DanMachi is back! And that heralds the awakening of Amun from his anime slumber. Too long have I suffered through mediocre isekai or romcoms. Too long have I waited for our white haired hero to get back to what he does best – defeating Minotaur and building harems. But we wait no longer! Bell and co. are off on a new adventure, and I’ve waited all year to talk about it. Let’s go!
Episode 1 of a new season wasn’t going to break any major new ground, but DanMachi gets back into the thick of things straight away. I didn’t care for the recap with the numbers overlay, but it was mercifully short. Last season’s aftermath is still ongoing, but new alliances seem to have formed and strengthened. I enjoy the “free agent” concept of the Familia members – I read somewhere it’s a year long contract, so there are loaners like Mikoto and free spirits like Aisha who can come and go. Gives flexibility to the party arrangements, definitely a neat mechanic.
This show is all about Bell, and the first episode wastes no time commenting on his development. Although it’s been four seasons, in-world time has only been a few months. The “Little Rookie” is now a major player in Orario politics, with families rising and falling in his wake. His personal change is noted by the spooky eternal mage and his thirsty elf agent – actually, that was kind of a nice pair of contrasting views (Hestia’s drunken confessions don’t really count).
One thing that’s a little odd here is the Guild’s request to the Hestia Familia. Last season saw some underhanded business, but this seems pretty straightforward. Which leads me to ask – why ask a seemingly innocuous request? Hestia Familia are obviously the fixers of Uranus and friends, so why are they being tasked with a simple exploration? I’m sure there’s more to it than meets the eye. Like ANOTHER MINOTAUR – oh man. It never fails. I don’t mind the Minotaur a season (the notable absence, season 2, was terrible) – just…can we give the poor guy a break? Let’s find another mystical creature to fight! (I kid, I kid).
Finally, my complaints. Yes, despite how great it was to get back into the world – I have a few complaints. There are some pretty notable characters missing here…you guessed it, Ais didn’t make an actual appearance (the random stitch doesn’t count). Also missing is the waitress Syr, but I don’t really care about her to be honest. It feels like this season is going to be redirecting focus onto the party characters…which is fine, but I don’t really love all of them. I’ve never been that big a fan of Haruhime, and I get a little lost on some of the other Familia’s support characters. Small gripes, but I can understand a casual watcher being like “who is the big guy?” I honestly don’t remember either.
TL;DR Good start, nothing that major. Just a bunch of friends gearing up to go on an adventure! I’m very happy to be back, and I’m very happy to accompany them….and I’ll try not to miss Ais too much sniff.
