Review of the anime Danmachi (“Into the Dungeon I’ll Go…”). Princess - fanfic based on Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka

A world that looks more like an MMO game than reality. A world created by Fujino Omori with terrifying monsters, Heroes and rescued beauties. “I’ll go to the dungeon, I’ll find a beauty there” - this is the plan of the Adventure Seekers, these are the heroes who go to the dungeons in order to get rich, become famous, or to find their own beauty! It is being filmed by the not-so-little-known studio J.C.STAFF. And the genres of this anime are: Adventure, Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance.

Telegraph

The city of Orario or, as they used to call it, the City of Labyrinths. And they call it that for a reason. The tallest tower was built in this place. It is also called the dungeon. Lower and lower floors, monsters and bosses become stronger. Many people have chosen the path and profession of Adventurer. Every morning they go to the dungeon to gain gold and improve their characteristics. These same characteristics are displayed on the seeker’s back and can be read by another person or goddess. They are measured in units, and they are also divided into ranks, as in MMO games: rank C B A S, etc. Speaking of Goddesses. Each adventurer belongs to a family where the head is a Goddess - they descended to earth, sealing most of their divine powers, in order to “Enjoy life with all its difficulties,” says the anime.

So the young ambitious Bell Cranel, inspired by his rather famous grandfather, became an Adventurer. And I won’t tell you who his famous grandfather is, you’ll find out in the series itself. Judging by appearance (this is not about a handsome face, he has it, in families they are judged by physique and strength) is pathetic and impossible, but alas, Bell was not accepted into more than one family. And already when our ambitious main character despondent, he meets Hestia, one of the Goddesses. Her family is small, at least now. Before Bell, no one wanted to join her guild. Their family is not very rich and they live in meager conditions, but now the young adventurer runs around the dungeon every day, developing and progressing!

Immediately in the first episode, our main character is saved by a certain Ais Valenstein. He, not having taken on a monster of a large level, was about to die... but then, then she appeared. He is all red with blood and tenderness from Ais, he understands that he has found that same beauty from the dungeon, for whose sake he will develop even harder and stronger.

Main characters and goddesses

Bell Cranel is the main character and the only member of Hestia's family. He is young and purposeful, cares about those around him, especially his only Goddess Hestia. Meeting Ais Valenstein motivates him to develop and raise his stats even further. He realizes that he wants to become a hero and in difficult moments a special is activated. an ability unique to him - Argonaut. He becomes stronger and develops much faster than other Adventurers. I also randomly read a magic book forgotten by “someone”, a very valuable book that gave him the magic of the fire strike “Fireball” (this Japanese “Fayabolto!!” is killing me).

A small spoiler and does not interfere with watching the anime. Bell's true identity is subsequently revealed. They will reveal something that Bell himself did not know.

The Goddess Bella herself is Hestia. She is dressed, either in a torn dress, or fashion from May Professional. Decide for yourself. Almost always dressed in the same thing. The exception is divine events. She takes care of Bella, since he is her only and favorite follower. If there is an opportunity to help him, he will. If he finds himself in trouble, he won’t even be afraid to use his superpower to protect Bell, even though the gods are forbidden to do this. Due to the fact that she has a small family, she herself has to earn extra money to help her Child.

A character I will not describe as the main character. I'll just write a little here. This is the character I think will play important role in the second season. And now I'm talking about the goddess of love, Freya. Of all the gods, she loves to have fun the most and she is very interested in our main character, why you will only be able to find out (if your memory serves you) at the end of the first season.

By the way, interesting fact: 3 There are gods in anime Scandinavian, Celtic, Greek, Babylonian, Indian and Japanese mythologies.The Greek Hestia (aka Roman Vesta), whose name is the patroness of the protagonist, was the keeper of the sacred fire, a virgin goddess, which seems to be the reason for the failures of this heroine on the personal front.

