Literary Analysis — VIRGIN SOUL #06: Anatean Holiday

Summary: Nina, Rita, Bacchus, and Hamsa prepare for the Anatae holiday, which is celebrated to commemorate the day humans got rid of demons. 

Nina is upset with Bacchus for what happened last night and, to appease the atmosphere, Rita asks her to buy more chicken wings and red chilies since the ones they have won't be enough to offer to the people who pass by their stand during the evening. And that, besides, it'd be a shame not to have if the handsome young man she arm-wrestled the other day shows up. 

Bacchus wants to know more about the matter, but Nina gives him a murderous look and heads out to go shopping. 

Once absent, Hamsa comments to Rita that Nina kept the ring she won from the handsome young man, something Rita thinks is very ladylike of her.

Nina gets the food she was asked to buy, and the baker gives her a freshly baked loaf of bread because he's happy about the celebration. 

On her way back to the stand, Nina is stopped by the slaver of demons she faced the day before. He was looking for her because he was willing to make her his slave. 

Nina intends to defend herself, but as soon as she realizes the slaveholder is surrounded by handsome men, her heart starts to beat so fast that she's unable to control her body. 

The men throw down her shopping bag, step on the food she was carrying in it, and then beat her. 

Being Nina helpless and at a disadvantage, Charioce —who's strolling through Anatae after having recently visited a grave in the city cemetery— takes it upon himself to beat up the men.

The slaveholder orders his men not to continue trying to take Nina by force when he sees that Charioce has a bracelet like his on his left arm.

Nina is so flustered at seeing Charioce that she's still unable to move. Charioce rescues all the food he can, drops it in Nina's basket, and then walks away. 

Nina takes off after him, surprising Charioce with her speed. 

Charioce asks her why she didn't fight back being that she's strong. Nina can't reveal her secret to him, so she simply tells him she didn't do anything because she's a lady. 

Then, he asks her why she averts her eyes when she talks, but Nina can't say anything. Charioce remembers her name, which makes her happy, and finally asks her if she needs anything from him. 

Nina doesn't miss the opportunity and invites him to stop by her stand in the evening, as she wants to thank him for helping her. Charioce replies that he will.

Nina is so on cloud nine that, when she returns to Rita's stand, she can barely explain the little food she brings back or give details of everything that happened. She keeps thinking about whether Charioce will show up or not at night and worries because she may end up transforming into the Red Dragon out of excitement if she sees him again.

Charioce returns to the castle and sweetly smiles as he walks down one of the corridors while holding the red chili he kept for himself when he picked up Nina's food. 

He gets annoyed when a royal assistant interrupts his thoughts to tell him that he must give notice when he leaves the castle alone.

At the rebel demons' lair, Azazel arranges the plan to ambush the humans for the parade to be held the next day in the city's central square. Azazel agrees to attack with the Red Dragon shortly before reaching the capital's square. The other two squads will take care of the soldiers, as he personally takes care of the king. 

As soon as the meeting ends, Azazel walks through the city streets, where Kaisar spots him. The captain of the Orleans Knights leaves Dias in charge of the squadron while he manages to catch up with Azazel.

Elsewhere in the celebration center, Nina serves customers in Rita's stand, though she's unfocused because she hasn't stopped thinking about Charioce.

Charioce eventually shows up and smiles at the sight of Nina as soon as he sees her. 

He gives Nina the chili he kept, telling her that he had forgotten to give it back to her. 

Bacchus, seeing that Nina is attracted to Charioce —and to make peace with her—, offers Charioce a house special in exchange for taking Nina out for a walk and showing her the festival. 

Charioce agrees and takes Nina with him.

Charioce guides her through the festival and to break the ice, he offers her some mini bananas, which she finds delicious. Then, they admire the acts prepared by the locals. They continue tasting different sweets and even play games at the various stands. 

When they see people dancing, Charioce asks Nina if she wants to dance with him, but she declines because she doesn't know the steps. However, Charioce takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor, where he acts as her lead. Nina learns quickly and discovers that they're perfectly compatible. 

At the end of the tour, Nina is surprised that she hasn't turned into a dragon despite having spent the entire festival with him and even touched hands and danced. 

