With every conflict of misery … there is a chance for redemption.
Creative Staff:
Original Story: Fujino Omori
Illustrations By: Suzuhito Yasuda
Translation: Andrew Gaippe
What They Say:
After saving the young dragon girl Wiene, Bell’s name has become synonymous with “greedy”, “despicable”, and “traitor.” He and his familia have completely lost the trust and respect of everyone residing in Orario. There’s no time for him to feel sorry himself when his newfound monstrous friends, the Xenos, need his help to get home. But now that the greatest obstacle in their way is Loki Familia, does Bell have what it takes to raise a fist against his beloved idol, the Sword Princess Aiz Wallenstein?
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It has only been four days since the rogue town of Rivira was destroyed as the Xenos went wild, ravaging everything in their way and when the chaos spread to Orario, it was Bell Cranel who stepped in and helped the monsters to escape. With these dangerous monsters now on the surface and no way to track, it is up to the Guild to offer outrageous bounties to hunt them down, allowing for the various families to send hunting parties to search for the creatures. However even with the temptation of enormous rewards, there are many citizens and adventures alike who wish to vent their hatred toward someone else who has earned their ire … the Little Rookie. While many still do not know his full involvement due to information being hidden by higher ups within the Guild, namely the mysterious Ouranos, it is clear his interference caused destruction within the city. This is why his name is now linked with the vilest of words: greedy, despicable and worst of all, traitor.
Ever since those events, Hestia Familia has been hidden within Hearthstone Manor, doing their best not to attract attention, only going out when needing food and supplies, but Bell himself has been sheltered to avoid more unneeded anger. As he tries his best to avoid windows, his keen senses still detect unwanted eyes on the house, looking for any chance to glean more information as to his association, much to his disappointment. Lilly has been using her abilities to spy on the people, hearing new rumors and keeping track on the various parties who are searching for the Xenos, but all in vain. No one has spotted any of these monsters since their escape, and frustration is growing, both in wanting someone to blame and a chance to get rich quick. But the tension within the city is growing, they know Cranel is at the center of it all, and by association, so are his family.
He can hide no more, all of this time cringing like a coward, avoiding going out for fear of being ridiculed or worse hated by the people he cares for, it has to stop. Bell asks his goddess for permission to walk the city, tour the damaged areas, all expecting her to reject his plea – but is surprised by her approval. However instead of the supporters being his escort, Hestia herself will be his bodyguard, much to everyone’s immediate surprise. Although it is usually the prum who accompanies their leader on such trips, this time she will make an exception, but all know what will happen. She had made her divine will known, and now no one can reject her position, even if they suppose this will only stir up more trouble. Promising to be back by lunchtime, the human and sprightly deity leave home, heading into the city for what know one knows or can readily conceive.
It is immediately apparent as they walk the cobblestone streets of Orario something has changed: hushed whispers, people staring with looks of concern, adventurers scowling at the person they once admired with begrudging shame, it seemed all this happened overnight. The tension is palatable, foully worded curses hammer in from various directions and the anger of people he has never met, they all treat him equally with bitter hatred. Each step becomes more painful, Bell can feel daggers of criticism plunging in and he can say nothing to defend himself, for he knows everything is true. However it is his divine bodyguard who steps in to stop the assault, her petite form pronouncing he did it for her benefit, and if there is anyone to blame … then it should be her. The crowd noticeably falls silent, then their conversation shifts to Hestia, stating it was the curse of the Loli Goddess which caused their calamity. In pronounced frustration, the pair leave the area, determined to continue their walk elsewhere.
As they pass the Benevolent Mistress tavern, the slim form of a blonde elf attracts Bell’s eye, asking his goddess if they can stop for a moment. Clumsily greeting Lyu, he asks if her injuries and those of others have healed and thanks her help on the eighteenth floor, shyly avoiding her gaze. In anticipation of his next question, she bluntly states she does not blame him for the fiasco and while not knowing the full details, nor does anyone else. With a remarked sigh of relief, Cranel feels a weight lift, even as he hears a pair of cat girls gossiping behind her, contradicting previous remarks. However when he asks where Syr would be, she clearly states she is taking some time off, triggering a memory of the last time he followed the happy server, and where it all lead – Daedalus Street. That will be their next stop in this confusing excursion around the city, and sadly, also a return to where this erupted to the surface.
