Danmachi Season 4 Episode 6 Review No Spoilers

 

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 6 Review No Spoilers 

Episode 6 begins with Bell and Lilli starting off in what looks like a hotel on the 18th floor. It's scenes like this that make me wonder who exactly is the dungeon is it specifically made for adventurers? Is it somehow made to produce or perhaps find heroes and give them just enough breathing room? Maybe all the floors are to prepare a hero or heroes for what is at the bottom. 

Slice Of Life

The last few episodes have all been about growth and how much more reliable Bell has become this episode does a good job of grounding Bell's character. Lilli expresses the fear that with bell becoming stronger and after the Xenos incident he may be pulling away from them but that's not true. Season 4 has gone out of its way to make the relationship between Bell and Lilli special when he was attacked by the Iguazu Lilli seemed to sense it when Bell returned from the lower floors the first name he called was Lilli when he was dragged into the water Lilli tried to go after him and in this episode after Lilli's stalking they spoke until sunrise. Lilli was Bell's first comrade and she's also like an anchor his relationship with her is like proof he is who he was at the beginning because they've known each other the longest. 

Bell would never change enough to leave his comrades so if Freya were to influence him it may be by threatening them if he does not join her or even further her Familia.

Dormul and Luvis have promised to help Bell in the future if he needs them. For bell to free the Xenos not only must he be strong he must also be respected and to do that he needs a strong character, which he has. If Little Rookie or should I say Rabbit Foot say the Xenos are Ok then maybe they are.

Meeting of the Gods Denatus

 I like the name absolute shadow I think it suits Mikoto and her ninja/ kunoichi, does anyone else see think it's a good name?

The meeting of the gods was very short for the episode but I think it may be a crucial moment for season 4 and beyond. Bell has ranked up twice since he got the name little rookie and the gods are openly talking about it. mortals cannot lie to gods but gods can lie to gods, when Freya is asked if she recently took an interest in Little Rookie she tells a lie that we the audience know is a lie she claims to only have taken an interest in him since his fight with Asterius. The fight she prevented the Loki Familia from interfering in. 

Almost everything Freya has done for Bell up until now is a complete secret, she got a grimoire to him helped him level up and overcome his fear of minotaurs and did other things behind the scenes.

Freya suggesting the name Vanadis Odr (Husband Of Freya) is not just a joke it's her openly marking her territory, she is no longer concerned if the other gods are aware of her interest in Bell. I believe that Freya is likely to be more open about her interest in Bell this season. This is a big risk, in swords Oratoria I believe or maybe in season 1 of the main series or both Loki expressed she would be happy about Freya taking an interest in any of her children, especially Ais. The Freya Familia is powerful but if the other gods were to feat her taking a liking to any of their children they may all turn against her. Perhaps Freya is worried that others may take an interest in Bell like Appolo did so she is warning them off now.

In the meeting, the other gods noticed Freya was angry at their ridiculous names they know her well enough to know when she's angry when smiling and they know to pay attention to her anger to respect her anger somewhat. There are two or three ways for us anime only's to interpret this one, she is angry at any other suggestions for Bell's name other than her husband, two she is angry about the ridiculousness of the names because it means they are mocking Bell and her open feelings towards or three both.

Loki is a lot smarter than she seems and she is the trickster god I noticed that in the Orotoria anime and manga and Riveria states so.  Loki is the one who started challenging Freya's naming idea for Bell first. Why did she do that, was it simply to throw a spanner in the works for Freya even though she does not know exactly what she is up to?

It was the Freya Familia that stopped the Loki Familia from fighting Asterius so Loki already knew that Freya was interested in Bell and had been at the meeting they had with Ais and Ottar as escorts in season 1. 

When ottar held up the Loki Familia in season 1 to stop them from getting to Bell against the minotaur and again last season against the same minotaur the situations never resulted in extended violence. Finn's line in Oratoria to Ottar asking if his actions were the will of his god and if he wished to provoke an all out war between their Familia springs to mind, Ottar said no. Being the most powerful factions they run the risk of mutually assured destruction and they know it so the battle between the gods is far more subtle. Only Loki is powerful enough to anger Freya without risking getting wiped out look what happened to Ishtar. Perhaps Ais and Bell's relationship increases the odds of violence between the factions. Ais could not be seen to help Bell during the war games because of the danger of making enemies for her Familia so I doubt she'd do anything openly but Freya is the jealous type, she did have Ais attacked once but at that time Loki and Ais would not have been able to see the connection.

