Episode 04 – “Supporter: The Weak”

Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but the whole with the silverback gorilla for the past two episodes felt like a big diversion. There were some things that were necessary for developing Bell’s character as well as his relationship with Hestia, but it could’ve been done in a much shorter time. My whining aside, we finally get back to what I like so much about DanMachi which is expanding on upon the world and introducing new characters that inhabit it.

Before we get to new people, we see a different side to our usual all-business adventurer’s aide, Eina. Like practically every other female character in this series, she seems to have the hots for our budding hero Bell. Normally, this would be a roll-your-eyes, been-there-done-that, or some other hyphenated and overused trope, but Bell’s cute, innocent disposition makes it bearable. In fact, I might go as far as to say that his naivete is a big part of DanMachi’s appeal. Too often, especially in action series, we have protagonists who know exactly the right thing to say and the right thing to do to get what they want, and it’s refreshing to have a hero who feels genuine.

Common sense dictates that success comes in numbers, particularly if you intend on taking on the deeper, tougher floors of a dungeon. To help him out, Bell teams up with Liliruca Arde, a nekomimi member of the Soma Familia who appears to be more than meets the eye. Rumor has it that the Soma Familia is in dire straits at the moment and all of its members are desperate for money. We can infer from her expressions and the fact that she attempts to pawn off Bell’s knife, that Liliruca has made a habit of scamming adventurers.

However, she’s taken aback by Bell’s kindness when he offers her a straight 50/50 share of the loot that they gathered together. This is what I mean when I say that Bell is a genuine character. In any other show, the guy would justify his actions with some “cool” lines, but Bell doesn’t need that sort of pretense. He doesn’t question why LIli had his knife, and he doesn’t have to give some longwinded explanation of why he divides the money the way he does. He does it because, to him, it’s the natural thing to do, and that’s what makes Bell such a likable character. We can look forward to more adventures with Lili, much to Hestia’s chagrin, and I’m sure that Bell will learn the truth about Lili as well.

“Really, you never know when an adventurer is going to die.” ~ Eina Tulle

B.W.