Episode 10 of Maria The Virgin Witch, titled “I Hate And I Love,” is currently streaming on FUNimation and Hulu for paid subscribers. Free subscribers can watch the same episode six days from now on March 22nd.
The titular Maria is imprisoned and awaiting trial for heresy.
Viv had surprised me by taking a stand against Michael let alone in defense of Maria.
I was ultimately shocked at Brother Bernard’s mental breakdown when Maria had an intellectual theological debate with him. I was expecting Bernard to assault Maria out of anger for insulting the Christian doctrine, but did not expect him to be a closeted pervert.
I had a “holy s—t” moment when Viv openly insulted God in front of the Michael the Archangel, which I did feel was way overdue. I expected Maria to openly lash out, but I did not expect Viv to be the one saying that God was not capable of knowing love.
I had an “oh f—k” look when Viv called Michael and the angels inferior beings.
Michael did not waste time in turning Ezekiel into a sword and impaling Viv. It is obvious that Michael didn’t like what Viv had to say, which leads me to contemplate what God’s plan or will truly means in the first place.
This is more traumatic for Ezekiel because she has killed for the first time even though she had no control of her body.
I will go as far as to say that this version of Michael is appealing to anybody identifying with the far right Christian doctrine. He would be a good role model for the Westboro Baptist Church and other like-minded Christian congregations.
It was unnerving when Michael showed no remorse for his action and went as far to compare human beings to grains of wheat. I guess, when I look at this objectively, that Michael is right because it is reminiscent to Eastern philosophy.
Humans are at the top of the food chain, but can be victim to wild carnivores.
Micheal’s rhetorical question about “talking wheat” will make you think carefully. Would we forget trying to eat anything if it talked to us? If we were hungry enough, then “no.”
Maria’s going through the ringer, which points out religious hypocrisy. Religion is supposed to be bringing people together, but this is far from it. It brings up the drawback of organized religion because people abuse their positions for their own self-gain.
It also points out how women were treated back in the day regardless if she practiced witchcraft or not.
This story takes place during the 100 Years War, where the practice of punishing heretics continued for centuries. You can take a look at the Salem Witch Trials as an example.
I was surprised to see Edwina muster the courage to take a stand, where she proves to be a formidable witch. I liked Edwina’s criticism towards Maria, where the latter would risk sparking a witch hunt. It was awesome to watch Maria tell Edwina that she wanted to be taken to the battlefield immediately, which is to likely rescue Joseph.
Maria better be quick about it because Galfa’s about to kill Joseph.
It does suck that Galfa turned on Joseph, but I shouldn’t be that surprised at all. Galfa is a soldier of fortune, who is obsessed with climbing up the socioeconomic ranks and obtaining nobility. He is driven by riches, glory, luxury, and women.
Joseph, who cares for Maria, is a threat to Galfa’s goal. It is obvious that the friendship between Joseph and Galfa was not going to last through the series.
There are plenty of interesting things to take in from this episode.
The first thing to take is the example of how religion has both evolved and devolved over the centuries. I strongly feel that Catholicism is slowly improving under the leadership of Pope Francis, but I wonder where the Catholic Church will head once he is replaced.
Islam continues to devolve where radicals are gaining more attention by each day. You have the ISIS in the Middle East and the Boko Haram in Nigeria.
The second thing makes me contemplate the darkness drawn from people’s hearts because of intolerance. It reminds me of the previous episode to Cross Ange, where a group of civilians demanded that Ange save them because she is a princess.
They have forgotten the fact that Ange was stripped of her title for being a Norma, a person who cannot use mana, and was shunned by society.
The third thing I took from this episode is the interpretation of God’s will. Ezekiel said that the church of the people and the church of Heaven are two different entities.
The final thing I take from this episode is that wars are often sparked by religion and fueled by profit.