The place also called Labyrinth District is more busy than usual, with Guild personnel organizing the rebuilding and clearing of rubble, there are also many more adventurers, many looking for clues as to the monsters roaming the surface. But it is still the same as before, people hurling accusations of traitor, gossiping as to why he did it and to add insult to injury, the ever present eyes of disdain. Walking with his face cast downward, the Little Rookie does his best to avoid any further attention, until he meets the one person he did not wish to see – Aiz. She stood quietly before him, Loki Familia now patrolling the area where the greatest menace of those days burst forth, a gigantic black minotaur. While the pair may have no words to speak to each other, a shrill voice of familiar goddess breaks the uncomfortable silence, the deity of the group in question, Loki. As the two divines walk off to find a quiet place to talk, Bell wanders off to lose himself, but instead finds his way to someplace he has been before, the area near Mother Maria’s orphanage.
Collapsing stone walls and crumbling pavers bring back pleasant memories, but as he nears the building, three familiar shapes come into view, the children he had built a rapport – Lai, Ruu and Fina. However this time they do not greet him with happy smiles, but the same looks of anger and confusion he has seen while touring Orario, all the more painful to see them on people he considered friends. The human boy Lai does not hold back his words as the two younger ones hide behind, anger evident as he confront his elder, an adventurer they admired, now seen to them as so many have before … a traitor. He is supposed to destroy the monsters which tore their lives apart, killed parents, made them orphans – instead now he protected those creatures and stopped others who would do the right thing. Having voiced his anger, the child marches away, with the other following close behind. Now crushed by the words of one of his few admirers, Cranel does not know what to do next, stumbling away before finding the one he was searching for, Syr.
Sitting on a stone bench, the two friends wait in uncomfortable silence, until Flover asks if there was anything he wants to discuss, only responding with more quizzical quietness. Syr states she and Mother Maria have been discussing the possibility of evacuating with the rest of Daedalus Street, the area now too dangerous to stay, what with the possibility monsters might return. She then apologizes for the children, declaring they have been trying to cope with the situation as best they can, the stress getting to them, with any reaction possible with each passing day. However Bell still is at a loss for words, not knowing what to do or how to make up for his mistake, all until a gentle hand guides him into a soft and pliant lap. Blushing crimson there is nothing he can do, with Syr slowing stroking his white hair, she asks if he can tell her what is wrong, with more silence her answer. Smiling over his troubled form, she asks Cranel if has talked to his familia, telling him they are the ones closest to him, and they are the ones who can solve this problem. With a solution so obvious now revealed, the two part ways, the girl smiling in thanks and the boy now opened to his solution.
Upon returning home, things are still not clear to Bell, still questioning his own resolve, until he notices a storm has opened up and a strange object is perched in the middle of the pouring rain. It is a drenched owl with one quartz eye and a letter tied around its leg, which he quickly takes inside to the living room where everyone is waiting. Quickly unraveling the scroll, the crimson ink looks like blood and is scrawled in a cryptic cypher which Lilly begins to decode – it is a desperate plea from the Xenos written by Fels. Within it he describes their situation: the group is caught above ground, but they see one escape and it is to find a path into the Dungeon. They are going to attempt to find a way to Daedalus Street tomorrow night, however the area is constantly patrolled by Loki Familia, thus without help, they have no chance and therefore ask Bell and his family to help them once again. After all finish reading the letter, the group look to their leader, all knowing he has been feeling guilty from this situation and knowing, if they attempt to remedy this request, most other families will turn against them. Looking at the people surrounding him, he knows what they must do and are all in agreement – they will save the Xenos, no matter the consequences … they will save their friends.