The name Loki suggested was Loizarus (Trickster's toy), something Loki can use to play with Freya and her emotions. that's exactly what she did in the meeting, Loki is very very smart.

Ryu Not Herself Literally?

The Ryu looking like a killer seemed very much like a trope the red in her eyes either means she's under mind control or it's some kind of an imitation. Ryu has shown herself to regret her past errors of seeking revenge for her comrades. I think her looking like a killer is her being framed if Revis can disguise herself so can others maybe it's some kind of magic item. Whoever did it know enough about Ryu to know when to time their actions so she has no alibi and knows who she is. We also don't hear her Ryu or not Ryu talk so we do not know if the voice is being imitated.  When the scene played of the man who said he saw Ryu the image was fuzzy like an old VHS, this could be evidence of memory manipulation.

The key point I took away was that the man that was killed was a trader, he must have dealt with some merchandise that his killer was interested in or the killer thought he had information on some merchandise she wants. I am seriously interested in what the man traded in.

Without giving away any spoiler feel free to way in maybe me thinking it's a trope is me falling for a double bluff.

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 5 Review No Spoilers

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 5 Review No Spoilers 

In this review, I am going to talk about growth and potential growth again, wasted potential and I am going to try something at the end. 

Episode 4 was the first showing us the Hestia Familia and episode five wrapped it up. These two episodes not only showed us their growth but maybe another glimpse into how they will grow in the future. 

Hestia Familia Potential Growth And Growth Ideas

Harihume

Harihume's magic multiplies the magic she can already use so she can now rank up multiple targets. Harihume told Aisha it would take years for her to learn another magic and we know she's never going to be a fighter. Harihume's path to growth will probably be about increasing her magic power and maybe a rank up. When she used her magic she only had 5 tails like Kurama from Naruto and Ninetales from pokemon because these folk laws tend to have the same origin I guess that Harihume will work to increase her magic to nine people and she will generate nine tails. 

Welf

We learned in season one that part of the reason Welf does not like magic swords is that they break.  After seeing Bell's Argonaut Vesta I had a thought. When they saw rare coral Welf wanted to use it to make weapons and when Bell defeated the goliath using his Argonaut skill the weapon broke even though it came from a level 6 enemy Ais defeated. What if the reason Welf magic weapons break is because of the material? I  think Welf will learn something from the blade that Hephaestus made. Not only was his weapon not strong enough to get through the Moss Huge's Udine cloth but it broke to boot. I think this will push him to grow in a way that will lead to expensively made magic swords that are more powerful and can handle being more powerful so they will not break.

Mikoto 

Her growth seems to be down the path of greater technique after the last episode she showed herself to not only be able to learn techniques but create them I imagine she will devise more techniques and skills in the future. Even with a rank up, Mikoto was caught off guard by a monster immediately after being healed, lack of awareness a mental lapse. She's able to sense monsters and allies her senses are keener than anyone else. Mikoto was the one to articulate how sometimes when she experiences a rank up her senses cannot fully process her bodies strength. She's more aware of her senses than anyone else, I think she may develop a defensive sense that can be used in battle because she was caught off guard and will be inspired by witnessing what bell did when his body and senses aligned. A smaller version of her ability to sense monsters and allies in the versatility that acts like a spidey sense, perceptive to all movement.

Lilli

Lilli's growth is as a person people don't follow strategy they follow leaders. Lilli openly stated that she knows the level-headed thing to do but would choose to do what bell the fool would do. Lilli is a great strategist, part of the reason they ended up in dire straits is that Lilli underestimated the Moss Huge, which is the same as underestimating the dungeon. She said something like monsters cannot cause Pass parades and monsters don't set traps. I think Lilli will become more determined to leave everyone around and will increase her knowledge as a strategist and develop strategies to try to accomplish that. She will be more prepared for what the dungeon is capable of.

