The Golden Apples Yu-Gi-Oh! Card: How Is It Related To The Golden Apple Of Discord?

The Golden Apples is one of the cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. What is so interesting about it? How can it be related to the golden apple that appears in Greek Mythology?

You can see an image of The Golden Apples card to the right. This is actually a Trap Card. The single apple shown in the art of this card can be related to the golden apple that appears in Greek Mythology.

This apple is also known as the Golden Apple of Discord or simply the Apple of Discord. This fruit actually started or was the cause of the Trojan War.

What exactly happened? How can a single piece of fruit start a war? And what's the relation of this apple to the Yu-Gi-Oh! card in question?

All this began during the wedding of the parents of the hero named Achilles. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, a Nereid (a sea-nymph), but she came anyway.

She brought a golden apple with her. On it was inscribed 'for the fairest'. Understandably, all the women present at the wedding wanted the apple. This caused everyone to quarrel and argue amongst themselves.

Eventually, the rightful owner of the golden apple came down to a choice between 3 goddesses- Athena (goddess of wisdom), Hera (queen of the gods and goddesses) and Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty).

Since no decision could be made, the 3 goddesses agreed to let Paris, the son of Priam and Hecuba (king and queen of Troy), be the one to judge and choose which one of them was the fairest and most beautiful.

To help him choose, they resorted to bribing him with Hera offering him power (she said he could be the king of Europe and Asia), Athena offering him wisdom and skills in war and Aphrodite offering him Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman in the world.

Paris awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite. He did get Helen, but this started the Trojan War because Helen was already married to the king of Sparta (Menelaus). Thus, the power and capability of The Golden Apples Yu-Gi-Oh! card can be explained or likened to the power of the golden apple that started the Trojan War.

One single fruit led to a fight between goddesses, which eventually caused an all-out war that lasted for years. In the same way, one single Trap Card can allow you to gain life points and even special summon a token with attack and defense equal to the life points that you gained.

So if the battle damage you got was 3000, then the life points you'll gain will also be 3000.

In effect, you don't lose any life points, but you do gain a powerful Malus token, which you can use to defend yourself and attack your opponent.

However, The Golden Apples isn't without its limitations. There is a catch, of course, in the same way that the golden apple in Greek Mythology didn't start the Trojan War right away.

It's also like how the 3 goddesses needed Paris to decide which of them should get the golden apple. But in order to get him to decide, they had to resort to bribery. This can be likened to how the Trap Card cannot be activated even if you take battle damage as long as you still control a monster on your side of the field.

Once your field is empty and you take battle damage, you're free to activate the card, which can be likened to how Paris finally chose to give the golden apple to Aphrodite. Being able to special summon a Malus token thanks to fulfilling all the card's requirements can be likened to how Paris was able to get Helen thanks to choosing the goddess of love and beauty.

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Sandro Botticelli (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic shows the Judgment of Paris
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

PallaPalla / Sailor Pallas Sailor Moon Trivia

Who is PallaPalla and what is so interesting about her? What trivia is there about her name? What does it mean and where did it come from? Who was she named after?

PallaPalla is a member of the Amazoness Quartet, one of the antagonists from the Sailor Moon anime and manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. She is the one with the blue hair and the blue-colored theme.

When it is revealed in the manga that the Amazoness Quartet are actually Sailor Senshi, they are collectively known as the Sailor Quartet or the Asteroid Senshi.

As a member of the Asteroid Senshi, PallaPalla is known as Sailor Pallas. The name "PallaPalla" was derived from the name "Pallas". But where did this name come from? What is Pallas?

Pallas is actually the name of an asteroid located in what is known as the Asteroid Belt, which thus indicates that PallaPalla, just like the rest of her sisters, was named after an asteroid.

The asteroid Pallas was named after the Greek goddess called Pallas. She is more commonly known as Athena (sometimes even Athene). Her counterpart in Roman Mythology is named Minerva. She is the goddess of wisdom and warfare (among many other things).

PallaPalla's blue theme isn't necessarily because of the goddess Pallas.

It's really more because she is the counterpart of Sailor Mercury who also has blue themes though it's of a different shade from PallaPalla's color.

It's rather fitting how Sailor Mercury is PallaPalla's counterpart because the former is actually very smart and intelligent. This is just like how Minerva can definitely be described with the same terms especially since Athena's mother is actually Metis who is the Titan goddess of wisdom.

On the other hand, at first glance, it doesn't seem to make any sense at all to have PallaPalla be named after Pallas, considering how childish she can be. In fact, with how she acts, she comes across as being the youngest of the Amazoness Quartet even though she is really the second oldest.

But don't let her childishness and the way she is wont to refer to herself in the third person fool you because PallaPalla can be capable and she definitely has a dangerous streak.

She has her moments of cleverness, which shows how she can be like her namesake in being smart.

An example of this can be seen in episode 153 of the Sailor Moon SuperS anime. In this particular episode, PallaPalla can be seen playing with her dolls.

Because one doll apparently had an unbearable tooth ache, she proceeds to rip this doll's head off as a cure for said tooth ache.

This shows that PallaPalla is not someone to be underestimated just because she acts childish pretty much all the time.

This action of hers can also be considered to be a clever way to get rid of a tooth ache (it's certainly unconventional and even revolutionary) though, obviously, no one would want to opt for this kind of cure.

PallaPalla's relation to the goddess Athena can also be seen in how she is wont to attack groups of people all at once in order to acquire their Dream Mirrors, a prime example of which can be seen in episode 158 of Sailor Moon SuperS.

This can be akin to how wars and battles involve many people and cause a lot to get hurt and even to die. Of course, a war isn't as simple as merely having people fighting and dying and one side winning and another losing.

