Delicious In Dungeon Episode 8 Review

Delicious in Dungeon episode 8 Falin

Related: Delicious In Dungeon Episode 7 Review

We’re eight episodes into Delicious in Dungeon now, and there’s still plenty of backstory to be told. We’ve seen a little glimpse in just about every episode so far, like Chilchuck’s history with mimics and Senshi’s golem farming, but one of the aspects not yet explored until now is how characters interacted with Falin.

Falin’s absence has been easy to overlook in episodes up until now, despite it being the driving force behind the entire plot of the show. If you skipped the first episode, for some reason, you wouldn’t know that the party is rushing against the clock to defeat a dragon that is currently digesting Laois’ younger sister, the party’s healer.

So while, in my review of the last episode, I said that I wished the series would start getting into the actual meat of the story, I’m really glad it took the time to focus on Falin and explain why she’s so important to the team. It was also a great look at Marcille as a character, giving us an insight into who she is beneath the prickly exterior.

This is the best look at Falin we’ve gotten so far, and honestly I’m a little bit annoyed that she's trapped in the belly of a dragon, because she’s absolutely delightful. Aloof, carefree, and naturally gifted, Falin fills a role that’s not seen with the rest of the party, and if she does end up rejoining the party in the future, I think she’ll be a fantastic addition.

Her relationship with Marcille is fascinating too. The two clearly share a mutual respect and bounce off one another’s energies in exciting ways. Marcille was born into magical heritage – her parents were court magicians – but Falin seems to have stumbled into magic by accident. Many other anime would have this 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 of pace to see two women just getting on and supporting each other, and it’s frustrating that it happens so little in other anime.

This episode also has one of the most terrifying encounters with a monster we’ve seen to date. The undine – a formless water elemental – blasts holes right through Marcille, and it’s genuinely difficult to watch her struggle so much. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and while I knew she probably wouldn’t die from the fight, I had absolutely no idea how she was going to get out of it alive. It’s really gripping stuff, and I hope we see more tense 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 spot because of this, because it feels like there’s simultaneously not enough time to get everything done, and also like I’ve been waiting forever for it to happen.

How, exactly, this is going to come together in time for the climax is anyone’s guess, but I’m less anxious to get there after this episode. As long as Delicious in Dungeon keeps delivering compelling, character-driven storytelling like this, I think it’ll all work out in the end. Hopefully.

Delicious in Dungeon is streaming weekly on Netflix every Friday.