REVIEW: ‘Delicious in Dungeon’ Episode 12 – “Red Dragon II”

With the Red Dragon defeated, it’s time to bring Falin (Saori Hayami, Spy x Family) back from the dead. But with the clock ticking, the party must take extreme measures to restore their friend. To save her friend, Marcille (Sayaka Senbongi) reveals a secret about herself. One that could come with a heavy cost in Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) Episode 12, “Red Dragon II.”

Picking up where the last episode left off, we return to the party just as Laios (Kentarô Kumagai) discovers Falin’s skull. The mixture of emotions that courses through Laios at this moment is excellently presented. The warring feelings of relief to find her and terror at her state are easily recognizable.

With the contents of the dragon’s stomach emptied, they face a difficult choice. Falin’s soul could be lost if they try to move her to the surface. However, bringing someone to her could present the same danger since that would take longer. While these problems seem reasonable, it is curious that no one considered them before they headed back down into the dungeon.

While the party frets over what to do, Marcille presents a third option. She reveals her primary form of magical study lies in forbidden magic. Referred to by the others as Black Magic, there is instant concern about the cost if Marcille uses it. Marcille reassures them that magic is amoral. It’s all in how you use it. Her assurances do little to assuage Chilchuck’s (Asuna Tomari) and Senshi’s (Hiroshi Naka) fears. But when Laios approves the plan, the group prepares for the spell.

This leads us to Delicious in Dungeon Episode 12’s weakest sequence. Before the spell can be cast, the group must separate Falin’s bones from those of a pair of Wargs the dragon recently snacked on. While the major bones are easy to separate, smaller elements are more challenging. This leads to an extended sequence featuring the party puzzling out which ones are which.

This sequence takes far too long. While a fair amount of personality infuses the moment, with Falin’s return so close, the moment feels like little more than a delay. It’s unnecessary, pulling away from the buildup to the big plot beat.

Once the preparations are complete, Marcille sets about casting her resurrection spell. The visual highlight of the episode, Studio TRIGGER delivers a powerful sequence. As Marcille chants her incantation, the power in the room rises around her. The gathering magic whips through her hair, emphasizing the building energy. Combining this fluid animation with gorgeous lighting, the episode successfully draws the viewer into the moment.

While the lighting enhances Marcille’s spell’s raw power, it also chills the moment. This chilling effect leaves the viewer wondering about Marcille’s claims about the safety of her spell. As the character wraps up her incantation, one gets the feeling that there will be repercussions for her actions.

But whatever may come in the future, the following moments in Delicious in Dungeon Episode 12 are filled with joy. We see that Marcille’s spell succeeds, bringing Falin back to life. While the character seems a bit disoriented, things are looking up. After teary reunions with Marcille and Laios, Falin is introduced to Senshi, and everything seems good.

While the ritual was a success, it left Falin covered in blood. To remedy this situation, Marcille accompanies Falin to an impromptu bath. Here, the duo catch up. Marcille’s relief at her friend’s return is mixed with a lingering fear that some unseen thing may have failed. But as the conversation continues, Marcille finds herself able to relax. The caring, compassionate person she remembers seems to be back to her old self. There is a great energy between the duo as they get to lay back and appreciate the moment. And while nothing overtly romantic in the sequence, there are enough hints at a possible deeper bond between the pair to encourage fan theories.

Once Falin is cleaned up, Delicious in Dungeon Episode 12 turns to its most iconic element: food preparation. However, there is a small hiccup. When Senshi begins to set up his pot too close to the still-flammable dragon, he sets off an explosion. While this should’ve been fatal, an instinctual act by Falin shields everyone. Marcille’s reaction shows that this shouldn’t be possible. This moment indicates that something has changed about Falin.

With the dragon’s insides potentially burning for hours, Senshi must get extra creative to prepare their meal. Using the dragon’s stomach as an ad-hoc oven, he prepares a delicious-looking spread regardless. Pizza is even on the menu. While there is a moment of fear from the party when Falin sees the monstrous meal, we quickly learn that she shares her brother’s enthusiasm for monster meals.

While the group recounts the various monsters they’ve encountered to Falin, the issue of Laios’ sword comes up. With the unfortunate incident during the dragon fight still fresh, Laios comes clean about the monster inhabiting it. While the others understand his reasoning for keeping it around, they are hurt by his deceit. However, it doesn’t appear that the hurt runs too deep.

With bellies full, the party prepares to bed down for the night before beginning their trek back up to the surface. Occupying a deserted cabin, the group seems to have their first chance at a restful night’s sleep. As they get ready for bed, Falin happens across one of the home’s occupants. Politely apologizing for the intrusion, she chats amicably with the young girl. When Laios walks through, unable to see anyone, the show reveals it is a former resident of the home. While this immediately comes across as concerning to the viewer, Laios’s lack of reaction quickly dissuades any concern. Falin has always been sensitive to the departed, so perhaps this behavior is normal for her.

As the party slips off into sleep, we see a mysterious figure inspecting the summoning circle Marcille used to restore Falin. A look of disapproval washes over the unknown figure, promising that their feelings will become known to the party soon.

With only a minor hiccup, Delicious in Dungeon Episode 12 wraps up its initial plot line. With Falin back, seeing where the series goes from here will be interesting.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 12 is streaming now on Netflix.