Bell's Potential Growth And Current Strength Estimate

Current Bell Strength Assessment

Because of Bell's ability to go beyond the limits of his Status his exact strength is a curious subject. Before Bell was washed into a lower part of the dungeon Aisha admitted that Bell was stronger than her and that he was as strong as a mid level adventurer and his speed was up there with the best of them, level four adventurers I think she meant.

The explanation Mikoto gave for Bell not having a full grasp of his level 4 abilities made sense and is consistent with the story, I don't know if anyone here watched the  Sword Oratoria anime. If you did when Ais became a level 6 she adjusted her mind to her knew strength by single handedly wiping out hoards of monsters. 

Aisha could arguably have suffered from the same with the rank up and also because her stats at level 4 are not high enough for her to rank up to level 5 she's not an equivalent to level 5. So her fight with the Moss Huge may not be the same as if another level 5 adventurer had fought it so we cannot say for sure Moss Huge is stronger than your typical level 5 adventurer. When Aisha clashed with the Moss Huge she was pushed back but Bell held his own with a knife when they clashed and then pushed it back, that feat requires far more strength than a broad sword.

Aisha assessed bells strength before he was acclimated with his strength so here are my current estimates based on his feats up to season 4 episode 5. 

Agility 

When Bell was level 3 Dix mentioned that Bell didn't move like a level 3 he probably meant he was a whole level higher. I think the current anime Bell is the equivalent of a mid-level 5 in terms of speed. 

For strength dexterity and endurance I think Bel is a low level 5 and for magic a pinnacle level 4 although it is hard to estimate because he combines firebolt with argonaut and firebolt is a short chant it's hard to know how large Bell's raw magic reserves are.

Growth Hints

Bell Dual Wielding is likely to be a thing again. He did say that he was trying to get used to his new weapon so maybe that's why he used one blade in the situation like the attack from multiple fast enemies on the lower floor.

After fighting the Moss and being sent lower in the dungeon Bell took a potion to recover his stamina immediately. In this episode after having to make the journey back up and using firebolt with Argonaut Bell did not look tired but Lilli gave him a potion to recover his stamina. Not a scratch on him either time so this is purely a stamina issue. Even after the potion during the fight with the Moss  Lilli says a prolonged fight won't be good for him because his stamina and magic power are not at their fullest. 

I think for Bell's growth he must increase his stamina and go lower into the dungeon on his own. The growth he got just from going lower into the dungeon solo was immense. Although I think it's a necessity I don't think Bell would do it willingly because of the danger it would put the team in and Bell made a promise to get stronger together. But as we saw last episode stuff happens. Down the line, I think it would be symbolic if Bell were to become a level 6 by defeating the Udeaus Solo as Ais did. 

I am a little curious as to how potions work do they recover a certain amount of HP and MP the more MP or HP you have the more potions you have to take to recover to your maximum. Has Bell grown so strong they no longer benefit him as much at least percentage wise? 

And what are your estimates of Bell's current anime strength?

Moss Huge Wasted Potential Up In Smoke

I think the Moss huge was an incredible villain, when it went down I felt all its potential had gone with it. I was left feeling like it was over the hero's win but I should have been left with the feeling of fear that another enhanced species like it may emerge. We only got a few glimpses from the anime as to how sadistic this creature was, episode 5 made it more overtly obvious than any other. The smile the Moss Huge gives Aisha when she realises that it was consuming the stones of the monster they defeated says a lot. It smiled in response to the fear in Aisha's eyes it wanted her to know what was about to happen it relished in the fear. When it used its tongue to grab Aisha it revelled in her pain instead of finishing her quickly. And before it died it tried to run after it died I was not left with the same feeling as when Pita died in God eater, the feeling that justice had been served. 

Being smart enough to discern between good and evil makes one subject to morality. The anime didn't do a good enough job with the Moss Huge to make me feel a satisfying sense of justice with his death.

