Vouivre Hunt

Something I mentioned last week was that I didn’t think we would actually get very good fights in this episode despite them being set up nicely. That turned out to be the case, which I’m obviously not surprised about. Sure, we got Bell vs. Ais, which I’ll talk about later, but aside from that, the other fights were lacking.

Starting off with Welf and Mikoto vs. Gareth, this is what I would consider the bare minimum for a fight in a series in which fights actually matter. For DanMachi though, this is almost as good as a fight gets. There was some jumping around, some long-range attacks happened, and then the fight was finished (suspended) in one shot.

It’s a bit disappointing when you have two swordsmen fighting someone with a battle-ax, and instead of real fight choreography, they just shoot each other with magic attacks at range. The reason I love swordsmen in anime so much is that I want to see the fight choreography they often require.

Bete is another character who’s perfect for highly-choreographed fight scenes. However, we didn’t get that. His fight against Aisha was simply done off-screen and we just got to see the setup and aftermath. And the same is true for Ais vs. Ryuu. As you’ll notice, skipping over fights is a common occurrence in this series.

There was also a potential fight involving Tiona that we didn’t get as well. The difference here is that the fight simply didn’t happen at all, not just off-screen. I figured we might get a brief fight between her and Bell over Wiene. But in the end, I don’t mind that this one was skipped because I think it was handled well.

Ultra Soul | Decisive Battle

As far as DanMachi fights go, Bell vs. Ais is as good as it gets. I’m not saying that this is one of the best fights across different series, but in DanMachi it’s probably near the top. And as I’ve said before and demonstrated through the first part of this review, DanMachi doesn’t really focus on fights very often.

One thing this fight reminded me of is that we haven’t heard anything about adventurer levels in a long time. Sure, there’s Haruhime’s ability that grants a level boost to her allies. But I don’t believe a single adventurer’s level has been stated throughout this entire season.

Why do I bring this up? Because adventurer levels were quite a big deal for the first (and maybe second, I forget) season(s). I believe Ais was level 6, which made her the highest leveled adventurer in Orario without level boosts taken into account. So, she should theoretically have no problem defeating Bell.

Bell is the main character, so you may think that he has some special skill that allows him to defeat Ais. However, while he does have a special skill, it doesn’t work like that. Bell’s skill just lets him gain experience at a faster rate than most people. He’s still a lower level than Ais, and therefore should be no match for her alone.

I’m not normally one for power levels of any kind in action anime. But considering that the level system has been in place in this series from the start, and wasn’t used in an arbitrary way, it’s a bit odd for it to suddenly disappear.

Is the author attempting to move away from this level system for some reason? Have they decided that it’s too rigid to allow for meaningful character development? Or is it just a coincidence that it hasn’t been brought up recently?

A Change of Heart

I’m sure we all expected Ais to have a change of heart about the Xenos in the end. However, I can safely say that I didn’t expect it to happen as it did. I was prepared to see her and Bell continue fighting into the final episode of the season, with Ais only having a change of heart after witnessing Bell’s continued determination.

Even once Wiene expressed that she didn’t want to leave Bell behind and escape on her own, I didn’t expect what was going to happen. I figured Hestia was about to talk her into escaping by telling her that Bell will be able to fight with everything he has if he knows Wiene has gotten away.

But no. Wiene goes back to the square in which Bell and Ais are fighting (somehow without exiting through the gated passageway) and saves the day. Maybe “saves the day” is a bit of a hyperbole, but she saves Bell from getting somewhat injured and probably saves herself in the process.

I quite liked this scene of Wiene confronting Ais. Sure, the fact that she was able to rip her own wing off is a bit much, but aside from that, I thought it was good. I will admit that I don’t really have another solution to her getting rid of her wing though. She could have used one of Bell’s knives, I guess.

However, I think this is also a scene that’s a bit ruined by Ais’ kuudere personality. I don’t like Ais as a character. I get that she’s based on a specific character archetype. But I just don’t find her being emotionless all the time to be interesting. And in emotional scenes such as this one, even though she does show some emotion, it still feels off.

Conclusion

What do you think of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III episode 11? Are you fine with the series skipping over the majority of side character fights? Do you think the level system should make a return? And how do you feel about Ais’ character? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of the final episode of the season is available here.

