Episode Director: Yoshiki Yamakawa [Animation Supervisor alongside Kanta Kamei and Masaki Yamada on Samurai Champloo episode 15 / Storyboards on Mushishi episodes 5 and 15 / Key Animator on Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin]

Storyboards: Katsushi Sakurabi [Director on Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru no Daro ka? opening sequence / Episode Director and Key Animator on Selector Infected Wixoss episodes 4, 8 and 12 / Animation Layout Supervisor on Prison School episodes 6, 7, 8, 10 and Episode Director and Key Animator on Episode 11]

Script: Hideki Shirane [Series Composition on Yumekui Merry / Script Writer on Cross Game episode 3 / Series Composition on Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari OVA / Screenplay Writer for Phantom: ~Requiem for the Phantom~ episode 5]

This series has a ton of promise.  A story about a novice adventurer wanting to become stronger in order to impress Aiz Wallenstein.  The show uses true elements of RPGs–magically leveling up after defeating enemies, sometimes there are health bars and the weapons play a large factor in winning or losing.  Hestia plays the role in supporting Bell–he cheers him on and this episode she gives him a ridiculously powerful and according to other fighters a questionable weapon.  This is perhaps the coolest episode of this series in that it really shows how courageous Bell can be. The visuals were fantastic especially in the fight with the gorilla monster!  This episode was all about Bell finding the strength to protect the people he cares about–the entire fight is inside a village that isn’t supposed to have battles in!  Plus, he believe in his Goddess and at that moment receives a weapon that helps him become far stronger than he was even towards the beginning of this episode.

What detracts away from this show from being a full on adventure series is the harem genre that shows up.  Bell manages to impress not just Hestia and Aiz but Eina Tulle and bar hostess Syr Flova after defeating the giant monster.  Hestia threw her own power into the knife’s power it seems, considering how she falls unconscious after the battle.  Somehow I can’t help but keep thinking of Sword Art Online and even Accel World after watching this.  The ending part with the supporter in the cave is probably going to be another harem girl.  Considering the main focus of this series is Bell picking up girls in a dungeon I would like [at least once] to see a fantasy game anime series be more mature focused instead of moe.  I guess that’s what we get for a light novel adaptation.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 7/10

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