REVIEW: ‘Delicious in Dungeon’ Episode 15 – “Dryad/Cockatrice”

Laios (Kentarô Kumagai), Senshi (Hiroshi Naka), Chilchuck (Asuna Tomari), and Marcille (Sayaka Senbongi) continue to struggle to navigate the path back to the surface. Confident the dungeon is shifting around them, the party wonders how to escape. Senshi knows that to continue their progress, they need a good meal in Delicious in Dungeon Episode 15 (Dungeon Meshi), “Dryad/Cockatrice.”

Picking up right where we last saw the party, the group remains trapped in the city where they battled the dragon. Sensing a growing hostility as more creatures begin to scamper out of the shadows, the group knows if they don’t make progress soon, there will be trouble.

That progress arrives in Delicious in Dungeon Episode 15 with flowers. Chilchuck catches a whiff of some floral plant life, pointing the party in a new direction. Whether it will lead to the surface is unknown, but vegetation means water. Something else the party is running light on.

This opening sets a solid understanding of the party’s current mindset. The situation is dire. Marcille is still struggling to stand, and everyone is mentally frayed. Their setbacks have been huge, leaving a desperate air to the party. These elements are captured well through the visuals. Studio TRIGGER puts a lot of effort into the characters’ body language. The fatigue of the long journey and hard battles is visible.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 15‘s journey follows Chilchuck’s nose to a lush area overgrown with vegetation. As the party arrives, they come across what appears to be two humanoid females and a male during an intimate moment. The trio attacks them, turning their initial embarrassment into terror. As it turns out, the assailants are not people but dryad flowers. When struck by a sword, they burst open, releasing pollen that quickly finds its way into the eyes, nose, and mouth. While not lethal, it does induce a potent case of Hay Fever. This leads the party largely debilitated as their eyes flow with tears. Only Chilchuck’s Chilchuck’ssenses can guide Senshi as he repels their attackers.

This battle delivers more comedy than danger. As Senshi wildly swings Laios’ sword, snot streams off him. The wild panic is played up nicely, making the scene more farce than anything. It is a nicely timed shift in tone—a fun break from the recent setbacks that plague the party.

Once victory has been secured, the party prepares a celebratory meal. Along with the fruits of the vanquished dryads, nearby mandrakes are also harvested. The presence of these creatures prompts a bit more comedy as Chilchuck gives Marcille a gentle ribbing over their first encounter with them.

This moment also brings back the gorgeously executed cooking sequence. Absent from recent episodes, it’s refreshing to see all the gorgeously detailed steps take place. The multi-episode break from the series staple helps make the moment more notable. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Once the meal is over, Marcille decides on a new course of action. She’s going to teach Laois basic healing/defensive magic. With such a powerful foe pursuing them, Marcille decides they need Laois to back her up on the magic front. This seems like a poor idea, but the training begins in earnest.

After a quick timelapse, we see the fruits of Laois’s work as he tries to heal a small cut on Marcille, not seemingly significant; Marcille is thrilled with his progress. Her excitement is important, as it lends weight to what Laois has done. Without it, the viewer would be left presuming that he was barely making progress. Although, if what he’s accomplice’s is surprising to her, it causes the audience to wonder how much use she thinks he’ll be in hell any time soon.

The lesson is interrupted when Chilchuck notices part of the dungeon is once again reshaping. Wanting to observe the phenomenon firsthand, the party moves to leave. However, Laios is forced to stay behind as he is stricken with Mana Sickness from casting his first spell. Something Marcille failed to warn him about.

Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi’s search leads them to some conclusions and an unwelcome surprise. The shifting walls of the dungeon reveal a deadly Cockatrice, instantly setting it against the trio. While panic runs through the group, the comedic energy of the earlier fight is absent here. Capable of turning a victim to stone with a single bite, the threat to the group feels real.

This deadly bite lands on Marcille even as the final blow is struck, slaying the beast. As promised, Marcille soon shifts into stone. The remaining party members set about trying to cure their petrified friend.

Once again, Dungeon Episode 15 breathes a little humor into its characters. While Laios endeavors to find a spell that will cure Marcille, we see the petrified mage is used as a weight to help Senshi ferment sauerkraut. Along with a couple of humorous visual moments that play through a montage sequence, this final task for the episode brings a playful energy to the story.

While the party ultimately frees Marcille from her stony imprisonment, exactly what frees her remains unclear. Perhaps it’s Laois’ spell that sets her free? Senshi’s fermenting fruits that softened her cage? Or possibly the mage’s magical resistance due to her elven nature caused it to fade away. While the means are unclear, far more important to the party is that their friend is back.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 15 delivers a fun watch thanks to its pleasant mix of humor and danger. While delivering these elements, it also manages to set up ongoing elements like Laois’ magical training, which can bear fruit at a later date.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 15 is streaming now on Netflix.