Delicious in Dungeon: Red Dragon I
April 9, 2024 1:29 AM - Season 1, Episode 11 - Subscribe
This is it. This is what all the adventures, all the trials, all themeals have been leading up to. For Team Touden, it's do or die - for Falin's sake, the red dragon must fall...
So, I hope you enjoyed the breather last episode, because you're not getting one for a few episodes now - it's go time for Team Touden, as they face the scaly behemoth that's been their objective.
We start with Marcille scribing magical writing along the sides of the skybridge, like she's setting magical detcord - which is pretty much what she's doing, as she prepares the structure for greeting the dragon's head. She's both confident and nervous about the plan, because this is all for the sake of her best friend. We then switch to the dragon walking around in the streets, as Laios bangs on Senshi's pot to get its attention - which they're successful in doing. What results is them running to bait the dragon to a point where they can use the pot to get it to consume its fire breath. Which would have worked...if Laios better understood convection, as the adamantine pot, does what a pot should - distributes the heat evenly...right into Laios and Senshi's hands. With them dropping the pot (since Marcille's fire abjuration has limits), they now start a desperate chase to where Marcille has the skybridge ready, and she successfully drops it on the red dragon's head.
This, apparently, only has the effect of really pissing the dragon off.
With the party knocked flat from the force of the drop, Laios tells Chilchuck to keep still, as they get a look at the underside of the dragon's jaw, seeing their target - the "inverse scale", which is actually an exposed membrane. Unfortunately, this is the moment when Kensuke decides to flee, and Laios lets slip his sword's little secret. Then the dragon makes the clicking sound that it's about to ignite its flame, and so the three duck under the dragon, Chilchuck furious about the truth of what Kensuke is - to the point that he starts exercising his vocabulary of halffoot curse words. Running past the tail is demonstrated to be a Bad Idea as the dragon violently swings it into a house, leaving a shattered wall. Thankfully, Marcille distracts it with explosions, but the creature's hide is too thick for those to be anything but an annoyance. Senshi tries his ax, but that just results in the weapon shattering, and Senshi getting a claw swipe for his trouble. At this point, Senshi pulls out his secret weapon - a santoku knife made out of mithril (to which the other two note that if Namari saw that, she would have killed Senshi on principle.) The good news - the knife will punch through the dragon's scales. The bad news - it's a santoku knife, and eight inches isn't going to go far when considering that this dragon is about 4-5 stories tall. (The shot of them staring at the knife sticking out of the dragon's toe is hilarious.)
Senshi points out that the dragon will fight to the last breath, and it's eat or be eaten, as he rushes to get Kensuke and gets stomped for his trouble, prompting Chilchuck to aid him. Taking the knife, he throws it - and the halffoot scores first blood as he takes out the dragon's left eye. Chilchuck tries to lift Kensuke, but the sword is having none of that - until Senshi pulls it free and tosses it to Laios. Armed again, Laios flees to find Marcille, while Chilchuck tries to aid Senshi, and is knocked out by rubble. Once reunited, the two have a quick conversation - the battle looks grim, but Laios has a plan on the edge of insanity that might just win the day - use Marcille's explosion magic to launch him at the red dragon's head, so he can reach the scale. We see Marcille's faith in Laios as she launches him, and Laios makes a sacrifice - his leg, bit by the dragon to let him strike true.
And strike true the tallman does, falling to the ground as does the red dragon.
We now have a flashback to the Toudens as children, trying to find a ghost in the graveyard - which they quickly do, the ghost soon trying to possess Laios, his body coated in otherwordly frost - and then Falin demonstrates her power as she forces the ghost out of Laios, then tells the villagers that the ring on the body of the ghost is binding his soul. After, Falin feels scared that she did something wrong, but Laios reassures her that her magical powers are something to be proud of, encouraging her to go study magic - which would lead to her meeting Marcille, and becoming an adventurer. Then he has a vision of her telling him that they need to travel apart - an idea the tallman rejects. After staunching Laios' bleeding, Marcille goes to heal the other two - but from the sounds they make (in particular Senshi's bloodcurdling scream), the cure might be worse than the injury, and the look of terror that Senshi has as Marcille reaches for him just says it all. Finally, after recovering the lost appendage, Marcille reattaches Laios' lower leg - which leaves them ready for the most harrowing part of the job - finding Falin's corpse.
And so Team Touden begins the work of excavating their way to the dragon's stomach - gruesome work, but soon they have it out. Unfortunately, the dragon's stomach was empty, as is its intestines - but Laios pulls out its firesack, and soon, the truth is revealed as they find within the sack the remains of two wargs...and Falin, with Laios looking in terror as he stares into the empty orbits of his sister's cold skull...
...and then "Party!!" kicks on, and the mood gets turned 180 degrees without throwing the clutch. (I did warn you all.)
So, I hope you enjoyed the breather last episode, because you're not getting one for a few episodes now - it's go time for Team Touden, as they face the scaly behemoth that's been their objective.
We start with Marcille scribing magical writing along the sides of the skybridge, like she's setting magical detcord - which is pretty much what she's doing, as she prepares the structure for greeting the dragon's head. She's both confident and nervous about the plan, because this is all for the sake of her best friend. We then switch to the dragon walking around in the streets, as Laios bangs on Senshi's pot to get its attention - which they're successful in doing. What results is them running to bait the dragon to a point where they can use the pot to get it to consume its fire breath. Which would have worked...if Laios better understood convection, as the adamantine pot, does what a pot should - distributes the heat evenly...right into Laios and Senshi's hands. With them dropping the pot (since Marcille's fire abjuration has limits), they now start a desperate chase to where Marcille has the skybridge ready, and she successfully drops it on the red dragon's head.
