Remember when I was wishing that Bell would fight someone other than the Minotaur? I got my wish – Bell is now currently fighting…an overgrown bush? It’s a pretty scary overgrown bush though, so all is not lost. Let’s get into this pair of episodes, which had plenty of good points (and a few small flaws).
“Mermaid” starts out…pretty much how you’d expect it to, given that this show is literally titled about picking up girls in a dungeon. Guess Aisha wasn’t enough fanservice. I didn’t really care for all the blatant character building with mermaid monster musume, but whatever. Aside from that, I enjoyed the party’s battle against the Moss Huge: home field advantage vs. the adventurers with unknown abilities. I think these two episodes did a great job of showing the battle’s advances and retreats…at least until Bell shows up to save the day.
Also, VERY cool shot of Mikoto.
Let’s talk about a few mechanics here. I LOVE the concept of Bell having growing pains as he levels up at the speed of light – that’s a very nice concept. It makes this seem less like a game (or standard isekai) and keeps the tiny bit of realism intact. Haruhime got a nice boost with her multiple person level buff – pretty balanced way to give her some additional power, without making her just ridiculous. Solid choice there. Also, I love the side characters in these two episodes – the dwarf especially is putting in good work.
Lili’s progression as strategist is obviously a major point here. Being battle tested and sticking to your principles in crisis is invaluable experience – in her own way, Lili is growing along with Bell. I’m a fan.
Finally, of course – Bell himself. Bruh, do you think of the Minotaur in every boss fight? That’s being downright rude to the giant Moss Huge in front of you. The fight scene had some nice parts (the fire and ice poses made me laugh). I’d give the animation a C – barely passable for the importance of the moment. Still, I appreciate the overall story – I felt it maybe could have been stretched out into another half an episode, but I’ll take it.
I really expected the Moss Huge saga to last more than just half the season – I really have no idea where we’re going from here. Maybe we can get some Ais time back….one can dream! These episodes felt a lot more “show” than “tell”, but that’s okay – perhaps the back half of the season will be more cerebral. See you next week(ish)!
(Tsundere Moss Huge is peaking around the corner, knowing you’re thinking about that Minotaur…)
