Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 9: Regrets and Introspection

DanMachi III Episode 9

In Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 9, “Stigma | Downfall,” we get a narrative upgrade from the previous episode, which is a welcome development! The show gives us five interesting plot points that either acknowledge events leading up to this episode, or prepare us for the next episode.

But First, A Word About Our World

But before we get into that, how was your week, Irina (from I Drink and Watch Anime)? Things in the US have quieted a bit, at least on the political front. Nothing’s resolved, really, because the fractures and weaknesses that brought us to the point are still alive and strong. That, and the USA just passed 264,000 COVID fatalities. Guess we’re number 1 in something…

I don’t want to pour salt in your wounds but the COVID situation in the US is devastating. I truly hope you all are safe and that you come out of this doing well. I know how tough it is. I know how spoiled I am. If I get sick or even want to be tested, it’s absolutely free and my insurance won’t go up or anything. I can’t imagine the stress of not only coping with a pandemic but knowing that even if you don’t have any lasting health issues, getting sick is still likely to add some financial burden.

Wow, the episode was much cheerier than last week but I certainly brought the mood way down. Sorry about that you guys. To all my neighbours to the south, we all wish you well both in health and in politics. I think now more than ever\y, is the time to push the superficial stuff aside and just get through this together.

I feel like I live in an impoverished nation… Wait, maybe I do, at least in some regards…

Our DanMachi III Episode 9 Review

And sorry for that depressing start. As a reminder, Irina’s in bold type and there will be spoilers. So brace yourselves! We’re really sorry guys. I guess at least now you know that if you’re worried or scared or just going through a tough time, we do understand. Crow more than me but my heart does go out to everyone.

Bell Under Fire (Figuratively)

There were five important developments in this episode. In the first, it looked like Bell would not have to withstand public scrutiny for his part in the destruction that the crazed Wiene left in her wake. The reason is that the role Ikelos played became public, and the Ganesha Familia escorted him to the city limits to banish him.

Unfortunately, the chase had left wide-spread destruction, and Bell had gotten very popular very quickly, so a lot of resentment boiled over. Bell was smart enough to lay low, and Welf did, too. But when Haruhime and Mikoto went shopping, they had to withstand lots of glares and whispering. I liked how the show didn’t just gloss over the impact of what Bell had done, not only for him, for for his Familia. 

Honesty, half the city was in shambles. Even if everything works out on a reputation front, are the Hestia familia going to be living in poverty once again when they pay for all those repairs?

I kinda thought Bell should help with the repairs instead of just strolling through!

Hestia and Bell Take a Stroll in DanMachi III Episode 9

The Public is Very Harsh to Bell

That put us on the path to the second point. Hermes paid a visit to Hestia and Bell to tell them that a) yep, everyone pretty much hated Bell and, oh, by the way, “The Xenos are waiting for your help.”

I’m sure the news the Xenos waited for his help thrilled Bell. No pressure! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Talk about piling on!

So Bell, being Bell, went on a fact-finding mission to Daedalus Street, where the glares quickly turned into verbal insults. Bell didn’t answer; he seemed to be less concerned for what they thought of him as what they thought of Hestia and the rest of the Familia. 

This is where something interesting happened. Hestia, fed up with their comments, pointed out facetiously that Bell had claimed the right to Wiene because of her debts. Everyone shut up. It looked like they were surprised she had gotten involved in the conversation, but once she was, they deferred to because of her status as goddess. 

But They Continue to Respect the Goddess Hestia

You know, Hestia doesn’t act like a goddess too often but when she does… I always like to see her take her place, I actually wish she would do it more. There was a dungeon scene in the first season where Hestia used her powers and it was just as impressive. That scene sticks with me to this day even though I’ve largely forgotten season 2 which I watched much more recently.

It makes me wonder what Loki would be like if she got all divine on us. I bet we couldn’t handle it!

