“Clichés can be quite fun. That’s how they got to be clichés.” Pretty much the DanMachi mantra this season. That said, these pair of episodes are in contention for the season’s best – and we’re only getting better from here. Let’s get to it!
Episode 7 (Dix Perdix) finishes out the fight between Bell and Dix. Our boy Dix is a few monsters shy of a menagerie – he’s transitioned from his ancestor’s OCD into a certified sadist furry. His patron deity should probably not get into counseling.
The good monsters win out, but Dix lives up to his name’s singular designation and makes Wiene go nuts (okay, that sentence out of context sounds a bit wrong). Really the most interesting bit of this episode was the cliff hanger at the end – truthfully, the fights underground were passable – nothing special. The Wiene dilemma was pretty telegraphed, so no real drama there. Oh yeah, also the Minotaur incapacitated some people – our favorite elf included. *Sad Bell noises*
The biggest issue is when the monsters emerge from the dungeon, which is where episode 8 starts off. Cat’s – or in this case, giant Vouivre – out of the bag and Loki familia is on-site to deal with the issue (surprisingly quickly as Hestia notes). These fights are nicely animated (take notes Tower of God and Fire Force – that’s proper physics) and it’s always fun to see the Loki familia get some screen time. Subtle things too – like berserker mode on and fighting formations from past seasons – come into play. I actually like the battle being set above-ground – you can really see how partnership with Eggs Firm is paying off: the 3D setting looks great.
Ais vs Minotaur looked amazing. Probably one of the best animated fights of the series – seems like both Bell and the author really shine when it comes to minotaurs. Also throwback to Ottar wondering about that minotaur he trained…I believe Bell actually killed that one, but it appears to have been reincarnated. Makes sense with his weapons affinity – also a monster using a magic sword? That’s a yikes.
Okay, I know – I’ll hear criticism over the Bell and Wiene death scene. Yes, everyone knows Fels, the spooky immortal skeleton, was the key to fixing the problem. But darn it, I was moved a little. The lighting, music, voice acting – I don’t care if we knew what would happen – they did a good job.
Also quite a few baddies died this episode – Dix and his side kick. DanMachi not sparing when it comes to the body count.
Where do we go from here? While Elaina (who I would accept as a candidate for favorite elf) slaps/hugs Bell….he’s still in big trouble. I could see him getting tossed from the guild over this, and there are a lot of unanswered questions concerning his/Wiene’s rampage around town. Good pep talk from Fels in the after credit scene, but we’ll have to see how it goes – Bell (and by extension Hestia familia) are not out of the woods yet.
Bell did what he had to do. He is a true hero.
1000% Now comes the difficult bit.