go lucky person who seems to not mind or also enjoy Blitzo's normal everyday bullshit. Same with Loona I bet. I bet she was the only hellhound who could stand to be around him, and that's why he picked her to adopt.
Oh that’s wonderful to hear that S2 is already planned!
25:28 - Funny thing is, if you look closely after Stolas opens up the portal on his own at the end, you can see Loona closely reading the book as she climbs through, so it's possible she's doing exactly that in case something like this happens again in the future!
Thats what i thought, i have a feeling they will get in a similar situation again and this time she learned from her mistake and will do it by memory.
yeah-- but what people may not understand is that this is a spell. There's a reason it's not a single page-- It's a whole book, meaning it may have changes depending on the moon's position in the sky, the place you're going, where you are, all that may depend on the moon's phase, and then mix that with the language itself being complex to understand-- it makes sense that she didn't just memorize it off the bat. Spells are *hard*.
@@yogurtofthemultiverse2200 and it is also entirely possible that the book is neccesary as a medium as well, meaning even if memorized, without the book you'd still be unable to cast it. There's a reason that book is considered exceedingly precious
i noticed that! thought it was a cool detail
@@cindermoth3421 Yea I doubt any of them are powerful enough to just be able to cast the spell without the book being involved. Pretty sure if they could just memorize the spell and not need the book at all then they wouldn't even be borrowing it from Stolas any more other then Blitz lying to himself to use needing the book as an excuse to have a relationship with him. But still don't think that is the case as they would have still memorized it already in case of an emergency like when they were separated at the start of this episode. If they didn't need the book then Blitz probably would have just had the spell memorized so he could open a portal himself and escape with Moxxie. But I figure none of them have bothered to memorize any of it due to the fact that they haven't had any need to as if they need the book anyways then why bother. It's just now they probably will just in case they get in other situation where they can't read it. But hey who knows maybe they need to actually read it from the book to activate the spell due to how low they are on the chain of hell. Have seen it in other fictional works where even powerful mages or other such things still need to always open a book and read in order to cast a spell. Stolas on the other hand is powerful enough to open a portal to earth without the book and then open one back up to hell without it as well. Now to enter he had to do a lot more work as he had to control multiple people and get them the draw out a portal and seemed to have to control the female agent over to the portal and in order to release himself from her and enter human realm. While opening a portal back to hell just took him moving his hands which is probably due to the book being right there but wouldn't be shocked if he could open one just as easy without it seeing how should be pretty simple for him to open a portal back to his own realm with or without the book.
"An hour-long video." This would actually be appreciated. Reaction videos need more analysis of technique, and I was glad to hear your comments.
Noted! Glad you enjoyed the video🤠
I second this!
I personally really love the blur whenever the lights kick back on after Stolas saves the gang. It's small but adds A lot.
Small details add up!🤠
Fun little detail, in the exterior shot of the DHORK building, there are two guys on the roof. One has a katana, the other is rotating the spotlight.
Neat🤠
It's so refreshing to see a review of helluva boss that isn't just random TH-cam personalities laughing. Your artistic analysis and deeper appreciation are so appreciated.
They reminded people that for all his campiness, Stolas is still demon royalty.
One detail I noticed, during the whole self summoning scene with Stolas, a Prince of Hell from the Ars Goetia, Loona was recording the entire thing on her cellphone, just after the scene of the female agent vomiting that black substance that made Stolas' body you can see her holding her phone in one hand with the grimoire in the other, you can even see her presumably thumb the record button.
Yea I noticed that and then thought why didnt she use her phones flashlight lol
@@ShatteredFocusProductions perhaps they forgot in the middle of the chaos. I usually freak out and forget obvious answers at times lol
@@ma.2089 fair🤷♂️
I like how moxxie is having a Disney dream while Blitzø is just tripping balls
Haha the contrast is perfect!
Yeah
Man, demons are OP. A few imps were able to take out all those guards, and then a demon Prince shows up by summoning himself through possession.
