Nanatsu no Taizai 112 Review: Gowther and Brainwashing

Nanatsu no Taizai, Chapter 112: Existence and Proof

We pick up from the Gowther plot last chapter, and we first open with Diane and Elizabeth just talking about love and King and Meliodas, which is actually appropriate to the rest of the chapter how all these lovey-dovey stuff going on in Diane's head ties in to the whole Gowther thing. They run into Zeal, though, who thankfully isn't murdered... but is basically mind-raped or mind-wiped by Gowther. Diane brings Zeal to Gowther for help, who happen to be nearby, and they find out that even Guila has forgotten who Zeal is, talking about how Gowther is the only family she needs.

Diane puts two and two together and Gowther unashamedly admits that he has, indeed, manipulated their memories. Gowther begins talking about how his relationship with Guila has no need of a little brother, how what he desires is a 'heart' that can process and comprehend feelings and all that.

We get a bit of Merlin and Meliodas, where Meliodas asks Merlin to return to him what she took ten years ago, but in predictable manga fashion we get interrupted by Hawk, who's basically high on whatever was in the drugs that Gowther threw away, which is apparently 'Spiritual Power Equalizing Medicine'. Merlin is still smiling and everything, but acknowledges that shit just got real.

Gowther goes on and talks about camaraderie and friendship and stuff, and when Guila interrupts Gowther puts her to sleep because, hey, he's a freaking sociopath. Gowther has observed how Meliodas' power had increased when fighting Ban due to love, and vice versa, since both of them were fighting for Elizabeth and Elaine respectively, which kind of makes sense that they introduced power levels, if only to make Gowther's mathematical observations make sense to a robot. Or whatever the fuck Gowther is.

Gowther took the opportunity of healing Guila (though he did heal her) to study emotion, and replaced Guila's inferiority complex with fabricated memories of basically being a Holy Knight by her own power and basically being Gowther's childhood friend turned wife. Basically Tsukishima's power from Bleach, but not stupidly overpowered. Gowther claims that it is a flawless treatment, which got Diane to absolutely go berserk in anger because you shouldn't just go around manipulating people's memories. And I do like how in the span of two pages Gowther delivers an argument about how Guila is much happier now with false memories compared to the hurtful truth, and it's way more effective than what Obito has yapped about for the past two, three years. The comparison between the true and false memories do seem jarring, and I do see that there aren't any clear-cut answer. Gowther's solution would actually be good if it didn't involve, y'know, mind-raping her to forget her own beloved little brother.

And Diane says that, about how their feelings are important, but Gowther simply does his computer thing and goes on about how their relationship does not need the existence of a little brother. Gowther is freaking creepy. Diane tells Elizabeth to summon Meliodas and Merlin, and Gowther launches one of his emotion arrows but Diane moves in to fight Gowther, while summoning an earth pillar to block Gowther's arrow. Gowther summons his Sacred Treasure, the Twin Bow Harlot, and uses the skill Blackout, which is pretty cool. We see a lot of black moving out from him and engulfing basically everything. Diane survives, and Gowther explains that it's going to place anyone with a power lower than 400 in suspension, which includes Elizabeth, unfortunately. Which is a cool ability.

Gowther talks about how memory is just information, and the true mystery is emotion, and Diane roars about how even though her memory has been erased, she can get them back because of the strong emotions associated with her memory. Or something more flowery than that. And then she summons a shit-ton of pillars and apparently we're going to see Diane and Gowther have a gigantic throw-down in the middle of the town!

Well, this is going to be interesting. Definitely looking forward to what is next.