In folklore and legend, the concept of witches has long been shrouded in mystery and fear. Tales of their supernatural powers and malevolent intentions have captivated audiences for centuries. One such story is that of the Balog, a mythical figure known for burning witches. The Balog is often portrayed as a figure of justice, taking it upon himself to rid the world of those accused of witchcraft. It is said that the Balog possesses immense strength and agility, allowing him to hunt down witches with ease. Armed with a torch, he engages in a relentless pursuit, searching far and wide for those believed to be practicing the dark arts.
And that sucks, because other than this one glaring problem, Burn The Witch is actually quite fun. But when that one glaring problem sucks all of that fun out of the room any time he’s on screen, it’s a serious issue. And Balgo, sadly, all on his own, is that issue.
Incredulous at how illogical this development seems, Noel turns around and sees that Cinderella has stopped attacking right before Billy shoots her through the head with a Magic beam all the way from Wing Bind Headquarters, piercing her Crown-Shaped Horn and killing her. Noel is the quiet, all-business one and Ninny is the bratty, shouty one, so they play off of each other well, and Balgo who we find out they re tasked with protecting is your naïve goof.
Armed with a torch, he engages in a relentless pursuit, searching far and wide for those believed to be practicing the dark arts. The act of burning witches was a common method of execution during the witch trials that occurred throughout history. Accusations of witchcraft were often based on superstition and fear, leading to countless innocent lives being lost.
The Problem With Balgo Parks in BURN THE WITCH
This article contains spoilers for the covered material and assumes familiarity with it. This is your only warning.
I’m always hesitant to write this sort of thing. I don’t want to accrue a reputation as an Issue Critic or, indeed, as someone who thinks that Negativity = Good Important Critical Writing. Neither are true, and certainly there are plenty of people who work in the intersection of sociological study and arts study at a much higher level than I do and I think that work is very important. But it’s generally not what I aspire to do here on Magic Planet Anime.
So it is, truly, with a measure of reluctance that I am writing on Studio Colorido‘s adaption of Burn The Witch in this way. Not to praise the OVA’s many merits–its production, its soundtrack, the engaging fight scenes, the cool do-anything “Witch Kit” guns, or even its bevy of hilarious names*–but to talk about one of its problems. Even worse, Burn The Witch is an OVA that doesn’t actually have that many problems, but the few it does are notable, and one in particular is the worst of the lot by a good margin.
The problem with writing a bad character is that you practically hand dipshits like me ammo to make fun of him.
Balgo Ywain Parks. Has there ever been a character who feels more interpolated from some other anime entirely? Probably, but the feeling definitely exists with Parks, who comes across as a character less deliberately written into the narrative and more one conjured up by some kind of noxious otaku sterotype and snuck in under author Tite Kubo‘s nose.
That of course is not what happened. Someone is responsible for this, but whether it was Kubo himself, a misguided editor, or a mischievous sprite is impossible to know and not worth guessing about. However he got here, Balgo exists, and we must reckon with him. God help us all.
Balgo feels in a way like a new take on an old concept that permeates a lot of shonen; the pervy slapstick character. This is a trope with roots that predate the medium, and to be completely fair it’s not like English-language media is devoid of gross lunkheads. The specific issue with Balgo and the sort of character he represents is not merely one of sexism–though that is certainly a part of it–it’s that he actively leeches both goodwill and narrative coherency from the series he’s a part of.
Burn The Witch makes a fairly big show of denouncing “fairy tales”. The example given is Cinderella, which, this entire spiel in of itself has its own problems, but let’s take it on the level the OVA clearly wants us to. Waiting around for someone to bring excitement into your life or to solve your problems is pointless, because if someone else does that for you they can easily take it away. You should strive to seize your goals yourself. In as much as an OVA based on the first half dozen chapters of a manga can have a core thesis, this is Burn The Witch‘s.
For most of the characters that we get to know in the OVA, this plays out pretty logically. Ninny is a popstar in London proper but seeks to build her reputation as a dragonhunter in Reverse London so she can one day join the Sabres, Wing Bind’s actual dragon-hunting division. Noel meanwhile is simply trying to earn a living. So far, so coherent.
Let us for the moment set aside the sexist aspects of Balgo’s character. (We will, rest assured, come back to them.) From a simple coherence point of view, the main issue with Balgo’s character is that he has absolutely no agency. None at all. Zero. It is established early on that Balgo became a Dragonclad–and thus attracts dragons–by accident. He is thus in the care of Wing Bind, and more specifically our leads, by accident. Late in the OVA, he summons a sword from the Witch Kit he’s been given, by accident. Balgo does not do things, he is a straw dummy whom things happen to.
I have never related to a villain more in my life.
Effectively, he’s a reverse-maiden in distress. But the way to solve a problem caused by patriarchal norms is rarely to simply invert them. Balgo gains all the problems of that character archetype; a lack of agency, and a lack of any real depth, but inherits the benefits of being a male protagonist in a frankly poorly-written shonen series; being a wish fulfillment proxy for the intended audience (and perhaps the author, though that’s harder to say with authority) and facing no consequences for the one thing he does do of his own free will; ogle and harass the female characters.