It's a lot more complicated than that and it's not all good and evil either. PallaPalla shows this by way of the dual natures of her summoned lemures.

It's also important to note that Athena isn't exactly the goddess of war.

She's related to wars and battle, but it's different from how Ares (his Roman counterpart is called Mars) is the god of war.

Ares represents the dark side of war (so to speak) with all the violence and the like whereas Athena represents the strategic side of things with the people involved making plans and not just rushing recklessly into battle.

This strategizing and planning also shows how crafty Minerva can be, which explains why she is also said to be good with crafts like building things and weaving.

This brings us back to PallaPalla who loves playing with toys. In the aforementioned episode 153 of the anime, she can be seen transforming her toys into a real dentist's building and her dolls into real people.

So what do you think of PallaPalla? Do you like her character? Is she your favorite member of the Amazoness Quartet or the Asteroid Senshi? Do you think her name suits her?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by ChibiTaryn (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to represent PallaPalla because the figure in said image has blue hair and even appears to look rather childish, much like PallaPalla
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

CereCere / Sailor Ceres Sailor Moon Trivia

Do you know where CereCere got her name? Do you know what it means? What interesting trivia is there about the Sailor Moon anime and manga character called CereCere or Sailor Ceres?

CereCere is a member of what is known as the Amazoness Quartet. She is the eldest of the four sisters that make up said quartet, which thus makes her the group's leader. As the eldest and the leader, she also comes across as the most mature, which can be seen in the way she speaks, acts and even in the way she dresses.

She is the one with the pink hair, but it should be noted that, unlike the rest of her sisters who each only have one theme, it can be said that CereCere has two color themes, which are pink and yellow.

This is because she has the yellow Amazon stone or orb and part of her outfit has yellow hues as well.

The reason for this dual colored-theme could very well be because CereCere is supposed to be the counterpart of Sailor Venus who has a yellow theme.

But what about the name CereCere? Where did it come from? To explain this, let's first take note of the real truth about the Amazoness Quartet, which we will find in the Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi. This truth is that the 4 sisters are really Sailor Senshi and they are collectively known as the Sailor Quartet or the Asteroid Senshi.

As a Sailor Senshi, CereCere is known as Sailor Ceres. As you can see, the name "CereCere" was derived from the name "Ceres". But what is Ceres then? Where did this name come from?

The character CereCere or Sailor Ceres was actually named after an asteroid called Ceres. This also explains why she and her sisters are collectively referred to as the Asteroid Senshi (her sisters have also been named after asteroids).

The asteroid Ceres got its name from the Roman goddess with the same name, so it can also be said that CereCere was named after this goddess.

In Greek Mythology, the counterpart of said Roman goddess is known as Demeter. She is the goddess of grains, agriculture, harvest, etc.

Flowers and plants were also associated with Demeter, which could thus explain why CereCere is known as the Flower Magician and why her powers involve the ability to manipulate flowers and plants. In fact, CereCere usually summons plant or flower-based Lemures.

While in disguise, CereCere usually dresses in very feminine outfits and clothes that make her look rich and which also seems to highlight her beauty (perceived or otherwise).

A good example of this can be seen in episode 156 of the Sailor Moon SuperS anime where CereCere has her portrait painted by an artist.

In this episode, we can really see how she values her beauty and how she has a high opinion of her looks, so much so that she asks the painter to draw her again when the initial portrait fails to impress her.

This very high regard for her beauty and looks can be attributed to her association with Sailor Venus, or, to be more precise, it's due to Sailor Venus' namesake.

This would be the Roman goddess of love and beauty whose Greek Mythology counterpart is called Aphrodite. So what do you think of Sailor Ceres or CereCere? Is she your favorite member of the Amazoness or the Sailor Quartet? Do you think her name fits her?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to symbolize CereCere because the figure also has pink hair and she even appears mature and elegant like Sailor Ceres
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

The Agent Of Force - Mars Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game Trivia

What trivia is there about The Agent of Force - Mars, one of the many cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game?

What is so significant, meaningful and symbolic about it?

The aforementioned Yu-Gi-Oh! card is a level 3 Fairy-type with a Light-attribute.

You can see what it looks like and what its effect is via the image featured to the right.

Let's start with the origin of its name. This is actually part of "The Agent" archetype of cards. These cards all have "The Agent" as part of their name as well as the name of a planet and something that they're governing or being the agent of.

For instance, in this card's case, Mars is the agent of force. Another example of this archetype is the card called The Agent of Judgment - Saturn. Okay, let's get back to the "force" part. This term is actually very fitting and appropriate for the card in question considering who Mars is.

Mars is the name of the Roman god of war. The god Ares from Greek Mythology is his counterpart. Mars is also the name of the fourth planet from the sun, the Red Planet. The planet itself was named after the war god precisely because of its red color, which can easily be associated with blood, war and fighting. This is also the reason why the card itself has a red theme or motif.

If you look at the image of this card again, you can see what appears to be a big red circle or rock in the background. This is meant to represent Mars, the Red Planet.

The person on the image is, of course, meant to represent Mars, the god of war. This is the reason why said person looks very muscular, strong and powerful.

The way he looks really screams "war god," doesn't it? He even has a weapon and his face and very stance looks fierce and defiant.

He easily gives off an air of "do not mess with me". The effect of this card just reiterates and reinforces what we can glean from the looks of the image.

But, at first glance, if you just look at the attack and defense of this card, which are both zero, it really doesn't seem like it can be of any use. However, upon reading the effect of this card, we can see right away that The Agent of Force - Mars has the potential to be very powerful, given the right conditions.

