DANMACHI SEASON 4 EPISODE 14 REVIEW – Of Memories and Victories

Following an action-packed episode 13, episode 14 delivered yet another heart-pounding fight scenes and epic moments to the audiences. All the build up has finally paid off, and the battle with the Amphisbaena has come to an end in a grand showdown between a Floor Boss and a small party of Adventurers.

But for Bell and Ryu, their hardships are just beginning.

A Peaceful Past, A Terrifying Present

Continuing where the previous episode left off, Bell has finally gotten his much needed rest after fighting for so long in the bowels of the Dungeon, while Ryu watch over him.

Thing is, Ryu isn’t really fit to be a guard at this point, level 6 or not. Her injuries, especially on her legs, hampered her abilities to fight. And for someone who’s named the Gale Wind, her mobility has always been one of Ryu’s greatest ability, both in offense and defense.

As such, it is no surprise that we saw her nearly dying again against a pack of Skull Sheeps, which also nearly killed her and Bell in a previous encounter. This was even before the 5-minute safety window was up, and we could really tell that the Deep Floors, particularly the White Palace, is this much dangerous.

Thankfully, Bell woke up just in time to save Ryu, allowing her to sleep next. But as we’ve seen, this is still risky, and there’s no telling what Ryu will find when she wakes up. Or even if she does at all.

And while that is a dark thought, Ryu’s dreams offered a bit of a respite, both for her and the audiences. We got to see her former Familia, particularly Alise, her captain and dear friend, for several brief scenes. Ryu even looked different back then, though more serious than her present self.

But as we already know, the fate of her familia was already sealed, and it will be heartbreaking to see how it unfolded.

Decisive Battle

While Bell and Ryu’s side of this episode brought a sense of dread and muted hopefulness, the rest of the expedition team’s side was one of utter despair, at least for the first half.

In the last episode, we saw how powerful and cunning the Amphisbaena really was—enough to seemingly kill Haruhime and Mikoto. And frankly, leaving their fates unknown at that point worked. Everyone, including the audiences, didn’t really know if they had survived, which emphasized the grimness of the entire situation.

The thing with Danmachi is, it always dangles between despair and hope. We’ve seen that particularly in this season. While it featured gruesome deaths, those deaths didn’t really involve the major characters.

And that was the case here; Haruhime and Mikoto survived, albeit with major injuries. But even if they didn’t die, there was still that sense of urgency and high stakes in this fight.

In any case, their survival simply triggered yet another epic fight scene. As always, the teamwork is incredibly flawless between the characters. This time, though, Ouka and Aisha were put into the spotlight as they took down Amphisbaena with the help of an injured Haruhime and Mikoto.

Of course, even before that, they were still struggling against the Floor Boss. But the fact that they could kill it only after Haruhime and Mikoto returned to the battlefield really put thhe whole team into a different perspective, especially the importance of Haruhime and Mikoto’s specific skillsets.

Without them, Cassandra’s prophecy might have come to pass indeed.

To Believe and Trust

Despite their victory against Amphisbaena, Cassandra’s prophecy is still very much in effect. After all, the entire party wouldn’t really be safe until they are out of the Dungeon.

And that is the dilemma. Bell and Ryu are trapped 10 floors below, the boss room is threatening to bury everyone alive, and two of their members are gravely injured. Thus, the most logical course of action is to regroup and return with reinforcements.

But that’s the thing with prophecies; the more you try to avoid it, the more it is likely to happen. So what if you face it head on?

For the past six or so episodes, Cassandra’s interpretation of her dreams is very literal. We’ve seen it countless of times during the fight with the Juggernaut, and later with the Amphisbaena. However, the events have already deviated too much that the dream, the prophecy, no longer makes sense, even if the situation matches it. Not to mention, it sounds more like a riddle than a warning.

That’s because it is! Cassandra, as she had admitted herself, was wrong in her interpretation. The dreams and visions weren’t signs of the future—they were warnings and guides, meant to let the receiver choose the best course of action.

Of course, Cassandra isn’t a leader. She’s not even a strategist, and she’s really meek and submissive. But her character further developed in this episode, showing that she’s done with not being listened to. For just one moment, she’s quite assertive and resolute.

Naturally, it didn’t matter with the rest; they were in the brink of death, and Cassandra’s ramblings, to them, were just that—ramblings of a maybe crazy healer.

Fortunately, Cassandra has a good friend: Daphne. And it’s really wonderful seeing the former Apollo vice-captain finally trusting Cassandra, even if she didn’t really believe her. There’s really a clear distinction between the two words, but Cassandra and Daphne’s friendship is strong enough that it didn’t matter in the end.

The result? They were still trapped, but this time, they chose to rescue Bell and avoided a more horrible fate.

Conclusion

Action-packed and quite emotional, episode 14 was a good payoff to the buildup in the last three episodes. But while our heroes have cleared one obstacle, a bigger and far deadlier one still looms.

Will their luck hold this time?

Episode score: 9/10