REVIEW: ‘Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai’ Episode 6 – “Crocodine, The Beast King”

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is Toei Animation’s remake of the 90’s anime of the same name. It is based on a manga that served as a spin-off of the popular game franchise. This week, Dai finally embarks with Popp on an adventure to fulfill Avan’s last wish. Brass and the other monsters cannot come along, or they will risk falling under the thrall of the Dark Lord Hadlar’s influence. It feels as though all the episodes prior to this week would almost be considered a prologue. Dai is finally leaving the island he grew up on. The very beginning has a touching moment with Popp running out to stop him from going alone. As much of a coward Popp purports to be, his attachment to Avan is felt. It is a short scene, but him running out to grab Dai’s hand might be one of the most powerful of the series. Don’t worry, the boys aren’t alone. Little do they know, Gomechan has snuck along because no anime adventure can be complete without the cute mascot. Now, Dragon Quest Episode 6 gets down to business relatively quick, as we fast forward briefly in time.

A more travel-worn Dai and Popp save a young girl from monsters in The Dark Forest. She reveals that she is lost and doesn’t know how to get back to their village, and it turns out that Dai and Popp also don’t know where they are going. At this point, we are finally introduced to the girl from the opening credit sequence. Her name is Mann, and she wields a magical pistol and wears goggles. Basically, she is awesome. Aside from an uncomfortable thigh shot with the camera, the show seems to be treating her well. There is the tired “accidental grope” gag which was frustrating. Not much can be said about Mann yet without spoiling the episode, but her bickering with Popp promises a fun future group dynamic in the show.

Hadlar gets word that Dai is out to fulfill Avan’s wish. Weary of his potential after their last fight, he sends The Beast King, Crocodine, out to eliminate him. Crocodine also does that lovely antagonist trope, where he “kindly” explains the entire structure of the villain’s army before fighting Dai. After the lovely moment between Popp and Dai at the beginning, the attempted comedy with him ditching Dai to fight alone was rather lukewarm. However, the fight between Dai and Crocodine was great, as most of the fights in this series are. Specific shout-out this time goes to the animation of Crocodine’s Vortex Axe.

Dragon Quest Episode 6 finally introduces another lady to the series, Mann, and she is already a blast with cool gear and the promise of an intriguing backstory. Popp has ups and downs that make his character growth a little uneven. The star of the show is always the animation in the fantasy fight sequences, and the show’s consistency here is admirable.

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai is streaming now on Crunchyroll and Hulu.