REVIEW: ‘Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai’ Episode 10 – “Onto Papnica Kingdom”

After a pretty strong turning point in the series, Dragon Quest Episode 10 is mostly setup for another standoff. However, this includes the show’s most intriguing antagonist yet. The series follows Dai, Popp, and Maam as they adventure to stop The Dark King Vearn. The anime is Toei Animation’s remake of the 90s production, which was adapted from the manga. The story serves as a spin-off from the classic video game franchise.

The trio is honored by the kingdom they saved, and Dai is named a hero by the King. At the very beginning of the episode, the audience is given a moment to also celebrate Dai’s growth. Being a hero is his dream, but he politely rejects the title of hero. He knows he is still training, and also cannot claim this victory alone. It is the most mature we have seen his character and a nod that he is maturing along with his strength. The team is given a ride to Papnica Kingdom, so Dai can finally be reunited with Leona and assist her.

Dragon Quest Episode 10 does a nice job of building the camaraderie of the three during this downtime. Popp, while not regressing from his development last week, is back to being the cowardly member. What is more fun, however, is Maam and Popp when they realize that Dai might have a crush on Princess Leona. All their teasing is good-natured, and it is sweet to see the three banter and settle in. The three hadn’t really had time to bond like this before their fight with Crocodine. This teasing smartly leads to a darker revelation. Papnica Kingdom has been destroyed, and Leona is nowhere to be found.

Viewers also get a bigger glimpse into The Demon Lord’s Army in Dragon Quest Episode 10. The Legion Commanders have been summoned by Hadlar in the wake of Crocodine’s defeat. Each commander has a drastically different personality, with Flazzard given the most focus. He is similar to Crocodine on some fronts but has a much calmer, calculating side. These tense conversations were a bit overshadowed for me personally. There is an unfortunate placement of a specific flame in Flazzard’s character design. I could not stop laughing. Overall, however, it was nice to get a larger glimpse into who are heroes are up against.

Speaking of which, the Undead Legion has destroyed Papnica Kingdom. Dai is horrified, thinking he is too late to save Leona. This is when the trio meets a mysterious man, bearing an insignia of Avan. Maam and Dai are thrilled, but Popp is more suspicious. It is little details like this that are Dragon Quest Episode 10’s strength. Seeing Dai and Maam maintain the desire to see the good in people, while Popp carries over more of the hesitation after losing Avan, fits and balances nicely. Not much more can be said without spoilers, but this man is going to push these three in emotional ways.

Dragon Quest Episode 10 does what a good transition episode should: build rapport among its characters and lay the foundations for something larger. Viewers won’t be bored even with the action kept to a minimum.

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