It’s desperation time for one of these shows. Can it pull out a miraculous win against such a juggernaut as its opponent? The answer may surprise you!
EvilBob: Well… here goes this.
Voyager: You don’t sound very excited, Bob! C’mon! It’s TKO time! Get excited!
EvilBob: Oh, I’m excited, all right. That we’re almost done with this farce.
Voyager: Boo. You’re a party pooper. Fine. Opening Thoughts time!
OPENING THOUGHTS
EvilBob: This time on Isekai Cheat Magician Zombies! I didn’t like the Duke being used as a pawn in some kind of sadistic game. At least now he doesn’t seem like the idiot that last episode made him out to be but still he’s not even that important. I am curious about the person controlling it all. Mostly: What in the world is she after? Right now we only know she has an unhealthy interest in Taichi and wants to use him for some reason. Not a bad episode. It’s war so it wasn’t anything special. But at least it looks far better than the clips from the beginning of the show.
On the other side of things… what did I just watch? This was a hilarious episode. I spent most of the time laughing at Ares and his antics. Not what I was expecting from DanMachi but, hey, it was a lot of fun. I do hope we see more of Ares. He’s such a moron, it’s great. It made his dumb plan even funnier when it worked. On top of Ares, we got a nice wrap up to the last arc with Hestia’s Familia gaining a new member. And finding out she was never technically a prostitute, to begin with, was a thing. Overall it’s a fun episode and a nice break from the previous arcs.
Voyager: Hm…
EvilBob: You are not about to do this again.
Voyager: I didn’t like the Isekai Cheat Magician episode.
EvilBob: …Wait, what?
Voyager: Yeah. Didn’t like it. I appreciate what they were going for, but it just didn’t work. Setting up the side cast with enemies they even give names, just to kill them off in the same episode was lame. And the fights weren’t even interesting to look at. Also, Taichi’s little chat with the Duke was well-intentioned but that one guy who’s working for the mysterious whatever-she-is just kinda ruins the whole thing. The zombie thing is a fine twist, I guess. But overall the episode was just meh, at best, don’tcha think?
EvilBob: Um… well…
Voyager: DanMachi was definitely just trying to give us a break after the two big arcs it just went through. Though it’s obviously setting up for something in the future, since this season only has the one episode left. The thing with Haruhime not actually being a prostitute is comforting. Though I can see how someone miiight find that to be sort of a cop-out, narratively. It does effectively mean that half of the problem with that last arc was technically unnecessary. Buuut I think most people can probably understand why it’s really not an issue. Her shattered sense of hope made it more difficult for Bell and them to rescue her. It was convenient to Ishtar and her Familia. So why would they tell her that she never actually slept with anyone? It kept her easy to control, at least. And the character development isn’t invalidated, either way. The lesson of “heroes don’t care about superficial details with who they save” is still relevant. Though the logical side of me also likes Haruhime’s not having actually slept with anyone because… I mean… the girl passes out just from seeing Bell’s collarbone. Imagine seeing a dude in his full-on birthday suit. She’d be on the floor, out cold, in an instant. And… well… prostitute or no, that would be rape. So… yeah. Glad DanMachi maintains its ability to walk up to the line and quickly pivot back. It makes it really engaging and fun without entering a polarizing place that I don’t think would ultimately suit it very well.
EvilBob: …you gonna review the whole thing, while we’re here, or…?
Voyager: Hm? Oh. We can move on now!
EvilBob: …As if we don’t already know the outcome, now…
Voyager: Eh?
EvilBob: First Category!
Voyager: Hestia’s Bestia!
EvilBob: Yeah… And, bonus, she’s actually in this episode. A lot. Granted, she causes a lot of the problem, but… well…
Voyager: Heh? Well, sure. But someone has to cause the issues. If we rate characters based on how many problems they may or may not cause, no one would ever be allowed to like any character.
EvilBob: True.
EvilBob: So, um…
Voyager: I’m kind of amazed, actually, that an episode with about 15 seconds of action still manages to look better than an episode that’s almost nothing but fighting.
EvilBob: …Dude, you are brutal today.
Voyager: Hm? I don’t feel particularly nasty. Maybe if I tried growling…
EvilBob: Please don’t.
Voyager: Rawr.
EvilBob: …Point, DanMachi.
Voyager: Like I said, Haruhime’s arc isn’t invalidated, just because she never actually slept with anyone. All of that stuff they went through is still perfectly valid. And, on top of that, we get a little more forward momentum for the dynamic between Bell and Hestia! Win-Win for DanMachi!
EvilBob: Wait… doesn’t that mean-
EvilBob: So… why are we doing this?
Voyager: I dunno. Maybe Isekai Cheat Magician can cling to its honor by putting a single point on the board?
EvilBob: …
Voyager: …
EvilBob: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Voyager: Ahahahahahahaha!
EvilBob: DanMachi?
Voyager: DanMachi.
EvilBob: To be fair, Isekai Cheat Magician did try to set up a more tense atmosphere, in its episode.
Voyager: Yeah, but the lame presentation didn’t really help it. And while DanMachi‘s atmosphere was split between funny and dire, the shift was pretty clear and seamless.
EvilBob: You’re seriously not pulling any punches.
Voyager: Nope. I’m like Ali! Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! *jabs* Bzz Bzz.
EvilBob: …Okay, seriously. Who are you?
CONCLUSION
EvilBob: Wow. This is… not short. We talked a lot, dude.
Voyager: Yep! Mostly about DanMachi. Because it’s really good. And you guys should watch it. Which reminds me!
EvilBob: Yeeeah. There’s only one thing I regret about this season.
Voyager: Hm?
EvilBob: We have no idea when it’s coming back.
Voyager: Oh, please don’t let it be another 4 years, or whatever it was. My heart can’t take it!
EvilBob: Wait, wait, wait. Your heart? Boy, go sit down, whippersnapper.
Voyager: Heeeh? That’s mean, Bob!
EvilBob: Oh, shut up.
Voyager: *pouts* Hmph. Anyway, that’s that, everybody! But there’s still one week left before we close this out and crown our champion!
EvilBob: So stick around for that, I guess.
Voyager: Whataya think? Is there any hope for Isekai Cheat Magician to get better in a future season? Let us know, down below! Thanks, as always, for reading!
EvilBob: And for letting us waste your time.
Voyager: Keep up the Awesome!
EvilBob: And keep it classy.
Voyager: Take care!