They're hitmen (hitdemons?) by trade and they use guns agains swords. And yes, Stolas is OP, the whole point of major demons who have control over large parts of hell is that they're so strong that the souls of the damned bend to their will
@@BlankIdea02 i think that the correct term its hitmps
Moxxie’s drug trip looks like it was made by Disney and Blitz’s is looks like a Cuphead animation.
True🤔
Blitz's trip gave me serious Pink Floyd vibes, like something out of "The Wall".
@@refurbishedtechpriest9076 yeah, and Moxxie’s trip was very phantom of the opera! It's super cool how they mixed all these different forms of media references and different animation styles to give each hallucination it's own feel! They really knocked it out of the park on this one!
Mox's trip is a reference to Phantom of the Opera and Blitz's is referencing Pink Floyd
@@thatoneleaf9895 I know. It’s just that the animation for Moxxie looks like it was made by Disney and Blitz’s looks like it was from Cuphead.
something I only noticed on my second watch was that once the red button is hit, each cut is tied directly to the rhythmic dimming of the lights.
i love the gap in demonology here where the imps are just run of the mill demons but stolas is demon royalty and the gap is astounding
Stolas built different😂
I personally do not mind at all if you stop or rewind to point things out :) It's interesting to hear your thoughts on the camera work and the professional techniques being used.
There have been some interesting fun facts/trivia bits posted on other reactions to this magnificent episode, that I thought I'd share here as well:
- Moxxie's hallucination is inspired by the animated film "Anastasia" (and also Phantom of the Opera as you noticed :D) and used a more Don Bluth-style animation with the soft lighting.
- It seems like Blitz hallucination was inspired by a Pink Floyd video. Sadly I forgot which one :( ... Maybe somebody else can shed some light on it.
- Yes, Stolas is an 'actual' demon from the Ars Goetia. He is very powerful but not quite as powerful as the seven princes of hell which represent the seven deadly sins.
- It actually does make sense that Loona and the others cannot cast the portal spell without reading it directly from the book
since they do not normally have the powers to cast it without the book.
It is not just a textbook but actually seems to be some sort of "magical catalyst".
That would also explain why Stolas needs it to perform bigger spells/rituals such as the curse of the harvest moon
and taking himself and Octavia to the dying star in episode 2.
This definitely was not the season finale don't worry :) As far as I know there are 2 episodes left.
Pretty sure Blitz´ hallucination was inspired by The Wall by Pink Floyd, specifically apparently (according to Diregentlemen) "The Trial"
Definitely great touches.
Appreciate the lore and input🙏🤠
One other detail missed in the Blitzo trip is that the broken heart is on his forehead until the chain appears on his neck and then it goes back to the normal symbol.
I loved the attention to detail in this episode as well!! So many little things! One that I noticed is that when the truth drug is in the room, it actually responds to their breaths, especially when Blitz says, "How fuckin' DARE you!" That was a really neat little detail I wouldn't have thought about and didn't see it the first couple times I watched the episode, but when I saw it I was amazed they included it!
I do very much appreciate when reactors/reviewers take the time to pause, rewind and talk about the scenes rather than just keeping it rolling and laughing hysterically or talking over important plot sections. big plus points for that!
Agent 1 -“Why are we only using weapons from japan's edo period!.”
Agent 2 -“hey! the edo period was badass and you know it.”
Agent 1 -“damn it you’re right.”
🍜spoken like a true weeb 🍜
Theb Loona is firing a Plasma laser at them.
Man I genuinely can't believe how this show keeps getting better.
The quality and execution of the animation, sound design and how they all get their own theme music during the action scene is just amazing. Such a high production quality on something they release on youtube for us all to watch for free is just insane.
Honestly, one thing I find really cool about the summoning scene is how they incorporated the blinking lights into transition shots
can we just appreciate how this is the first time we've heard stolas cuss
i think that might be cap
aka the pilot of helluva boss
@@grimmthetroupemaster2774 he means it's usually censored, lol
@@NichaelAngelo Oh ok.
