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「ドライアド/コカトリス」 (Doraiado/Kokatorisu)
“Dryad/Cockatrice”
Things have gotten a bit heavy on Dungeon Meshi these past few weeks. It can certainly do that well – this series is good at action, good at drama, and possesses a really well-considered mythological framework with real structural integrity. But this is the mode where it’s most at ease – these four goofuses making idiots of themselves and eating weird shit made to look delicious. This is Dungeon Meshi at its most elemental, and in my opinion at its very best.
In short, this episode was basically wire to wire hilarity. It was one of the funniest episodes of any series this year, in fact. The faces alone were worth the price of admission. There was some important plot-related stuff happening, like the party (well, Marcille) noticing that the Lunatic Magician was shifting the walls around, trying to keep them from escaping. But there were no other characters present (or needed) apart from monsters. With no one around to distract, the main quartet really has a chance to shine.
The first troublemaking monster are dryads, who appear to Chilchuck as androgynous nymphs engaged in sybaritic activity (which Senshi rushes in to shield his eyes from). They’re not that hard to kill, but the problem is that when Laios runs them through, they spew their dryad pollen all over the place. This induces a vicious attack of hay fever in Laios and Senshi, leaving them unable to fight and forcing Chilchuck to act as Senshi’s eyes. Then, after he gets a face full too, Chil has to rely on his other senses (which are pretty darn sharp) to guide Senshi’s axe.
Senshi – who’s been berating himself over his inability to keep “the youngsters” fed – whips up a meal from the (hilariously inappropriate) dryad fruits and their fennel-like buds. This is the funniest eating scene of the series so far for me, just because of the nature of what’s being consumed (and out of what receptacles). Afterwards Marcille decides it’s time to teach Laios some magic – quite logically arguing that she can’t take on the lunatic magician all alone, and having someone else who can use healing magic at the very least could prove critical.
While she proceeds to give him a lesson which is hilariously awkward, and even funnier interaction is taking place between Senshi and Chil. The half-foot is peeved that Senshi covered his eyes with the red-hot dryad action (though it protected them from something else), and Senshi decides it’s time to have the talk with Chilchuck. He, naturally, is horrified at this. And it should be noted that Mickbell referred to Chil as “middle-aged” for a half-foot. More amusing banter over the learning of magic follows, with Chilchuck making his issues with elves and black magic quite clear as Marcille explains herself (she draws magic from another dimension where infinite amounts exist). Laios, Chilchuck reasons, would be better served learning better social skills to help him grow as a leader.
In his fumbling way Laios does manage to heal Marcille’s ear (it’s a big target), and she sics him next on Senshi. But before he can do his magic, a distraction in the form of another shift occurs (much to Senshi’s relief). Senshi, Marcille, and Chilchuck go off to investigate when Laios – felled by “mana sickness” – stays behind drooling and hallucinating. While they’re observing the walls move brick by brick, a cockatrice appears – a much nastier version of the basilisk. Senshi sends Marcille off to intimidate it Laios-style, which she’s very bad at and as a result gets bitten – though with the others’ help she does manage to execute her attacking magic and kill the creature.
The whole “turn to stone” thing is the cherry on top of the comedy sundae. Laios attempts to pose Marcille for maximum safety once she turns to stone, but it catches her mid-gesticulation. Eventually Senshi uses her as a weight to help make dryad-bud pickles. Chil finds healing herbs to slap on her face and Laios attempts a healing spell, but whether any of that helped bring her back or it was just her magically robust Elvish constitution, who knows. The point is that she’s back – guilty, grateful, and pissed about the position she found herself in when she woke up…