Over All Best Episode Of The Season 

I was glued to the screen the whole episode but for some reason, the episode felt a lot longer than an over this season maybe the whole series. I think it's because o the use of flashbacks and scenery. Unlike the last episode, this episode is shot in mostly one place if you only have a little bit of time with each character per episode the time will feel shorter because a lot more is going on at once. 

Never before have so many flashbacks been used, flashbacks overall help you feel how long the characters have been on a journey. I think these two factors elongated this episode's journey.

All the flashbacks did a great job of framing the current predicament of the episode. I think it was an excellent ploy more than just a budget saver it felt like they were all meant to be there and adjusted the viewer wonderfully to the changes in the predicament without having to move the characters.

Bell The Hero  Mini Story

Harihume is the first to hear Bell proving those ears are not just for show. A nice touch is the timing of Harihume's ears with the sound of an actual Bell the argonaut noise.

And like all heroes, Bell shows up when the situation is at its worse running quite literally with hope in hand. And we all hear that too Familiar soundtrack. As Bell walks through the smoke like a saviour the hope in the destruction Lilli blushes as she fell in love all over again. Not with a boy's potential but with a man's resolution. Aisha the fallen warrior maiden gives her approval to the one she knows is worthy of the name hero. The monster prepares for battle on a round ice arena. Like the knights sat at a round table to symbolise equality and the ice that sticks this arena was made to host a one-on-one fair fight that no one walks away from the hero is truly risking his life willingly because everyone depends on him to do so. 

It all starts at a waterdrop like the dungeons Bell a match between one of the dungeons champions and the challenger with survival as the prize. 

Although bell fight alone the symbol on his back makes itself known it makes it known he fights for and who he fights with. With the calmest firebolt cast ever cast Bell prepares for the final blow perhaps it was his experience of stronger faster and faster foes that allowed Bell to keep his cool in the arena of death for the fate of himself and his Familia. Or perhaps he felt no fear of fate who fears fighting when they fight with the gods on their side?

That's when we hear that all familiar toll, the bell that symbolises the end of hours, the bell that echoes the will of the gods. Our hero's adversary seeks to retreat from the battle ordained by the deities and hosted by its master. But Welf will not let it retreat from where it came because he will not allow this monster to retreat to sully his comrade's honourable victory. And with one blow Argo vest the name of blow that now presides over all the other onlooking heroes their captain, hope, saviour and champion vanquishes the evil and celebrates victory with those he would have died for.

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 4 Review No Spoilers

 

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 4 Review No Spoilers

With Bell otherwise engaged we get to see the team without him. Aisha admitted she thought the group was done for without Bell which shows just how much of a big deal it is that a party of mostly level 2's can hold their own this deep in the dungeon. Lilli is doing an excellent job as a strategist.

Both Welf and Ouka are fighting in the vanguard a job Bell could have done himself. Mikoto was  able to pull off her new move thanks to having a good weapon that Welf made

Although I am impressed with the growth of the group and how they are handling things it feels forced. I think that once the party has reached its limits Harihume's magic Bell will come to the rescue.  I don't feel any fear for the group even with the danger because Bell will come to the rescue. I think a better job could have been done to make me fear for the group or at least some of the members.

Reading the comments on my last critiques/reviews has made me feel like I'm missing a lot.

She's not evil after all 

I was not sure about Marie despite her positive demeanour but now that her character is on display we have some confirmation that she is not evil.  Marie is in many ways the opposite of the Moss Huge. She is limited in travel, only able to traverse water, the moss huge can travel whole floors on land and through water, Marie does not enjoy violence her ability to mesmerise docile runs parallel to the Moss Huge dominating violent monsters to get them to do his bidding.

How Smart Could It Be?

Because we don't get to hear the moss's thoughts and some things may be coincidences like the monster party the anime does not directly tell us exactly how smart the Moss is.  What I found most interesting was trying to figure out just how smart the Moss Huge is and how intentional it is.  Every time it's not on screen I wonder how much of what's on the screen is it dictating is it all just part of its plan?

 

To try to figure out the Moss Huge as an anime only I am going to use what we anime only's have learned from the anime and something I learned from Jordan Peterson. It went something like this if you can't figure out what someone is up to look at the result and infer the motive.