Bell’s Diversion

As was kind of expected, Bell isn’t very good at being a diversion. For the first portion of the episode, when he was supposed to be attracting the attention of the Loki Familia, all he did was slowly walk around town on his own. That’s basically the opposite of being a diversion.

I get that he doesn’t want to destroy the town or anything, but that would make for a good diversion. The Hestia Familia already knows that the townspeople have been evacuated. So why not use that to their advantage and cause some destruction? If Bell did that, the Loki Familia wouldn’t be able to ignore him.

If members of Bell’s harem didn’t show up to assist him, I think it’s safe to say that this entire plan would have fallen apart. Not even all of Lilli’s work would have been enough to salvage it.

Of the four members of Bell’s harem who show up, Naza is the one I want to bring up specifically. Honestly, I have no idea who this is. She’s clearly an associate of Bell, but I don’t remember her at all. She also mentions being a member of the Miach Familia, but I also don’t know who that is either.

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but DanMachi has a lot of characters. So many characters that I probably wouldn’t be able to name most of them. Naza is a prime example of this. She must have had a significant role earlier in the series if she’s showing up to help now. But unlike with Aisha or Ryuu, I don’t know when that was.

Though, I will say that having a lot of characters does make Orario feel bigger. A small cast might not be as interesting in a series like this, but it would certainly make it easier to keep track of characters.

Invisible | Forced Breakthrough

Last week I mentioned that Lilli could spread disinformation around so that the Loki Familia would have a harder time keeping track of the Xenos’ movements. However, I didn’t quite expect how she was going to do it because I forgot (as usual) that she actually uses magic.

I’m sure this was explained in one of the previous seasons. But when she was spying, gathering information, and otherwise working as an undercover operative earlier in this season, I figured that she was just wearing disguises. That’s not the case; she uses transformation magic. My bad.

However, the fact that she can actually transform means that she’s even better for this role than I was originally expecting. I thought that she would just wear a cloak and run around shouting about monster sightings. Instead, she actually becomes the monsters and leads adventurers away from their posts.

What’s kind of crazy is that simply by using her transformation magic, Lilli is the most important piece of the Hestia Familia’s plan. You might think that it’s the magic map, or the communication crystals, or the invisibility cloaks, or the magic swords. But no, it’s Lilli.

And speaking of all those magic items, I do like how they were used here. I know I mentioned before that Bell should destroy some things to be a better diversion, but that doesn’t mean the rest of his Familia should. This seems to be the primary reason they’ve gathered many of these magic items, such as the swords.

Rather than relying on their fighting capabilities, which could damage the city, they’re using magic items to block their pursuers. Specifically, using the ice magic swords to create barriers is a pretty unique way to accomplish their goal.

Versus the Loki Familia

I’ve said in an earlier episode review that I really like the Loki Familia because they embody everything it means to be adventurers. They look and play the part. And my favorite member of the Loki Familia is probably Gareth — the dwarf. Bete is cool too, but there’s just something about a dwarf with a giant ax and armor that’s awesome.

And not only is Gareth’s appearance cool, but I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be the third strongest member of the Familia. Finne and Ais are definitely above him, but if I remember correctly, he’s the next strongest after those two. So, will we get to see a great fight between him and Mikoto and Welf?

Unfortunately, I don’t think so.

The current arc has set up the Hestia Familia vs. the Loki Familia pretty well. There are definitely going to be some fights, such as maybe Bell vs. Tiona next week, but I don’t think there are going to be any “great” fights. That’s just not something DanMachi is really known for.

Bell vs. Dix and the Loki Familia vs. Asterius were both good fights. But they also each lasted maybe 20 seconds. I wouldn’t say that the fights are the focus of this series, and I think that’s pretty clear to see from how little emphasis is usually placed on them.

DanMachi appears to be far more about the world it’s built than the battles that take place within it. And because Mikoto, Welf, and Gareth are all supporting characters, I really don’t expect much of a focus on the fight between them that was just set up in this episode.

Conclusion

What do you think of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III episode 10? Do you remember where we’ve met Naza before? Who do you think is the most important piece of the Hestia Familia’s plan? And which characters would you like to see a fight between? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of the next episode is available here.

Finne Deimne

DanMachi III episode 9 puts a lot of emphasis on the Loki Familia, and specifically Finne Deimne. Finne is the leader of the Loki Familia, just as Bell is the leader of the Hestia Familia. So naturally, he would be someone who’s on the same level as Bell.

