Danmachi Final Episode (13): Another level up?

Well, I guess I don’t need to ask why Hermes was saying the same things as Bell’s grandfather…apparently, he’s Zeus. I don’t suppose he’s related to Heracles or something. It would certainly explain why he’s so overpowered. That being said, Hermes mentioned this week that the monster was angered by divine power and thus attacked the neutral zone. Does that mean that Bell draws similar attention being a quarter divine?

Did anyone else find this final episode tough to watch? For some reason, I couldn’t focus easily past the red background…it was really off-putting. Anyway, this series ends with…well, nothing special really. Maybe Bell leveled up again having defeated a level 5 monster, but there was no major enemy to face or anything like that.

Danmachi Episode 12: So why is Hestia there again?

So it looks like this week’s episode gives us some background on Ryuu…though I’m pretty sure this means that she will fall into obscurity from here (there doesn’t seem to be too much to add to that story). We also had Hermes interfering in order to “test” Bell for something. Is it his own personal mission or is he actually working for Freya? I am curious about the scene where Hestia releases her divine power, though. What exactly are the implications/consequences? Does she just gain power that surpasses humans? It all seemed pretty underwhelming in the end…

Next week’s episode should end this series. It’s still possible that they end on a pseudo-resolution in preparation for another season, but in the case where they don’t, I’m curious what will happen. I’m sure the fact that Welf lost his sword this week is going to be relevant, so he might be forced to use a magic item or something. I’m curious what exactly is going on at the end of this week’s episode, though. Is a monster breaking into the safe zone? Does this mean that this safe zone is compromised forever? And if all of this is true, why was this place designated a safe zone in the first place?

Danmachi Episode 11: Bell literally carrying the team

I’m a bit surprised that after all of that huff, Hestia’s group didn’t even make it in time to help Bell’s team reach the safe zone. I guess the only reason they’re there is to help secure the way back up to the surface. Other than that, not too much happens in this week’s episode. There is an interesting bit where Hermes mentions that someone asked him to check Bell out, but not much is said about that. I’m assuming it was Freya or something?

So is next week’s episode going to go more into Welf’s story and get him to start making magic items again? Surely that would be very helpful for the team. The team has a day off in the safe zone, so I’m assuming they have the time to go into Welf’s past and figure out his damage. Also, what’s the end game for this series? Is the final episode just going to end with the team escaping the dungeon or is Freya going to make some final move to test Bell?

Danmachi Episode 10: Rescue mission

Don’t you hate it when parties over-aggro enemies and you have to deal with the fallout? Anyway, it looks like even with all of Bell’s godlike skills, he’s still having trouble (although that argonaut activation at the end of the episode seemed pretty broken). I suppose the general reason for this episode is to show that even when Bell’s life seems perfect (finally got a party and leveled up), he’s still got some improvement left to do…pretty much bursting the bubble, I guess. That’s probably why there’s that brief battle with the minotaurs at the end, showing that he has progressed, but it’s not enough. At least it’s getting less harem-focused, right? Are we free of that?

Looks like next week’s episode is going to be a rescue operation, one that finally brings Ryu into the action as well. Given that Gods are restricted from the dungeon, I’m curious what contribution Hestia and Hermes will be making on the mission. Based on Hermes’s discussion with Asfi about protection and the fact that he had to bring in Ryu, it really looks like they’ll be a liability to the team…so why are they even there?

Danmachi Episode 9: Hero mode

Wait…did Bell just get another broken ability? When he used it, I assumed that the ability was something to the effect of “if someone is in desperate need of your help, your next skill will be charged up”. Instead, it looks like the conditions are much broader…it seems like it will work whenever he’s fighting something stronger than he is. Isn’t that just a passive buff that seems way too strong? But my gripes about imbalanced game mechanics aside, this week’s episode introduces Welf Crozzo as a new member of the team. While I’m not sure I totally agree with his stance on weapons, I do agree that I’ve never been a fan of magic items that break after a certain number of charges are used up.

Now that the team is assembled, will the next episode just be the three of them taking on new monsters and new floors? It doesn’t seem all too interesting. Also, didn’t Welf’s story seem too easy? I don’t know what to think because the ending of this week’s episode seemed like everything was done, but I’m suspicious that there might be more to him. At least we don’t have to worry about him going around stealing Bell’s stuff since it’s his equipment.