Description

The city of Orario, where a huge dungeon is located, works for adventurers of the most different races, who gather in clans led by numerous gods. Hestia's clan, alas, is small - the goddess herself, who took the form of a young maiden, and young Bell, blond with red eyes. Bell once became an adventurer to run through levels, beat monsters and meet girls - and he achieved his goal by falling head over heels in love with Aiz, the “princess of swords” from the Loki clan. So far, the hero is clearly weak for his chosen one, but Bell has a reason to develop, Hestia has a reason to be jealous, Aiz herself has to shrug her shoulders, and half of the city has a reason to actively root for the youth. This is nothing, but when the evil goddess of love Freya intervenes in the matter, it becomes really interesting!

Volume 6, Chapter 3, Part 3: Collision

» Entire chapter

Bell ran as fast as he could. Holding Hestia tightly in his arms, he moved through the alleys, hoping to get out of the trap he had fallen into.

"I'm sorry!"

Shouting, he jumped over a couple of residents who blocked his path.

"Really yet?..."

The adventurers did not expect Bell to attack so quickly. However, he rushed straight at them, swinging his knives. Bell instantly became close to them, without even giving them a second to think. Aiming for the legs and armor, he delivered a sharp blow. Remembering his fights with the armored killer ants in the dungeon, Bell jumped back and grabbed Lady Hestia's hand. The goddess just managed to catch up with him.

"I'm sorry for... keeping you... Bell..."

She was so out of breath that she could barely say it. Bell squeezed Lady Hestia's hand tightly to calm her down.

"This is not your fault, goddess!"

One of the most important tenets of this world was that a mortal was not able to take the life of a god. Only another deity could do this. If a god received a mortal wound, his divine power was immediately released - and healed any injury. But, unfortunately, this is a violation of the rules that the gods themselves established. Therefore, as punishment, such a deity was sent back to heaven. So, if Master Apollo suddenly captured Lady Hestia and killed her, Bell would become a free adventurer and could join any other clan. And if they are both captured, the goddess will become a hostage. Bella will make a condition - either join Apollo's clan, or the goddess will go to heaven. Either of these options was unacceptable to Bell, so he could not allow Lady Hestia to be caught. He must run and protect her at the same time.

“There are many level 2 adventurers among them... But...”

Bell hit a group of archers with a Firebolt before their arrows flew towards him. Taking advantage of the commotion, he rushed forward and killed all three in an instant. Bell could easily fight against level 2 adventurers. He was confident in his strength one on one - after all, he had an advantage in agility. Bell could hold out if he didn't get cornered. Forming a retreat plan in his head, Bell found a place where the enemy forces were least numerous - and headed there. There was still hope for salvation.

"B-Bell, they are defenseless against your magic. Isn't it better to use it? You could easily kill one after another!"

"No... I wouldn't want to use it too often..."

Bell wanted to reduce the damage he caused to the city to a minimum. After all, his magic is fiery. There are many people living in the west of Orario. If a fire breaks out here, he will definitely be driven out of the city - regardless of whether they escape or not. Of course, in critical situation Bell will use everything he has - but for now he should refrain from doing so. His instant magic gives him the ability to instantly change the course of a fight, but in the middle of a defenseless city, he couldn't use it so easily. Looking at the adventurers on the rooftops, one could understand that each of them was playing a role. Someone is monitoring the general situation, someone is blocking the path to create advantageous position to attack their stronger comrades. Such a number of opponents made Bell's head spin. And then his red eyes were able to notice on one of the adventurers the symbol of a crescent moon and a glass of wine. This sign did not belong to the Apollo clan. It appears that other forces were at work here. The hope that fueled Bell's strength was gone.

“Is there really another clan present in this battle?...”

Suddenly Bell remembered the conversation in the garden last night, which he heard on the balcony during the Feast of the Gods. Then Bell saw two people... A sudden roar distracted his thoughts. Someone fell from above. Behind him, Bell felt a presence with a force unmatched before. He felt his heart beat fast. Bell's intuition sounded the alarm: this enemy was very strong! He looked back and noticed handsome guy with a crooked smile. He is wearing his old white robe. Two-handed and one-handed swords in sheaths were secured behind the back through the cloak. This was the commander of the Apollo clan - Hyacinth. He bent his knees, intending to attack. At the moment when Hyacinth rushed forward, Bell pushed Lady Hestia to the side - towards another street. But the enemy attack was too fast. All Bell could see was a long blade with a wavy shape. Hyacinth had a flamberge in his hands. Bell instinctively pulled out Hestia's knife to deflect the blow, but the force of the attack knocked him off balance.

