Delicious in Dungeon

Episode 12

It's not a stretch to say that the primary concern in this episode is cleanup. I mean that in a positive sense, as in we are cleaning up the big mess from the last episode (and everything before it), as well as the tying up of loose ends. It's somewhat odd as far as finales go, especially given that the dragon features prominently in the title and has been the main threat all season. A typical expectation would be that the fight continues in some way here, or that there is a new tense element that is added to the scene, but it's focused on bringing back Falin and the various forms of fallout from that resurrection.

Which is very interesting. The resurrection requires a cost in the form of calories and proper arrangement of the soon-to-be-revived person. It's a bit of a stretch that the party can neatly reassemble Falin under these circumstances and without an extended stay, but it's high-fantasy adventuring so I don't think it's an egregious suspension of disbelief. Senshi almost blowing up the entire party by cooking in a big flammable ring of dragon guts also strides the line between realism and ridiculousness.

I think the more important elements are the emotional ones for Falin's return. We get a bunch of wonderful and tender moments between Falin and Marceille as well as Falin and Laios that show why she mattered so much to them. You can hear the joy in their voices, see their spirits lifted, and get a sense of how much they missed her and how hard they were working to hold it together while she was gone. If you're a fan of women, uh, appreciating one another then there's plenty of meat on the bone here too, and I think “let me entwine our fingers in the bath so we can exchange mana” just about obliterates the notion of sub-text. I also think there's a neat hook being set up with the fact that Falin's body is somehow changed via the use of dragon meat to bring her back, and I'm curious what tension will arise in the future over this.

All in all, a soft ending for the season without any bombast. A bit handwavey with the details, yet very solid emotionally.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Delicious in Dungeon is currently streaming on Netflix.