Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? S2 – Episode 9

Oh my god this episode was amazing, I am so proud of Bell and Mikoto! Best of all, this event made me fall in love with Mikoto’s character! PLEASE APPRECIATE HER!!!!! It makes me so happy to see her shine in the spotlight like this! It was so well deserved, especially since she is the one who has the history and is the closest to Haruhime. She was so amazing, admirable, and I absolutely loved the way she and Bell worked together. Just watching the two of them be the heroes they truly are was the sweetest thing ever. HARUHIME YOU DESERVE TO BE SAVED!!!!

Although the two of them had retreated, realistically speaking that was probably the best move for them. By doing so, they were able to find a place to collect their thoughts, sort out their resolve, and once they decided they will save her, they were able to put together a plan. It was a smart one too. They could have fought together, but since there is a huge a number disadvantage, they decided that they would do whatever means was necessary, even if it looked uncool or was underhanded to some degree. Bell took on the role of being the decoy, blowing up the place and drawing attention and resources by simply running about. While he did that, Mikoto who specializes in stealth was responsible to rescue Haruhime. However even when their initial plan fell through, neither one of them gave up.

What was interesting about the follow up to the failure of Plan A was how Mikoto told Bell to wait. Again, Bell could have been given the cue to step in and assist, her but Mikoto didn’t want him to come in just yet. Sure, she had thought there was still a bit more time, but when she realized that there wasn’t, she resorted to a last resort spell that caught everyone off-guard: A spontaneous magical discharge. It was a powerful spell enough to mess with the Level 3 opponent Samira she was facing and losing again, and even provide the much needed crowd control to help clear a path for Bell to charge in afterwards. It’s also worth to note had Bell been present, she may not have been able to use that spell since he could have been caught up in the crossfire. But dear god, I was worried there for a moment that she was going to pull off a suicide move. Hopefully someone is able to catch her so she doesn’t have a hard landing!

I wasn’t sure what was going to become of the Killing Stone, but now that its shattered, unless Ishtar has another backup to use in case things were to go wrong, it looks like the three-way war between familias (Hestia/Take VS Ishtar VS Freya) is what is about to follow. There’s also the fact that so as long as Ishtar has Haruhime in her possession and control, she can still make use of her Level Boost buff on at least certain children.

It was also great that Ishtar revealed her motive for why she is picking a fight with Freya. Frankly, her reason is an incredibly petty one. Ishtar is simply jealous of Freya’s popularity amongst men. This comes as no surprise since their titles overlap each other to some degree, with Ishtar being the Goddess of Love, and Freya being the Goddess of Beauty, so I expected as much. However even though she shared this with Bell, he has yet to fully understand why he had to be dragged into this mess in the first place. He remains oblivious to Freya’s deep interest in him, but given how everyone is coming together, perhaps it won’t remain a secret to him for much longer.

We also came across an unexpected, yet delightful discovery of how Bell’s skill Liaris Freese, (which contributes to his enhanced growth-rate) also prevents him from being influenced by divine charms AND THANK GOD FOR THAT!

…But I have to be honest with you guys. It perplexed me for a moment there because with the way they phrased it, I couldn’t recall this particular quirk with this skill. So I decided to double-check in the novel in hopes for clarification, so for anyone who is confused like I was, this is what it had to say:

Skill: Liaris Freeze

• Rapid growth
• continued desire results in continued growth
• stronger desire results in stronger growth

What was left out of the details in Ishtar’s response was the following: “Learis Freese’s unintended side-effect: a Goddess Charm has no effect on him.” – Quote: DanMachi Volume 7: pg 278 (YEN-ON Official Translations)

So even though it’s not actually listed, what matters here was the unintended side-effect which was fuelled by Bell’s stubbornness and will-power. The skill reflected his powerful convictions to not be swayed and remain focused on the objective: saving Haruhime. Is it super convenient and over-powered? Absolutely! There is no denying that! But in this kind of situation I ain’t even mad about it. It is one of those things I’m willing to turn a blind eye to, hahaha! Best of all, Ishtar did not take that discovery kindly, in fact she is incredibly insulted by it. Wait till Freya realizes this too hahahaha! Oh god, actually maybe that’s not a good idea. She would probably try to do something wicked to alter it.

In all, I absolutely enjoyed this episode from start to finish. This is the type of ‘heroes rescue’ operation that gets me really pumped up and cheer for the heroes. There are definitely times when it comes across too corny, or too convenient or the hero is too overpowered, but Danmachi always seems to get it just right. It all comes down to the great balance between Bell and his comrades working together. And together, they can be the heroes they aspire to be.

Another moment I really liked in this episode was seeing Bell have a moment to himself to quietly reflect on his decision. It is an understatement why he had initially hesitated, but it also stays true to his character of being unable to live with himself if he were to turn a blind eye to Haruhime’s plight.

Next week, damn it’s going to be wild! I am so looking forward to this crazy fight, and bless Take and Hestia for readily charging in without fearing about the potential consequences of getting involved that may follow afterwards!