Hyacinth did not give the enemy even a drop of time - and immediately attacked again. Bell was able to anticipate the blow and rolled to the side. The attack missed a centimeter from his body. After hitting the stone wall, Bell rose to his feet and pulled out his second Ushiwakamaru knife. Amid the cries of Lady Hestia, he rushed into battle. The opponents crossed their weapons.

"It amazes me that you were able to get this far, Bell Cranel. So I decided to reward you with my own presence on the battlefield!"

Hyacinth jumped back and attacked again. Two knives and a two-handed sword crossed at incredible speed in battle, striking sparks. Lady Hestia silently fell to her knees, her eyes trembling at the sight of such a fierce battle. Bell knew that they would not be able to escape from such an opponent, so he had to fight. The street in which they fought was very long and narrow. And the enemy’s attacks put pressure on Bell, forcing him to retreat further and further each time. The battle was in full swing. The furious blow of the curved sword was repulsed right hand Bella. Instinctively, he threw out his left hand in a blow. The eyes of both combatants looked at each other without blinking. The positions of the attacker and defender changed every second. Suddenly Hyacinth took a step forward and pointed his sword straight at Bell's chest. The white-haired guy stepped back in time and fought off the attack with one of his knives. More precisely, it seemed so to him. Suddenly the tip of the sword was able to catch his outstretched hand - and blood sprayed from the opened wound.

"That's what it means. You fight with your speed."

Hyacinath's grin filled Bell with horror. He fought with two knives against an opponent with only one two-handed sword. In theory, he had an advantage in speed. But for some reason, every blow from Bell was easily repelled. Hyacinth moved as if he knew where the attack was coming from. None of Bell's punches hit his target. Even with his agility, he lacked speed in battle. Suddenly a white cloak flashed before his eyes. Because of this, Bell did not immediately react to the next attack. The blade cut through the air and struck from above. Bell blocked it with Hestia's knife and Ushiwakamura next to his head. Under the grinding of a flamberge and two knives, the fighters looked at each other. The two-handed sword pressed very hard - even though Hyacinth was holding it with only one hand.

“Sorry, but I can’t help but hate you, knowing that Master Apollo has given you his love... But I am loyal to him - and therefore I will personally force you to join our great clan.”

His strength was simply amazing. Bell saw his own frightened face in the eyes of his smiling enemy. That means what it is - level 3. Bell remembered their first meeting. Then he was completely unable to do anything. Leaning into the ground, Bell gathered all the strength in his hands and began to push the curved blade upward.

"Raaaaaah!!!"

Bell screamed with all his might and knocked Hyacinth's weapon aside. The handsome guy jumped back. This was Bell's chance that couldn't be missed so easily. Tensing every muscle of his body, he rushed forward towards his goal like a drawn arrow.

This was his fastest speed. Bell pushed off the ground, leaving cracks in it. He put all his strength into this attack. In a way, it could be called a unique ability - "Bunny Dash" - where Bell does a double slash with his knives at high speed. But he responded to Hyacinth not just with a blow, but with a whole flurry of attacks. Sparks flew in different directions.

"Too slow."

However, Hyacinth did not even flinch. He just grinned. A hurricane of purple and red light, the color of Bell's weapon, fell upon the handsome man. But every blow was still blocked. Nothing could get through Hyacinth's defenses. Hestia's knife only cut through the air, while Ushiwakamaru was beaten back with his sword. Neither of them could overcome the heavy flamberge. Each blow from this sword left a light like the sun. Each attack was like tongues of flame. Each contact with the knife of Hestia and Ushiwakamura was accompanied by the sound of metal and a bunch of sparks. Hyacinth's sword was special - it was called the "Solar Flamberge". Only the clan commander was allowed to use it. He moved so fast that Bell couldn't keep up with him.

"What an ill-mannered rabbit. He needs to be punished."