This, apparently, only has the effect of really pissing the dragon off.
With the party knocked flat from the force of the drop, Laios tells Chilchuck to keep still, as they get a look at the underside of the dragon's jaw, seeing their target - the "inverse scale", which is actually an exposed membrane. Unfortunately, this is the moment when Kensuke decides to flee, and Laios lets slip his sword's little secret. Then the dragon makes the clicking sound that it's about to ignite its flame, and so the three duck under the dragon, Chilchuck furious about the truth of what Kensuke is - to the point that he starts exercising his vocabulary of halffoot curse words. Running past the tail is demonstrated to be a Bad Idea as the dragon violently swings it into a house, leaving a shattered wall. Thankfully, Marcille distracts it with explosions, but the creature's hide is too thick for those to be anything but an annoyance. Senshi tries his ax, but that just results in the weapon shattering, and Senshi getting a claw swipe for his trouble. At this point, Senshi pulls out his secret weapon - a santoku knife made out of mithril (to which the other two note that if Namari saw that, she would have killed Senshi on principle.) The good news - the knife will punch through the dragon's scales. The bad news - it's a santoku knife, and eight inches isn't going to go far when considering that this dragon is about 4-5 stories tall. (The shot of them staring at the knife sticking out of the dragon's toe is hilarious.)
Senshi points out that the dragon will fight to the last breath, and it's eat or be eaten, as he rushes to get Kensuke and gets stomped for his trouble, prompting Chilchuck to aid him. Taking the knife, he throws it - and the halffoot scores first blood as he takes out the dragon's left eye. Chilchuck tries to lift Kensuke, but the sword is having none of that - until Senshi pulls it free and tosses it to Laios. Armed again, Laios flees to find Marcille, while Chilchuck tries to aid Senshi, and is knocked out by rubble. Once reunited, the two have a quick conversation - the battle looks grim, but Laios has a plan on the edge of insanity that might just win the day - use Marcille's explosion magic to launch him at the red dragon's head, so he can reach the scale. We see Marcille's faith in Laios as she launches him, and Laios makes a sacrifice - his leg, bit by the dragon to let him strike true.
And strike true the tallman does, falling to the ground as does the red dragon.
We now have a flashback to the Toudens as children, trying to find a ghost in the graveyard - which they quickly do, the ghost soon trying to possess Laios, his body coated in otherwordly frost - and then Falin demonstrates her power as she forces the ghost out of Laios, then tells the villagers that the ring on the body of the ghost is binding his soul. After, Falin feels scared that she did something wrong, but Laios reassures her that her magical powers are something to be proud of, encouraging her to go study magic - which would lead to her meeting Marcille, and becoming an adventurer. Then he has a vision of her telling him that they need to travel apart - an idea the tallman rejects. After staunching Laios' bleeding, Marcille goes to heal the other two - but from the sounds they make (in particular Senshi's bloodcurdling scream), the cure might be worse than the injury, and the look of terror that Senshi has as Marcille reaches for him just says it all. Finally, after recovering the lost appendage, Marcille reattaches Laios' lower leg - which leaves them ready for the most harrowing part of the job - finding Falin's corpse.
And so Team Touden begins the work of excavating their way to the dragon's stomach - gruesome work, but soon they have it out. Unfortunately, the dragon's stomach was empty, as is its intestines - but Laios pulls out its firesack, and soon, the truth is revealed as they find within the sack the remains of two wargs...and Falin, with Laios looking in terror as he stares into the empty orbits of his sister's cold skull...
...and then "Party!!" kicks on, and the mood gets turned 180 degrees without throwing the clutch. (I did warn you all.)
Makes you wonder how Senshi's pot was forged in the first place.
IIRC, Senshi explains in an earlier episode that it was made to be a shield and he adapted it. No, I can't explain the santoku knife.
The last, bleak shot of Laios looking at the skull was very impactful.
posted by SPrintF at 9:38 AM on April 9
IIRC, Senshi explains in an earlier episode that it was made to be a shield and he adapted it. No, I can't explain the santoku knife.
The last, bleak shot of Laios looking at the skull was very impactful.
posted by SPrintF at 9:38 AM on April 9
The last, bleak shot of Laios looking at the skull was very impactful.
In his episode breakdown, Swamp Jawn notes that is a Trigger adaption, as Kui went with a more classic Yorick style pose in the manga. The choice of the shot of Laios' eyes through the empty orbits of Falin's skull is meant to convey his terror and pain, and boy does it ever deliver, showing why Trigger is another of the top studios.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:44 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
In his episode breakdown, Swamp Jawn notes that is a Trigger adaption, as Kui went with a more classic Yorick style pose in the manga. The choice of the shot of Laios' eyes through the empty orbits of Falin's skull is meant to convey his terror and pain, and boy does it ever deliver, showing why Trigger is another of the top studios.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:44 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
I was sure there was a specific trope for ending theme whiplash, but the closest I can find is (the much broader) Soundtrack Dissonance
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:52 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:52 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
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The mithral chef's knife is hilarious.
Chilchuck is a debris magnet. I think he was hit three times.
The inverse scale is weird. I get it's a weak point, I could maybe buy it's a fatal weak point somehow, but instantly?
Laios must have a high tolerance for pain. He gets a leg reattached by Marcille's speedy healing and just complains about it itching.
Kudos to Trigger for not lewding Marcille, even when they altered the skyway explosion so she's floating down over it. Senshi takes up the slack.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:48 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]