Just imagine if The Sanctuary in the Sky is on your side of the field and there is such a huge difference between your life points and that of your opponent's. If that's the case, you can get a one-hit kill and be able to instantly defeat your opponent thanks to Mars.

This is indeed very fitting when you take into consideration that the god Ares in mythology is known as being powerful, fierce, brutal and warlike.

As the war god, it's only natural that Ares likes fighting and slaughtering. He represents the violent side of war.

But it is the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena (Minerva in Roman Mythology) who represents the strategic side of war, which explains why Ares is not exactly all that capable.

What this means is that, while he is dangerous and very powerful, he isn't wise at all.

This explains the constraints of the card and why it needs The Sanctuary in the Sky to power it. The Sanctuary can represent the money, resources and support that is needed in order to win a war.

Without the aforementioned field spell card, The Agent of Force - Mars is pretty much useless, considering its 0 attack and defense. Sure, it won't be affected by spell cards but what good will that do if any monster card can easily send it to the graveyard?

Furthermore, The Sanctuary in the Sky isn't the only thing you'll need to have if you want to power up Mars. You'll need a very high amount of life points as well. This can be likened to the god Ares who is actually not all that brave and courageous. He's pretty much a coward actually.

This can be seen in what happened during the Trojan War as mentioned in The Iliad by Homer wherein the hero Diomedes, who is a very good and capable warrior and fighter, attacks Ares.

Thank to Athena, the hero Diomedes
was able to injure the god Ares (Mars)

Diomedes was actually under the goddess Athena's protection, and, when he fought against Ares, Athena made sure that his attack would not miss and that he would not be harmed.

Because of that, Diomedes was able to injure Ares. When that happened, Ares displayed his cowardice by crying loudly at the pain and then running back to Mount Olympus, the realm of the gods.

This can thus explain the Mars card's reliance on the field spell card in question.

When The Sanctuary in the Sky falls and when your life points fall, Mars essentially becomes useless and this is how the god's cowardice and weakness is manifested as he can now be defeated easily.

But, if you manage to protect and even increase your life points as well as ensure that the Sanctuary remains on your side of the field, then The Agent of Force - Mars can really be a force to be reckoned with that can help you win matches and beat your opponents. What do you think of this particular card? Do you make use of it when playing the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Peter Paul Rubens (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic shows the Roman god Mars
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa Review

What can be said about the Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa by Myung Jin-Lee?

Should this series be recommended? What review rating can be given to this comic?

This is a review for all 10 volumes of the manhwa series. However, this will only be a collated overview of the entire series.

The things mentioned here are discussed in greater detail in the many other articles about Ragnarok: Into The Abyss, which you can find by checking out this tag. With that out of the way, let's get started with the review.

First of all, the Ragnarok series is not that bad. It's actually a pretty okay graphic novel, but it's not perfect. It's far from perfect actually and it's not without its flaws. Let's take a look at some of the comic's pros and cons (in no particular order).

Pros:

1. Awesome Art

Seriously, the art in this manhwa is really very good. The characters are all very nicely-drawn including the sceneries and landscapes and the like. Simply put, the comic is nice to look at thanks to its awesome art.

2. Interesting Storyline / Plot

The woman in this image
is Fenris Fenrir, arguably one
of the best characters in the
Ragnarok manhwa

The storyline or plot of the graphic novel is quite interesting.

The fact that it's based on Norse Mythology just makes it all the more fascinating. This is especially the case for all those who find reading about Norse Mythology appealing.

For mythology fans, that's one good reason to want to read this manhwa.

But even those who aren't really into mythology or don't really know anything about said topic can still enjoy this comic if they like fantasy, magic and fight scenes.

3. Some Good Characters

There are some good characters with appealing personalities that just make readers root for them and want to get to know them more. Examples would be Fenris Fenrir, Loki, Frigg and the Norns (Urd, Verdandi, Skuld).

The aforementioned characters are all very likable that it really makes one wish there were more scenes involving or featuring these people. It also makes one wish that we got to know them even more.

4. Good Magic System

The graphic novel has a pretty cool magic system. There are a lot of different spells and rituals and weapons and the like as characters show off their moves and fight against each other. It makes those interested in these kinds of things want to find out more about the magic system in the comic and learn how it works.

Cons:

1. Pages Of Art And No Dialogue

Pages of no dialog disrupt the
flow of the story, bringing the
plot to a stand still

Yes, I know. I just said that the manhwa's art was awesome and it is. That hasn't changed at all.

But who says that you can't enjoy both the comic's art and plot at the same time?

Readers can still appreciate the graphic novel's finely-drawn art even with dialogue blocking some of the drawings.

So there should be no reason why there has to be many pages where we see nothing but art and more art (such as sceneries and landscape shots and even fight scenes) with no words being spoken, and, sometimes, with nothing much happening at all.

All this does is bring the plot to a stand still and annoy readers who want to know what happens next already without all these unnecessary and needless interruptions.

2. Prolonged And Never-Ending Fight Scenes

Those who like fight scenes might not see this as a con unless they also don't like prolonged fight scenes that never seem to end.

There's definitely a lot of that in the Ragnarok series. Many fight scenes take so long to end that it also brings the story to a stand still because the plot isn't advanced as we focus on nothing but fights between the characters.

This can annoy those who just want the fight to end already, so we can move on with the plot.

Examples of very long fight scenes include the one between Loki, Chaos and Skurai as well as the one between Chaos and Himmelmez.

3. Telling Instead Of Showing

There are many instances in the manhwa where there was more telling instead of showing, and, sometimes, all telling and no showing. There are times where we get told things in the previews or the summaries or the 'story so far' instead of in the comic proper itself.