Bell saw another grin from Hyacinth. He disappeared for a moment. Bell realized that he had rushed forward - but it was too late. Ushiwakamaru was deflected to the side and Hestia's knife was sent flying back. Hyacinth’s fighting technique was amazing: from the pressure, Bell spread his arms in different directions. It seemed as if time had stood still in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the flamberte launched a furious blow from below. Bell instinctively jumped back, but he still received a deep cut on his chest. The tip of the two-handed sword entered the flesh, cutting through skin and muscle in one swing. Severe pain overwhelmed Bell. He missed the attack. With his eyes, Bell was still trying to catch the movement of the curved blade. Hanging in the air from the blow, Bell could not allow himself to relax for a second: Hyacinth attacked again - and this time from above.

The flamberge's blade hit Bell on the cheek. Leaping forward, Hyacinth delivered another blow with his right elbow. It hit Bell right in the throat, causing him to wince in pain. He didn't even have time to scream because at the same moment his opponent's fist entered his stomach and was followed by a roundhouse kick. A second later, Bell had his back against the stone wall, looking up at the sky with his head thrown back. Hyacinth landed next to him. The gold earrings on his ears swayed as they touched the ground.

"B-Bell...?!"

Lady Hestia screamed desperately. Bell didn't move. From the outside, he resembled a bloody corpse lying on the ground. The wound on his chest was very deep, and blood spread throughout his body. Even the face had bloody stains. With a trembling hand, he grabbed a stone on the wall. Shaking, Bell tried to get up. The goddess, eyes full of shock, silently looked at her bloodied and beaten devotee.

"Kha-kha..."

"Still conscious, huh?"

Bell had everything swimming before his eyes. He tried to locate Hyacinth with his gaze. This means how high-class they are... Hyacinth was a real level 3 adventurer. Not only was he strong in terms of stats, but his fighting technique was beyond praise. He closely followed the course of the battle. Fighting such an opponent was completely different from fighting monsters. Bell didn't have time to think through his moves - or even use magic. If he tried to use the Argonaut skill, he would be killed immediately. As a result, Bell had no chance of winning. The enemy was simply stronger than him. As an adventurer, Hyacinth was completely head and shoulders above him. A vile feeling of shame at such a defeat washed over Bell. Tears flowed from his eyes. Physical pain and disappointment moved and showed on his face.

The spring season of 2015 was able to please almost all anime fans: for comedy lovers it was released (“In Search of the Divine Recipe”); to please those who like to watch complex human relationships, a sequel was released (“The Pink Time…”). Adventure fans were not left offended either: in the spring, a film adaptation of the light novel (“Into the Dungeon I’ll Go…”) from the company was released J. C. Staff, which tells us about the hard life of adventurers in a world filled with gods and secrets. It was I who decided to dedicate the current review.

From the first frames it is clear that the anime is aimed at a wide audience. If not everyone will be interested in watching the mental torment of Hikigai from Oregairu or the orgasms from eating food from Shokugeki no Soma, then the story of a weakling becoming a hero with the help of a big-breasted loli will be interesting to a much wider circle of anime fans. Elegantly presented fan service is visible in everything here - from the completely positive main character without any flaws, to the elf waitresses in the local cafe. I'm not even talking about appearance a goddess who often ate cabbage as a child, or about a girl assistant with cat ears.

We must admit, the creators managed to attract the viewer’s attention - Danmachi for a long time ranked first in search queries among all anime of the spring season. Considering that there is no transcendental plot or incredible art in this anime, I can conclude that it owes its popularity to the properly presented fan service. But first things first.

Brief information

What is Danmachi about? The action takes place in a fictional world where the gods in heaven became bored and decided to descend to the human world, having previously promised not to use divine abilities. Each of the gods is having fun as best they can. Despite the fact that the use of abilities is prohibited, the gods can give a person a “divine blessing”, due to which the person receives improved fighting abilities, the level of which can be increased with diligent training. People with divine blessing form a “family” around their god, which does the same thing, has common resources and obeys certain rules. We can say that this is some kind of analogue of a guild with a god at its head.

In terms of development, society is at the level of the Middle Ages with the addition of the possibility of using magic. In the middle of the world there is a huge tower divided into levels. The deeper into the tower, the stronger the monsters living in it, and the greater the reward for their destruction. Brave adventurers go down to the tower every day (by the way, I still don’t fully understand why they go into the tower that goes into the heavens, but they go down through the levels instead of going up) for crystals that fall from monsters. These crystals can be exchanged for hard cash in the city.