It’s an interesting thought — how powerful would Loki be? If the strength of her children is any indication, she would be an absolute monster! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I remember that scene with Hestia. It was towards the end of season 1, episode 12, around 20:38. “Stop. Children, sheath your swords,” she said. Very, very cool scene! Yes!!! That’s exactly it! You remembered it down to the second. Not gonna lie, that’s a bit scary.

TBH, I had to look up the time index… But man, what a great scene!

That brings us to the second point, which was Bell’s attempt to apologize to Hestia. The poor kid acted like he felt terrible, but Hestia just waved it off. She actually thought his guilt made him a bit easier to “handle” lately.

Syr Remains on Bell’s Side in DanMachi III Episode 9

Loki’s Surprise “Attack”

The third point was one part touching and one part humorously exasperated harem protagonist good luck. Bell was alone, Hestia having body-blocked Loki, who had taken a sudden interest in the new bad-boy Bell. He came across Syr, who’s carried a torch for Bell since the first time she met him. He seemed surprised she didn’t shun him.

We should probably have a talk with that boy about trusting his friends, especially in light of the fourth point, which we’ll get to in a minute.

They sat on a bench overlooking a scenic view, and she got him to admit that he was scared. He wasn’t scare for himself, he was scared because he’d made his decisions, especially to protect Wiene in front the entire city (especially the Loki Familia) without even consulting Hestia or the others. In short, he felt like he’d drawn them into this situation without their consent and support.

Bell’s confession surprised Syr. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

She pulled his head in her lap and tried to comfort him. She told him that she really liked his impulsiveness.

Bell, Man-About-Town

Kid sure has spectacular luck with supportive women folk in the cast! Or, Irina, do you think I’m just grumpy because I’m fresh out of a supportive harem?

I do think you’re grumpy. Which is weird cause you have an awesome wife. I bet Bell would trade his harem in a second… There may be a bit of assumptions happening here.

The scenes seemed kind of forced, didn’t it? Like it was weird right? It looked like a play or something. I’m not sure I’m explaining it right. There was nothing technically wrong with it but it just sort of entirely collapsed my suspension of disbelief (and it’s not like this show is easy on the disbelief to begin with).

It didn’t really register in my brain as a thing that was happening and I think I may have subconsciously reformatted it as a fantasy sequence. 

A Quick Interlude in DanMachi III Episode 9

Some Plot Developments

Before we get to the last two points, there were a handful of developments that’re likely to be important later:

Ouranos was surprised at what Hermes’ family had found for him. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

1. Hermes found “the blueprints for Knossos,” along with “Daedalus’ notes.” He presented them to Ouranos with a promise that he was going to take care of everything — for a price. Hermes found you say…. Hermes has a very reliable and efficient familia. Even if he wasn’t a particularly powerful god to begin with, I bet he could fall back on the strength of his followers. I say this as someone who considers Hermes one of their favourite characters. Yeah, I should have said “Hermes came into possession of…”
2. Asfi, a character I’d like to see a lot more of, visited Ryuu and Aisha, ask them for help. They were torn — should they even consider helping monsters, intelligent or otherwise? But why were they so torn? They partied with the monsters. They were all friends by then end. Also they all do crazy stuff for Bell all the time. Crazier than this. Something’s not right here.. And my theory is that a really hot guy walked into town off camera and all the girls kinda like him now, that’s why they’re suddenly coy and concerned. I mean it’s tough to seduce a dude with half your face missing. Tough but hardly impossible! 
3. Hephaestus put the same question to her top lieutenants. They batted it back and forth until Takemikazuchi finally said, “Whether the Xenos’ existence is right or wrong isn’t something we can decide. But we can’t just leave things like this.” Now, Hephaestus is someone I would like to see more of. Fascinating that character and I do like the mythology behind the name as well. Seconded! She and her Familia look fascinating. 

Hermes, Mover and Shaker

So, things are moving forward, mostly, it seems, at Herems’ direction. 

