Stephen Lee wrote:

Hey, Stephen, mega-thanks for doing these summaries for the ML, especially
for such a crucial point in the story line! (I would have sent this reply
earlier, but my ISP has been having problems with outgoing mail for the last
couple days - grrrrr!)

I, for one, am overjoyed every time I see another installment from you.
Very commendable work!

This chapter is especially interesting to me, as I've posted repeatedly on
the subject of Urd's bloodlines [Sam is cringing right now, I can tell!
^_- ], and now it looks like we're finally getting another installment from
Fujishima-sensei.  This is a cause for celebration, since most of our
knowledge of the Goddesses' parentage comes from a couple panels way back in
Volume 5 (The 'Terrible Master Urd' story arc, for DH readers)!

>One "free" telephone card for everybody who bought this issue (or the
>next) and applies.  There are 31 designs and 1 of them is A!MS.
>
>Ah! Megami-sama Ch.134 "Last resort"
>
>The story so far: K1 and co. found out Vesper (the cat) can talk.
>
>Vesper told everybody (except Belldandy) that he's been watching their
>stupid attempts at trying to restore Peorth to size.  Urd said that he
>couldn't have retained his mind as that should be subdued during the
>rebirth penalty. K1 figures it out: Vesper laid a curse on himself again.

And here we had thought that it was a punishment imposed by the Demon High
Council or whatever that governing body was.  Good for K1!  Of course,
Velspa (or Vesper, or whatever) was never able to pull much over on K1.

By the way, that "Rebirth Penalty" is interesting.  Dovetails nicely with a
pet theory of mine on how Norse Mythology could be reconciled with the AMG
universe.

>Peorth demands that Vesper restores her.  Vesper said that her attitude
>is not appropriate. He asks, "Do you think I'm just an ordinary cat?"
>and met a skeptical response from everyone.  He says, "Even being like
>this, I still have some powers you know", and proceeds to chase the
rat-spider
>from last issue. Everybody becomes more skeptical.

So maybe there was some kind of power-limiting punishment after all?  Hard
to think Velspa would get away scott free after that time stopping stunt.

>Peorth gets impatient and demands Vesper to restore her again.  But he
>said "I cannot".  "WHAT?" Peorth got mad and swings Vesper (the cat)
>around.  "Waaaait!! Pleeeeeeease calm down!!!!", Vesper yells, "I said,
>'_I_ cannot do it', did you hear?"

Yeah!  Peorth finally *really* loses her temper!  About time she dropped
those superior airs of hers - even if only for a moment.  Maybe she'll wait
until after she's restored and introduce the kitty to a bulldog?

>K1 answers, "You mean _somebody_ can?!"  "Yes, perhaps only one
>person..." was the answer.  "So who is it?!" Peorth is getting excited
>again when Belldandy pops into the room and asks, "So can they restore
>you, Peorth?" and scares her.
>
>Vesper whispers to Peorth: "Speak what I say." "Huh?" Peorth says. "You
>don't want Belldandy to know about me, do you?"

Why wouldn't they want Belldandy to know?  It might be a little
uncomfortable for her, but what's the big deal, here?  I'm obviously missing
something.

>"Listen to me, Belldandy", Peorth/Vesper says.  "Right now, as Vesper is
>missing, the only one that can restore me is the one who is most
>knowledgable about magic."  Urd puts on a sour face.  "The one is...!"

Can Urd sense what's coming, here?

>Peorth is surprised by the name Vesper utters.  "...the one is...
>Dai-makai-chou HI-RU-DO".  Everyone is surprised.  K1 asks what a
>Dai-makai-chou is.  Urd answers, "It means the 'Top of makai'(leader of
>hell?)."
>
>Belldandy says she considered it, but she has no means of contacting
>this entity.  Peorth/Vesper asserts that it is possible.  She/he asks
>Urd, "Right?"
>
>The reaction from everybody:
>
>  K1: "!?"
>  Skuld: "No matter how much she's half-goddess half-devil ---"
>  Belldandy: "If she can do it that means my sister..."
>  Peorth: "I can return to normal?"
>
>"Hmm," Urd ponders. "Is that really the only way?" she asks
>Peorth/Vesper.  Vesper nyahs positively.  "Well, then, it can't be
>helped," Urd says resignedly.  She goes and picks up the phone, sighing
>a bit before dialing.  She talks a bit and says, "this could be the
>first time _I_ makes contact instead."  "Friend?" K1 wonders aloud.
>"No, I don't think so," Belldandy says, "probably not..."
>
>Urd talks some more, exclaims, "WHA--------T?" "That must be a lie,
>right? Hello?" and gets cut off.  "What is it?" Belldandy asks.
>
>"She's coming here, she said," Urd answers. "Right now."
>
>"What?  How come?"  Skuld doesn't understand.  "The leader of hell
>coming here, this easily?"
>
>"Well," Urd says, "she is my mother, after all, you know."
>
>Next issue: more than what you imagine, Urd's mother.  The look of a
>trouble-maker.

BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

So, I was wrong about Urd's mother being dead.  However, "Hi-ru-do" (I'm
assuming it's written in Katakana?) and "Hel" are similar enough that all
that Lord of Terror(Loki)-->Hel-->Urd
family tree stuff I came up with might not be bunk after all!  Especially
when you consider that Hi-ru-do and Hel are rulers in Nifelheim in their
respective realities!  Oh, happy day!  [Does Senbei's 'Happy Dance'] ^_^

Of course, since Urd's mother is alive this begs the question "Why didn't
the mantle of 'Lord of Terror' pass to Urd's mother instead of directly to
Urd?"  However, when you think about it, in Norse mythology Hel never had
anything to do with Loki or her brothers.  She set up her domain in
Nifelheim as ruler of Hel (yes, it's named after her) and never lifted a
finger to help any of them.  The bloodlust which drove the other members of
her family never possessed her.  She even survives Ragnarok since Nifelheim
is about the only thing Surt doesn't torch at the end.

Wow, what a great issue to fuel even more wild speculation!  And just when
Sam thought I'd been shamed to the point of never daring to again bring up
points of similarity between AMG and Norse Mythology!

Thankyou,Thankyou,Thankyou,Thankyou,Thankyou, Stephen!  Can't wait until
next month!


Brian W.

WOOOOOHOOOOO URUDO !!!

Yeah, I think this issue deserves a voicing of the 'Battle Cry'!