However, Finne is basically superior to Bell in every way except for the fact that Bell has the power of being the protagonist on his side. I don’t think that Bell and Finne are actually going to fight in this arc, but their two sides are going to be battling it out.

From the OP, it’s pretty clear that Bell’s main opponent in the Loki Familia is going to be Ais. And from what we’ve seen of Finne in this episode, it looks like he’s going to be taking more of a commander’s role than a fighter’s role in the upcoming battle.

Finne seems like a fairly interesting character, but unfortunately, I don’t know much about him. Maybe his background was explained better in the light novels, maybe it was explained in the anime (or Sword Oratoria) and I’ve just forgotten, or maybe it has yet to be explained.

Based on what’s said in this episode though, we know a couple of things about him. First, Finne is a strategic mastermind who’s going to be one of the Hestia Familia’s toughest opponents. And second, he wants to restore honor to his family, or race, or whatever.

Despite his want for all monsters to be eradicated, it wasn’t stated that he seeks revenge for anything, so I don’t think monsters slaughtered his clan. I’m guessing that he failed some mission in the past and is trying to make up for it in the present.

Stigma | Downfall

Why Bell is currently hated by all of Orario may be a little confusing when you consider that Ikelos and his familia took the fall for the release of the monsters into town. After all, that part isn’t Bell’s fault, so why should he be taking some of the blame?

The reason Bell is being blamed is that in the minds of the townspeople, he prioritized the capturing/killing of his “quarry” over the safety of Orario and its people. From their perspective, their town was destroyed because Bell chased a monster through it and wouldn’t allow other adventurers to help take it down.

I’m not sure how different their feelings would be if the townspeople knew that Bell was actually trying to protect the monster. On one hand, it would mean that he wasn’t letting the town be destroyed because he wanted to take down the monster himself. On the other, it may be interpreted as him prioritizing monsters over the townspeople.

In either case, Bell is in a pretty bad spot from a public relations standpoint. The latter option is probably the better of the two in the long term. But in the short term, that one’s probably the worse of the two.

Moving on a bit, I also want to touch on the idea of getting the other gods/goddesses onto Bell’s side. This is something I mentioned a few weeks ago and didn’t really understand why it wouldn’t work. I said that a majority of the gods would probably agree that the Xenos counted as “people” if their plight was explained.

However, this episode made it clear that what the gods/goddesses think doesn’t really matter. Apparently, even if Loki sided with the Xenos, the adventurers of the Loki Familia wouldn’t. I thought familia members were sworn to obey their respective god/goddess, but I guess that allegiance only goes so far.

Strategy Meeting

I’m interested to see how this whole “get the Xenos to the safety of Knossos by using Bell as a diversion” plan is going to work out. It’s a pretty simple plan on the surface, but I feel like there has to be more to it. I don’t see any situation in which Bell, even accompanied by his fellow familia members, is a good enough diversion alone.

I can think of one way to make the diversion more effective though. We’ve seen Lilli wear disguises and seed disinformation before. So, might she do the same here? Perhaps Bell being a diversion is itself already misinformation so that the Loki Familia ignores him.

Or, perhaps after the operation is underway, misinformation will be spread about sightings of monsters with Bell. This could cause the Loki Familia to doubt their assumption that Bell is being used as a distraction which may then lead to their forces being divided.

I could see both situations playing out. The first makes sense because it would place Bell in a position to fight alongside the Xenos. That kind of happened when they were up against Dix, but not to a great extent. This would also explain how Bell and Ais come face to face on the battlefield.

Alternatively, the second situation also may explain how Bell and Ais confront each other. Ais could be a member of the group sent to Bell’s location to verify the monster sightings.

The one thing I’m hoping doesn’t happen is that the Hestia Familia will somehow be two steps ahead of the Loki Familia the entire time. Finne has been established, albeit briefly, as a master tactician. So it would be pretty lame if all of his planning didn’t make things difficult for the Hestia Familia and Xenos.

Conclusion

What do you think of DanMachi III episode 9? Has Finne’s past previously been explained and I just forgot about it? Do you think Bell should tell the truth about the Xenos? I mean, he probably will to Ais. And what do you think is going to happen once the operation is underway? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of the next episode is available here.

Loki Familia Action

Usually, I think episodes of DanMachi are alright or pretty good. However, I have to admit that episode 8 was a really good episode. There was plenty of well-animated action, there were emotional moments, there was lore, and there was some great use of music as well.

