Danmachi Season 4 Episode 21 Review

 Will Ryu Change?

Some episodes ago Ryu made Bell drink a potion with mould and then drink a water based monster for hydration. After drinking it Bell apologises to Ryu because his mouth was on the cup he passed to her. If that was Lily she would have jumped at the chance for an indirect kiss, Ryu simply made an excuse not to drink from the same container about saving scarce water. She changed the subject. Her voice actor did an incredible job with her voice shaking as she did but she did not blush. Lily would have jumped at the chance to remember when Bell and Welf shared a dual potion.

Currently, Ryu is feeling sexually vulnerable with Bell because her attraction to him is at a level at which he could seduce her, women do this in real life too. I think that's why she asked if he had an ulterior motive for saving her.

I am a little afraid of seeing the calm collected Ryu replaced by a blushing wreck of emotion, when Bell laughed at Ryu saying she had not changed I hope he is mostly right.

I can only imagine the content that will be produced as a consequence of the first part of the episode. 

I know where my mind went when Bell said "I never realised how small you are". 

Who Else's mind is in the gutter?

The Significance Of No More Cranel-San

Since the end of the last episode, Ryu has candidly started referring to Bell and Bell instead of Cranel san. Before then the only ever time she called Bell by his first name was out of fear  I think she was using the professionalism of formal communication as a boundary so she would not have to feel vulnerable. At first, it threw me off to hear use Bell's name I'm so used to hearing Cranel San. Alise called Ryu by her last name so that's probably where she got it from. 

So why Ryu decided to call Bell by first his name I do not know but I will give my take. 

Every time Ryu called Bell it was out of fear of losing him. Calling someone by their last name is more professional it's like treating them as a job and what do you do after the job is done after the work is done, you leave. Ryu had constantly been looking for a way to abandon the living for the dead. Ryu's comrades sacrificed themselves because they believes Ryu's justice should live on. Bell reiterated what they saw in her, that justice lives on as long as she does proving her worthy of their sacrifice and hopefully freeing her of her survivor's guilt. Ryu has only lived out of obligation to survive so her comrade's sacrifices were not in vain because thought she did not deserve their sacrifice because thought she had abandoned the justice they saved her for.

Ryu now calls Bell by his first name because of her resolution to stay with him until the very end it's no longer a job she can leave. She feels worthy of living.

Juggernaut Awareness

The Juggernaut ate other monsters to rebuild itself but the scariest part was that it may have been waiting for them meaning it's calculated and has some knowledge of dungeon levels it was not spawned on, some deep connection with the dungeon.

How in the dungeon did it get a Udeaus attack, Udeus the level 6 boss Ais soloed. It could not have defeated Udaues itself does the Juggernaut have some kind of synchronicity with the level of the dungeon it operates on so that it can use the attacks of the floor bosses of whatever level it's on?

Danmachi Season 4 Episode 22 And beyond Predictions

I think it's safe to say that Bell and Ryu will return to the lake they found under the colosseum at some point. Ryu informed us that the water was potable and the only reason they could not stay there as long as they wanted was that they had no food.

When Ryu saw the previous Juggernaut's remains, they looked like some kind of salt or sand substance as in the sands of time. So the juggernaut may have a time limit and it can take damage and be defeated. 

I am not sure I see them defeating it in their condition so I am guessing Bell will just about survive running its time out before being rescued by the Xenos.

How I think Xenos Will Find Available Here