Charioce tells her that he hasn't danced like that since he was a kid and that it didn't seem to be Nina's first time, to which she tells him that she has never danced or walked alone with a man in the city. Charioce tells her that it's also the first time he has walked with a girl on the city streets and that it's been fun. Nina then plucks up her courage and asks him his name, to which he replies that it's Chris. 

Nina asks him if they'll see each other again, as she'd like to dance with him again. Chris tells her that he doesn't know, but he hopes to. 

Nina's heart races so fast that, when she feels she'll transform into the Red Dragon, she runs out, leaving Chris alone in the street.

Nina runs so far and so fast that, on her way, she crashes into Azazel, who asks her to show up the next day at a specific tower for when the festival takes place. 

Nina doesn't understand anything and goes back with Bacchus and Hamsa.

Kaisar finally finds Azazel and asks him what he's plotting. 

Azazel tells him that the demons will join the human celebration the next morning, and then disappears from his sight.

In the chariot, Nina writes a new letter to her mom. She tells her that something happened to her that has made her feel like never before. At that very moment, Nina realizes she has fallen in love with Chris/Charioce.

Style: The idea of certainty and uncertainty is immediately presented through Nina. After inviting Chris/Charioce to stop by Rita's stand at night, she can't stop thinking about whether he'll show up or not.

Then, the idea is presented again through Charioce, expectant because he promised to see Nina during the night, but who doesn't know if he'll make it out of the castle without being seen. 

Point of view: Nina's and Chris'/Charioce's are the main ones.

Tone: Expectant

Fixed literary devices:

• Transversal themes:
• Love
• Identity and Secrecy
• Certainty and Uncertainty
• Transversal symbols (motifs):
• Red hot chili
• Flames
• Red apples
• Holding hands

Mutable literary devices:

• Episode Themes:
• Certainty and Uncertainty
• Hunting
• Peace

Conflicts: Certainty vs. Uncertainty

Thematic elements: 

• Certainty vs. Uncertainty:
• Nina spends the day wondering whether Chris/Charioce will show up or not.
• Charioce wonders if he'll manage to leave the castle without telling at night.
• Charioce doesn't know if he'll ever see and dance with Nina again but waits for that to happen.
• Dante expresses uncertainty about the success of Azazel's plan, as it depends on the Red Dragon.
• Although Azazel arbitrarily counts on Nina for his plan, he's not sure she'll help him because she hasn't promised him anything.
• Peace:
• Charioce thinks about what Kaisar told him the night before, that he won't give up until humans, demons, and gods live in peace. 
• The epitaph of the tomb that Charioce visits is about peace, and it's present just as he thinks of Kaisar's words. See the foreshadowing elements below.
• Hunting:
• Azazel intends to ambush the humans and set a trap for Charioce, who he wants to kill personally, acting like a hunter determined to hunt prey.
• Chris/Charioce intends to hunt the Red Dragon in a metaphorical sense, as he's determined to steal Nina's heart. This evidences that Charioce fell in love at first sight with her when they arm wrestled and that Nina's heart will be his in this episode.
• Love:
• Nina thinks about Charioce all day long, and Charioce smiles sweetly when looking at the chili he kept for himself after helping Nina.
• Chris/Charioce watches Nina in fascination from the moment he arrives at the chicken wing stand to when they finish touring the festival.
• All the actions they perform during the festival evidence that there's a flame between them.
• Identity and Secrecy:
• Charioce disguises himself to hide that he's the king, but his real name is Chris, and he reveals it to Nina. And only she knows it.
• Nina does her best to hide that she is the Red Dragon. Her identity remains hidden since, for some reason, she was able to be and even dance with Charioce without transforming.
• In both cases, the two are unaware of their identity as 'enemies'.
  In contrast, Kaisar and Azazel know their identities, despite being 'enemies'.

Symbols: 

This is a particularly symbol-rich episode because Chris/Charioce is a character who, unlike Nina, speaks more with actions and symbolism than words when it comes to emotions and feelings.
Knowing how to read and interpret the symbols surrounding Charioce is crucial to understand the character.

• Viper devouring a mouse: Symbolizes how Azazel lures preys into his traps to devour them. This happens as he discusses the details of his plan with the rebel demons.

