Last weeks thread - 13 Comments

Dungeon Meshi is a well liked manga, and an adaptation by Studio Trigger is now airing. If you haven’t picked this one up, consider joining us. Both for fun and as a way of contributing to activity on Lemmy.

Episodes are available to stream on Netflix.

Dear me this episode goes hard! Trigger pulls out all the stops on their signature quality, smear frames and rapid movement all over the place.

Laios and the gang finally fight the Red Dragon. Nuff said.

Remember not to spoil anything if you’re a manga reader, but feel free to elaborate on tidbits of lore that may not be coming through in the adaptation.

  • wjs018@ani.social
    3·
    9 months ago

    I just finished catching up after being on vacation the past couple episodes. This episode was a thrill ride in both a great way and a dreadful way.

    I often gush about the Trigger animation in this show (and it was excellent once again this episode), but I think the thing that stood out to me most from this episode was the OST, or rather, the lack of OST. Many of the most important and tense moments this episode are when the OST completely disappears:

    • When Marcy drops the building on the dragon and we are all waiting to see if the plan worked or not
    • When the dragon’s head is directly over Laios and Chilchuk while they hold still only for Kensuke to give them away
    • When Senshi shatters his axe against the dragon, losing the last of their weapons (until he pulls out his cooking knife)
    • Amazingly, the whole time from when Laios had his leg chomped initially through the end of the dragon and up until the ghost appears in his dream sequence
    • From the first cut into the dragon corpse all the way until they find that the stomach is empty

    I have no idea what the directorial intent behind the choice to limit the OST in this way might be, but I think it is really effective. As media consumers, we are so used to big action sequences being accompanied by big scores as well. Think of any Marvel or Bond movie as an example. However, here they strip all that scoring away during the peak moments of action, leaving you with the great Foley work and the excellent VA work (lots of heavy breathing this episode). As a viewer, we feel that something is missing; that something isn’t right. So, when Laios gives his big hero speech to Marcy, we aren’t reassured, we already know subconsciously that this isn’t the grand finale that Laios thinks it is because the whole episode hasn’t been scored as a grand finale.

    I think this is also what makes the transition to the ED feel so jarring. The whole episode has had either a lack of OST or a rather subdued one (literally ending on something akin to church bells), and then the bass comes in with a super happy ED literally titled Party!

    • MentalEdgeOPMEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      That ED hit hard. Would have been interesting if in this episode they rolled the credits without the music.

      Would have extended the unease of that moment with Laios holding Falins skull throughout.