For example, we are told about the shards of Ymir's Heart and how Freya wants this and how she sent Himmelmez to get this in one of the comic's previews and summaries. Things like that should be introduced and showed to us when we're reading the graphic novel itself, not told in this way because it ruins the flow of the story.

4. Some Annoying Characters

Not all characters are awesome and likable, unfortunately. There are some that can be quite annoying at times and some that are not exactly likable.

For example, Iris Irine can act childish and immature at times pretty much most of the time and she can be quite really unlikable. She likes clinging to Chaos and acting like such a brat.

But then there are a few times where she shows that she's actually capable of being mature and even likable such as when she shows off her skills and abilities, making one wonder as to the reason for this inconsistency.

5. Some Confusing Parts

Yes, the plot's pretty interesting, but it's also true that there are many confusing things about it.

There are many things that we wonder about and want to know about, but these things aren't explained to us clearly and some aren't explained to us at all.

For example, we know that Freya is supposed to be the bad guy, but we don't know why she has to be the villain and antagonist and why she's doing what she's doing.

The events that happened 1000 years ago keep being alluded to and there are some explanations, but it's still very much a mystery as to what exactly happened during that time. One thing is for sure though: the Freya in the Ragnarok manhwa is very much different from the goddess Freya in Norse Mythology.

Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that since the comic is only loosely based on mythology anyway. It's perfectly fine even if the characters are different from their counterparts (like Freya being the villain). The problem is that Ragnarok doesn't explain anything to us like we're just expected to go with the fact that Freya's the villain and that's that.

6. Instances Of Deus Ex Machina

There are quite a number of scenes in the Ragnarok series that can be classified as or said to be deus ex machina and that's not a good thing at all.

A deus ex machina makes scenes unbelievable and even contrived.

An example is when Sara Irine was the one who ended up defeating both Bijou and Himmelmez even though she was supposed to be on their side.

This seemed to have come from out of nowhere since the main characters were losing against their opponents and probably would have been soundly beaten had it not been for the appearance and interference of a deus ex machina in the form of the aforementioned Valkyrie.

7. Incomplete / Unfinished Series

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss consists of 10 volumes, but, even with that many volumes, the series remains incomplete and unfinished, unfortunately.

While some may not mind that the series isn't complete, others will surely want closure and will want to know how the conflict is resolved and how the story ends.

It's too bad that we get nothing but a cliffhanger because Volume 10 ends in one.

The entire series just abruptly stops and it doesn't look like it will ever be continued, at least not anytime soon. It's quite disappointing, really, no?

Review Rating

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa
Reviewed by Freya Yuki on May 30, 2014
Rating: 2

Overall, I give the Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa series a 2 out of 5 stars (below average). The comic could have been so much better, but, then again, it could have been worse. It has its pros, but it also has a lot of cons, which led to its low score.

The fact that the series is unfinished and incomplete also added to its low rating.

Truthfully, the graphic novel had a bit of a rough start, but things seemed to go pretty well and it wasn't that bad at all as the story was quite enjoyable though its inconsistencies and flaws lessened that a bit.

However, things seemed to go downhill when the Himmelmez arc ended and some of the characters had a makeover where their clothes and even hairstyles were changed.

With that, it seemed like the comic itself underwent a makeover and it wasn't for the best.

Again, for more details, you can check out the Ragnarok tags. The rest of the articles on this series discusses everything else in great detail including what the problems might be, what could be wrong with some scenes, the instances of deus ex machina in the comics, etc. So, what about you? How would you rate this series? Do you agree with the given rating? Why or why not?


*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic shows Ragnarok happening in Norse Mythology, which the aforementioned manhwa series is loosely based on
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

6 Anime You'll Think About When Reading Ragnarok Manhwa

What anime can you be reminded of when or while you're reading Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa? Why would you be reminded of these anime?

Before we take a look at the anime that you might end up thinking about or remembering when reading the aforementioned comic, let's take note of a few things first.

While several anime and the graphic novel may have their similarities, this doesn't necessarily mean they copied each other or something because, in spite of whatever similarities they may have, they're still quite different from each other anyway.

Moreover, just because you can think of a certain anime while reading a certain part of the manhwa, this doesn't mean that you'll be reminded of said anime all the time.

Sometimes, you'll only be reminded of an anime when you encounter a particular scene or event in the graphic novel that can be similar or likened to an event or scene in another series.

At other times, it could even be just one single term being mentioned that would get you to think about another anime, which might have used the same term in the same or in a similar way or context.

Furthermore, this also depends on what anime you've already watched or heard of since you can't be reminded of something you've never even heard of yet. With all that out of the way, let's now take a look at some of the anime that you can think about when reading the Ragnarok series.

1. Full Metal Alchemist

Volume 8 of the graphic novel tells us about the character known as Skrymir who is, apparently, a homunculus.

When I heard that word, I was immediately reminded of the homunculus that appears in the anime series called Full Metal Alchemist (FMA).

In that series, the homunculi are the result of a failed human transmutation. They are created when an alchemist tries to bring someone back from the dead and fails.

An example of a homunculus in FMA is Sloth. She was born or was created after Edward Elric tried to return his mother from the dead. If you're wondering what else the Ragnarok homunculus has in common with the FMA homunculus other than their names, well, keep wondering. It's unlikely that we'll ever find out but, as this is discussed in the post about Skrymir, let's not talk about this now.

2. Pokémon

In Volume 9 of the graphic novel, we are told that Skrymir is now a golem (yeah, don't ask me how that happened; apparently the comic can't make up its mind or something).

Anyway, when I read that Skrymir was now a golem, I immediately got reminded of Pokémon, specifically the Pokémon known as Golem.