But isn’t that always how things go? On the upside, Hermes is generally a likeable troll. He’s hardly evil or malicious and occasionally even a bit selfless, which is quite odd to see. I need to readjust my understanding whenever he starts to get too magnanimous.

With a Little Help from His Friends

Bell Charges Forward in DanMachi III Episode 9

Remember I mentioned how we need to talk to Bell about trusting his friends? That came to a head when Hestia called a Familia meeting and laid out their choices: They could help the Xenos and be discredited forever in Orario, or they could let the Xenos parish and hope things went back to normal.

Hestia laid our the choices before her Familia. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Irina, I’m guessing you’re going to remind me that Bell’s still a young ‘un, and he still has a lot to learn. Actually I was going to remind you not to look too deeply into this show… And you’re right! Thank you! But it still annoyed me that after confessing his fear to Syr, he still spoke up right away, not letting anyone else speak, and said he was going to help the Xenos.

See, I liked it. It was the super cliched moment where the hero does this grand self sacrificing gesture and all his friends rally around him instead of turning away and I tear up a little. I have seen it a million times. It is so trite and predictable and really sweet. Also, I love it! This is what I watch DanMachi for. Classic hero’s journey tropes executed in full earnestness! None of that skilling cute little monster girls stuff.

I think I’m still just grumpy about the whole Syr lap thing.

Welf Hadn’t Been Idle

At which point Welf suggested a third option: that they be sneaky and save the Xenos with no one being the wiser. Xenos saved, their reputation saved, and everyone wins. Welf even made four magic swords to help the process.

Irina, didn’t he swear off magic sword making? Isn’t this a big deal?

Uhhh… yes ? Yeah, I totally knew that. I don’t just stare at Welf drooling on my shirt and objectify him without listening to a word he says. I have no clue where you heard that but it’s just pure slander! That it is! 

Finn On the Case

The last point is quick, but it’s important. Finn, leading the Loki Familia’s efforts to destroy the Xenos still outside the dungeons, somehow figured out or learned that the Xenos were going to make a move, and that they would rely on Bell to make a distraction. Therefore, Finn determined to look everywhere that Bell wasn’t.

The children in Loki Familia are ridiculously powerful, and Finn’s their brains. Hestia Familia and the rest have their work cut out for them. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Maybe the Xenos and Fels leaked that information, and they’ll actually stick close to Bell. Or maybe Finn has ways of listening in on Fels’ communications? What do you think, Irina?

I think there’s more to Finn that meets the eye. Which isn’t all that hard. I can make short jokes cause there’s no one shorter than me! Ok I looked it up, Finn is shorter than me. I apologize.

In any case, the Loki familia is incredibly powerful and Finn didn’t become leader by accident. I’m not sure, but I think he may have amazing deductive powers. A Sherlock Holmes type of character. If you think about it, that would really be an interesting archetype to throw into the mix. So far the Heroes of DanMachi have all prevailed through strength, will and charisma. Throwing that type of personality into the mix could certainly drum up some unique conflict. 

Well, Finn might just be that. He’s always struck me as the kind who thinks more than he talks and perceives more than he lets on.

So, a much more enjoyable episode than the previous episode — let’s see what they have in store for the last three episodes of the season!

Reviews of the Other Episodes

• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 1 – Dungeons and Wyverns
• Is It Wrong to Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 2: Coexistence And Lili’s Foot In Mouth Disease
• Is It Wrong to Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? III Episode 3 – The Mission To Level 20
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 4 – Told You He Was A Dix
• Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? III Episode 5 – Gros Isn’t Wrong
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 6 – A Man Named Modaka
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 7 – Bell Takes on Wiene and the World
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 8 – An Enemy of Humanity
• Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? III Episode 9 — Regrets And Introspection
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III Episode 10 – Wild Bell Chase
• Is It Wrong To Try to Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? III Episode 11 — A Polite Betrayal
• Is It Wrong To Try to Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? III Episode 12 – Full Circle