Delicious in Dungeon Episode 8 Falin

Related: Delicious In Dungeon Episode 7 Review

We’re now on the eighth episode of Delicious in Dungeon and there’s still a lot of backstory to cover. We’ve gotten a little insight in almost every episode so far, like Chilchuck’s history with Mimics and Senshi’s golem breeding, but one aspect that hasn’t been explored yet is the characters’ interaction with Falin.

Falin’s absence has been easy to overlook in the episodes so far, even though she was the driving force behind the entire plot of the series. If you skipped the first episode for some reason, you won’t know that the group is racing against time to defeat a dragon that is digesting Laois’ younger sister, the group’s healer.

Although I said in my review of the last episode that I wished the show would get to the real meat of the story, I’m really glad that it took the time to focus on Falin and explain why she’s so important to the team. It was also a great look into Marcille as a character and gave us a glimpse into who she is beneath her prickly shell.

This is the best look at Falin we’ve gotten so far, and honestly, I’m a little annoyed that she’s trapped in the belly of a dragon, because she’s just adorable. Aloof, carefree, and naturally gifted, Falin fills a role not seen in the rest of the group, and if she does indeed rejoin the group in the future, I think she’ll be a fantastic addition.

Her relationship with Marcille is also fascinating. The two clearly have mutual respect and exchange energies in exciting ways. Marcille was born into a magical family—her parents were court magicians—but Falin seems to have come to magic by accident. In many other anime, this would be a point of contention between the two, but instead they immediately want to learn from each other. I like that! It’s a refreshing change to see two women who just understand and support each other, and it’s frustrating that this is so rare in other anime.

This episode also features one of the most terrifying monster encounters we’ve seen so far. The Undine – a formless water elemental – blasts holes right through Marcille and it’s really hard to watch her fight like that. I was on tenterhooks the whole time and even though I knew she probably wouldn’t die in the fight, I had absolutely no idea how she was going to get out alive. It’s really gripping and I hope we see more thrilling moments like this in the future because the few we’ve seen have been exceptionally well done.

Chilchuck says in this episode that the party is about two days away from the dragon’s lair, which means we can’t be far from the climax of this first little story arc. Delicious in Dungeon is in a really weird position because of this, because it feels like there’s not enough time to get everything done, and at the same time like I’ve been waiting for it to happen forever.

How this is all going to come together in time for the climax is anyone’s guess, but after this episode, I’m not that excited about it anymore. As long as Delicious in Dungeon continues to deliver such compelling, character-driven stories, I think everything will turn out well in the end. Hopefully.

Delicious in Dungeon streams weekly every Friday on Netflix.