Stolas is only censored when it's sexual/related to sex. When he casually curses it's not censored
"a Great Prince of Hell, commands twenty-six legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and is knowledgeable about herbs, plants, and precious stones. He is often depicted as a raven or a crowned owl with long legs." Stolas is Demon Royalty of the Ars Goetia. Vivian has clearly done a ton of research on Demonology and Religion which shines beautifully in this episode by using the proper sigil Stolas is known for. it makes me excited to see how open this world Viv created will get given the very extensive list of royal demons, and lesser demons there are. and we can't ignore the angels we glimpse in Hazbin Hotel and the cherubs in Helluva Boss. it makes me wonder if Nephilim will make their way in as well
I really recommend you watch episode 2 as it's a really important episode to the series!
Will do🤠
Not to mention the different art styles and the feeling of each of them:
Moxxie's hallucination: Disney movie/Phantom Of The Opera mashup
Blitzø's hallucination: Acid trip
Never seen you before but your reaction was amazing!!! I don't usually listen to reactor's ramblings but yours was super insightful and you noticed stuff I didn't even pick up!!
I think the biggest one is Stolas not being corporeal until the ritual, I had just thought he got there but him needing the ritual to be fully there made so much sense!! Also your filming facts and comments were great, loved this reaction so much, your pauses and rewinds was delightful.
Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed🤠
I'm not too sure he actually needed the ritual to get there. I believe it was a show of power to Agent One and Two. It feels in character to drum up such drama when dealing with humans to show how out of their depth they are when dealing with demons. He has shown he can open portals into the living world from Hell and with the end of the scene versa.
Though that's my head canon. It is likely powerful demons do require a ritual to be summon to the living world, though with Grimoire perhaps Stolas has a unique advantage over other royal demons. Only time or a simple question to the story team will tell.
One thing I am surprised you did not mention from a Videographer standpoint during the Stolas summoning scene was how it kept that theme of red light/darkness throughout it. There is so much good things to dissect from this episode in many aspects.
Oh, this was a great video, especially with that musical bit with Moxxie and Blitz's bad trip and the horror elements was amazing.
And also, that little pointing to the Rule of Cool of never using guns but swords.
Agents: Nobody at Corporate's going to ignore this
Their Boss: Yup no matter how I look at this these were just some guys in costumes and special effects you put together just to be taken seriously. You're fired.
I do hope that there is an episode or a few scenes later on about this, where instead of people believing them some "higher up" demon will find out and.. stuff happens
@@am_Nein Like trying to get Stolas into trouble by snitching on him or using it as a threat.
liked this reaction ! I think it's kinda normal that you interrupt the episode as soon as you need to react to it , the episode is available on youtube if people don't want interruption :')
Appreciate the feedback and glad you enjoyed it🤠
One of my favorite details is during the fight scene how the music changes depending on who is on screen.
Blitzo has a shattered heart in his hallucination as well, but it’s full again once he sees Stolas
So apparently the Symbol at which stolas is summoned by and the book that he owns is the Geotia Symbol for a Mythological Demon known as Viné or Vinea, that is also the name given to an ancient war machine made of wood and covered with leather and branches, used to overthrow walls. and has control of 36 Legions of Demons
I love the level of detail!🤠
I heard there are either 10 episodes or 8 episodes for this season of Helluva Boss. So it's sadly almost over, but still there's a few more episodes!
That episode was so well made! I'll gladly watch it again here :D
Glad you enjoyed🤠
I’m pretty sure D.H.O.R.K.S actually stands for ‘Demon Hunter Organization with Really Kickass Swords’
Viv: post a new video
Reaction channels: it’s free real estate
🤷♂️
Something that you'll only fully appreciate coming back to this episode after watching some of the later ones: the musical leitmotif that plays during Stolas' summoning is the same melody as his song 'Stolas Sings' aka 'Owl in a Cage' from S2E1. I love musical callbacks and connections like this.
