Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

Episode 4

This episode is centered around one of those events that was going to happen sooner or later. Boxxo's had a sizable effect on the population of the dungeon town. He's the new fad, and everyone has been eager to put money in and get some new food, drink, or another item from our world. It was only a matter of time until someone started to wonder where all that cash went and how to get their hands on it. However, while Boxxo can easily deter a single thug with a knife, this episode makes it clear that he never expected it to escalate beyond that.

The trick here is that when Boxxo was first brought to town, everyone thought of him as an item and nothing more. Now, more and more of the town thinks of him as a person—one with a keen mind behind the sizable communication barrier. If he was just an item, brute force would be the only method to steal him. But if he is a person—someone who can be reasoned with—then it only stands to reason he can be tricked.

What our bandit villains do in this episode is exploit the fact that Boxxo is inherently a good person: quick to trust and even quicker to help those in need. He doesn't even doubt the bandit's fake story until he is already well-kidnapped. Of course, this weakness is also his greatest strength. It's because of this, he can make fast friends with the oft-mentioned Hulemy—his fellow captive.

Hulemy is a breath of fresh air. While still a good person, she feels quite different from Lamis. She is educated enough to ask the truly important questions—figuring out in short order that Boxxo was once human and remembers his past life. But what makes her stand out is her self-awareness. So often we have the trope where the hero sacrifices himself so that the heroine can escape capture. Yet, Hulemy both predicts this plan and immediately shuts it down, explaining that her lack of fighting power makes the surrounding area far more dangerous than the bandits. She suggests biding their time and waiting for the cavalry—which turns out to be the correct choice.

And while most of the episode is exploring Boxxo, Hulemy, and their new friendship, the episode doesn't forget about Lamis either. Her reaction to being reunited with Boxxo at the end of the episode shows the place he has in her life—namely, that he is the most important person in it. The first three episodes were all about showing how Lamis and Boxxo complete each other—how each covers the other's weaknesses. This episode's closing scene shows us that Lamis herself realizes this. She's afraid to let him go for even a single moment after all. It's cute and endearing—which says something considering one of the two is a giant metal box.

All in all, this episode, while nothing special on the plot side of things, does a decent job of both continuing to develop Boxxo and introducing a new major player to the story in the form of Hulemy. Add some good gags and quirky vending machine history, and we have a fun little 22 minutes of anime.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• This episode made me wonder, can Boxxo actually refund the money put into him? Or is it destroyed when converted into points?

• Will all that gold now be in his system, I wonder how long Boxxo can go without getting more money—or what new upgrades he can suddenly afford.

• I don't know how I feel about the “joke” of three men coming to sexually assault Hulemy in her sleep only for Boxxo to save her with softcore porn magazines.

• Fresh air vending machines were an actual thing in the late 60s. Here's a picture of one!

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.