In Summary:
If I have said it before, and I know I shall say it again many more times to come for this series … this is by far the best volume of the title. To see a hero’s defining moment finally come full circle makes you extremely satisfied, all in reading how much Omori-sensei has dedicated himself and our emotional investment into a young boy named Bell Cranell, then at conclusion you feel thoroughly drained when the final page is turned, but also completely fulfilled to see how much he has matured; from the boy who dreamed of becoming a savior from his grandfather’s stories, a scared novice then saved by his soon to be idol, trained by the girl he admired and in return confronts his greatest fear and now, all those steps have taken him to this point in his journey, each one facing a parallel which completes a cycle to become stronger … all to fulfill Bell’s greatest dream. How can you not become enraptured by this story, one of a boy struggling but never giving up, striding forward and not turning back no matter how much Fate may place obstacles in his path, until he reaches this trial – a turning point and the challenges which will make Bell Cranel into hero once again. You cannot but feel pride gush forth as you read his accomplishments, almost as he is your own child, striving forth to proclaim he will not be defeated, no matter what the bored gods or goddesses may use to bar his way, he will see what his grandfather, Hestia, Hermes and all the others see in him … all to become the figurehead for a new generation of heroes.
While this Xenos story arc may have taken three volumes and over the course of almost a year, the anticipation of how each book ends, the cliffhangers which Omori-sensei gives us, they calumniate into an epic which shows the evolution of our seemingly unlikely hero. Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess which he looks towards, an unreachable goal of admiration, she is the person he has constantly been chasing since the beginning. The minotaur, the man beast which he was forced to face uncertain death as a white rabbit, the creature which became the fear which held him back, only by defeating it was he able to unlock his first adventure and the path to hero. Then finally the friends who he met and helped along the way, these people of Orario which saw this boy only as the Little Rookie and caused jealously by his impossible rise in power, they were the underlying foundation of the narrative. All of these elements were turned against him and Hestia Familia once they met Wiene, the vouvivre Irregular who they took into their family and considered her one of their own, only then to be forced to leave behind when they were faced by the one fact: she was a monster hated by people. Once they accepted the fact she was as human as anyone else, all while ignoring her monstrous appearance but embracing her human heart, that was the trigger which started their downfall.
And yet this finale ties everything together into one concise and heartfelt package of sincerity and determination, presenting a boy who stands by his morals and shows Orario plus bored divinity, he will not be broken by their cruelty or foolish trials for excitement … he will persevere. You cannot but smile profusely and tear up sincerely as Bell is forced to face his idol, rival and the people – all seemingly turned against him and yet still stand against obstructions which impede his goal of helping Wiene and the other Xenos. It genuinely hurts the reader as much as Cranel, seeing those who once either stood with or counter now all see he and Hestia Familia as traitors, both physically and mentally punishing our hero for standing up for what he knows is the right thing to do, and still cannot explain his reasoning without exposing the secret of the Irregulars. A weaker person would have given up sooner, but it is the set of values which his grandfather impressed within him which guide him to a loftier goal, a future of monster and people living together peacefully. This is what makes this story arc so emotionally draining and satisfying – to see Bell overcome each impediment, all with the help of his companions and goddess fully supporting him, and in the end, to watch him flourishing is a joy for us all. I willing admit I did smile and cry during each contest as each was overcome, almost as if I was watching my own child succeeding and growing in confidence, until the bittersweet end.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? ambitiously evolves into a story which intensifies in emotional sensitivity while appeasing our need for a driving story of heroism and outstanding morals. This is how make the audience care about the characters: take an average boy who seems out of place and inject grandiose ambitions of finding a girl who admires him … then flip all those ideas to get this outstanding tale of captivating worth. To see this child grow with each volume, turn his fears into strengths, shift his need of chasing after an idol into a lofty goal and then eclipse those themes with something which makes you emotionally invest into an adventure, and we emerge into this world of monsters, a Dungeon and a boy who wants to prove himself in earnestness. Bell Cranel, an icon unto himself, an ideal of true value and selfless modesty and the person who has placed himself within a profound tale of understanding and caring for those who need compassion within a world of senseless violence. This is my favorite series and with these kind of touching stories, I am sure it will be for many more sensational books to come.
Content Grade: A++
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A+
Age Rating: 13 & Up
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 12, 2018
MSRP: $14.00