I'm not fluent in English but you spoke so clearly that I could understand it perfectly and didn't even see the time go by. I hope to see more of your reactions. Congrats dude 💖❤️💕
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed the video🤠
in case someone else didn't answer your question about the mark on blitzo's forehead. no, he shown to have it on a poster of him and his sister(pilot but for those who say that doesn't count. first episode in his office he has a poster of himself he has the mark.) plus another scene is episode 2 flashback when he was trying to be a performer.
Appreciate the correction🙏
IM GLAD YOU NOTICED THAT WALK!!!!!
Literally one of the best parts of this episode
Viv confirmed that we will be seeing more Ars Goetia aristocrats like Stolas in Helluva Boss, as well as the main Ring Rulers. If you haven't yet, I recommend the Hazbin Hotel pilot, too, since it focuses on the main royal family, King Lucifer and his daughter Charlotte, as well as the Sinner type demons, who are dead souls.
Dope!🤠 and I’ve already watched hazbin!
If you haven't seen episode 2 yet you really need to go back and watch it. It is one of the better episodes for character development of Stolas especially. Like 2, 6, 5, 3, 4, & 1 is how I rank them for how good.
I really love that you realized they were hallucinations before Moxxie even got out of the ropes. Also, I would watch Phantom of the Oprah.
22:08 when you realise the flashing effect of blitzo actually shadow of one guy spinning japon weapon in front of ceiling light how detailed is this wtf
yeah, Stolas is like in the top 3 strongest demons in hell. This episode really makes you realize that
The symbol on blitzo's head is a heart snapped skull with devil horns
I just resubscribed yesterday, I watched 6 reactions of this yesterday so this should be a treat.
Glad to have you back🤠
if i remeber correctly, 2 more episodes are coming
Dope🤠
You would think with how many times Loona’s cast that spell she would have it memorized by now. Or is it she needs to be able to see it as well for it to work?
19:08 you know the saying "a picture is worth 1,000 words" THAT still is the saying personified 😮
A hour long video might be a bit overconsuming but dedicating a 5 or 10 minute video on something you are knowledgeable about and telling us why the team did great might be a good idea.
And this is why we need to let them have longer periods between episodes, y'all see what we get when we are patient?
There are 8 episodes in the first season of Helluva Boss and 8 in the second season, they are currently working on the next season
Once i see this guy's face. I knew he was a pretty happy guy
Blitz's mark has been there for a while. During Blitz's circus days.
11:05 "Every rules meant to be broken" i am going to take that out of context and remember it while taking it the wrong way
Stolas is described in the Lesser Key of Solomon. It contains descriptions of other demons and the symbols needed to summon/bind them to your will. You can get a copy from Amazon.
25:08 "Red button! An ad."
Funny, cause guess when I got an ad on your video. :) Yep, right then.
Stolas is a real demon in demonology and is considered a more benevolent one! Like he is dangerous but he's not considered one of the MOST dangerous demons you can interact with. He is a scholar and astronomer, a teacher. He teaches astronomy, history, and stuff like info on poisonous plants, herbs and precious stones to people who summon or invoke him according to demonology
The symbol on the floor that the corpses drew was his actual sigil
Your discord is proud of you :D
❤️❤️❤️
No, Stolas didn't put the mark on Blitzo's head. In earlier episodes we see a poster with Blitzo & his sister as "the Amazing Imp Siblings" and they both have the mark. That's when fan theorized that the forehead mark was a brand that members of the circus Blitzo was part of had. Episodes after this, supports that.
AS for Loona not remembering the spell, I theorize that it's a spell you can't remember. Magic works in different ways in different settings. I know of some gaming settings (and the books associated with them) that spells had to be read in the morning and memorized for the day, if not read for that day, they can't use it.
In some settings, a being has power in it's native reality/dimension, but it's lessened in Earth's reality so it/they create a focus (statue, book, weapon) that will allow their power to manifest on Earth.
In other settings, sometimes a book is the source of the power and person reading it is the focus of that power, as opposed to the person having the power and the book providing a spell to focus the power.