The action in this episode was mainly centered on the Loki Familia. This makes sense considering the Loki Familia contains the strongest adventurers we know of. So if there are monsters rampaging in Orario, these are the adventurers who will be able to stop them.

It’s just unfortunate that the DanMachi spin-off that follows the Loki Familia is the worst DanMachi anime series. When you see episodes like this, you’d think that Sword Oratoria would be good. But you’d be mistaken.

I would have liked to see Gros put up more of a fight against Bete. But at the same time, the easy defeat of someone like Gros just served to showcase how strong Bete really is. And the same is true for Tiona’s “fight” against Fels’ golem. This was supposedly Fels’ secret weapon, and yet Tiona took it down in one shot.

Tione was the one of the three who I think had the best showcase of her fighting abilities, despite being the only one not to take down a strong opponent. Seeing her go up against Asterius with her bare hands was pretty great. I just wish that fight lasted longer.

Also, I’d just like to say that the Loki Familia is so much cooler than any of the others in this entire series. They’re the only one that feels like a true fantasy adventurers group. And all of their character designs (except Ais, to be honest) are great.

Asterius

Asterius deserves his own section because there’s a lot to say about him. First of all, his name is obviously a reference to the Minotaur of Greek mythology. I don’t believe any of the other Xenos have names like that. So, does this mean that Asterius is different from the rest of them somehow?

Is Asterius perhaps the original Minotaur? There may be more to that theory than it seems at first. After all, Daedalus, the ancestor of Dix, was the one who created the labyrinth that Asterius resided within in Greek mythology. So for Asterius to be the one to kill Dix in this episode was fitting.

We also know that Asterius is the strongest of the Xenos, so perhaps that’s a clue as well. Perhaps his strength comes in part from him being the original one of his kind in the dungeon.

There’s also the fact that Asterius is the most heavily equipped of all the Xenos. On one end of the spectrum, we have Gros, who doesn’t use human weapons and armor. In the middle, there’s Lyd, who uses some. And on the other end, we have Asterius, who’s decked out with armor and multiple weapons, including a powerful magic one.

And finally, we can’t ignore that multiple adventurers seem to recognize Asterius from somewhere. I don’t remember which episode it was for, but in one of my reviews, I mentioned the idea of the minotaur that attacked Bell at the start of the series coming up again in the context of the Xenos.

I feel like that minotaur was slain by Ais, but maybe it escaped. I don’t remember because it was so long ago. But even if that minotaur was killed, it must have been connected to Asterius in some way.

Death and Rebirth

Wiene’s death was definitely something I wasn’t expecting to happen. But, I thought that it was done well. It was an emotional end for her and Bell, and that’s all you could really ask for. Well, except for the fact that it wasn’t really the end for them.

I’m sure there are a few people who disliked that Wiene was revived after her body disintegrated away. Normally, I would be one of those people too. However, I actually didn’t mind it in this situation, mainly because even her revival was done exceptionally well. I mean, how could you dislike that scene once the music started?

Yes, it’s a bit “cheap” for Wiene to simply be revived after her emotional death. But to be honest, did you really think she was going to stay dead? Considering that there was no way that was going to happen, I think the only problem with her revival was one, little detail regarding how Fels made it happen.

We know that Fels is the ancient alchemist who discovered the philosopher’s stone and gained immortality. That much has already been established, and I’m completely fine with it. But I think that being able to use that power to then also revive other people is a bit much.

When Fels started using the resurrection spell, I figured that he was going to be trading his own life to revive Wiene. After all, giving up an immortal life seems like a fair trade for bringing someone back from the dead temporarily. That isn’t how it worked, though.

Fels is still alive, and this resurrection magic is apparently something he can use again if needed. He did say that he’s never gotten it to successfully work before, so there’s the excuse for it never being used again. But if he was able to do it this time, there’s really no reason why he couldn’t do it again.

I just think Fels should have died there. It would have been a good way to bring Wiene back while also ending Fels’ 800-year curse. It would have wrapped multiple things up nicely. Maybe the caveat could have been that the magic worked this time because he was using it for someone else’s sake, not as a means to end his own suffering.

Conclusion

What do you think of DanMachi III episode 8? Do you want to see more of the Loki Familia in action? I know I do. What do you think is the deal with Asterius? And, how do you feel about Wiene’s revival? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of the next episode is available here.