And we must tackle that part of things, too. Because it’s easy to simply say that Balgo is a wish-fulfillment character and that that is the problem, but it’s not, it’s only a small part of it. Wish-fulfillment in narrative fiction is fine, and every audience under the sun is entitled to some amount of stories that simply exist to let them watch someone similar to them succeed and triumph over adversity. The problem specifically with Balgo is that he is a wish-fulfillment character who faces no adversity. And indeed, makes no choices. By simply existing, he actively cuts against Burn The Witch‘s own central theme. He is put into danger and taken out of it through no action of his own. Even the aforementioned summoned sword simply exists, he doesn’t use it.
Balgo, thus, does not seize anything. Violating the OVA’s whole thematic point. The closest idea of his we get to a goal is a desire to shack up with Noel. That, too, is simply handed to him, as the final few minutes of the OVA imply that Noel, for some reason, returns his feelings. (There’s a clear intended contrast between Noel as a “cold tsundere” and Ninny as a “hot tsundere” but it doesn’t really work. Noel and Baglo barely speak before this scene, contrast Ninny’s many heated interactions with Macy.) And then the whole thing ends on a panty shot, in what is presumably supposed to be a wink to the audience. Instead, it comes across, at least to yours truly, as a reminder to not be too generous when telling people about this thing’s flaws.
Yeah that’s about the face that I made, too.
Balgo does have one compatriot in Burn The Witch. Macy, who fulfills a similar role, is similarly lacking in any agency, and explicitly harbors feelings for Ninny. But despite both being problem characters, the difference in the magnitude of the problem is stark. Macy’s “clingy lesbian” characterization is certainly unflattering and would not be present in a better-written series, but her relationship with the dragon Elly gives her an extra dimension that Balgo–who mind you is billed as one of the protagonists–simply doesn’t have. And as mentioned, she gets far more interaction with Ninny than Balgo does with Noel.
Not that there isn’t improvement you could make here too of course, but at least they like, acknowledge each other.
And really, the biggest issue with Balgo is not any of this. It’s that he’s unignorable. These problems were and are all present in the manga. But in animated form, mugging all over the screen, with VA Shimba Tsuchiya turning in a performance that is perfect to the character by dint of being ludicrously obnoxious, he goes from an irritation to a defacement.
It is, of course, possible, technically, that the manga will rectify this at some point. It’s not like there aren’t ways out. One could give Balgo something to actually do. One could write him out of the series entirely. One could simply make his comedic relief revolve around anything else but talking about sexual harassment. But as long as he remains that way, he is an inescapable black mark on an otherwise solid series. It is cheap to say this, but a version of Burn The Witch that replaces Balgo with almost anyone or anything else is an infinitely better version of Burn The Witch.
And that sucks, because other than this one glaring problem, Burn The Witch is actually quite fun. But when that one glaring problem sucks all of that fun out of the room any time he’s on screen, it’s a serious issue. And Balgo, sadly, all on his own, is that issue.
*Seriously. Ninny Spangcole? Bruno Bangnyfe? Genuinely incredible.
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Balgo cuddles with Osushi in Noel's residence.
The Balog, however, was believed to possess the ability to distinguish between true witches and those wrongly accused, ensuring that only those deserving of punishment were burned. The burning of witches was seen as a necessary evil, a way to protect society from the perceived threats posed by witchcraft. It was believed that by purging witches through fire, the world could be rid of their malevolent influence and restore order and harmony. The Balog, with his unfaltering determination and dedication to justice, became a symbol of hope for those who feared the power of witches. Despite the Balog's association with burning witches, it is important to note that the witch hunts and trials of the past were fueled by ignorance and prejudice. Innocent individuals, often women, were accused and persecuted based on little more than rumors and baseless accusations. In reality, witches were nothing more than ordinary people who believed in alternative spiritual practices or possessed healing knowledge beyond the understanding of their time. The story of the Balog burning witches serves as a reminder of the dark history of witch trials and the destructive power of fear and prejudice. It highlights the importance of critical thinking, empathy, and compassion in distinguishing between myth and reality. By understanding the true nature of witches and challenging stereotypes, we can work towards a more inclusive and accepting world..
Reviews for "The Ethereal Flame: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Balog Burning"
1. Amy - 2/5 stars - I found "Balog Burn the Witch" to be quite disappointing. The story began with an intriguing premise, but quickly lost its steam as the plot became convoluted and confusing. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult for me to connect with any of them. Additionally, the writing style was jarring, with awkward sentence structures and excessive use of clichés. Overall, I felt the book had potential, but it fell short in execution.
2. Alex - 1/5 stars - I couldn't stand "Balog Burn the Witch". The storyline was uninteresting and the pacing was incredibly slow. The main character lacked personality and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The world-building was shallow, leaving me with many unanswered questions. The writing itself was bland and uninspiring, making it a struggle to get through the book. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read.
3. Lisa - 2/5 stars - "Balog Burn the Witch" was not my cup of tea. The story felt disjointed and the transitions between scenes were abrupt. The plot lacked coherence, and the twists and turns seemed forced and unnecessary. The protagonist's actions were inconsistent, making it hard for me to root for her. I also found the romantic subplot to be contrived and unconvincing. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and simply didn't enjoy reading it.