Once again the Moss Huge's cunning is on display, its strategy is absolutely genius. It has created a win win situation for itself. Creating a pass parade has forced the team to destroy the dungeon's monster and leave behind the stones in the aftermath. This episode made sure to show its smile at the magic stones at its feet and when Welf used a fire magic sword the anime paid attention to the stones that resulted.

Not only does the Moss knows where they are at all times because of the trail of stones but by the time it reaches them after consuming stones along the way it will be even stronger so if the Pass parade does not get them he will.

In the last episode, the Bell questioned if the Moss Huge tried to cripple his ability to use magic and this episode we learned it's not vulnerable to slashing or lightning magic, only Bell's fire magic has worked so far. So it's a grass-type pokemon. For it to have tried to stop Bell would suggest that it knew it was vulnerable to fire magic and it knew that Bell could use fire magic. It must watch adventurers for a while to ascertain knowledge of skills,  strength and stones. Aisha noted in this episode that the Moss is watching them from somewhere.  Cassandra can only cast so much healing magic so magic swords break and Haruhume's magic is a trump card. I infer that the Moss Huge is learning about everything in their arsenal and forcing them to use up their strength and weapons. It won't show itself until Welf's magic fire weapons are broken.

That Moss is planning on killing everyone including Bell it wants no witnesses left alive. According to Aisha Bell is around a mid-level 4 and his agility is up there with the best. Having faced him before the Moss knows it could lose however if it consumes all those magic stones by the time Bell reaches it, it will probably be stronger than he is, pinnacle level 4 or higher.

Hopefully I will be blown away by Harihume's magic next episode.

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 3 Review No Spoilers

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 3 Review No Spoilers

By far this is the most philosophical episode in my opinion which I will elaborate on in this review. I will mainly discuss three main points Bell and his growth, Lilli and the philosophy of monsters which I think has been built up to wonderfully.

Danmachi Season 4 Reviews

Season 4 Episode 1 Review 

Season 4 Episode 2 Review

Before we begin Is anyone else reminded of the leech seed attack from pokemon? 

With images like this at the end of the first episode in hindsight, it's very who's that pokemon.

Signs Of Bells Growth As A Leader And Adventure 

Aisha earlier in the season was clear that Bell was not just pulling people along, what Bell does as a leader is help people grow in their own strengths. Once Bell told Cassandra no one is dead yet, the group feel changed from despair to challenge ready. The intro has shown and the season has been hinting at more uses for Argonaut but what it is doing so well with Bell is showing his process. When they were fighting the Slime and Bell did not use Argonaut and firebolt to try to obliterate it perhaps a limitation was revealed. When Bell turned quickly to get to the monster he used Argonaut at his feet which was very adaptive immediately after some come combat he uses an Argonaut-less firebolt. Bell did not use Argonaut again because of the strain of rapid succession maybe he couldn't. It was the first time this season he has not combined or aimed to combine firebolt with Argonaut. Before Mikota's somersault last episode he was just about to. I think Bell is coming to the conclusion he needs to use Argonaut in a more continuous way.

After falling off the waterfall Bell immediately take a potion to recover his stamina. I'm not sure he needed to take 

what I think was probably his only potion but I like what it set up, he will probably take more and more damage on his way back up and maybe that mermaid plans on causing and or taking advantage.

Bell drew on two things when he decided to fight back against the Iguazu number one his promise to get stronger with everyone and then what he thought Ais would do. At that moment he moved from chasing Ais his original hero to becoming Ais. This is a major shift, after the assault has ended Bell looks at his hand, he's probably thinking something along the lines of I can do it, I can be like Ais. 

Lilli's Limits And Plan 

During the discussion on what to do about the Moss Huge's Leech seed attack, Lilli is against trying to take down the Moss Huge. The first reason  I think is that Lilli is afraid of losing Bell stating that the Moss Huge was a great risk after how it fought Bell. The second reason may be linked to why Lilli was the only one against defeating it has been a level one as long as she has. The levelling system in Danmachi is based on impressing the gods so basically taking a worthy risk but Lilli does not do that. Last episode Daphne mentioned how Lilli could be a strategist like Finn and everyone knows he's crazy strong. Gaining strength like Finn's would require the intelligence to access risks and the courage to take them when necessary for conquest and growth. Lilli was the only one against taking down the Moss Huge, she's not an adventurer at heart.