Danmachi Episode 8: Showing off in front of the girl

Now I’m curious…has every battle involved blood on the eyes? I feel like I’ve been seeing that a lot in this show. But that aside, this week’s episode is somewhat of a full circle for Bell, as he gets to face the monster that pretty much started this all. Since they were talking a lot about how to level up in this world of adventurers, does that mean that this week’s episode was enough to level Bell up to 2? That being said, does the level do anything? It really seems like it’s just a meaningless title. The only guess I have is that it determines stat caps. It’s mentioned this week that all of Bell’s stats are S-level, so I wonder if that just means that they are at the max for a level 1 adventurer.

Is next week’s episode going to introduce the final character in the main cast (at least the one shown running with Bell in the ending)? If so, does he actually travel in the dungeon with Bell? The title suggests that the new character is a blacksmith, which doesn’t really strike me as the adventurous type of profession. Plus, Bell is really seeming to forsake this idea of the adventuring party (solo player for life?).

Danmachi Episode 7: Such harem

Anyone else getting really tired of Bell’s scream? Not too much else happens this week…the first half was spent introducing Lili to the Familia and formally closing her arc. The second half formally introduces Aiz into the main cast, giving her the role of Bell’s trainer. I suppose that at least gives her a somewhat meaningful recurring a role without her directly interfering in his dungeon efforts (it would be boring if she just did all of the work).

So based on the random scenes from this week, it looks like next week’s episode will be addressing some sort of berserk minotaur. Presumably, this is another one of Freya’s plots…I’m still having the same thoughts as when I started this series. I really feel like Bell needs some sort of rival…it just doesn’t feel “enough” to me that he’s trying to reach Aiz’s level. Freya also doesn’t feel right for the role of main antagonist…she just seems to be randomly throwing things at Bell.

Danmachi Episode 6: Really? Fog?

Wait…so what exactly happened with Bell’s knife in this episode? I’m assuming that the object that Lili threw at him when she was yelling at him was the knife, but it wasn’t fully shown. I’m surprised that the Soma adventurers didn’t notice that she had that on her person when they were looting her. Isn’t that a bit too lucky for Bell? Anyway, it looks like Lili’s stuff is all resolved this week…

So I guess next week’s episode finally shifts the focus on Aiz, the illusive ghost in the fog. Since it still feels too early for her to join the main cast (the opening seems to suggest that), I’m assuming that the episode will just not feature Bell much (either that or re-tell events of the story from her point of view, which I believe would be kind of lame). I’m still not sure I understand what her role is supposed to be in the show…is she really just going to swoop in whenever Bell is in too much trouble and disappear afterwards?

Danmachi Episode 5: Learning magic

I’m not sure how I feel about this week’s episode. Is it too random that Bell learned how to use magic this week? I guess it shows that his hidden skill isn’t restricted to just stat growths…apparently, it makes it easier for him to learn skills as well. I guess I just find it strange because the ability use something like magic doesn’t fit with Bell’s personality, especially given how dense he is. Also, it’s no real secret that I’ve never liked magic in video games…

Based on the title of next week’s episode, I’m assuming it will be the resolution of Lili’s arc. Does she still have to steal something else from Bell before she starts to trust him? There was also a brief incident this week where Aiz made her appearance again. Is that going to be her role in the show? She just randomly shows up as moral support? I guess it makes sense given how Bell’s skill, but I was honestly expecting him to be feeling some backlash from that ability given how ashamed he was after meeting her again. A skill like that should really have a huge drawback somehow…

Danmachi Episode 4: Power of the support?

This week’s episode introduces Liliruca Arde, also introducing the concept of the support. I feel like they talked more about the role of the support in the manga than the anime…essentially, they move dead bodies out of the way to give adventurers room to fight (because monsters can’t just fade away like they do in games) and gather the loot (because you can’t just walk over loot and pick it up). Also, in many games, there are inventory slot restrictions or weight restrictions, so I guess supporters help with that.

That being said, it feels like a very menial job, so Lili never interested me as a character. I questioned her purpose in the dungeon…she should at least have some buffs or heals to be a true support in my eyes. That being said, I never read far enough in the manga to get to know her more, so I’m judging her solely off her introduction, a typical case of someone with trust issues born from being abused by a Familia desperate for money.

So based on the end of the episode, it looks like next week will be dealing with another one of Freya’s yandere “games”. I’m assuming that the experience will solidify Lili’s trust in Bell and compel her to leave her Familia and join Hestia’s. That being said, there was one scene in this week’s episode that confused me. Why show a random scene with Ais? It felt like “we’ve been forgetting about this girl…let’s give her some screen time”.