This episode is the polar opposite of the previous one; it is extremely fast-paced, and there are a lot of things happening in a span of 21 minutes. But while some of those scenes are sloppily adapted, I can still say that this is a good episode in itself.
Wiene’s kidnapping lacked the emotional impact that it should have portrayed, especially the massacre of her companions. Though the fear in her eyes are beautifully animated, the scene still pales in comparison to its novel counterpart. The desperate last stand of the monsters have been greatly diluted and compressed, and Ranieh’s suicide didn’t have the same shock it has in the novel. Most of this, of course, is due to the rushed ending of episode 4. Moreover, the gore is okay-ish, but censored. In the novel, there was an extreme amount of blood, and Ranieh’s armor was removed in a disturbing scene as the adventurers attempt to rape her.
The scene with Bell also suffered from the same rushed pacing. Though we see him in a despondent look during his usual breakfast with his Familia, the anime never conveyed the fact that all of them were in the same mental state as him, especially Haruhime who was the second closest person to Wiene. In the novel, she even made a mistake by including an extra plate meant for the vouivre girl, even though Weine is no longer with them. Bell’s brief incursion is more or less the same. Though we saw him kill the kobold, the anime cut the scene where he keeps on killing monsters, but never takes their magic crystals out of guilt.
The next scenes after that are more faithful to the source. We got our first Bell x Ais moment for this season, but it is not the sweet and cute moment we’ve come to love from their previous encounters. Instead, it is a depressing scene where Bell realizes that he may have to fight Ais at some point if he wishes to remain friends with the Xenos, foreshadowing their heartbreaking showdown in the future.
Gros has riled up the entire Xenos race, and the group attacks Rivira in revenge for Weine and Fia’s kidnapping, leaving the other more peaceful Xenos with no choice but to follow him. This prompts the guild into another high alert status, and only Ouranos’ will keeps the adventurers from rushing to retake Rivira, evident when most Familias, especially the Loki gang, reacts on the stand down order. Meanwhile, Ikelos watches from the sidelines, and Hermes is tasked with monitoring Bell.
One thing to note in the conversation between Lyu and Aisha are two slightly important information that the anime has removed as well. First, Aisha joined the Hermes familia because they control all trade routes, and they have the best chance of detecting the stones meant to kill Renarts like Haruhime and take their powers, giving her a way to prevent the incident in season 2 from happening again. In Lyu’s case, Ikelos familia has a long standing rivalry with her dead Familia, the benevolent and justice-seeking Astrea familia. Hence, why she reacts upon hearing the connection between Ikelos and the Evilus faction.
Finally, Bell is tasked by Ouranos to secretly join Ganesha familia in its subjugation mission to the 18th floor. And the scene itself is rushed as well. We didn’t get the chance to be properly introduced with the eccentric top follower of an even more eccentric god, though I hope that the next episode will fix that flaw.
This episode definitely has a lot of skipped scenes and flaws. But in my personal opinion, it is still not as bad as the adaptation of season 2. A solid 7/10.