Lilli was outwitted by the Moss Huge which is a testament to how smart it is and also a source of guilt for Lilli. 

Lilli is the most connected to Bell she was able to sense when Bell is in danger. When Bell was dragged underwater Lilli lost all sense of reason. Lilli's plan is to send away the only other level 4 because as mentioned in this episode the Moss Huge only attacks adventures it can defeat or in this case thinks it can defeat. Lilli's plan is brilliant, I don't think it will work because of the plot I cannot see the Moss Huge dying like that. Maybe if their lucky it will be sent further down the dungeon closer to Bell but I don't see it being crushed flat as Lilli wants.

I'll Start With  A Quote

The late Cus D'amato Mike Tyson's boxing trainer has a great quote ''There are animals disguised as human beings out here, you are not sophisticated enough to decipher the two''

As it was pointed out to me in the last review the slime monster is definitely not a Xenos. Even though the slime monster kills other monsters and eats their crystal for strength the other monster do not recognise it as an enemy. Or at least I have not seen so so far. Lyd made it clear that the dungeon's monsters attack the Xenos and he should not be afraid to defend himself.

Being a middle floor monster so an estimated level 2 it had to work its way down. Is it acting intuitively, born with the knowledge of the dungeon or did it simply work out that going lower meant more powerful monsters and stones?

We know that the slime monster killed one of Luvis's companions but we do not the slime monsters or Moss Huge's'face. Later in the episode when the Moss Huge sends Bell down to the lower levels we see a visible smile.  That smile was the smile someone produces when they get what they want. I don't know if anyone has seen the Anime God Eater but if you have you will be familiar with Dayus Pita an intelligent monster like the Moss Huge that also consumed its fellow monster, it was pure evil.  Going back to us not seeing the face of the Huge Moss when it killed the adventurer has left us in the dark about whether it is acting completely logically to set a trap or whether it takes pleasure in murder. Is it capable of schadenfreude?

Everything that the Moss Huge has done draws parallels between adventurers, killing other adventurers for their wealth stealing supplies, and setting traps like with Ry's familiar, Dix was clearly a monster because of the enjoyment he took in hurting the Xenos. 

This episode did a great job of showing off the enhanced species' intelligence without letting us know just how evil it really is. At the end of the episode when the mermaid monster is clapping the whole thing is intentionally ambiguous. Is she happy because she is impressed or is she happy because she is sadistic and enjoyed seeing Bell get hurt, schadenfreude?

When I first saw episode 3 I had to think about how best to represent the very deep question this episode is asking, I think it's representing the enhanced moss and maybe Xenos or enhanced Mermaid in a way that asks a simple yet profound question, What makes a monster a monster?

Danmachi Season 4 Reviews

Season 4 Episode 1 Review 

Season 4 Episode 2 Review

Original Source

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 2 Review No Spoilers

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 2 Review No Spoilers

Three themes stood out in this episode, character convictions, the mysteries of the dungeon and monsters. All three of the aforementioned theme will be covered here. 

Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV  episode 2 Review

The dungeon is like a living organism it actually focuses on repairing parts of the terrain and the expense of monster respawning rate. Is the dungeon protecting itself in some way from invading adventurers? For it to care about repair means it has concerns about its own survival. I doubt we will get to the bottom of it until we're at the bottom of it but why not speculate? 

Ouka knew nothing about the benefits of damaging certain parts of the dungeon's terrain and Bell only just learned. If Ouka did not know it's probably not common knowledge.

It sounds like you have to know exactly what you are doing, destroying the wrong part and the dungeon may increase the respawn rate to protect itself. Bell probably learned it from his study with Eina.

How Perceptive Is Bell?

Harihume is the first to directly address Bell about his ability to kill monsters given that last season after meeting the Xenos he was unable to kill monsters, especially one that reminded him of Wiene. Bell is incredibly perceptive without even looking he knows Harihume is looking at him and the thing that's bothering her is to do with him. I don't think it was to save the animation budget Bell not looking was reminiscent of him being able to tell when Mord was looking at him even though he was invisible. 