Dix Perdix

As far as antagonists go, Dix Perdix isn’t the worst. He’s the worst as far as people go, but he’s decent at being an antagonist. I’m not going to say that he’s anything special. But when antagonists who are evil just for the sake of it are so common, it’s always nice to see one with a reason for being the way they are.

Even before DanMachi episode 7, and even episode 6, I didn’t think Dix was all that bland of an antagonist. Yes, we didn’t know the real reason why he captures, sells, and kills Xenos, but we could infer some likely reasons for this.

Namely, the simple fact that he could get a profit by selling Xenos was enough for me. That’s not some grand, evil plan. But it is realistic. Dix isn’t a god, he’s a human. So for him, making money in the shadows by running a monster trafficking business is a pretty good way to find success.

In the previous episode, it was revealed that the “true” reason for Dix capturing and selling the Xenos is to fund the construction of Knossos. I actually thought that this was a worse reason than if he was simply doing it for his own enrichment.

However, this week, the true, true reason was revealed. Because Dix is bound (against his will) to continue working on Knossos as Daedalus’ descendant, he’s been searching for a way out. And although it didn’t break the curse, he found that torturing Xenos relieved his stress, anxiety, and anger regarding his situation.

You might not think that’s a good reason for him to be an antagonist, but it makes sense to me. He’s just doing the one thing that stops him from feeling empty inside.

The Dreams of Beasts

Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention before, but wasn’t this episode the first time that the gem on Wiene’s forehead became relevant? I can’t think of any other monsters, Xenos or not, who have had a gem like that on their bodies. So with that said, it was odd that it suddenly became important.

Additionally, I don’t really understand what the gem means or what exactly it does. From what we saw, when the gem was removed from Wiene, she went berserk and took on her full monster form. This seems to imply that the gem is what made her a Xenos rather than a normal monster.

But as I already stated, none of the other Xenos have been shown to have a similar gem. So I don’t think it’s safe to assume that the gem is what grants the Xenos their sanity. And even if that was the case, that still doesn’t make sense. It would mean that people already know what makes the Xenos different from other monsters.

The Xenos are supposed to be a mystery right now. Nobody, including Ouranos, knows what caused them to gain sentience. But Dix seems to know that removing Wiene’s gem will cause her to go berserk and it was implied that Bell knows this will cause something to happen as well.

Also, I’d like to point out that the Loki Familia knows something about the gem on Wiene’s forehead as well. When they show up towards the end of the episode, they comment on how the monster they see there doesn’t have the gem on its body.

Why would they comment on that unless they knew there was something special about it? And why would they know that in the first place? Even if they were told not to harm the monster with the gem on its head, that would mean whoever told them that knew of its importance.

There’s just so much that I don’t understand about all of this.

Loki Familia

Speaking of the Loki Familia, why did they show up at the end of the episode anyway? I don’t remember which member of the Hestia Familia pointed it out, maybe it was Bell, but someone commented on how quickly the Loki Familia showed up when Wiene went berserk in town.

To me, that means that they had prior information about this occurring. Now, it’s possible that they were just on standby in the town in case any monsters escaped from the Ganesha Familia in the dungeon and made their way to the surface. But that doesn’t seem entirely correct.

Again, they specifically mentioned the lack of a gem on Wiene’s forehead. That implies that not only were they expecting a monster or monsters to raid the town, but they even expected Wiene to be among them.

Perhaps they were given a mission from Ouranos and the guild to capture Wiene. If this is indeed the case, they may have been told to capture the wyvern (I forget what the real name of her race is) with a gem on its head rather than kill it.

There are a few problems with that, though. First, Wiene no longer has the gem, which means the Loki Familia doesn’t recognize her as the target for capture, not annihilation. Second, since the other Xenos don’t have gems, that would mean that they’re fair game to kill, which doesn’t make sense coming from Ouranos.

Maybe Ikelos is manipulating the Loki Familia in some way? If he sent them a fake mission pretending to be Ouranos, it’s possible. He seems to be enjoying Bell’s struggle right now, so perhaps he’s more involved than it seemed.

Conclusion

What do you think about DanMachi III episode 7? Do you like Dix as the villain of the arc? Do you think the gem on Wiene’s head has something to do with why the Xenos are different from other monsters? And why do you think the Loki Familia showed up? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤️ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of the next episode is available here.