I think that's part of whats going on here, Stolas has power, some he can manifest on Earth, but it has to be near his Grimoire. And this is how he was aware of Blitzo being in trouble, he's aware when it's used and was able to spy on them (this was shown in episode 1) and the why behind "I have my ways" comment. But if other people try to use the book, since they are not Stolas they can't memorize the spells, so have to read it each time.
the smoothest battle of all time
This is not the season final.
Two more episodes are scheduled for production and release.
Great!🤠
I've watched this at least a dozen times and I've only just noticed that Loona was recording Stolas' entrance.
Top 2 fastest rappers
2 Eminem
1 Moxxie ordering coffee
This youtuber needs 1million subscribers
Can we talk about how the 2 Agents have 3 fingered hands at the start and then in the next scene have 4 fingered hands, and then back to 3 again, and then back to 4, etc?
For that handheld feel shot you were talking about, all you need to do is make the background far wider than your view allows you to see so you can just can move around and zoom in as the animation goes on like you would with any other kind of video.
Stolas is allegedly a Fallen angel who followed Satan upon his fall and was a Pacifist by nature which is why he used Reasoning to not have to kill the humans. In our world he was basically nothing more than a book keeper and logistics man with army of Angels that fell. Of which the 72 rose up from as I understand it.
It has been announced by vivzi that the fifth episode leads up to the ‘final four’ of the season. Meaning there are now THREE MORE episodes left. Therefore this is NOT the finale!
Dope🤠
I think episode 5 was the beginning of the four, meaning there is only two episodes left.
Episode 5 was actually part of the final four! Meaning there's only 2 episodes left
Wow he said that there was an ad right AFTER I had an ad what a timing
I strive for perfection😂
Don't worry, this is not season finale, there is two more episodes left
🤟
25:23 yeeeah... find that wierd too, that Luna didnt memorized the spell, on the other Hand, up till now there was no need to.
Also yes stoles does play a big part in mythology to which is also a great tough on stoles
He corrects himself, but I gotta say it anyway. Phantom of the Oprah is what happened after Josh ran her over, Moxxie's dream was Phantom of the Opera. An understandable mix up.
If i remember corectly there will be 2 or 3 more episodes in this season
Perfect!
Loona took a picture of stolas as he was being summoned!!
It's not the season finale. There's gonna be at least 2 more episodes coming for season 1.
Stolas is a real demon he's an overlord one of the most powerful high ranks of hell
Correction* he isn't an overlord, he is in fact a prince
The dead drawing the pentagram in blood so stolas can cross 💋
There are 2 more episodes I believe, till season 1 ends
mox on top of the bodies was a homage to doom lulz
Lol
Somewhere out there, Quentin Tarantino is likely grinning ecstatically by now...
You can see the John Wick influence in the fight scenes.
Apparently Blitz(o)'s trip is supposed to be inspired by/based on Pink Floyd.
Bro where the hell are the other eps I'm struggling;-;
What Ritual movie did you mean? I want to watch it but there are 3 different results and idk which one you meant
The one directed by David Bruckner (2017)
I don't mind the pausing! As long as you're not talking over the dialogue, so you can still catch what they're saying!
🤟
Luna took a picture of stolace badassery
Not a spear but actually a naginata, a Japanese weapon originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and others as well. (Yes I'm a nerd deal with it.)
Thanks for the history fact🙏
@@ShatteredFocusProductions you're welcome :)
you didnt watch episode 2? You should! its amazing, very emotional :)
The reverse Doomslayer Episode.
Trying to look up the movie ritual. I found 3, which one are you referencing?
I like how he edit the video while recording the video
25:27 i think it's like a conjuring spell or one that requires the book to be the anchor to create the portal from Hell to Earth. be kind of pointless to have the book to begin with if you can just remember symbols or words.
i mean, it's the same way Stolas needs both a living body on Earth and a summoning circle to become a real entity seeing as he is just images on screens and invisible to the naked eye.
7th episode is here!!!
Bro!!! NC represent!!! 👊