The scene shifts to Lilli's view of the conversation with Welf in view. Lilli admits what I already suspected she was afraid of and that's losing Bell. Welf understands Lilli and uses her fear of being left behind and jealousy to motivate her, he doesn't let her get down instead he fires her up, teasing her about being upfront with Bell. Welf strengthens Lilli's resolve. 

I don't know if anyone caught this image of Lilli's face when Welf gave Bell Hakugen last episode. Consider this, the weapon Welf gave to bell is of similar length to the one Lilli gave to Bell so you can imagine how outdone she must feel. 

Daphne complements Lilli as a leader, everyone follows her orders without question even though she is only level one. Daphne then goes on to raise a danger flag and then does almost the same as Welf in a different way, she brings up potential dangers that could force Lilli to make a cold decision. Welf fired up Lilli to lead based on emotion Daphne said there are times when Lilli will have to be heartless but she thinks Lilli is capable of making level headed decisions is her strengthening Lillis resolve to lead. A good leader leads from their heart and their head. 

Aisha's analysis of Bell is that of an outsider her perspective is interesting.  She is the only person who has no one else from her Familia. Aisha realises as she's analysing bell that his positive influence, encouraging others to the same commitment stimulates growth in others and makes him a hero. This was new to me but after thinking about how Bell has changed as a person his new goals and the Danmachi levelling system based on the principles of this world Bell is most definitely a hero. I wonder how Freya will react all this time she's been watching and helping Bell but now he is in fact Hero what wills he make of his soul?

As the only other level four, she takes it in shifts with Bell to stand guard. Aisha says it doesn't feel like it's been that long when Bell tells her shift is up. In all likelihood, Bell relieved her of her duty early because he is grateful to her for being on the expedition. Having another level four is a big deal. Had she not invited herself Bell would have been the only level four. After being relieved Aisha makes it clear that if he bites the dust so does the rest of the party. I took away two things from this statement. The first is just how strong Bell is, Aisha is saying that Bell is so much stronger than her that she could not defend the group where he could, maybe even solo like they originally planned. Second, going back to what she said about Bell being a hero, think about it what do you do when your hero falls, you lose hope. Not only is Bell strong he is also the team's morale.

After Mikota and Aisha save Harihume is the switching point of the episode from focusing on the character's resolve to focusing on the dungeon. Aisha's reason for joining was to protect Harihume and Mikota resolved to protect her even with her life and grow stronger together.

Just Sitting There?

The under coral and under pearl are extremely valuable so finding any could indicate a few things. Under coral could fetch 3 million. 

1:  Dungeon Regeneration 

The dungeon regenerates it produces herbs so why not valuable items? It may not be that nobody takes the under coral it's that it regenerates in a time frame. 

2: As Ryu Said Ambushes Are Common

There is a massive incentive for adventurers to attack one another in the dungeon if you don't want to risk the dungeon's monsters to get things why not steal those things from others? Cassandra voiced fear of being attacked for water and we all know what Lilli's old Familia was like.

3: A lot Less Competition

Not a lot of adventurers can reach the lower floors think of Mord, he's level 2 and probably always will be, without higher-level comrades. 

This episode moved quite quickly, the monster we saw and the end of the last episode comes into the light. Bell questions if it is an enhanced species because it was reading his moves. How does that differ from a Xenos? Welf told Bell not to go too deep and backup was coming. As mentioned earlier if Bell bites the dust the group is done for but if he is separated from them the group may also be done for.

 This monster is smart and Welf was shocked it ran away but it didn't it tactically retreated. I don't think the monster will be the main threat for the season because the introduction is so early but I think we all have guessed it will be back. Lilli may be in a tough predicament she may have to make one of those cold hearted decisions Daphne warned her about with Chugisa's injury. Are her and Luvis's injuries healable? Is the injury related to the monster's life, cause that would be cheesy?

I was quite happy with episode two I think the director did a fantastic job everything flowed into everything else.