Man, talk about a clutch excuse from Bell. I commend him for being able to claim Wiene as his prey in attempt to buy enough time to save her, and protect his Familia’s reputation. While it did stupefy Loki’s Familia, unfortunately other Adventurers were unwilling to comply when not only there’s a rare monster to catch, but that said monster is running rampant throughout their city. As result, despite Bell’s efforts, he was not able to save her, and she ended up tragically dying in his arms. It hurt my heart so much to see her fading away, but there was a little bit of comfort seeing that she had regained her sense of reason, and was able to see Bell was beside her and despite everything she had just gone through, she still thanked Bell for being there with her.
But as utterly tragic as that was, I wasn’t crying. Heck, I didn’t even had watery eyes, and for a good a reason.
After 800 years of trying, Fels was finally able to produce a miracle and revive Wiene through the spell Dia Orpheus, which, if I may add, had such a beautiful incantation! So let’s all take a moment to thank Fels for saving our precious baby. It makes up for that pitiful showing of his so-called secret weapon, an adamantite golem that was swiftly destroyed in one fell swoop by none other than Tiona. (AWKWARD!!!)
I think it would be fair to say Wiene’s miraculous revival may be great news for some, but maybe not so much to others. And I can understand that. While I am happy that she has a second chance at life after her tragic death, I think a lot about how her death could have impacted Bell, the audience and the series as a whole. There is also the fact that despite how things looked, the scene didn’t give me the impression that she was going to be dead for good, or maybe that was just my gut instinct. Frankly speaking, I am the biggest cry baby when it comes to these type of moments, but the fact I didn’t burst into tears or even get watery eyes goes to show I was confident she was going to be okay, and she sure enough she was. (Though weirdly I did get teary-eyed when she came back hahahaha! The scene was beautiful, so maybe that’s why?)
And I think that decision in a way, highlights how DanMachi is always trying to keep the balance between the hopeless and hope. Sure it had its share of some dark moments, and had some deaths here and there (all of them being antagonists, such as Dix, that douche, and Ishtar). And in a way, as someone who absolutely adores the fantasy/adventure genre, it is great to have a series like this in the mix of the trends with dark fantasy/adventure series which are often too dark and gritty for me to enjoy, let alone read or watch.
Apart from that, it goes without saying the highlight of the episode was seeing Loki’s Familia have a chance to shine in the spotlight alongside the ‘not-so-little’ rookie Asterius, a freaking black Minotaur.
So two things about Asterius. One, sure enough I was right, since Bell has his hands full, Asterius took care of finishing Dix for once and for all (and I am not even mad about it, though I must admit I did burst out laughing because I called the possibly of this happening in last week’s entry). But then freaking FREYA is like, “Hey you remember this Minotaur?” AND I’M LIKE, YOOOOOOOOOO DON’T TELL ME IT’S THAT ONE THAT BELL FOUGHT? Yes it died, but the dungeon and the secrets of rebirth man! (It would be hilarious if that were to be the case, because I call him ‘Not-so-little’ Rookie, which was supposed to be play in response to Bell’s nickname: Little Rookie!) And like I said before, IT’S ALWAYS A FREAKING MINOTAUR. And if there’s one thing that has been consistent, it is how it has always been symbolic and important because it was Bell’s first major hurdle when he started out as an Adventurer.
Bete, Tione and Tiona were the first to go after Asterius, however none of them stood a chance against him. It certainly didn’t help that Asterius possessed a magic weapon which not only blows up the area, but also inflicts paralysis, which is why Welf told everyone to run for the hills. After he used that, Finn sent Ais in, and we got to see the grace of the ‘War Princess’. She was able to slice off his arm wielding the axe, however she ended up substaining injuries of her own, so Finn and Gareth took over– only to . Admittedly it was a bit of a shame because I kind of wanted to see these two fight too, haha! The Loki Familia is certainly in good hands with Finn’s sharp mind and leadership as Captain.
And frankly speaking, there was probably a good chance that Asterius would have been defeated by these two had Hermes Familia not intervened with smokescreen to clear both Asterius and the Xenos out of the area.
There was a bit of optimism to see someone like Tiona at least show a bit of mercy to the Xenos (particularly the weaker ones). She could have easily killed the smaller ones like the rabbit who was trying desperately to do her part, and yet she decided to just flick her away and permitted retreat. But that’s probably where she draws the line.
Although Bell had resorted to the Adventurers etiquette in hopes to buy time, the truth is the damage has already been done. While he may not necessarily labeled as the enemy to Humanity (as Hermes feared he may be perceived as), the fact he used that as an excuse can be still be regarded as a selfish pride/egoistical move that put people’s lives in danger. But there is also the fact that we have Familia like Loki’s who already know there’s something much larger at play here in regards to the destruction of Livira. They have also taken custody of Ikelos, thanks to Hermes swapping him out with Fels, and considering he’s a twisted God, I imagine things will get even more complicated should he tell Loki’s Familia about the existence of Xenos and maybe plug in a lie here and there to twist their peaceful intentions. Doesn’t seem to be a stretch for a guy like him.
Overall this was a fantastic episode. Sure the way Dix was instantly killed by Asterius within the first minute of the episode was admittedly anticlimactic (along with his goon being squashed by Gros after killing Wiene), but I didn’t mind it too much. It is reassuring to know that guy isn’t going to be harassing anyone any longer, unless he has a twisted miracle of his own where he somehow survived that.
I also really loved the end, where Fel told Bell embrace being a fool, because he possesses something precious and irreplaceable. And I wholeheartedly agree, because Bell’s heart is why I absolutely adore his character.
It’s going to be tough for Bell, but I am looking forward to seeing how things will unfold next week!
See you then!
Extra Notes:
+ For those who typically skip the ED, heads up there is a post-credit scene!
+ Friendly reminder, DanMachi Volume 15 will be released on December 1st! 😀