• Spicy chicken wings: Symbolize the Red Dragon.
  When Chris/Charioce eats the spicy chicken wings that Bacchus offers him, it means that he'll eat the Red Dragon. That is, he'll devour Nina in a figurative and sexual sense.
  At the same time that Bacchus offers him the wings, he also offers him Nina, making the message even clearer, as Charioce accepts both without a second thought.

• Red chili: Symbolizes a burning passion and love between Chris/Charioce and Nina. The chili is the symbol that best connects them, as it's spicy and they feel flames when tasting it. The flames are linked to Charioce's power and the Red Dragon's fire.
  
  
  The importance of the color red in this symbol needs to be emphasized since from this point it also begins to acquire a supernatural meaning, as red is the color that drives away evil and death.
  This is directly related to the events of episode 17.

• Bullseye: Reference to the god of love, Cupid. It also symbolizes the figure of a sexually passionate man, a hunter.
  As mentioned in the analysis of episode 5, Charioce possesses all the qualities of an innate hunter. And given the context of the episode, the target shot refers to how Charioce will steal Nina's heart.
  This symbol relates to Nina's blindfolded eyes in episode 3, as it's also a direct reference to Cupid.

• Mini bananas: The banana is known to be the fruit of happiness, but in this episode, it's also an innuendo. Charioce offers a banana to Nina, and she eats it. This conveys that Charioce is sexually attracted to Nina.
  Likewise, when Nina eats the banana, it has a special focus that reinforces the sexual connotation of the symbol, strongly hinting that she reciprocates that attraction.

• Jewels: They symbolize a treasure, something important to Nina. Dragons collect treasures. There are jewels behind Nina and Charice once he offers her mini bananas, and she tastes them. Charioce is a treasure for Nina, who's a dragon.
• Weapons: They symbolize a warrior. When Nina accepts Charioce's food, they are located on Charioce's side, representing his nature as a warrior king.
• Bread: Among its meanings, it symbolizes peace. It's a symbol that always surrounds Nina as she's a peacemaker. It's present on Nina's side when she accepts Charioce's food.
• Vines: Symbolize affection. When they eat choco-bananas, Charioce and Nina are under a vine whose tendrils are entangled in the pillar on which they stand.

• Caramelized apple: The apple is the fruit of love and has been used to express affection and passion since ancient times.
  In Greek mythology, Dionysus offers apples to Aphrodite in order to steal her heart.
  Just as this fruit is shown when Nina is excited to see a handsome young man for the first time, the caramel apples she eats with Chris at the festival confirm that they are in love.
  The apple, moreover, has a connotation of prohibition, foreshadowing a forbidden romance between the King and the Red Dragon.

• Holding hands: Symbolizes the love between soul mates: Chris/Charioce and Nina.

• Flames: While they usually represent power, as when they show Charioce on the flags and next to him a torch, in this episode, flames also symbolize love, especially when Charioce and Nina dance.
  At the beginning of the scene, flames are in focus, alluding to the passion between them. When the music stops, the flames crackle.
• Dance: The dance represents sexual attraction, happiness, satisfaction, achievement, confidence, and also celebration.
  Charioce and Nina have remarkable chemistry when dancing as if they have known each other forever. They're soul mates.

• Fireworks: They are, in essence, colored fire. As such, they represent the happiness and love that was born between Nina and Charioce.

Scenarios: 

• Royal Capital of Anatae
• Cemetery
• Market
• Royal Castle
• Fair
• Suburbs
• Rebel demons' lair

References: 

• Cupid: The Roman god of love and who throws arrows. Just as when Nina met Chris when they had an arm wrestling match and reference was made to this god when Nina blindfolded herself in episode 3, this time it is linked to Chris, who shoots arrows.
• Christopher Columbus: Knowing Chris' real name, he can be easily associated with Christopher Columbus, a conqueror. 
• La Niña: Thanks to Charioce's real name, Chris, and what it represents, it is inferred that Nina is a direct reference to Columbus' ship La Niña (Little Girl). It was the smallest and strongest ship, as it was the only one that withstood the hurricane of 1945 and the only ship that made it back to Spain in 1946.
• Santa Clara: This is the real name of the ship La Niña. Curiously, when Chris/Charioce is in the cemetery contemplating the tombstone of the deceased he is visiting, the name 'Clarice Baviere' can be read, a name that results from the combination of Clara and royce. It's the same principle of the play of words that are made in Charioce's name, as explained in the analysis of episode 1.
• Christ: Chris' name also refers to Christ, since he's some kind of messiah for humans since he plans to sacrifice himself for humanity to bring peace. 

