Manga and Anime

The Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 6 Review

Howzer whips up a huge storm in an attempt to defeat Diane, but even a human-sized giant can stand strong against the fiercest tempests.

Jordan Richards

December 3, 2017

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As our fighting tournament grows closer to its conclusion, trouble is brewing as the Holy Knights head towards our heroes. Is it good?

Here’s the description for this volume:

Howzer whips up a huge storm in an attempt to defeat Diane, but even a human-sized giant can stand strong against the fiercest tempests. In the next match, Meliodas faces Cain, who conjures terrifying fire magic while also leveling fiery accusations at Meliodas about his rumored involvement in the destruction of Danafell. How will Meliodas respond? Can he take the punishment for his alleged sins?”

Describing this volume in one word: Intense. This is by far the most intense and crazy volume we’ve had in the series as things take a grim turn for our heroes. The story starts off normal, continuing with the tournament arc as our heroes try to win back Diane’s hammer. It has some serious moments and reveals, but it is mostly just fun and silly. Then come the Holy Knights with Guila, an upgraded Jericho, and two new members that give our heroes a run for their money. The story is nerve-wracking with how it keeps bouncing back between who is winning in the fight; the stakes feel higher than ever, the villains are nastier and stronger, and just when things hit their worst… a terrible calamity strikes. It’s an intense rollercoaster when it gets going and writer Nakaba Suzuki does so well intermixing plot revelations, action, and characterization. This is the series at its absolute best.

Character-wise, there were a lot of good bits here and there. Meliodas’s more questionable antics were buried once more (they should REALLY stay buried) and the focus was put more on his past, revealing to us his connection with Danafall, a former kingdom that apparently Elizabeth was born in. He’s confronted by an old ally of his from back then, indicating that he had some part in its downfall despite our lead not remembering anything. Given the hints we’ve seen throughout the series so far and the ending, you can see why someone might think that and the book has done a good job in making you want to know more.

The Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 6 Review

Elizabeth doesn’t really do much here, though her relationship with her sister Veronica is explored a tad bit more. She loves her sister dearly and understands why she wants to take her home, but she just can’t sit by and let the Holy Knights wreck this land. She’s willing to abandon her sister for good to stop this injustice, showing she’s growing more backbone as time goes on. Though, honestly, she should really show more when it comes to Meliodas and his perverted antics since her dismissal of that is rather unfortunate.

The other characters in this volume, new and old, were good like usual for the most part. King is plenty of fun, shown at his strongest, but also his weakest. He’s an incredible magic user that can flatten almost anyone in his way, but his physical capabilities are less than impressive and that leaves him in a bad position when he meets a foe that can match him magically. Diane I’m mixed about here, since the book shows how great she is when it comes to fighting and her heroic side, going out of her way to save someone in danger during a fight with a Holy Knight. But then it plays her as being very unstable and an incredibly jealous fool when Ban tricks her with something related to Meliodas. While she has been unstable before and is more prone to being very emotionally off when it comes to her crush, it undercut how incredible she is. Ban is Ban basically, with all his rudeness and crudeness, and he might be a bit too off-putting to some regarding his comments made towards Jericho. Hawk was great despite just being the team mascot and basically a pig, throwing his life into danger several times even though he had no hopes of winning. It really shows how heroic the character is and that he isn’t just simply a comic relief.

The spotlight stealers here were definitely the Holy Knights and Veronica, who were just great antagonists. Princess Veronica finally caught up again with Elizabeth, more determined than ever to bring her home, and we get some more insight into her with a look into her past, showing that she’s been fed a lie that her sister could be brainwashed. She, alongside Griamore and Howser, were definitely the most human of the villains, acting almost heroic and caring about life around them. It in turn made them great contrasts with other vile knights, Jericho, Guila, Marmas and Sir Helbram, who had been in disguise the whole time it turns out. Marmas was only in about five or six pages of the book, but has one my favorite designs, weapons, and introductions so far with his gravity maracas. Jericho is super enhanced now like mentioned and the manga is playing up her grudge with Ban, as she wants revenge for her humiliation. While it makes for a good showdown between the two, her comments are a bit weird and creepily sexual in a manner.

The Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 6 Review

Sir Helbram is a great new villain, bringing in a foe that connects closely with King and one who can fight on his level, since King is stronger than almost everyone around. Their relationship is bitter and seems to have ended in a manner that should have resulted in Helbram’s death, but we don’t know. Hopefully, we get more with him quickly. And then there is Guila, who continues to be one of the most vicious and violent foes the series has to offer, seeming even more bloodthirsty than before. She wants payback for what has happened last time on top of her desire for justice, going so far as to potentially slaughter anyone in her way, even allies. She’s a great villain here and given the ending, it’ll be interesting to see how she reacts now that she realized she has bitten off more than she can chew.

The artwork was great in this volume. Besides the usual praises with the characters and capturing the emotional and dramatic moments (quite a few here and drawn very well), the action and designs were what jumped out at me the most here. The action was terrific, having some flowing and smooth fighting that was easy to follow. Didn’t matter if it was a knockdown, drag out fight between Meliodas and Diane or a flashy magic battle with Guila & Jericho versus King, the action looked amazing. There was so much power and energy, the scope of each fight no matter how simple it appeared looking epic in scale. There is definitely some weird posing, awkward foreshortening, and such in a few of the fights (mostly seen with Diane), but it doesn’t take that much away from the book overall.

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Then you the designs with the new Holy Knights introduced and they were pretty good as well. I mentioned Marmas already, who has the most unconventional look so far, but his design is really creative, like a bullet shell-casing made from rubber. Guila’s armor is simple, but regal and fits her no-nonsense attitude. No need for anything flashy, just protective armor. Jericho’s suit I’m mixed on; it fits with her new attitude, embracing and flaunting her femininity, but it just looks weird with the blatant boob hole. Sir Helbram is the best of the bunch, with his helmet both on and off as well. It’s intimidating, imposing, regal, and gives you the sense that this is really someone of power and strength behind him. It’s similar in a way to that of the Weird Fangs’ outfits, but it’s great regardless.

Is It Good?

The Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 6 is a wild ride. The story grows more intense as the villains push the heroes against the wall. The characterization was great, the art was fantastic, and the writing was good. This is easily the best volume of the series to date and I eagerly await the next.