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The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2 Review – Best In Show

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The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2 Review – Quick Summary

In The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2, “The Guild and the Receptionist,” Noir Starga had to face a harsh reality: His father didn’t have anywhere near enough money to pay for the admittance fee. That meant it fell to Noir, which really means it fell to Olivia Servant. She came though, as usual, with a great idea: Noir should go to the adventurer’s guild and ask for work. The first obstacle was that the receptionist, Lola Metrose, didn’t believe he has the same skills that the guild’s most amazing adventurer (Olivia herself!) used to have. The guild’s magic device showed that yes, he did have the skills. The second problem, though was Emma Brightness meeting Lola. Will Noir survive that experience? Will the guild? Even if they do, how will he be able to early 300,000 rels before the end of the week, the school’s admission fee deadline?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2: I feel sorry for Noir's dad. Even more sorry for Noir!

I really feel for Noir’s dad. Dude’s got to feel completely worthless! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Noir woke up the day after being accepted to the Hero Academy. His sister Alice was very proud of him, of course, and showed him with a hug that was so enthusiastic that Nori wasn’t quite sure what to do.

What he was sure of, though, is that he didn’t have enough money to pay the admission fee himself. He asked his father for help. Now, keep in mind that the poor man is all too aware that his position in the aristocracy hierarch is dirt bottom. He tried, though, to put on a brave face. So, he proudly proclaimed that he’s saved some money back and asks how much Noir will need.

“Three hundred thousand rels,” Noir said with a straight face (00:45). “Within a week.”

His dad’s shaking hand as he over-poured the cup of tea was all the answer Noir needed.

He said (00:55), “Very well. I’ll earn the money myself.”

His voice sounded just like he was going through a formality. Which, he was, given his dad!

Best in Show Moment for The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2

Noir knew who deserved the credit for his achievements.

In my experience, it takes courage and honesty to admit that you had help, especially when you’re being praised by all the people around you. Can you believe this is happening in an ecchi series? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Can Ecchi Be Uplifting?

In my review of the previous episode, I mentioned I felt like I was taking a risk reviewing this series. It looked like Noir was going to be a decent guy. It looked like he wouldn’t force Emma or Alice or Lenore (and now Lola!) to do anything against their will. So I decided to risk it.

I mean, if Noir turns into Illicit Grabby Dude, I’d probably have to drop the show. Or at least watch an episode or two of Redo of a Healer to desensitize myself. Then this show (and a lot of others!) would look tame by comparison.

What I absolutely did not expect was the direction the show took in this episode. Sure, I expected him to be nice to Emma. She’s his childhood friend. Their parents know each other and are friends. If he mistreats her, there could be repercussions, even if his dad is about as ineffective as they come.

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2: Emma has no shortage of agency, that's for danged sure.

It’s not like Emma is a shrinking violet. She’s not sitting around waiting for Noir to go after her. She’s going after him! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Even when he prompted Lola to keep her side of the bet, he acted more appreciative and less leering. Yeah, that’s splitting hairs, but work with me here. It’ll make sense in a minute.

So I’m thinking Noir might actually be really nice guy in general. At the end of the episode, we found out for sure.

Delivery: Yes, Ecchi Can Be Uplifting

Works Well as a Team? Check!

Noir and Emma took down a giant killer rabbit (think re:ZERO Season 2 episode 33, but with a single gigantic bunny of death). They had to work together to do it — closely together, in fact. All good, consensual stuff. Gotta say, I admire the quality of their friendship.

When they returned to the guild to report on their success, Noir surprised everyone by pulling the killer rabbit’s carcass from what’s basically a bag of holding. Apparently, the meat is a delicacy, especially because it was so rare.

Did he try to sell the meat to earn a little extra cash? No. Did he try to use it to impress Lola? No. Though, with Emma there, that would have been a really terrible idea… What Noir did was donate it to the entire guild so they could have a community BBQ.

The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2: There are significant benefits to Noir's approach!

Notice that I’m not saying that Noir’s an altruistic saint. Being a nice guy in this context has some serious benefits! But he could have been a jerk about it, and he wasn’t! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Gives Credit Where Credit’s Due? Check!

That’s cool. That’s something a really nice guy would do. But Noir went the extra mile. He knew, in his heart, who deserved the praise and thanks for everything he’d done so far. When the guild asked him to make some kind of speech, he simply said (22:09), “Everyone, thank you so much!” In his mind, he directed all of his gratitude to Olivia.

He couldn’t come out and thank her. That would raise awkward questions. Though now that I think about it, I wonder why Olivia doesn’t ask him to bring her old friends by to visit. She’s in a bit of a vulnerable position, so maybe she only feels comfortable with Noir?

From Noir’s perspective, she’s chained deep in a hidden dungeon. He could just claim the credit and go about his business. Who would ever know? But he knows he owes everything to Olivia, and he felt grateful to her.

For a moment, I wondered if I was watching an ecchi series. Noir is just such a nice guy! Then I remembered Emma’s pantsu power on display during the bunny battle. Yep. It’s an ecchi title. It just happens to have a heck of a nice guy as the main character.

What do you think will come of Noir belonging to the guild that used to be Olivia’s home? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

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11 thoughts on “The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter Episode 2 Review – Best In Show

  1. I find this show… forgettable. I had to read your post to remember what was going on. Perhaps, because there was way too little Olivia in this episode?

    In any case, I don’t find the guy a creep, but he also doesn’t really strike me as overly nice. To see what I mean think of the scene where he’s cashing in the bet, and then compare him to, say, the protag of Monster Musume. He’s rather avarage, and it’s sort of sad that that looks decent when compared to genre standards.

    (The way he’s treating his dad seems to make more sense now; he feels a little calculating side. It’s not that I don’t think he’s genuinely nice, or that I think the bunny donation was a purely calculated move. That’s not it. He’s just… really pragmatic, and on that background being cold to his father as a serial joke makes sense.)

    1. ” Perhaps, because there was way too little Olivia in this episode?”

      More Olivia would have been better, that’s for sure!

      “To see what I mean think of the scene where he’s cashing in the bet, and then compare him to, say, the protag of Monster Musume. ”

      Well, Darling-kun will win every comparison! Is that really fair? 🙂

      He did cash in on the bet, and in his defense, he gave her a chance to back out up front.

      And he didn’t exactly leer. He seemed more appreciative than anything else!

      But I’ll concede your point about Kimihito!

  2. Looks like I’ve found another fav. Love the episodes and the MC’s boldness. Keep me tuned if any new episodes releases.

    1. It’s a lot of fun! Standard harem antics with a main character who’s not a jerk. He actually has some skills, too!

      And so far, I have zero complaints about the harem he’s building!

Please let me know what you think!

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