Foreshadowing:

Elements:

• Arrows: At the beginning of the scene of the spicy chicken wings sale, there's a reference to target shooting. Cupid shoots arrows. This is a foreshadowing of what's about to happen between Nina and Charioce.
  
  The arrow in the first scene doesn't hit the target, but it's very close, which means that up to that point, there's a strong attraction between Nina and Chris, but it needs one more step to turn into burning love. When Nina and Chris stop at the stand to play, Chris hits every single of his arrows on target. Although it looks like they're just playing around, it makes it clear that Chris is stealing Nina's heart.

• Chris: The name foreshadows the conquest of Nina's heart and, at the same time, can be related to Christ, since he's the one who has brought humanity forward and saved it from the oppression of demons. He's comparable to a messiah. Moreover, it could be that, at some point in the story, Chris will have to sacrifice himself for humans, something that he intends to do, as hinted in episode 14 and completely revealed in episode 22.
• Clarice Baviere: This name is on the grave Charioce visits and announces that she was an important woman to him. As Clarice is the real name of the ship La Niña, and Nina is a direct reference to her, it's inferred that Nina will give him the joy he once lost.
  
  

  CLARICE BAVIERE
  
  

  RESQUESCAT

  IN PEACE

  STRENGHT IS BORN

  IN THE DEEP

  SILENCE OF LONG

  SUFFERING

  HEARTS NOT AMID JOY
  
  
  Nina represents so much to him that, since he must come to sacrifice himself, he won't allow Nina to get involved and die together with him. It can be predicted that Charioce won't tell her anything and will choose to let her live her own life, without him being the one to take them away from her because of his death, as happened to him with Clarice, whose identity is revealed in episode 17.
  
  
  This foreshadowing relates to the events of episode 17, in which Charioce doesn't tell Nina that he'll die, although she's willing to stand by him through anything.

Foreshadowing lines:

• Nina: Will I see you again? I want to dance with you again.

  Chris: I don't know.

  Nina: Why not?

  Chris: I hope we can see each other again.
  
  
  There's something that causes Chris/Charioce enough uncertainty to be unsure whether or not they'll ever see each other again. Being a warrior king with a sealed tragic fate, he can't be sure if he'll ever see Nina again. Charioce doesn't tell her why, but he does tell her that he truly hopes to see her again.

Characters: 

• Nina: Nina is angry with Bacchus after misinterpreting his actions the day before.
  
  
  Rita sends her to buy more chicken wings and chilies since the ones they have won't be enough for the night of the Anatean festival.
  
  
  When she gets everything she needs, she's caught by the slaveholder she faced the day before, who arrives with men to take her away to make her his slave. Nina is unable to defend herself and stop them from throwing away her things because the men accompanying the slaveholder are attractive, and she loses control of her body.
  
  
  To her aid, Charioce helps her get rid of the slaveholder and his men. Upon realizing that it's the same man she arm-wrestled, Nina is unable to open her eyes because she feels she'll transform into the Red Dragon at the sight of him. When she opens them again, she sees that Charioce has picked up the wings and chilies from the ground and left them in her bag.
  
  
  Nina goes out after him, and Charioce points out that she isn't just strong but also fast. He then asks her why she didn't defend herself, to which Nina replies that she didn't because she's a girl, as she cannot reveal the real reason to him. Since she cannot look at him directly, Charioce asks why she averts her gaze. Not answering him, Charioce then refers to her by name, which makes her happy because he remembers it. He asks her if she needs anything from him. Nina doesn't miss the opportunity and invites him to stop by the food stand that she and her friend will be attending together at the same place where they had an arm wrestle the other day. Charioce agrees to stop by, and Nina is left on cloud nine.
  
  
  Upon returning to her friends, Nina tries to explain to them that she lost some of the food she bought because she was attacked by men with bad intentions. Then, she sits and sighs, expectantly wondering if Charioce will stop by the stand during the festival.
  
  
  She's very excited and keeps thinking about him all day until he shows up at the place as promised.
  
  
  When night falls, Charioce shows up and returns a chili that —according to him— he forgot to return when he picked up the food from the floor. 
  
