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Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Episode 10

by Rebecca Silverman,

There is a folktale that my family tells called “It Could Always Be Worse” about how there's really no such thing as hitting rock bottom – no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. (The moral, for the concerned, is that it's all in how you look at things.) At this point in Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, that folktale could be about Bell's life. He, Welf, and Lili are finally ready to set out for the middle floors of the dungeon: they've renewed their supplies, improved their weaponry thanks to Welf, and even outfitted themselves with flashy(ish) salamander wool cloaks to protect them from monster fire. Down they go into the depths, and faster than you can say “1,2, 5,” they are surrounded by vicious killer bunnies. These unusually large rabbits are armed with axes and infinitely more dangerous than they appear, and the party is soon desperately fighting. Unfortunately for them, a group from a different familia is at that moment fleeing the dungeon, trailing a group of monsters behind them. In a desperate bid to save their own lives, they run past Bell and his party, creating a “pass parade” wherein the monsters they pulled turn their aggression to Bell, Welf, and Lili. Trapped in the dungeon and unable to get out, to say nothing of injured, it certainly looks like they've reached maximum suckage point...and then you remember that Bell attracts minotaurs like an unattended picnic attracts ants.

As far as escalating tensions go, this episode is a doozy. We know from the very beginning that Hestia doesn't feel great about Bell venturing so far down, so when Bell doesn't show back up right away, she's immediately on alert. Her initial unease is a signal for us as viewers to be nervous as well, because no matter how amazing Bell is, we've still seen him barely escape with his life a few too many times, which might imply that his luck could be running out. Add to that the arrival of Hermes on the scene, who seems a little too interested in Bell, and the brief reappearance of Freya, to say nothing of a casual mention of increased earthquakes, and suddenly everything appears to be adding up to disaster. Lili, Bell, and Welf also appear to know that they're in some serious trouble and are increasingly tense each time the story shifts back to them, though Bell appears to be trying hard not to let Welf know how worried he is. This is an interesting dynamic when you think about it, because Welf is outwardly the strongest of the group, even injured, and to have reached his level of prowess in smithing must have been dungeon crawling for a while. Bell, however, relies on Lili more, letting her see the extent of his worry and trusting her to make the right suggestions. Partly this could be written off as him allowing her to fulfill her role as a supporter, but there's more trust implied in their interactions than that. Hestia may be his beloved goddess, but Lili is his full partner in this, which underlines his inherent goodness and makes him even more of a hero than just defeating countless minotaurs and killer bunnies can.

And there is another fairly spectacular minotaur fight this episode, albeit much shorter than the previous one. Both Bell and Welf get to show off their skills, and Welf's magic, which has the power to essentially choke an enemy with its own power, is pretty impressive. Bell's physical prowess is breathtaking as usual, and the blood on his face afterwards reinforces their dire situation. It isn't clear if it is his blood or a gout sprayed from the minotaur's wounds, but it adds desperation to his expression, enough to make us worry if the rescue party will make it on time.

That Freya has helped to orchestrate this turn of events seems obvious, and although we cannot blame her for everything, the closing battle is almost certainly her fault. Getting Bell killed would seem to be at odds with her sexual interest in him, and her endgame still feels unclear. Could she really be doing all of this just because she has the hots for Bell? In some ways that would make her an interesting villain because her motive is so shallow, but I do want to know more about what her deal is by this late point in the series. She also appears to have more in common with Soma than the other gods, keeping to herself and not interacting with the others very much, making her appear a bit of an outcast, albeit possibly of her own volition. As the series nears its close, this does need to be clarified, although it may be too soon to fret about that.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is probably the show with the most misleading title this season – sure, pretty girls figure into the story, but it is much more of a classic swords and sorcery tale than a schlocky romance. As Bell and his party face increasing hardships and Hestia rallies her allies to effect a rescue, the “dungeon” part of the title becomes all-important, and next week's episode really can't come soon enough.

Rating: A-

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.


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