Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Season 2

Episode 7

Following a two-episode dungeon crawl and a rather filler-y episode involving some random kids, the curtain now rises for the latter half of Campfire Cooking's second season. It's an episode that's unexciting, undramatic, and I am so, so here for it. The seventh episode stays true to Campfire's cozy, relaxed nature to the very end. After all, why should the stakes be raised when there are...steaks to be braised? (No, I will not apologize for that lame pun)

Muhkoda, Fel, and Dora-chan enter the town's guild hall to meet Elrand and the guildmaster Ugor. The two reveal that Muhkoda has found a bag of rare, shiny stones, something that takes Muhkoda even by surprise. The task is now to get these stones appraised and sold to the Merchants' Guild. Ugor and Elrand vow to accompany Muhkoda and the gang to the Guild to ensure that Muhkoda gets a fair deal. While mostly expository, the scene allows for a little bit of banter between Elrand and Ugor to liven things up. Elrand advises Ugor to stay behind so he can do all of the heavy lifting, but Ugor knows Elrand better. Like a parent threatening to take away the Nintendo Switch for a week, Ugor harshly advises Elrand not to shirk off his duties or else he'll sell Elrand's most prized gem. Elrand's pouting is childish but fitting of his character. The man wants to craft a sword out of the bit of leftover Earth Dragon, and after seeing the size of that fell beast, can you blame him? Elrand is just as excited to get his hands on dragon parts as ever, and his enthusiasm is palpable.

So Muhkoda, Fel, Dora-chan, Ugor, and Elrand go to the Merchants' Guild to get the gems appraised. It turns the episode into a bit from Antiques Roadshow, and I salute the episode for doing that. Since the gang has transitioned from traveling the great outdoors, slaying monsters, exploring dungeons, and helping children make medicine, it's a nice change of pace for this episode to dedicate its premise to jewel appraisal in an indoor environment. There's some tension in this scene in how the Merchants are trying to persuade Muhokda into selling the gems at a low price, but nothing is ever brought to a boiling point. The flow still feels natural and true to the show, and nothing feels contrived. Muhkoda is later upgraded to an A-rank adventurer for his successful dungeon trek, although let's be real, it's Fel, Sui, and Dora-chan who deserve it more, considering how quick Mukohda is to flee from peril at the drop of a hat.

We're given two food scenes as per usual, although the first one has a variation on the usual riff. Instead of cooking, Muhkoda and gang wander the town markets in search of some take-out. They land on rabbit kebabs, which they survey down despite not being as good as something Muhkoda would make. Speaking as someone who doesn't eat game outside of venison, I don't know how eager I would be to eat rabbit kebabs, but I have to hand it to the show for making them look as delectable as most of the food has been throughout the show. The second segment is the real winner here; we're talkin' ‘bout freakin’ BACON-WRAPPED MEATLOAF. Somehow, Sui can make a meat grinder out of thin air to help prepare the meatloaf. How Sui does this, I don't know; it's never shown. Far-fetched? Sure. Then again, if this lil slime can create enchanted Mithril Swords, I totally buy that he can make meat grinders too. I suppose that since this is meatloaf we're discussing here, I could and probably should refer to Bat Out of Hell. But since I haven't practiced guitar all day, music's the furthest from my mind here. Instead, I can only focus on the fact that my dinner tonight was completely antithetical to meatloaf: a caprese salad with toasted bread on the side because I'm trying to diet and save those calories for when I make homemade pizza later this week. Either way you look at it, this week's episode of Campfire Cooking, unlike my vegetarian dinner tonight, had some tasty meat on it.

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Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.