Danmachi Season 4 Episode 9 Review No Spoilers

Danamachi Season 4 Episode 9 No Spoilers Reviews

Plot devices

 I have mixed feelings about the plot devices used in this episode,  the use of Cassandra's prophecies was well done but I am not sure about how I feel about Ryu and Jura's full circle.

This is the third and probably final time the episode has started with Cassandra's prophecy and I must say the build up was worth it, in hindsight this gave me the perception that the prophecy had been stopped completely by everyone not going to the 27th floor. Jura straight tells us that it does not matter because the dungeon sees the 27th floor and some of the floors above it as one.  Jura explaining his plan and admitting he set up Ryu is like the bond villain explaining his plan for world domination instead of killing Bond quickly. It's a way of giving him the necessary information and getting us the audience some closure, wrapping things up when the villain thinks they've won. 

Dix did a fantastic job of making us hate him with his sadistic monologue. In Jura's case I don't hate him I feel a little sorry for him. Jura's monologue made Bell visibly angry at how he set up Ryu and Ryu was provoked into attacking him when he threatened to have Bell eaten first. The reactions to Jura's monologue tells us it's part of his strategy so he gets to inform the audience and give vital information about Ryu's clearance and the plot without leaving us asking why is he telling them. 

Ryu is translated as saying "Quit trying to drag this out with your bullcrap" to Jura. I thought he was trying to wear them down until the bombs were set off and then his seemingly overly long and informative monologue made sense.  

Ryu blamed her temper for bad judgement which given Jura's ability to push the specific buttons is slightly understandable. When Jura finally said I've summoned despair the prophecy twist did not surprise me it did not hit as hard as I believe it should have.

Overall setting up necessary plot devices is hard and I know the anime is far less detailed than the light novel so I'll give the aforementioned plot devices a 7.5 out of ten because they felt rushed but organic enough.

Monster Slaves

 A magic item that makes slaves of monsters tells us about the economics of capturing and selling monsters they could be exploited sexually if they could be controlled, even by people without the gods blessings. I wonder if those could work on Xenos? Dix would have had them if he did not use them on the Xenos they must not work on them perhaps that's why he used a curse instead?

Death Of Gale Wind

Ryu was very cryptic for the sake of the plot. Had Bell not been there would she have killed Jura? I feel as though the twist was slightly forced, Ryu was upfront with Bell about what she had done because of the circumstances of her Familia's demise so her being all cryptic when Bell believed in her so easily comes off as a way to add a twist that I think could have been more effectively justified. From Ryu's perspective maybe she anticipated being misunderstood and did not explain herself more quickly due to a deep fear that Bell someone she cares about would not understand and not believe her. She looked completely shocked when Bell said" Ms Ryu said she didn't kill anyone".  "And I'm going to believe that."

Ryu never had any intention of cutting Bell down, she was trying to scare him off. Bell referring to her as Ms Ryu and not gale wind shows how he sees her, to him she's Ms Ryu, not the murderer's Gale wind that others see her as.

To go further when Bell is calling out Jura he tells him he's pretty sure his wounds are from a long time ago back when (Gale Wind) hunted him down.

I think that this is that Bell's wording is intentional and that Bell will save Ryu in the upcoming episodes I think he will be her hero and save her from her darkness. I believe that this is the death of Gale wind. It's pretty obvious that the thing that's coming is something that was strong enough to play a part in wiping out Ryu's Familia and that she does not think they can beat it. I am guessing Alise was an old comrade Ryu could not save.

 For Ryu to try to get Bell to leave and survive saying "At the very least you have to escape! Get out of here!"  Is her showing just how much she cares she is as feels as close to Bell as she did to her Familia, he is probably the closest she has felt to someone since Alise.

Content Idea And Skills

As an anime only I heard a little about the skill's in Danmachi from youtube videos but this episode gave me an idea for content I will probably reveal later. Long story short I did a bit of research on  Skills and some character stats. I do not want any unnecessary spoilers.

Bell's ability to read people is remarkable. He saw through Turk and Jura. He deduced that Jura's wounds were from a long time ago. I may be over estimating him perhaps the anime is making him more competent than he is in the light novel. During the fight with the Lambton, we get to see Bell's experience. Both Aisha and Ryu had experience fighting the Lambton and took the lead in determining the strategy. Aisha was able to figure out where the Lambton would attack from when it was underground. She figured it out or sensed it where Harihume could not even with her ears. Aisha also told us the Lambton would go underground if it sensed magic. Ryu: "This isn't my first fight with a Lambton. I should be able to win". Both Aisha and Ryu used similar tactics restricting the Lambton's movement and ending it with magic. In my research, I looked into the hunter skill that I had heard about. 

Hunter (狩人): Hunter improves abilities against monsters Ryuu has fought before and gained excelia from.

Aisha and Ryu have the hunter skill is that how Aisha was able to sense the underground Lambton and why Ryu's magic was so effective?

