English Dub Review: Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III “(Dix Perdix) A Dream of Beasts”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After Bell, Fels, Lido, and the other Xenos managed to infiltrate the secret tunnels of Daedalus’s labyrinth, they discovered a horde of captured monsters — along with the mastermind behind the monster smuggling operation: Dix Perdix. Dix casts a hex on the group of newcomers, but it leaves him vulnerable to attack.

Bell does his best, but can’t quite manage to take his foe out. Dix retreats to a hidden room where Wiene has been caged. In front of Bell, he rips the jewel from her head, turning her into a mere monster consumed by rage. She attacks him, and manages to escape to the surface, where Bell has another surprise when he discovers the Loki Familia has arrived to subdue her.

Our Take:

Last week’s episode followed up on a fairly withdrawn episode by including plenty of action and intrigue. This week, Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? goes into full throttle battle mode, with almost the entirety of the episode filled with Bell battling Dix as he attempts to rescue the Xenos from his grasp.

Though Dix Perdix appeared to be a pretty clear cut villain up until this point, the show attempts to give him a little wiggle room by letting him explain his pain to Bell in disappointingly typical chaotic antagonist exposition. He tells Bell that part of the way he is who he is comes from his blood. Since he’s from the direct line of Daedalus, the ancient god’s blood flows through him, forcing him to constantly battle his own mind for control of his thoughts. It’s not much of a reason for his evil deeds, but at least the series tries to do the bare minimum for filling in some background motivations for Dix here.

Things get a little out of hand when Lady Wiene enters the picture, however. After being basically a main character in the series for the first four or five episodes, she’s been absent from the last few weeks since her capture. Now Bell and we ourselves see why that is: Dix has been keeping her chained in solitary confinement, just waiting for a chance to use her to get to Bell. Pulling out the gem from her forehead is tantamount to torture here, and it shows just how unhinged Dix has become.

Of course, it also adds a new wrinkle for Bell to overcome. As the hero of the story, the young adventurer is able to summon up the perfect response to the development. Dix may have hoped it would dissuade Bell and his ideals, but instead, Mr. Cranel gives a rousing speech about how it’s his responsibility to help, monster or not. While this flowery language manages to break Lido’s mind free from the hex, it doesn’t do much to assuage Wiene’s fury.

In her distress, Lady Wiene escapes to the surface and starts wreaking havoc. The Hestia Familia runs into her, and recognizes their former friend. But instead of breaking the dragon girl from her blind rage, Bell has to step in and defend them from her. He’s able to hold her off well enough, until the Loki Familia arrives on the scene with weapons at the ready. Now that they’re in the middle of a crowded town and surrounded by aggressive defenders, I’m not sure how Bell and Wiene will react. Bell looks like he’s willing to lay down his life in defense of Wiene, but how long can he hold out?