‘Delicious In Dungeon’ review: “Red Dragon III/Good Medicine” brings on new threats

Watch out, there’s a new chef in the kitchen in Delicious In Dungeon episode 13! “Red Dragon III/Good Medicine” guides watchers into the second cour of Delicious In Dungeon uninterrupted. That works perfectly for the flow of the story. Without an abrupt pause between episodes 12 and 13, the audience is able to understand the stakes. So, are you ready to handle the heat in the Delicious In Dungeon kitchen for the next cour? 

The rise of the Lunatic Magician

The first half of episode 13 is all about magic. At long last, the audience gets a glimpse into just how powerful the Lunatic Magician is. His use of ancient is so intense that Marcille realizes she doesn’t stand a chance. Her laughter which stems from sheer panic shows that she knows she’s no match for him. The Lunatic Magician’s control over the red dragon is so strong that the dragon meat Senshi wrapped after their meal turns into more fuel for blood dragons. The situation is chaotic at best with how the Lunatic Magician churns out blood dragons only for the floor to collapse beneath the party. It’s an intense scene that sets the tone for the whole episode. 

Falin’s role throughout this episode is one that shouldn’t be ignored. The implications of Falin’s reincarnation does not lean toward a positive note for this episode; but we see just how dark it gets. Whatever Marcille did to bring her back must have gone wrong. Falin is no longer just Falin. Her desires and goals are now that of the red dragon. This is a sobering moment for fans who thought that things were going to be on the up. 

Ghost mysteries

The big question this episode asks is why do the ghosts bother helping? The obvious answer is Falin’s kindness when magically dealing with ghosts. It’s been shown that instead of being defensive, Falin tries her best to treat them with kindness. While we don’t know if her treatment of ghosts is known throughout the dungeon. I think it’s obvious that they have enough sentience to recognize her. Because of this, their kindness extends to the rest of the party.

Even Leed, the younger sister of the orc Chief Zon, mentions that the ghosts are safe to be around. That is a world of a difference from how they reacted to the party the first time we met them in “Snacks/Sorbet.” The only difference between these episodes is that the ghosts in the lower levels of the dungeon saw Falin with the party. 

Getting inside Chilchuck’s head

The second half of the episode shines a light on Chilchuck. It’s easy to be angry with how he reacts once they’re in the orc settlement. After 13 episodes, you would think that he isn’t a coward because of how far he goes with Laios and the party. However, he makes it clear that he wants to leave the dungeon. It’s only through talking with Leed that the truth comes out: he’s afraid to lose his friends for real. It’s easy to become desensitized to death when it’s easy to bring a person back from death, but for Chilchuck the threat of them not coming back weighs heavy on his mind.

Not only is Chilchuck concerned about his own mortality, but the mortality of the party – including Falin. The interaction with the Lunatic Magician is just the tipping point for him. His fears rise to the surface even if he doesn’t expresses them in the most understandable way. While both Leed and Senshi label him  a coward, I think it’s better to label Chilchuck as someone who is scared. He doesn’t want the people he cares about to come to harm or risk death any more than they already have. Caring to that extent is courageous. The others are misunderstanding him. 

Deeper character design

I want to take a moment to talk about something that I haven’t mentioned in a couple of weeks: the character design. I’ve talked about this a couple of times before (here and here if you’d like to backread) and I’d like to touch on it here in regards to Leed and the Lunatic Magician. Both of these characters look completely different when compared to characters of the same race. Leed stands out from the rest of the orcs that we’ve seen so far. Not only is she paler than the other orcs, she also has long hair that she styles. Her face shape gives off a more human-like appearance when compared to Zon. 

As for the Lunatic Magician, it’s clear that he’s an elf. But there are two things that set him apart from Marcille. The Lunatic Magician is a darker skinned elf — one could argue that he’s a dark elf. So far most, if not all, elves we’ve seen have been a lighter complexion. He’s the first one that doesn’t fall into the trope of white elf. The other thing that sets him apart is the sharpness of his features. 

This is most prominent when it comes to his ears. They’re extremely pointed especially when compared to Marcille’s whose ears seem to be a lot more rounded. Come to think of it, Marcille herself looks a bit different from other elves too. Interesting. 

Adding a lot of spice

“Red Dragon III/Good Medicine” is a strong transition from the first cour to the second. This is where we really start to dive into the darkness with Delicious In Dungeon. Not only is Falin missing again, but the Lunatic Magician is hot on the party’s trail as they decide to leave the dungeon. It raises the question of whether the four of them will actually be able to escape the dungeon in one piece. The characters, worldbuilding, and plot will only get better from here on out, strap yourself in for a wild ride. 

Delicious in Dungeon is available now on Netflix.

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Featured images: © Ryoko Kui / KADOKAWA / “Delicious in Dungeon” PARTNERS, Netflix