Golem is a rock and ground-type Pokémon. This one starts out as a Geodude then evolves into a Graveler before finally becoming a Golem, its final form.

The 2 golems from the 2 series don't really look all that alike though. Did you also get reminded of the Golem Pokémon when you heard that Skrymir in Ragnarok manhwa is also a golem?

3. InuYasha / Inu-Yasha

The preview for Volume 5 that appears at the end of Volume 4 of the Ragnarok manhwa is where we are first introduced to Ymir's Heart. This thing is said to be the lifeforce of Midgard.

Apparently, this can also ensure that Freya's reign will last for another thousand years, which is why she sent one of her followers, Himmelmez, to retrieve this heart for her.

The summary in Volume 5 gives us some more information about the heart. Midgard was apparently created from Ymir's Heart. Then it was scattered all over the world in shards and pieces.

Freya wants the heart for herself because its power will help her control the world and let her be its supreme ruler for a long time. So Freya sends 3 of her followers, Himmelmez, Bijou and Sara Irine, to Prontera where one of the shards or pieces of Ymir's Heart is located.

Of course, Chaos and the rest of the main characters just so happen to be in Prontera and they do their best to protect the heart piece. A fight ensues and it ends with the bad guys getting one of the heart shards. Now our heroes will have to travel around Midgard to locate the other pieces in order to prevent Freya from getting her hands on them and using it for her evil purposes.

Doesn't this particular event or scene seem somewhat familiar to you? If you've watched the Inu-Yasha or InuYasha anime series, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Replace Ymir's Heart with the Shikon No Tama and you'll see the similarities between these two items. Both are very powerful, are wanted by many different people and are scattered in pieces all over the world.

The Shikon No Tama or the Jewel of Four Souls or the Sacred Jewel is a magical and powerful jewel that exists in the world of the InuYasha series.

Certain events happening led to the jewel, not only being shattered into millions of shards and pieces, but also scattering to the four corners of the world. The protagonists, consisting of Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo (not counting Kirara), travel around in order to collect all of the Shikon shards and prevent the main villain, Naraku, from obtaining the jewel for himself.

In the same way, the main characters of Ragnarok, consisting of Chaos, Fenris Fenrir, Loki, Lidia and Iris Irine, also travel around Midgard, to look for the pieces of Ymir's Heart and stop the main antagonist, Freya, from getting her hands on the heart.

4-6. Flame Of Recca, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter X Hunter

Numbers 4 to 6 are listed together because one single event in the Ragnarok series reminded me of these 3 anime. What is this scene exactly? And how can one scene remind one of so many anime?

In Volume 8, the protagonists arrive in Geffen, the City of Magic. We then find out that there is going to be a Festival of Magic.

Thanks to that, all the shops except the inns and booths will be closed, leaving our heroes stranded in this city, unable to leave and head to their destination.

The festival will last for half a month. Obviously, the main characters can't wait that long and would like to leave the city as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there is going to be a Tournament of Magic. In this tournament, only magic can be used by the fighters. The winner will get many prizes (exact prizes have not been specified) and, apparently, one of the prizes can help Chaos and the others with their transportation problem. And that's the reason why Fenris Fenrir is made to join the Tournament of Magic.

Volume 9 is where we see the tournament and Fenris battling against other people and showing us readers just how cool and awesome she is with the way she fights and wins against her opponents.

In the anime series Flame of Recca (Rekka no Hono), there is also a tournament known as the Ura Butō Satsujin.

The main characters, including Recca Hanabishi, Fūko Kirisawa, Domon Ishijima, Tokiya Mikagami, Kaoru Koganei, join and fight in this tournament using magical items known as madōgu (psychic devices).

In this tournament, we saw many different kinds of cool psychic devices and awesome fight scenes between the resident heroes and their opponents.

The anime series Yu Yu Hakusho also has a tournament known as the Dark Tournament (Ankoku Bujutsukai or the Dark Martial Arts Association).

In this tournament, teams of humans and demons fight against each other. The team who wins gets any wish they want.

The protagonists, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and Genkai, join this tournament and are collectively referred to as Team Urameshi.

As can be expected, they fight a lot of fierce battles but they are eventually declared as the winners of this tournament. Again, as with the other anime with tournaments, there are a lot of really cool fight scenes in this one and we get to see the heroes showcase their abilities and amazing fighting styles.

The anime Hunter x Hunter is similar to the aforementioned series in that there is also a tournament involved however they're not really all that similar.

Being in need of money and some training, Gon and Killua, 2 of the main characters in the series, head to what is known as the Heavens Arena (Tenkū Tōgijō).

This is a place where fighters and martial artists and all those who want to fight and earn some money gather. People fight matches and, if they win, they get the prize money and advance to the next level. Of course, that's easier said than done since many of the best fighters and those that are expert Nen users gather in this place to fight.

In the anime, we see Gon and Killua learning Nen, strengthening their skills and engaging in battles where they showcase what they learned and show how cool and amazing they really are, all the while also earning some money.

These are just some of the anime that you might think about while reading the Ragnarok manhwa. What do you think of all these other series? Do you like them? What other anime or manga can you think about when reading Ragnarok: Into The Abyss?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Rusembell, CC:BY from deviantArt
- The similarities between the two figures in the image are meant to represent the similarities that can sometimes be found in different anime series
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last 2 images are also from Amazon.com; links shown above

Why Does Ragnarok Manhwa Like Telling Instead Of Showing?

This post is also known as 'the evolution and devolution of the summaries and previews of Ragnarok: Into The Abyss'.

What does that mean exactly? What are some examples of the manhwa telling instead of showing?

There are actually many times in the graphic novel wherein we are told a lot of things instead of being shown.