I would like to note that the described universe is not virtual. That is, for all the heroes this universe is the only real one. And if he dies in the dungeon, he will not be reborn. That's why not many people become adventurers.

Plot

The story tells us about a novice adventurer Bell Cranel, who only recently began to master the first levels of the dungeons. Due to a certain set of circumstances, Bell is attacked by a high-level monster - a minotaur. IN last moment, when the minotaur was ready to strike the decisive blow, a beautiful blonde came to Bell's aid, whom he high craftsmanship nicknamed "Princess of the Sword". However, instead of gratitude, Bell only runs away in panic. However, he manages to fall in love with Aiz, and decides to become stronger in order to be worthy of her. Thus begins the story of Bell Cranel.

For a long time they did not want to take Bell into any family, until by chance he met the goddess Hestia (goddess of the hearth and home comfort). Hestia did not have a single follower in her family, so she gladly accepted Bell into her family. IN further history will talk about Bell's becoming a real hero, as well as the process of finding his true friends and associates.

As you can see, the story is simple and well-worn: a weakling, through the power of goodness, friendship and diligence, becomes strong and tough. But the guys from J.C.Staff managed to reveal this hackneyed plot in the best possible way. First of all, due to correct use minor characters. Still, it would be wrong to rely only on the story of the main character. Nevertheless, it was interesting for me to watch the story of Bell's development, although at first he can be a little annoying - such is the fate of most 100% positive heroes.

Characters

If we talk about the characters, most of them are stereotyped, but each of them has a good backstory, so what happens does not look forced and artificial. A few words about the main characters so that you understand what I’m talking about:

Bell Cranel. Blonde with red eyes (an association with albinos immediately arose). As I already mentioned, he is 100% positive character. It’s not entirely clear how one can remain like this in a world filled with cruelty and murder, but since the writers wanted it that way... To be honest, I was left with two impressions from him. I liked him anyway to a greater extent, which caused hostility. If the writers had not created a harem around him, which included almost all the female characters, I would not have had any complaints about Bell at all. But the idea of a harem looks very illogical and stupid.

Hestia. Here's what and why Greek goddess family and home has turned into a busty loli - I don’t understand. This is the most not suitable image for this role. I understand that in this way the anime creators were able to attract 50% of the viewers to the series, and I do not approve of this. In addition, Hestia turned out to be the main source of pretentious phrases, which I don’t like so much. “Oh, Bell. You’re doing great, Bell,” sounds in almost every episode, while the goddess’s face is as if she saw a cute kitten in front of her. In addition, any viewer while watching the anime will wonder why she didn’t give the dagger to Bell immediately upon meeting, but heroically delayed it until the last minute. In my opinion, the most ridiculous looking character in Danmachi. Forgive me, Hestia fans.

Lili Arde (Liliruca Arde). But I more than liked this character. At least the backstory that the creators came up with for her. The episodes where Bell met Lily seemed to me the best and most dynamic. It is in them that all the cruelty of the world, which previously looked too serene, is manifested. But even she was added to the harem...

Welf Crozzo. What can I say - it’s also quite interesting character, which has received little attention. If the second season comes out, then, without a doubt, it will receive this attention in full. What is known about him from the anime? That he is an honest, straightforward blacksmith who can create magical weapons. Even if he doesn’t like to do this. A pretty obvious candidate for a major storyline dedicated only to him.

Aiz Wallenstein. When I first saw her, I felt a sense of déjà vu. If anyone watched it, then you will understand me. The main characters have similar not only characters, but also appearance. Take Mashiro Shina from Sakurasou, take away her talent for drawing and give her talent for fencing - and you get Aiz. I don’t know if this is a coincidence or not, but the similarity is obvious.

Panache

This is what the guys from J.C.Staff There are no problems, it’s with the drawing. Image quality is at high level, the fight scenes look dynamic and vibrant. All characters are drawn with love for detail, and the cityscapes look amazing. The artists didn't get their money in vain.

