Einstein’s oft-quoted definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. On that note, here we are with a new season of DanMachi! This one will be great! And, as Amun doesn’t learn (despite recently dropping Fire Force), I am absolutely pumped and certain that this season will be the one that gets the franchise back on track.
Also, I like how it’s taken 3 seasons for “Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in A Dungeon?” to fulfill its name – that question is actually this season’s entire plot!
To begin with, you can read my thoughts on Season 2 here. Spoiler: It wasn’t pretty. The Danmachi franchise, across the 2 main seasons (1 good, 1 bad), 1 movie (mixed), and the spin-off series (very good), has really been all over the place, quality wise.
“Wiene” is Danmachi at its best – a single character introduced that helps showcase the best from the Familia’s other members (even fox girl is fitting seamlessly into her maid role). The animation (albeit with limited fight scenes) is crisp, the writing clean, and the characters are back to their normal selves – this is really all it takes to make a good season of DanMachi.
Probably the best scene from this episode was the reaction of Hestia Familia realizing Bell’s got a monster girl – top marks. The gradual humanization of Wiene was also masterfully handled – plus, nice work on the naming there, Bell. The inevitable slashing could be seen coming from a mile away, but that doesn’t mean Danmachi did a bad job or it was unnecessary. Really my biggest complaint is that we didn’t see more of glasses elf or Ais (although I think everyone else confessed to Bell this episode….including Welf??) Of course, it’s still Danmachi – and the Hestia familia dropped some serious coin on their bathhouse – so there’s the normal service, but hey, that comes with the territory.
This was a good episode, no question. What’s less clear is what this episode sets up for the season.
The Dungeon has seen an evolving role over the three main series. Season 1: Dungeon was an enemy, but the biggest enemy was one’s (Bell’s really) own weakness. Season 2: Actually Familia and humans are the real evil, Dungeon an afterthought. Season 3: The Dungeon is….a cute kid? I think this season will be a bit of civil war – it’s hinted in the ED that Bell is going to take on the entire Orario order (“monsters evil, money – I mean people – good”).
You know what, that’s actually an interesting plot line. I’m excited to see where DanMachi takes that – instead of relying on the Dungeon as just a plot device/environment, can it help flesh out the world and provide interesting conflicts for (and between) our heroes? As long as the BellxAis ship still sails in the end, I’ll be a happy camper. So banish those bad memories of Season 2, and onward for Monster (Dan)Machi-me (*Ma Ma Ma Monster*)!
Also, this shot of Lily when she’s talking to Welf – Oi, blacksmith boy, stop messing with your files and take a look across the couch!
