DANMACHI SEASON 4 EPISODE 12 REVIEW – To The Battlefield Once More
Danmachi is back for the second part of its fourth season! And as always, the new episode is packed with action and suspense throughout its entire length.
But of course, there are quite several things that add more flavor into this juicy continuation. So let’s dive in and discuss Episode 12!
Into The Deep
The midseason finale left us viewers in a massive cliffhanger: Bell and Ryu are separated from the rest of the group as the Juggernaut relentless pursues them into the Deep Floor, while the rest of the expedition team find themselves facing a terrifying Floor Boss, the Amphisbaena.
Episode 12 begins with Bell’s side of the story, which is only briefly seen here and didn’t really progress yet. Alone with an injured and unconscious Ryu, the Rabbit Foot faces a dilemma: proceed into an unknown territory or face an unstoppable monster, both of which leads to certain death?
It is a difficult choice to make, and we actually see Bell hesitating and even downright terrified, something we haven’t seen since the first episode of the series. But it is only natural given his situation. Perhaps if he’s alone, he could decide better. However, he has Ryu with him, and his decision will also seal her fate, for better or worse.
Unfortunately, he has to decide soon as the Juggernaut finally caught up with them.
Trapped
Floor Bosses are no laughing matter; we’ve seen that in the first season where it took an army of Adventurers just to beat one.
The Amphisbaena, another Floor Boss, is no laughing matter for certain. It’s huge, has two special attacks—one of which can nullify even the magic of a Level 4 Adventurer—and can call upon lesser monsters to help it. Worse, the Floor Boss is aquatic, making it a hard target.
And Bell’s friends have to fight it all on their own, trapped and without reinforcements. Given this situation, Cassandra’s prophecy is still very much possible to be fulfilled. Indeed, we get yet another extended version of this prophecy at the start of this episode.
It is only natural then that the prophet herself felt despair. Cassandra has seen the dream—we can even say she has experienced it in a way—so we can’t really blame her for cowering at the back and being pessimistic for much of the episode.
But the same couldn’t be said of the others. They are Adventurers, they have their pride. More than that, giving up is just not part of their vocabulary, even if their leader isn’t with them. Besides, as both Aisha and Welf have said, relying on Bell makes them look bad, as if they couldn’t fight without their leader.
Thus, they will fight.
Much like the fight with the Moss Huge, Lili proved to be a capable strategist and leader, calling out orders and placing the team in the best position possible to fight the Amphisbaena. But she’s not the only one who got the spotlight, as Aisha acted as a field commander, having fought the Amphisbaena before.
And as always, their teamwork is seamless, proving that even without Bell, they could function properly. However, this isn’t enough to push Cassandra, and only after hearing an earful from Daphne did she get a wakeup call.
Their relationship is really interesting, and this season further expands on that. Daphne, as one of the former Apollo Familia’s leaders, is a no-nonsense type of individual who tackles every obstacle with a leveled head. This is in stark contrast with Cassandra, a meek and timid person who always stays in the rear as a healer.
But that only makes their friendship strong enough to give Cassandra that confidence she needs to fully function as a healer, providing her team with her Soul Light skill at last.
Final Thoughts
While the battle rages on within the Dungeon, other forces are moving to provide support. Ouranos is actively seeking reinforcements, despite the fact that it may already too late. And I think we can already guess who the reinforcements will be.
Interestingly, Hestia is doing the same, which is only expected since she’s the goddess of her Familia. But the curious thing here is that she asked the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility. Obviously, she’s there to inquire about Ryu. However, it is quite suspicious that the waitresses seem to have an idea how to help her.
Naturally, if you’re an LN reader, you already know why. And it is exciting to find out how the next episode will play out.
Conclusion
Starting off the second cour of the fourth season, episode 12 provides us with nonstop action and suspense from beginning to end. We really didn’t get to see a lot of Bell, but the next episode should fix that considering how this episode sets up yet another showdown between him and the Juggernaut.
Episode score: 8.5/10