It really makes you wonder why the comic loves to tell us all about its plot rather than make things more believable by showing us what happened instead. What's wrong with showing us plot-related events? This is certainly more preferable than being told what happened and then being expected to believe that that is what happened just because the graphic novel said so.

The sad thing is that the comic doesn't do this all the time. There are times when the manhwa actually succeeds in making things believable by showing things to us, which proves that it is quite capable of showing, so why can't it show all the time?

Let's take a look at some of the summaries and previews of the graphic novel and see which ones did more telling than showing.

Volume 5 preview

The preview for Volume 5 that appears at the end of Volume 4 can be classified as telling. This is because this is where we are introduced to Himmelmez for the very first time. She was never mentioned in the previous volumes and yet, instead of properly introducing her to us, the preview does the introductions by telling us that she's a Valkyrie and necromancer working for Freya, the main villain/antagonist.

So, the first time we actually see her in the comic, we wouldn't even have to be surprised anymore since we already know a lot about her.

That's not an exaggeration either because this preview really goes out of its way to tell us all about Himmelmez.

Aside from telling us what she is and who she's working for, we're also told that she's going to be attacking Prontera. We even find out that she apparently has a flying fortress.

As if that wasn't enough, this is also where the pieces of Ymir's Heart are introduced as we're told that Freya has ordered Himmelmez to obtain the shards for her because, apparently, this will ensure that she can rule the world for another thousand years. How that is supposed to work, we don't know, which is a surprise, really, since it seems like the preview doesn't care if it reveals entire plot points to us.

The introduction of Himmelmez and the Heart of Ymir shouldn't have been done in this preview since these 2 were never foreshadowed in any of the previous volumes. It would have been better if we first find out about these two only after encountering them while reading the manhwa.

This preview could have gone much better if we weren't told about things that we've never heard of before. In the first place, these 2 topics have absolutely nothing to do with the ending of Volume 4.

The fourth volume ends in a cliffhanger since we're still in the middle of the fight scene between Loki, Chaos and Skurai. The preview could have given us a teaser of some sort such as making us wonder who will win the fight or if Chaos will be able to save the little girl that got in the way of the fight.

Volume 6 preview

In contrast to the disaster that was the preview for Volume 5, the preview for Volume 6 that appears at the end of the fifth volume is not that bad at all, certainly not when compared to the aforementioned disastrous preview.

In this preview for the 6th Volume, we get that Iris Irine and Fenris Fenrir will team up to battle against Bijou while Chaos and Loki will work together to deal with Himmelmez.

Since this is what we just read about in Volume 5, this makes for a good teaser, enticing the readers to want to find out what will happen next.

The mention of blood being spilled from both sides also makes us wonder who will win as this could actually pertain to either the heroes or the antagonists.

The one thing that this preview could have omitted was the mention that the "prodigal daughter will return". This has nothing to do with the previous volume and appears to have come from out of nowhere, so much so that it ends up jarring what would otherwise be a pretty good preview.

The prodigal daughter might refer to Sara Irine, but why would she be known as that? She's never been called by this before, so why start now and why tell us now when the comic could have just shown us?

Volume 8 preview

The preview for Volume 8 that appears at the end of Volume 7 brings us to yet another telling as what appears to be the entire plot of the 8th volume is revealed to us before we even get started reading said graphic novel.

For starters, exactly why does this particular preview feel the need to tell us that Lidia will be joining the group again?

Why can't the comic just let us be surprised when this happens instead of telling us about this now? Well, at least we're not told how they will meet with Lidia again (small consolation, that).

This revelation doesn't even make any sense right now because the end of Volume 7 has nothing to do with Lidia, so how could we be told that she will appear in Volume 8?

Volume 7 is the end of the extremely long fight scene between the main characters and the antagonists and yet the preview for Volume 8 is telling us about things that have nothing to do with that.

We're told that the heroes will be riding on an airship and Freya will send some of her minions to cause them trouble. But why tell us all of this now? We could have been given a teaser instead.

After all, considering Chaos and the others are the main characters, it's pretty obvious that none of them will be permanently incapacitated any time soon and that the bad guys won't really win against them. So, it's really like we pretty much know what will happen in Volume 8 without needing to read said manhwa.

Volume 9 preview

At least the preview for Volume 9 that appears at the end of Volume 8 is not that bad though it is still telling. We do know that there is an elven archer since we just saw her in the 8th volume, but was it really necessary to give us her name in the preview? We're told that this elven archer is apparently named Reina, but why tell us this now?

Why couldn't we have just found out about this when we read the 9th volume? Besides the main characters don't even know her name yet.

Speaking of what else the main characters don't know yet, they also don't know that Reina is apparently one of the last of her kind and yet the preview readily reveals this to us for some unknown reason.

We're even told what her motive for attacking the heroes is - apparently she wants to protect her people's legacy even if it means fighting the good guys. But what's the need to tell us all of this now?

What's wrong with having the readers discover this tidbit of information at the same time as the protagonists? Can't we find out about all of this later on when we read Volume 9? Geffen and Alfheim were mentioned too, but the good thing about this is how the preview is asking us what secrets can be discovered in these places.

Another good thing is how the mention of these places didn't actually come from out of nowhere since these 2 appeared in Volume 8. This serves as a pretty good teaser to make readers curious and want to find out more about these places. The preview also says something about Skurai, but it's vague enough that it sounds like a teaser. Asking questions helps so it doesn't come across as telling us stuff.

Volume 10 preview

The best preview of the series is the one for Volume 10, which appears at the end of Volume 9, and there is no sarcasm to those words.

The preview for Volume 10 really is the best precisely because there is no telling at all. All we get is a very good teaser with lots of questions about Skurai.

