So I was unaware that this season is a split – guess this is the end until January! And wow, what a cliffhanger. These last two episodes have been absolutely brutal in terms of body count…the plot armor on our mains is even wearing a bit thin. Let’s take a look at these last two outings as we say goodbye until next year. Want to see what I rate this half? Check it out below!
To start – I didn’t love Episode 10 (Juggernaut). I think Jura is a terrible villain: he just screams a lot. Maybe it’s the VA, I don’t know. Coming off last week, I could guess the main points of the following episode (more on that later), and I wasn’t happy. Obvious takes: Bell gets saved by Miss Mermaid, and Jura enslaves the Juggernaut, only to get killed by it. I didn’t remember the Goliath scarf or that Bell’s second blade absorbs magic (I figured that would come into play later though). The body count is pretty high here, and the deaths aren’t shied away from. The back half of the season feels like an experiment in a darker genre for the author – which is fine – but it’s not exactly my cup of tea. I appreciate trying to make this more serious, as the dungeon has always been known to be a harsh (and often deadly) mistress. After last week, I could see what the author was doing, but I wasn’t terribly thrilled (and I thought I could see everything coming).
Enter Episode 11 (Endless). Starts off about as I expect (freaking Boris has ridiculous plot armor). The scenes with Marie surprised me – the healing with mermaid blood was sweet. Didn’t expect that to be anything more than a drawn-out service sequence…which it sort of was, come to think of it. Ryu’s fight with Juggernaut exhibited something I’ve always praised DanMachi for – very efficient animation. It wasn’t pristine or extravagant, but the fight kept you engaged and clearly showed just how fast Juggernaut is. This brings us to the big showdown: Bell vs. Juggernaut….well, kind of.
This fight starts off fantastic – I love the magic animations, use of the second knife, and especially Bell going shiny beast mode. Just as it looks like we’re going to get a second phase, with everything turned up to 11…..a giant snake interrupts the fun and steals our two heroes. Okay, I’ll admit – I did not see that coming. I figured the Juggernaut would be defeated somehow, but I didn’t expect Bell and Ryu to get “defeated” and dropped to a MUCH deeper floor. To make matters worse, the floor boss is popping up for Lili and the crew. Quick comment on that: I don’t really like that CGI for the twin dragon boss. DanMachi has used a bunch of CGI in the past that’s integrated really well considering – this is the first time that I can remember it’s glaringly stood out.
So where does this leave us? Everyone is in trouble. From a broader perspective, I think these 11 episodes took quite a different note than previously seen. Way darker, much higher body count, and we’re missing some of the familiar faces. Plus, NO MINOTAUR FIGHT. Is that a bad thing? You tell me. How do I rate this first half? I’m reserving judgement until we see the whole story, but as we stand right now, I’d give it around a 79/100. Not the best season by any means, but I see what the series is doing, and I can appreciate parts of it. All in all – I didn’t hate it, but I hope the second half gets a bit steadier story direction and maybe a few wins for the fam. See you in January!
P.S. More Ais. That’s the solution.
The body count would mean more if some of the casualties were recurring characters but I doubt the author has the guts to kill off anyone, aside from nameless characters and one note villains.
I really like to see Bell pushed to the point he may have to kill to survive but again I am doubtful.
Yeah, I agree on the killing. Bell developed quite a bit with the Xenos issues, so I could see his desperation doing a bit more down in the lower floors (especially saving Ryu).