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 8 No Spoilers

 

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 8 Spoiler Free Review

Prophecy Through Whos Eyes?

Cassandra's prophecy starts an episode once again but this time with some clarity. As she's talking about the prophecy we are shown exactly who she is referring to. But some who are not in the prophecy are Cassandra, Bell and Ryu. Does this mean that this prophecy happens without Bell and Ryu being there? Cassandra with her hands in a praying position thinks to herself that none of "None of the horrors that I saw will come to pass as long as we avoid going down to the 27th  floor". 

It sounds like a very bad death flag not that I think anyone will die, another way of phrasing may be that all of those horrors will happen if they go to the 27th floor, with or without Bell. 

 Cassandra not being in her prophecies is likely the limit of her foresight, or perhaps part of her limiting ability to change them. If she played some part in them perhaps she could prevent them by changing her actions alone. 

The perspective of Cassandra's prophecy is very red but I had an interesting thought. Throughout episode 8 we are shown a red-eyed monster.  What if we are seeing Cassandra's prophecy through the eyes of that monster?

Ryu's Freedom And Prophecy Role

In the very first episode of season 1, I noticed something about the world of Danmachi, and that thing was that adventurers are the only ones who can police adventurers. What Ryu did was not Black and White, and I think this episode wanted us to understand that. The adventurers are not all in agreement about the morality of Ryu's actions. When Bors sees Ryu he remembers her from the Battle against the Goliath and I think this is a key point.  He may figure out that Turk is lying and secondly considering that Ryu's actions helped to save his life and everyone who fought against the Goliath he will probably decide not to capture Ryu if the opportunity presents itself. What Ryu did was not black and white however if other adventurers understand where she was coming from and choose not to pursue her as a matter of principle she's effectively a free fugitive.

As an adventurer said Ryu anyone connected with Evilus even if those connections were iffy. Ryu made it clear she wants Bell to leave and that he's better off not knowing. For all we know, those connections were not iffy at all and Ryuis was privy to information that most are not. All though I think Ryu is a killer who will kill again I think that everyone she's murdered probably had it coming.

Ryu said she cannot cut down the fiend with Bell there and then tells him she will not hesitate to cut him down. She also said why is Bell here when she first saw him and the before the threat why is he always getting in the way. Bell is pure when Ais was training him in the manga she knocked him out because of the calming effect resting him on her lap had over her. Ryu is probably sensing herself being more docile around Bell and that's why she is upset that it had to be him. Her threat of cutting him down is the only card she has left if all else fails she believes she can best him in combat. I don't believe she will do it because Ryu does not kill innocents, I think the monster Marie said was not supposed to be here will show up and Ryu will risk herself for Bell. I suspect the monster will have tunnelled its way from a lower floor or has been realised by Evilus in response to Ryu. I think it is a level 5 monster and responsible for Cassandra's prophecy. The response to Ryu, not Ryu herself is the cause of the prophecy.

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Side Note

She's angry green and hops away Ryu is a hulk.

Hindsight Will Tell Us How Well The Plot Was Put Together

We get an answer as to why Bell wanted Aisha to stay, to keep an eye on Turk. In the last episode, Aisha wasn't sure if Bell could handle Ryu. Bell was so rattled by what Ryu had done that he dropped a potion. I imagine Bell being out of potions is a sign of desperate times ahead. Marie's singing seemed like a very convenient plot device. The only person who knew it was her was Bell and if anyone else had found her there would be trouble.  Hopefully, she will play a part in future episodes that will justify her presence or maybe she is where she is because of the monster who should not be there. To try to fill a potential plot hole, Marie could be so rattled y the monster that she is self-soothing by singing.

If she were to play a part I think it will be as a healer. 

Bell Becoming His Own Fighter

Is the Goliath Robe made from a goliath? Maybe I'm stating the obvious, I assume if so it's as strong as the level so a level 5 goliath Robe will be as strong as a level 5 goliath. I suspect that it will save Bell's life based on Cassandra's insistence. What I want to see from Bell is more adaptability with weapons. Bell adapting to using the Goliath Robe as soon as he got it is a good sign. Going back to his fight with the minotaur, I remember when Bell took its weapon one of the Loki Familia pointed out he was bad at using it. Bell has levelled up so quickly is easy to forget how new he is to adventuring. With someone like Mikoto in his Familia who has many techniques and a master of many weapons, it would be great to see Bell develop a greater diverse arsenal and the goliath robe could be the first step.

 When Ais trained Bell she wanted him to surpass her expectations in terms of fighting style. Now that Bell's goal will force him to go past her he is doing just that first the Hestia knife and now thinking of new ways to use the Goliath robe.

What does future Bell's fighting style look like to you?

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Mother Earth Father Sky

A great disaster cometh. Do not approach it, for it is the embodiment of ruin. Do not touch it, for it is the oracle of death. A mother's lament shall invoke calamity as the newborn wails of despair resound. The fairy who is sworn to be an usher of doom shall drag the surging white flames into severe plight. Take heed. It is a banquet of tragedy. 

