The following contains spoilers for Episode 11 of DanMachi IV, "Endless (Brutal)" now streaming on HIDIVE.
DanMachi did it again and managed to resolve last week's conundrum so effortlessly that it tows a line between clever and something so obvious that it really shouldn't have been a surprise. Of course, "resolved" is a generous term that would imply that this arc is in any way finished, which it certainly is not.
At the end of the last episode, a devastating blow was dealt to Bell that was more serious than any wound he's faced previously, leaving the remaining adventurers to contend with the Juggernaut. Meanwhile, Jura lay in wait for a chance to tame the Juggernaut and make it his pet, while Ryu despaired at Bell's uncertain fate.
When Marie Was There
Marie has been Bell's cheerleader all season ever since she applauded him from the sidelines after his victory against a swarm of monsters. But since her arrival, she's been something of an anomaly, where it wasn't sure how she would come into play. This isn't to say she had to be the most important character or that she wasn't enjoyable, but she was often superseded by more important events.
As soon as Bell's severed arm landed in the water it should have been obvious that Marie would get her hands on it, and sure enough, her healing magic was just enough to re-attach the arm and get Bell back into fighting shape. Save for some internal monologue, the scene is quiet, letting the moment between the two of them really sit with the audience, external noise drowned by the surrounding water.
In a blog post by 100 Word Anime, blogger Karandi wrote that Bell doesn't really pick up girls as the title suggests. He's sorta just aloof and kind and the girls often gravitate toward him and help him out more than anything. Marie is the latest in a long line of girls (and some guys to be fair) to join the harem, which is why hopefully she becomes more involved in the story beyond just this arc.
Reflecting on this final episode, the question gets tossed around whether the resolution to Bell's shocking death fake-out was handled well or resolved too quickly. On one hand, it was misdirected cleverly between the sheer violence of it and what looked like a death by neck-snap. No one doubted he would live, but it was a matter of feeling like it had been earned and arguably, it wasn't.
On the other, Bell was saved by his friends, which has more or less been the point of the entire season up to this point. It saves him from being too overpowered, and in turn, his state of injury wasn't overly drawn out. Plus it wasn't as if Bell was suddenly playing on easy mode once he came back like his victory against the Moss Huge.
Journey to the Deep
That scarf of Bell's didn't just save him from getting his neck snapped, but also made for an effective shield, proving that the Goliath Scarf might be the coolest part of his arsenal yet. It's the little ways that Bell switches up his strategies that add some legitimacy to Bell's survival against the odds. It's just another way he defies being a typically overpowered hero.
And even then, it still wasn't enough, and the Juggernaut even killed off Jura, which was only marginally disappointing because it would have been infinitely more satisfying to watch Ryu kill him. For all the hard work the characters put in, the show went from one seemingly hopeless cliffhanger to another.
DanMachi went considerably darker this season and mostly for the better, even if the juxtaposition could be jarring at times. The stories this time around have served the supporting cast exceptionally, without forgetting the man at the center of things. However, the last episode did feel a tad rushed, and not much about the condition of the characters changed between the end of episode 10 and the end of 11.
But it isn't really meant to be the end of anything, just the start of something far worse. One can only hope that the drama doesn't get stale or repetitive going into the next part. However, when it arrives presumably in early 2023, if it is anything like the early half of this season, there will be nothing to worry about.
Source: Karandi/ 100 Word Anime