Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV: Fuka Shou - Yakusai-hen

Looking back on a now completed season 4 of Danmachi, I have nothing but praise for the work J.C staff did. After a decent first season and a subpar second, Seasons three and four have been sure and steady improvements. Culminating in the masterclass that is Danmachi IV Part 2.

J.C Staff have rightfully taken a lot of criticism for their handling of beloved Light Novel Franchises. My main gripes with them were the excessive cuts to the source material, pacing issues and quality control issues. Danmachi season 1 was an ok adaptation. It rushed some aspects of the story but was largely serviceable. Season ... 2 honestly need not have existed with the way it handled the arc. Starting in season 3, whether by staff change or just production committee demands, it’s clear that JC staff focus shifted. They started taking their time with the characters and world more. I have zero complaints with how season 4 was handled quality wise. This was the most important arc for Bell’s individual development and a fan favourite arc from the LNs which has earned near universal praise. It was essential that this got done justice and the studio did just that.

I absolutely loved the dark and gritty atmosphere in this season. Coming from the more upbeat and cheery type of stuff we got in the past, this more mature story was a welcome shift. The drama and tension in every episode was palpable and had me on the edge of my seat. The battle against the Juggernaut was as intense as you could ask for. The fact Bell and his familia were separated forced his familia members to have to grow a lot on their own and push their own limits, as well as him as an individual. I loved the emphasis on Bell and Ryu’s relationship in this season as well. Ryu is a character I truthfully did not really care for much until this arc and the studio really did showcased just how multi-faceted she is. She and Astrea familia’s backstory was handled well and seeing her icy exterior slowly, but surely melt away during every episode was a joy. The personal dynamics between characters is really where this season shined and I’m sad to see it go honestly, but at the same time hopeful that the studio will replicate this quality in future seasons.

So, pacing and adaptation wise Danmachi IV 2nd cour was a massive improvement, but how was the technical stuff? Well, I feel like it was great. There was a lot of action this season between Bell and Ryuu fighting for survival and the Hestia Familia’s battle on the upper floors and the fight scenes all looked really good to me. The hype moments had sakuga, emotional voice acting and some nice choreography. Art remained consistent throughout and the OST for this season was great too.

Really can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this cour of Danmachi. It’s one of the better LN adaptations you’ll see and it came at the perfect time. Here’s to hoping J.C Staff apply what they figured out here to other projects going forward.

Danmachi IV 2nd Cour gets 10/10.

The second part of the fourth season of Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka does an excellent job of concluding what the first part began. Each episode is filled with gripping action and maintains a well-paced momentum that hardly wavers until the satisfying conclusion. The animation is well executed, although there are a few moments where the CG feels questionable. The series continues to deepen the established characters, amplifying the impact of heartfelt moments. In terms of quality, this season stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the third season and wraps up the storyline in a gratifying manner. Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no ... wa Machigatteiru Darou ka IV: Fuka Shou - Yakusai-hen is a valuable addition to the series, demonstrating that there is still ample room for it to evolve.

Danmachi contains high doses of PLOT DRIFT in season 4!

It's very easy to initially like a story with this style and follow it, even until season four, after all the initial proposal is very attractive to the eyes... but this cannot blind the viewer to the quality of the plot. It became weak, forced, the kind of thing you're used to seeing all the time.

There is a great lack of courage and creativity on the part of those who make the story. The things most likely to happen don't happen on stage, and it's always one miracle after another. It's so "impressive" that it ... trivializes all the tension.

More important than surprising is establishing a logical basis on which the audience can rely to understand the story. This season doesn't achieve that, and every aspect of the plot must be swallowed by force. They didn't take advantage of the darker parts of the narrative; they kept tricks up their sleeves from the the beginning of history and end up using them in ridiculous ways.

Furthermore, if anything prominently disappoints after the third season, it is the ABSURD PLOT DRIFT. Wiki about it, this phenomenon explains very well what happened in the fourth one. The anime's proposal looks one based on the title, the story delivers another at first, and the two parts of the this season pretend that it never existed. It's pathetic to see a plot get so lost.

In short, magic, more magic, dungeon, dungeon, dungeon again, fantasy and mythology, all mixed together: an apparently beautiful fictional juice, which, when you drink it, tastes how you expect it to taste, or even worse.

If you haven't perhaps progressed this far with this anime, don't waste your time following the story until the current part, it's not worth it.