Sword Oratoria: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side

Episode 8

Aiz herself may still not be pulling her storytelling weight, but things are definitely improving in Sword Oratoria's eighth episode. Simply put, this is where we get the most information about what's going on and who's involved thus far – largely while avoiding massive infodumps. The most important revelations concern both Aiz and the mysterious enemies she's been fighting, which goes back to the Nightmare on 27 that Filvis survived. It turns out this disaster was orchestrated by a group who was not so much a familia as a guild – a group of likeminded adventurers who banded together in the name of evil. They oh-so-creatively called themselves “Evilus,” and they definitely aren't as dead as everyone had hoped.

At least one of Evilus's members, a man named Olivas, was revived by a nameless being who either dwells in the dungeon or is the dungeon. This raises some very interesting questions – was the dungeon capped not to keep monsters in, as people have been told, but rather to trap this particular person? Is she a goddess of the underworld, a Hel or Persephone figure turned evil, or something else entirely? Her followers have a slightly inhuman look to them (their slit-pupiled eyes) and the ability to grow stronger from eating magic stones, none of which is true of Adventurers serving regular gods, so there's something particularly fishy about this woman. That she has the power to revive the dead is also interesting, as we know from the whole Floor 27 disaster that Dionysus wasn't able to bring his familia members back from the dead. (Might he have been able to shield Filvis somehow? Or is her seeming inability to die the result of her personal magic?) The reveal of Olivas's patroness will likely inform the rest of the series, as well as the reason why the name “Aria” is such a concern to her followers.

Along with being Aiz's mother, we find out that Aria may have been something more than human. After hearing the name, Lefiya asks the twins to help her with some research, and they find a book called Dungeon Oratoria (which may sound familiar) discussing a Spirit woman of that name. Spirits are said to be the most beloved race of the gods, but Tione dismisses it as a fairy tale. Revis' obsessive reaction to Aiz suggests otherwise, although she also mentions that Aria shouldn't have been able to have children. Is Aiz a clone of some kind? Or do Spirits reproduce differently? The answer is likely to be significant.

While this episode raises a lot more questions than it answers, the subject matter is so interesting that it doesn't matter; it feels like we're finally getting to the real story of Sword Oratoria. In that vein, we at last see Lefiya pull her weight, both as a mage playing a significant role in taking down the flowers (which are apparently a particularly vicious breed of pansy), but also in her role as a friend to Filvis. Both Lefiya and Bete refuse to allow Filvis to wallow in her guilt and shame, forcing her to remain with them as a party member, despite her reputation as a harbinger of death. It's a good moment for both of them, allowing us to see Lefiya as more than just Aiz's sycophant and Bete as an actual person and not just a jerk. He's gruff, but he isn't devoid of kindness. The two of them also show some impressive teamwork in the fight against Olivas, again proving their worth as characters rather than just filler players in Aiz's story. (I have to admit that Bete is growing on me.)

Before Revis leaves, she tells Aiz to come to floor 59, far deeper in the dungeon than we've seen anyone go. Obviously, Aiz isn't going to back down from this, and Loki's not about to let her go alone. Will the training mentioned in next week's episode title feature her preparations? I'm a little afraid that we'll have a filler episode of Aiz training Bell instead, which wouldn't be terrible because I've enjoyed his cameos, but I'm also not thrilled with the possibility of just backing off the story when it's getting good. Only next week will tell if Sword Oratoria is finally going to commit to being the show I was hoping for, or if it will keep playing around with less exciting details.

Rating: B+

Sword Oratoria: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.