  
  Nina is so nervous she doesn't know what to say, but Bacchus gives her a hand by offering Charioce the house special and asking him, in return, to take Nina out for a tour of the festival. Nina is shocked to hear that Charioce agrees and will take her as soon as she finishes eating the spicy chicken wings.
  
  
  Nina and Charioce walk through the festival and try different foods and sweets, play games, listen to music, and when they see people dancing, they stop to watch.
  
  
  Charioce asks Nina if she wants to dance, but she tells him there's no way she can accept his invitation because she doesn't know the steps. Still, Charioce takes her hand and takes her to the dancefloor, and takes it upon himself to guide her, and they both end up dancing as if they had always danced together.
  
  
  At the end of the tour, Charioce and Nina walk alone down a street, and Nina keeps wondering how she could dance with him like that and not transform into a dragon while with him.
  
  
  Charioce interrupts her thoughts to tell her that he hasn't danced like that since he was a child and that this didn't seem to be the first time she danced. Nina confesses to him that this is the first time she has danced with a man and that she's walking alone in the city with one. Charioce comments to her that it's a first time for him too, but Nina doesn't believe him because he's too good at dancing. Charioce, then, is more specific and tells her that, although he knows how to dance, it's the first time he walks alone with a woman through the city streets and that he has had a great time.
  
  
  Nina tries not to let her nerves eat at her and asks him his name. As soon as Charioce tells her that his name is Chris, Nina asks him a new question, as she wants to know if they'll see each other again, as she would like to dance with him again. Charioce tells her that he doesn't know if they'll see each other again, but he wants that to happen. This excites Nina so much that she's forced to run away as fast as possible to avoid turning into a dragon.
  
  
  On her flight, she bumps into Azazel, who asks her to appear at a particular tower after the parade. However, Nina doesn't know what he's asking her to do or why.
  
  
  Upon returning to the chariot, Nina writes a new letter to her mom to tell her that something has happened to her and that she has never felt this way before. As she writes, Nina realizes that she has fallen in love with Chris and that what she feels is love.
  
  
  In this episode, it's confirmed that she likes Charioce more than any other handsome man she has ever seen, as she keeps the ring he won her and her heart races just thinking about him.
  
  
• Chris/Charioce: After visiting the same tomb as the day when he had an arm wrestle with Nina, he finds her again. 
  
  
  He helps her to get rid of the men who were hurting her and picks up the chicken wings and chilies he was able to retrieve from the ground and drops them into Nina's shopping bag, then hands them to her.
  
  
  When Nina follows him, he realizes that she's not only strong, but also fast, and asks her why she didn't defend herself against her abusers when she could have stood up to them on her own. When Nina tells him she didn't because she's a lady, Charioce is puzzled by the fact that she doesn't look directly at him when they talk. And since he sees she's following him, he asks her how he can help her. 
  
  
  Nina tells him that she will help run a friend's food stand during the Anatean festival and asks him to stop by in the evening so she can thank him for helping her. Charioce accepts her request and continues on his way back to the castle.
  
  
  Nina is confirmed to be his romantic interest when he takes one of the many chilies he picked up after helping her and looks at it tenderly as he walks through the castle.
  
  
  When one of his advisors calls him to task for not having told her that he went out and he should do so when he does, Charioce gets upset and orders him to shut up. Charioce is determined to win Nina over, and that night he stops by the stand, just as he promised Nina. 
  He smiles when he sees Nina and returns the chili that he forgot to give back to her, which makes her flustered.
  
  
  Bacchus approaches her and offers her a house special in exchange for taking Nina to the festival, something he should consider because Nina is voluptuous. Charioce agrees immediately. He'll take her for a walk as soon as he finishes eating the spicy chicken wings. His answer surprises everyone, especially Nina, who didn't expect things to go so well.
  
  
  Noticing that Nina is very shy, he offers her some mini bananas and tells her how to eat them before she consumes them with peels. When Nina tastes them and tells him they are delicious, they then decide to stop by more food stands. They also stop by games and music stands.
  
  
  As they stop to watch people dance, Charioce asks Nina if she wants to dance with him, but Nina tells him that there's no way she can because she doesn't know the dance. Charioce, who does know it and wants to dance with her, takes her hand and takes her out to the dance floor, where he acts as a guide and teaches her the moves and the rhythm to follow. The two dance as if they have always danced together and then end up walking alone through the city.
  
