Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2

Episode 8

Since the Menagerie of Fools' betrayal, our heroes have been dealing with someone tampering with the teleport circles—scattering them across the various stratum of the dungeon. This episode it's revealed who is doing it: Boxxo.

Of course, that's not to say Boxxo is ultimately responsible. Rather, in the fight with the Menagerie of Fools, a magic mark was placed upon him that's been messing with any teleportation he's involved with. How did none of our heroes notice this mark? Well, it's not too hard to miss when it's on top of an eight-foot tall vending machine and the majority of our heroes seem to be well-under the six-foot mark. (Even Director Bear only matches Boxxo in height).

With that mystery solved, Boxxo, Lamis, and Hulemy find themselves on a stratum we've never seen before: the Dark Forest. Basically, all monsters on this floor are plant-based and the very forest itself is antagonistic toward adventurers. Like the other floors, someone working with the Netherlord has forced the monsters to attack (including the floor boss), but the survivors were able to drive the monster away by using fire.

Of course, like on the other stratum, it's safe to say there is someone controlling the monster for the Netherlord. However, there's a puzzling jump of logic in how said collaborator is discovered. On first watch it seems to make sense. Our heroes have Kikoyu distribute Boxxo's food, “accidentally” touching each person as she does so and reading their mind. The issue is not this plan but rather why they came up with it in the first place.

Up until now, the Netherlord collaborators controlling the monsters on each floor have all been hiding within the monster horde. However, this time, Director Bear seems to be sure that not only are they not out with the monsters in the field but that they are also a traitor instead of someone from outside the dungeon. We're never given any reason for why he thinks that way even if he's proven right.

Then there is the odd idea that the Netherlord personally recruited a low-level adventurer. Despite supposedly planning to take over the entire dungeon, kill everyone within it, and make a monster army, he apparently had time to transform into a human, go around town until he learned of a young adventurer's gambling problems, then get her to turn traitor by paying off her debts. (Of course, with everyone on the stratum dead by her actions, it's not like she'd have any debtors to pay regardless.) It doesn't exactly make our big bad seem all that competent when he has the free time for easily delegated chores like this.

The final under-explained issue in this episode is the setup for next week. While the elderly and children have been turned into trees by the floor boss, they're still relatively safe. The monsters will no longer attack the village with the traitor removed. The floor boss can be handled at any time in the future (releasing the villagers from their curse) and, besides, our heroes are on a time crunch to stop the Netherlord and the Menagerie of Fools. Yet, instead of moving on, Lamis and Boxxo prepare to take on the floor boss—and no one seems to object to this action.

All in all, this is an episode that feels like a bit too much of the original novel was left on the cutting room floor. What happens is easy to follow but much of the rational behind our heroes and villains' actions is simply never mentioned. Sadly, this leaves this episode as the weakest episode of the season so far. Hopefully, things will be back to the anime's usual standard next week.

• Sorry to break it to you Boxxo. You've been a harem anime protagonist for quite a while now.

• Do flamethrower vending machines exist?

• How did Dr. Bear and the others guess where Boxxo and friends went?

• They're really teasing these final two member of the Menagerie of Fools. I hope we meet them soon.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.