English Dub Review: If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord “The Young Girl Visits a Port Town”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Dale and Latina have made some headway on their journey to Dale’s hometown. While he wants to baby her and have her ride on horseback the entire way, she wants to hit the bricks like a true adventurer.

Their first stop is a traveler’s hub called Haase. Latina is fascinated by how much it differs from Kreuz. The houses have a different feel, and even the inn isn’t much like the one she’s used to. That night, when she’s afraid to sleep alone, Dale teaches her a gravity-defying spell. This enables him to lift her entire bed and place it right next to his. Being beside each other helps them both sleep easier.

Their next stop is the port town of Qualles where they worship a strange narwhal god. Because Latina wants to write to her friends back home, Dale gives her something to write about by giving her a tour of the city. They hit up the market square, where Latina wants dried fish, lots of it. Dale, always the pragmatist, is more concerned with obtaining medicine—just in case somebody catches a spot of foreshadowing.

That night, they both get dressed up to eat at a very fancy restaurant. Latina acts like a perfect lady, and Dale is proud. During dessert—consisting of a slice of decadent cheesecake—Latina notices the house musician has an armband just like the one that hung loosely around her bicep when she first met Dale. She wonders if this woman is a devil like her. Unbeknownst to his beloved daughter, Dale sets up a little meet and greet.

The next day, after Latina writes some letters, they meet with the musician whose name is Glaros. Dale tries to play coy, but Latina is far too curious and immediately blurts out that she’s a broken-horned devil. While shocked by her boldness, Glaros admits that she too is a devil who left her demon home many years ago to marry a human. Now widowed and never having been able to conceive a child, she remains in the human world.

She and Latina discuss Demon Lords. Some are ambivalent toward humans and focus on mermaids, giants, and other mythical creatures. But the chaotic lords who worship death, plague, famine, and war—like the four horsemen—are hostile toward humans and other creatures as they strive for world dominance. For some reason, Latina knows that the Second Demon Lord killed the First Demon Lord leaving the most coveted Lordship vacant.

A great reckoning is coming for one and all, but for now, Glaros is pleased to have met Latina, and hugs her like the daughter she was never able to have. Life as a devil is rough.

 

Our Take

So, this episode ends with a cat-man approaching our duo as soon as they’re back on the road. I’d rather not talk about him because it was such an abrupt and jarring conclusion. This should have waited until the next episode. His appearance from out of nowhere felt like a cliffhanger ending for the sake of having a cliffhanger. We had a full arc in this story that began and ended with Dale’s overprotective nature and Latina’s desire to be loyal yet independent. The theme worked well and we certainly didn’t need Mr. Whiskers stopping by at the last second to ruin everything.

Okay, that’s a bit over-dramatic, but you get my point. Aside from that, this was another strong, informative, and sweet episode. And now that we’re finally getting more information into what the title of this series teases, it’s clear that something big is waiting just beyond the horizon. Of course, to get to that horizon, Latina and Dale have to take a long detour to avoid a bunch of massive obstacles. I mean that both literally and figuratively because this program is not shy about taking its time.

You all like Scotch whiskey, right? Well then, you wouldn’t get excited about a bottle of whiskey that was aged for three years or fewer. You want a 12-year-old Scotch, or better yet an 18-year-old. Or what the hell, why not dig a little deeper and go for a good old 25er? There’s nothing wrong with taking your time, so long as the destination is clear.

If I had just watched the credits for this show and nothing else, I would’ve assumed Demon Daughter took place on the road 100 percent of the time. That’s how it’s billed, and since Dale is an adventurer, it’d be weird to have him cooped up for weeks on end. With that being said, I felt a little homesick for Rita, Kenneth, the inn, and all of Latina’s friends. Each of them are well-defined characters and we’ve come to rely on them for the past six episodes. No doubt, we’ll adjust. There are far too many interesting things out in the world for our heroes to stay dormant. Besides, who doesn’t want to see the little hick town Dale hails from?