English Dub Review: BEM “Noise”

Overview:

Someone is murdering prominent vocalists.

Our Take:

The focus this time is on Bela, who has been charmed by one of her new transfer students. The culprit this time is purely selfish; she is an aging opera singer who wants the vocal cords of young talent to maintain her voice. It doesn’t seem that her talent has disappeared just yet, but she is still on the defensive regardless. Interestingly, Julia is not an outcast of society like the other monsters. She is a prominent public figure, and even notes that she has no intention of hurting her only son. However, her pride and need to maintain her voice pushes her over the edge.

Ultimately, what Bela wants, like the other Alphas, is acceptance. She wants to be human, not exactly because being a monster is the worst thing, but because being human is ideal. She gets this thrown in her face again, when the boy she might have liked decries her as not a murderer, but as a monster.

However, there is a ray of hope at the end of this episode, instead of the usual bleakness. The nerd who has a crush on Bela at school, takes a photo of her monster form up close. Instead of being repulsed by the monster, he instead thinks she’s beautiful. He has no idea that it’s the same girl that he’s been crushing on, this is something he independently came to think. This is further confirmed when he’s staring at the photo of Alpha Bela at school, and even when nobody is around, still praises her. While this is very likely not the norm, it’s proof that there are people out there who might accept Bela. There are people who aren’t afraid of what she actually looks like or the fact that she isn’t human, and still would find her fascinating regardless. Instead of the superficial friendships that she tends to land herself in, this is something that could possibly, be more enduring. Above all, it’s a glimmer of hope, one that I hope she ends up keeping.

The Alphas have been constantly betrayed, for not being human, for other people’s profit, for not being seen as something worth protecting. Most of their lives has been nothing but being let down, save for their close bonds with each other. And yet, it’s good that they’re finally offered something- people who want to be with them regardless, people who are curious without any exterior motives. They need a break, just as much as people do.