The preview hints that we will soon find out about his past and whatever we will find may be shocking and surprising.

There is even a mention of Talatsu, Skurai's cursed sword, as well as the question of what the swordsman has to do with this sword. All-in-all, this particular preview is very intriguing indeed and makes readers want to read the tenth volume just to find out what will happen.

This is how it should have been for all of the previews. It's really unfortunate that this is the last preview we get to see since the manhwa unexpectedly ends in Volume 10. What are your thoughts on the many summaries and previews of the Ragnarok series? Which one do you like best? Which one did you like the least?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to symbolize telling instead of showing - if we're talking about a graphic novel, instead of telling us that the the figures in the image are getting married, we should be shown that they're getting married as well as why and how they're getting married and other such relevant details
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above

What's Wrong With Frigg's Clue To Find Loki (Ragnarok Manhwa)?

The main characters of Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa are tasked to find someone with their only clue being that this person is "human and not". What could possibly be wrong with said clue?

In Volume 3 of the graphic novel, the Norse queen of the gods and the mother of Balder, the goddess Frigg, shows up to talk to both Chaos and Fenris Fenrir.

As the trio talk, we find out that, apparently, the fate of the world rests on Chaos' shoulders and that he's the only one capable of saving said world.

Why this is the case, I have no idea. But, apparently and supposedly, this is his destiny. Yeah, right (insert eye-roll here?). Let's just forget that for now and get back to what this post is about.

So, Frigg then says that before the main characters can get started with their quest, they first need to "find the one who is both human and not". The protagonists have no idea who this could possibly be. But the readers know that this statement refers to Loki thanks to the very helpful image of said assassin that appears right beside those words.

However, even if we know who the words refer to, we still don't know exactly how and why this is the case. Why is he considered the one who is human and not? How can he be both human and not? I suppose we'll just have to wait to find out when we get to that part of the story.

Well, that's what I would like to say, but, unfortunately, we got to the part of the plot where this should have been explained (when Loki meets up with Chaos and the others and ends up joining their party and it's revealed that he's the one they're looking for) and there is no explanation at all.

This point is simply overlooked and glossed over, practically forgotten as no one bothers to question Loki.

Let's just go back to the trio's conversation before this baffles us further.

Frigg adds that they need to find this person because he's necessary for their success and survival, implying that the heroes will fail in their quest without this guy.

Frigg then says that she wishes she can say more, but, apparently, for some unknown reason, she just can't. Yeah, very believable, no?

Chaos then asks his mother how they can possibly find the one who is human and not. Frigg's answer is simply the word 'west'. Very helpful, no?

With Frigg's departure, the only thing our heroes are left with are the clues that they're supposed to head west. And therein lies the problem. Seriously, look at those supposed clues.

How can anyone even classify those as clues, much less helpful and useful clues? Let's start with the 'head west' clue. While it's good that the main characters don't have to search the entire world, the west isn't exactly a small area.

Frigg didn't even give them an address, just a general direction. How can that help them?

They could traverse the entirety of the western area of the world, but if they don't know exactly who they're looking for, well, how can they find that person then?

And that brings us to the 'human and not' clue. This might be the worst clue of them all. How are they expected to find Loki with such a clue?

It's not like the guy will be walking around with a sign helpfully informing our heroes who he is. What, are the protagonists going to walk around and ask everyone that they come across if said person is the one who is human and not?

Even if they get a response from people with such a question, how will they know that that person is telling the truth? You know that there's something really wrong with the clues and that said clues are really useless when you have one of the main characters agreeing with you.

In Volume 4 of the manhwa, Chaos, Fenris Fenrir and Iris Irine arrive in the city of Prontera. The trio have no idea how or even where to start looking for the one who is human and not. Fenris herself says, "I wish Frigg could have given us more of a clue" and "we don't even know what he looks like". That is exactly the point and the problem.

So, with such clues, how did you think they were going to find Loki? What did you think was going to happen? To say the next scene was rather disappointing would be putting it mildly, to say the least.

With such less-than-helpful clues, it's no wonder that we had to have a deus ex machina in order to have the trio meet up with Loki. Perhaps that's the only term that can be used to describe what happened next. Why, you ask?

It's because the protagonists didn't even have a hard time finding the guy. You think they would have had a hard time especially considering the clues (if you could even call them that) they've been given.

But no. Instead of having a hard time, the person they're looking for is practically handed to them in a silver platter. That's how easily they were able to find him. And the whole 'human and not' clue didn't even factor into it. Or, to be more precise, that's how easily Loki found them.

If he hadn't found them, they most likely never would have been able to find him, not with such useless clues. But, if you really look at it, even the way the assassin found Chaos and the others could be said to be questionable and bordering on deus ex machina (actually, maybe it is really deus ex machina).

This is because of how easily he found the main characters; he didn't have reliable clues either. But that's discussed in another post, so, if you're interested, just check out the tags below and/or this post.

Anyway, Loki easily found Chaos just by seeing the symbol on the back of the latter's shirt. So, how ridiculous does that sound? After all, anyone could wear shirts with that symbol, no?

Besides, for all Loki knew, maybe Chaos just bought that shirt somewhere or maybe Chaos borrowed that from someone or something.

What do you think? Do you think that Frigg should have given the main characters useful and reliable clues in order to find Loki? Were you disappointed at how Chaos and the others met up with the assassin? What do you think is the meaning of the clue that Loki is both human and not?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by MizuSasori, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the mystery of the identity of the one who is human and not because the figure in said image is wearing a mask
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above

Who Is Himmelmez In Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa?

This post is also known as the 'real and true identity of Himmelmez' and 'make up your mind already'. What exactly is so confusing about this character from Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa?