I want to talk a little bit about the words of Cassandra's prophecy. ''A mother's lament shall invoke calamity''. The mother is probably the dungeon itself it has been described as a mother before. I was thinking about who the natural enemy of the gods are in mythology and particularly greek mythology because of Zeus and Hera's significance to the story. The natural enemy of the gods was the titans maybe the dungeon is some incarnation of a titan. Or perhaps at the core is mother Gaia but speculation, speculation. If Quranos is the god of the sky the dungeon's source must be a god or titan of the earth, it has to be something divine something with limitless supplies of power. 

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Character Detail Or Perv Appeal

Cassandra was sleeping naked, this could just be fanservice or maybe more to do with her state of mind. As Miach put it Cassandra is constantly burdened by the unknowns of the lower world in this episode we learned even in her sleep and she woke up sweating. Cassandra going to sleep naked or removing her clothes while sleeping because of how vivid her premonitions are could be about the anime showing us how plagued she is by her visions they are not enjoyable for her. 

In most of the dungeon, you have to be on high alert all the time for Cassandra to sleep naked may show how safe she felt before her premonition.  Bell's presence may make her feel safe enough to go to sleep vulnerable. Naza vocalises that Cassandra is always bothered by something but there are times she has a glowing smile and for example, that is when Bell is around. 

Lady Fortune And Lady Luck

I think this is the first time that Cassandra's prophecies have been directly acknowledged by characters the first time we have gotten an explanation. To me, there is still a lot of mystery in the origins of her prophecies. Finn has his thump which is the closest we have seen to Cassandra's prophecies. Key difference everybody believes and trusts Finn. Are Cassandra's visions a status skill that can be seen in status or something else? Can Miach tell because of status or is it because he is a god? Hestia noticed something about her so maybe the specifics are in the status, if so why did Apollo not listen to her vision about Bell? 

Bell has shown himself on several occasions to be able to change Cassandra's visions and even give them some merit. Casandra influenced the group into allowing Bell to go further down the dungeon solo seemingly avoiding Cassandra's vision. Is this the first time this has happened? 

Luck and fortune are closely related perhaps Bell's luck skill allows him to change his and his comrade's fortunes for the better and somehow believe Cassandra. In this very episode, Casandra thought maybe Bell would. 

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Daphne chose to agree that they should not go any further down when Cassandra did not expect her to Welf making Bell goliath scarf and Aisha not goign down any further, all reasons given made sense to their characters but it seems like a big coincidence, I think Bell's luck was at play and without him there Cassandra would not be able to stop her vision.

We are left in the dark about how Bell convinces Aisha to stay with the rest of the group, maybe it's so they can get back safely.

How Strong is Ryu?

80 million valis for Ryu considering how many low-class adventurers would have to split the proceeds is not worth the risk. The sheer number tells you just how strong of a level 4 Ryu is if an adventurer is strong enough to collect her themselves they would you would if you are as greedy as Bors you would not tell anyone unless you had to.

Level 4 adventurers are rare and level 5's are rarer still right now the strongest adventurer who has wind of Ryu's bounty and in the dungeon is Bell. Ryu was the last one standing against Asterius. Bors tells us that the rumours are that Gale Wind is top class even among Level 4s and that means Rabbit Foot is their ace in the hole.

Aisha tells Bell that she does not think he can handle Ryu alone, Bell replies he's putting his faith in Ms Ryu to which Aisha retorts "your funeral". 

I am not sure Ryu is stronger than Bell and, Bell is no ordinary fledgling level 4 he is the equivalent of peak level 4 strong and most likely level 5 strong. I think Aisha may mean that Bell's naivety may get the better of him and the Ryu he knew is not the one he will find.

I have a semi-random question that the anime only's may want to have a crack at answering. When Bell gets his next update how many status points will he have accumulated?

Bell was able to gain 600 points in three days at level 1 before he got the Hestia knife. If he ever slows down it would be at level 5, it took Ais three years to level 6. I'm gonna go big and say 3000 overall this looks like a big adventure and Bell has more motive to get stronger than in previous seasons.

Misdirection Keeps The investigation Interesting

Before I read the comments of my last critique I was not sure that it was the real Ryu. Episode 7 has done a fantastic job directing and misdirecting me and probably the anime-only audience in general. The animation team has made sure to show us how angry Ryu is. So far I don't think Ryu has done anything irredeemable, I think this is more about Bell trying to save Ryu from herself. Turk is lying about the first time he saw Ryu because he didn't recognise her from the Goliath event. Someone must have informed Turk about the adventurer known as gale wind, Ryu must know something that he and who Turk gets orders from above him want to die with her that's probably why he's so gung ho on seeing her dead murder is the best justification for murder.

Ryu is not an indiscriminate killer she's ways the thin line between Justice a question that has plagued me for years is the definitive difference between justice and revenge. It's a big question but if anyone feels free to chime in. ?

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