Flaws

Let's move on to the cons. Firstly, this is the harem that the anime turned into towards the end. Every, literally every female character who interacts directly with Bell tries to jump on his neck/harass him/rubs his face into their chest. Or he shows more hidden signs of attention. I understand that high school kids going through puberty might enjoy this kind of stuff, and that's what causes scenes like this to appear in anime. But I have already outgrown this state, and, in my opinion, it looks stupid.

Secondly, the levels and abilities of the characters are described somewhat superficially. Yes, it says that Bell took the second level and that he has all the abilities of the S level. But what does all this mean? What specific characteristics exist, what other levels do they have? Without proper explanation, all these levels mean nothing, and the overall feeling of the universe being ill-conceived remains. Since I know that in the light novel all these points are described in detail, I confidently say that it could have been done better.

Third, ending. She seems crumpled. However, it gives hope for the continuation and release of the second season, which is a pleasant fact, since there is still something to tell about in the universe.

Ratings

Characters - 7.0. There are a lot of cliched characters, but I liked the minor ones. Especially Lily with her story.

Music - 7.5. Overall the music is good. Light motives during everyday actions, dynamic melodies during battles - all this complements the excellent art.

Drawing - 8.0. The picture is bright and pleasing to the eye. In my opinion, anime of this genre is ideal.

Plot - 7.5. Predictable, but interesting.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, I will say that Danmachi is perfect example how the right fan service can make an anime popular. In this case, even a fairly formulaic idea can work. I can’t say that this anime is a masterpiece, but it definitely deserves your attention. You can watch it once, but I have no desire to watch it again. Still, fan service, no matter how high-quality it is, artistic value does not add to the work.

7.0/10

Rudean, special for site

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Danmachi Anime Review (“Into the Dungeon I’ll Go…”) was last modified: September 9th, 2018 by Rudean

Aiz walked through the dungeon... Loki, as usual, chatted something and pestered Aiz, but Aiz herself could not get out of her head that incident with the minotaur, that moment when Bell fell from the tree and saw her... Naked! The princess flushed with her thoughts. For some reason, at that moment when Bell was running away from the lake, she so wanted to stop him. She remembered that training with Bell, when they practiced sleeping in any conditions and Bell almost kissed her... Yes, for everyone she is the ideal princess - without emotions, very strong and cruel. But she's not like that!
Walking with these thoughts, she bumped into someone. As it turns out, it was Loki. She stopped and looked at something. Aiz looked where her friend was looking and then she saw Bell lying on the ground, his equipment was torn, his friends were not visible, and a monster stood in front of him. Aiz seemed dizzy. This monster was the boss of the 347th floor. Aiz herself only reached 123. She looked at Bell and decided that she had to kill this monster at all costs. She used powerful attacks one after another, but everything was to no avail, except for the fact that for the damage inflicted on the monster, she rose by 3 levels and received level 15. But Aiz was determined not to give up. After all, she chose an indestructible sword only to fight to the last... Soon Aiz was completely exhausted and the last blow of the monster threw her very far. But while she was flying, she managed to grab Bell and now lay next to him, thinking that this would end the fate of the great princess with an indestructible sword. But then some strange person appeared out of the darkness, whom Aiz had never seen before. She had slightly curly, flowing golden hair that reached almost to her feet. She was very Short dress, lace long coat and high boots. In her hands she held a sword from which energy sparkled. Aiz saw this sword in the books. According to legend, Aphrodite defeated with this sword terrible monster who attacked her. It was the divine version of the indestructible sword. It contained all the powers of the gods of Olympus.
The girl calmly approached the monster and with one swing of her sword, without even taking it out of its sheath, killed the monster. Then she said to Ais:
- Take care of your boyfriend. I saved you out of gratitude for making me so strong. In my world, time goes faster than in this one. So, from childhood, I followed you, I trained a lot. I became the strongest in my world, but there was one thing left - I didn’t want to grow old. Because you have matured only by a year, although living in my world I managed to mature by 11 years. And goodbye - I went through the entire dungeon and decided to go to another world.
5 MINUTES LATER
Aiz sat, roared and hugged Bell. Never! Bell, what will happen to you? Do not die!