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The following contains spoilers from the manhwa adaptation of The Beginning After The End.
Readers ofThe Beginning Afterthe Endmanhwa may have felt jarred after watching the newest episode of the series, given the changes made by the anime. It seems like either for a quicker pace or a more focused story, the anime has changed around a few details of Arthur’s meeting with Sylvia, which were surprising.
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While the anime portrayal of this belovedstory beat likely won’t change the overall plot going forward, it is different enough to surprise source readers who thought they knew how everything was going to go.Episode 3 ofThe Beginning After The Endhas made the most changes of any episode yet to date.
Changed Content
Arthur Suddenly Appears Unharmed
At the end of episode 2,we see Arthur falling off a cliff, presumably to his death. Arthur even admits as much, saying as he falls that he wishes he could be an older brother to the unborn child that his pregnant mom carries.
“Oh, yeah. I was gonna be a big brother. That would’ve been nice. It would’ve been nice… to become an older brother.” -Arthur while falling from a cliff.
In the manhwa, Arthur wakes up at the bottom of the cliff, having somehow survived the fall, though significantly injured. He spends some time falling in and out of consciousness, until eventually he gets up and hears a mysterious voice. At first, he thinks it’s the voice of the dead bandit next to him that Arthur had dragged down the cliff.
However, the voice soon reveals itself to be friendly. With no other options, Arthur undertakes a journey to seek out the voice, eventually finding a stream where he drinks and bathes. The entity comments on his boldness, as it can see him. Arthur becomes embarrassed, but he nonetheless continues his journey to the cave where the voice resides. He soon falls down a cavern and comes face-to-face with a large monster wearing dark armor.
In the anime, this sequence of events varies greatly. After the fall from the cliff, the next thing we see at the start of episode 3 is Arthur standing in front of the monster, completely unharmed and confused, without much explanation. Only one line attempts to bridge the jarring gap between the two moments in continuity.
“What is that thing? What am I doing here?” -Arthur’s internal thoughts as he stares at the monster before him.
Arthur then immediately tries to attack the dark armored figure, but the effort is easily flicked away. Because of the cut content, their conversation unfolds a little differently, but eventually Arthur and the monster-like figure, Sylvia, become friends and work together, just as in the manhwa.
“You have a lot to learn still, little Arthur.” -Sylvia after Arthur tried to attack her.
The Episode Changes His Ability
Arthur’s Mana Ability is Slightly Reworked
The whole episode continues to unfold slightly differently than it does in the manhwa, but the main plot remains mostly the same from this point. However, one notable subtle change to how it goes in the manhwa involves the mana ability that Arthur learns from Sylvia.
In the manhwa, it is described as an ability to absorb mana while moving and fighting to use magic in the most efficient way possible. However, in the anime, the mana beast ability that Sylvia teaches Arthur is explained slightly differently.
“You’re using magic while gathering mana at the same time…Like mid-air refueling, while flying a plane.” -Arthur observing Sylvia’s technique.
While in the manhwa, Arthur learns to absorb mana without having to stop and meditate,it seems like in the anime version, the ability goes further to allow Arthur to cast magic while also absorbing mana. The scene where Arthur finally learns this ability is animated slightly differently to compensate, with the focus being on Arthur’s magic rather than his movement.
With the significant changes seen in this episode ofThe Beginning After The End, the show seems to be opening the door to taking more liberties with the source materialto better fit the story to the anime. It remains to be seen how many changes the anime adaptation will make and how fans of the series will receive it.