Himmelmez is first mentioned in the preview for Volume 5, which appears at the end of Volume 4 of the graphic novel.

Yes, this is where we are introduced to a new character since Himmelmez was never even mentioned, much less alluded to, before this particular preview.

Why she couldn't be properly introduced to us in the story itself, I suppose we'll never know. Anyway, the Volume 5 preview tells us that Himmelmez is apparently both a necromancer and a Valkyrie. She's also one of the goddess Freya's followers. Said goddess sent her to Prontera to get the shard of Ymir's Heart. But how exactly does that work? How can you be both at the same time?

It doesn't even seem like the two jobs are compatible with each other considering how different they are. What adds to the confusion is how we are told that Himmelmez apparently commands the armies of Niflheim. How and why are the most important questions to ask about that supposed fact because it doesn't make sense at all.

In Norse Mythology, Niflheim is one of the Nine Worlds that is connected to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. This place is the equivalent of the underworld, hell or afterlife in other mythologies.

The goddess called Hel is the ruler of Niflheim. She's the Norse equivalent of the Greek god Hades. So, if anyone is to be the commander of the armies of Niflheim, it couldn't possibly be anyone else but its ruler, Hel.

If Himmelmez is Hel and has command
over the armies of Niflheim, then why
would she work for Freya?

Himmelmez couldn't and shouldn't have been able to command the armies of a realm she has no control or power over.

In the first place, we don't even know who this woman really is. Could she possibly be Hel? That would explain why she can control the armies of Niflheim.

But, if she is Hel, then why would she work for Freya? Hel is the ruler and commander of Niflheim. She doesn't work for anyone.

She is the one who makes all the rules and decisions regarding the dead and her realm. No one else but her has jurisdiction over the place she governs.

Even the other Norse gods and goddesses have to adhere to her decisions when it concerns her abode and those who are brought there. For example, when the god Balder (or Baldr) died, Frigg, his mother and the queen of the gods, sent someone to Niflheim to speak to Hel and ask her to let Balder return to them.

They couldn't just take Balder back, not without Hel's permission because he was in her abode and it was her decision on what to do. Hel eventually agreed to let Balder return to Asgard, the realm of the gods, but only if everyone and everything in the world will shed tears for him.

Unfortunately for Balder, all but one cried for him and so he was unable to return. This is why it would never make sense for Himmelmez to have power over Niflheim's armies unless she is actually Hel, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If this is something that is actually not based in Norse Mythology (since the comic is only loosely based on said mythology), then this should have been clarified to the readers so that those who know about mythology will not end up getting confused with statements that don't seem to make any sense at all.

Anyway, let's just move on to Volume 5, not that this part is any better or less confusing than the aforementioned scene.

In the part of the manhwa wherein we see Sara Irine and Himmelmez talking, the Valkyrie refers to Himmelmez as a life-eater.

But what does that mean? Does it mean anything or is this just some sort of nickname that Sara decides to call Himmelmez?

And what happened to Himmelmez being a necromancer and Valkyrie? Why is she only referred to as a life-eater here? What adds to the confusion and strangeness of the matter is how this is the first and last time we hear the term life-eater.

After that statement from Sara, we never hear this being said ever again. It's almost as if it had never even been said in the first place because no one makes mention of this again. Odd, strange and confusing don't even begin to cover or properly describe that particular scene, so let's just move on to the next scene in Volume 5 that makes us ask a multitude of questions.

This part is where we see one of Himmelmez's followers referring to her as the Dark Valkyrie. What does that mean exactly? So, are there Light Valkyries now? What's the difference between the 2 then? If that term doesn't mean anything, then why bother saying it? And what happened to Himmelmez also being a necromancer?

How come she's only referred to as a Valkyrie now and not a necromancer? Things get even more confusing when we get to the summary at the back of Volume 6 as Himmelmez is now referred to solely as a necromancer as well as being one of Freya's generals. There's no mention of her being a Valkyrie, but why not?

Even the story so far of Volume 6 and Volume 7 refer to her as only being a necromancer. What happened to her also being a Valkyrie? What exactly is she supposed to be?

First, she's both a necromancer and a Valkyrie. Then she's a life-eater. Then she becomes a Dark Valkyrie. Now, she's just a necromancer. Why can't this graphic novel make up its mind?

Not confused or miffed enough yet? Take another look at Volume 7 then, specifically the fight scene between Chaos and Himmelmez.

Let's not talk about how this scene lasted way too long and how Himmelmez took way too long to get rid of Chaos even though it was clear that she was more powerful, considering how the main character's attacks easily kept getting deflected as that would just frustrate us more because, honestly, what was Himmelmez waiting for? Why is she taking so much time in trying to off Chaos? It's like she's waiting to lose or something.

Himmelmez's words to Chaos is probably more than enough frustration for one post. She says, "I am the daughter of death in living form."

What does that even mean? And how exactly does that work? Why does death have a daughter? Even if death has a daughter, why would the child be mortal? Shouldn't the child be like death?

Himmelmez apparently has aspects of mortal life, but, with the heart of Ymir, she can apparently become immortal. How that is supposed to work, we don't know as the woman never bothers to tell us.

She even says that there's no earthly weapon that can harm her. She also apparently devours the souls of others, what she calls their life force and this is supposedly where she gets her strength, not that any of that makes any sense at all.

But all of that is yet another indication that Himelmez is much, much more powerful than Chaos, so much so that it really makes one wonder exactly what she is waiting for. Why hasn't she defeated the protagonist yet when it's really clear that she can easily do this? What do you think? What's your theory on who and what Himmelmez really is?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the mysteriousness surrounding the identity of Himmelmez - because the figure in said image is facing away, no one can tell who she might be
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above