Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Episode 3

At the risk of repeating myself from pretty much every other time I have written about this show, once again the highlight of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is the relationship between Bell and Hestia. Previously we've seen it simply sustain them in their everyday lives, but in this third episode, when Bell has to face off against the demented silverback Freya released for her own twisted reasons, their closeness gives them something else – a way of fighting back. Previously the two had led the monster into Daedalus Street, which novel readers know to be a labyrinthine mess of houses full of random alleys and dead-ends. (The show, unless I missed it, simply says it's not a good place to be stuck with vicious monster.) Hestia hasn't yet given Bell the knife she had Hephaestus forge, so when Bell tries to hide her and go off with only a hilt to protect him, Hestia decides not to play damsel in distress and runs after him. Between her powers and his rising skill levels, to say nothing of mutual reassurances, Bell rises to the occasion before the amazing Aiz can even reach Daedalus Street. It's clear that it is their devotion to each other (however you choose to read that at this point) that allows Bell and Hestia to make their move and that their bond is behind all of the decisions that they make in this episode, and it's still a major draw to this show.

This episode also relies a lot on action, with Bell and the silverback tearing through Daedalus Street as well as them actually fighting. Their battle isn't any great feat of choreography – it's mostly Bell jumping around and darting in to stab the monster before sprinting away. Given that he's a dagger wielder, this makes a lot of sense; it just doesn't make for flashy fighting. We do see Aiz stab a few smaller creatures, but again, no exciting choreography or anything. It feels a little like a bid to skimp on animation, but it does serve to once again emphasize the characters' relationships over the action, so I can't complain too much. And it still is exciting – in part I think the background music helps with that, as it changes moods along with each scene and manages to be unobtrusive at the same time. There's one particularly nice guitar piece that's quite catchy as well.

With all of the hoopla over Hestia's string, I did find myself looking at it a bit more closely, and that led me to two conclusions: one, it seems perfectly useless and in no way could function as any kind of support, and two, the anime is much less focused on her breasts than the novel is. We do get a couple of boob-based fanservice moments in this episode, but they don't feel intrusive or overdone, with the exception of the post-credits one, which I thought was as much about showing Hestia's discomfort as giving us a look at her body. But where the novel uses terms like “personal pillows” to describe her breasts, the anime avoids that, making it more appealing to a wider audience. The fanservice is there, but it isn't the raison d'être of the show.

With the glimpse into Bell's start as an adventurer along with the fight against the monster, we're getting a better idea of how Bell and Hestia's bond was formed and continues to grow. While there are definite hints at the formation of a harem – Syr is an obvious would-be member and Aiz might be, given her actions this episode – it doesn't feel like that will end up being the focus or taking away from the Hestia/Bell relationship. The opening and ending themes do indicate that two others will come in (and join the familia?), and it looks like one of them is coming next week. She may give us some more clues about the world they live in and also help to get a more expansive plot going; I am concerned that we haven't really been shown any major plot developments in these first three episodes. But even without that, this continues to be a better show than the title would suggest (or at least a different one), and I am definitely looking forward to next week's new characters.

Rating: B

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.