  
  Charioce confesses to Nina that he hasn't danced like this since he was a child and that he was struck by how well she danced, as it didn't seem like it was her first time. Charioce is more reflected in Nina when she tells him that it was her first time dancing with a man and walking with one around town, as it is the same for him. He knows how to dance, but he has never walked alone with a woman before, and it has been fun for him.
  
  
  Nina asks him what his name is and he reveals it: Chris.
  Then, she asks him if they'll see each other again and if they can dance again, but Chris answers her with the truth: he doesn't know, but he wants to see her again (*).
  
  
  Chris is left alone in the street when he sees Nina running away because of how nervous he made her with his answer.
  
  
  (*): Charioce is honest with Nina when he tells her his real name and that he really doesn't know if they'll be able to meet and dance again because he has a plan since he became king, which compromises his life, which he can lose at any moment.
  
  
  This uncertainty is what forces him to tell Nina that he doesn't know if it'll be possible to meet again. What is a fact is that he wants to see her again and dance with her once again.

• Rita: Seeing a shortage of chicken wings and chilies to sell on the night of the festival, Rita asks Nina to buy more because the handsome man she arm-wrestled with" might show up, and it would be a shame not to have enough to offer him.
  
  
  When Nina goes to buy what is missing, Hamsa comments to Rita that Nina keeps the ring she won from the man put on that day, which Rita thinks is very ladylike of her.
  
  
  When Nina arrives and comes back with less food than she thought she should, Rita manages to be able to prepare the required amount of dishes for everyone who stops by her stand.
  
  
  Rita quickly realizes that something has happened to Nina that has left her feeling a little bit off, as she notices her lack of concentration since she returned from shopping.
  
  
  During the evening, when Charioce arrives and stops by the food stand, she thinks he's quite attractive and understands why Nina likes him. She understands that the attraction between the two is mutual when Charioce accepts Bacchus' proposal to take Nina out for a walk at the festival.
  
  
  Having sold everything and doing the dishes, Rita asks Bacchus if it was right to have let Nina go out alone with a man since it's the first time she has done so and that she runs the risk of turning into a dragon in the middle of the festival.

• Bacchus: Since he knows Nina is upset with him because of last night's misunderstanding, he tries to make amends by offering spicy chicken wings to Charioce and asking him to take Nina for a walk around the festival.
  
  
  He's worried when Rita tells him that it's Nina's first time alone with a man and that she might turn into a dragon, but he doesn't regret what he did.

• Hamsa: He tells Rita that Nina keeps the ring he won from Charioce in the arm wrestling match.
  During the festival, Hamsa comments that Nina might arrive made into a woman, reinforcing all the romantic-sexual symbolism associated with the seduction techniques Charioce uses when he's with Nina.

• Slaveholder: He's determined to make Nina his slave, but he and his men are stopped by Charioce, who defends Nina.
  He doesn't insist on taking Nina with him, as he notices that Charioce has a bracelet just like his.

• Azazel: Regardless of what Nina thinks or chooses, Azazel has decided on his own that she'll help him frame the humans on the day of the parade and even puts together a plan that relies heavily on the Red Dragon. This plan is to set up an ambush for the king shortly before he arrives in the square. He plans to have the Red Dragon attack while a squadron takes over the army and he himself of Charioce.
  
  
  After giving directions, he leaves the lair. As he walks through the streets of Anatae he crashes into Nina, whom he asks to appear at a nearby tower the next day after the parade.
  
  
  As he continues on his way, he's found by Kaisar, who knows he's up to something. 
  Azazel tells him that he will join the humans during the parade.

• Rebel demons: 
• Dante: He listens to Azazel's plan and thinks victory awaits them, although almost everything depends on the Red Dragon. He gains confidence when Azazel asks him to trust him.

• Kaisar: He realizes what Azazel is up to after following him through the streets of Anatae.

• Dias: He's left in charge of the Orleans Knights while Kaisar leaves looking for Azazel.

• Alessand: Again shows his disapproval of Kaisar simply disappearing, leaving Dias in charge.

This is the English version of the literary analysis originally posted in Spanish on September 20, 2022.