REVIEW: ‘Delicious in Dungeon’ Episode 19 – “Hag/Nightmare”

Izutsumi (Mitsuho Kambe, Megalobox 2: Nomad) holds Marcille (Sayaka Senbongi) hostage. Her demands seem simple. If Marcille wants to be freed, she must break the curses on him. Since they were forged with black magic, Izutsumi assumes Marcille can undo the spells. But since one of those spells has transformed him into a beast person, it isn’t that simple. Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 (Dungeon Meshi), “Hag/Nightmare” explores the essence of Beast people and what the party faces with Falin’s situation.

Exactly what’s been done to Falin is something that needs to be explored. The crucial plot elements of how deep the change goes, how it might be reversed, and the steps the party will take to get there are still mysteries as the episode begins. Rather than simply having a party discussion around the campfire, Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 explores Falin’s new nature through the lens of Izutsumi.

Despite taking Marcille hostage, the character engenders a moderate amount of sympathy from the viewer. The desperate nature of Izutsumi’s demands highlights how long the search for someone with Marcille’s knowledge has gone on. Now that Izutsumi has finally found her, risking refusal simply isn’t an option.

What Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 brings to light about beast people paints a grim picture for Falin. How deep the transformation goes and how difficult, if not impossible, it’ll be to revert are laid out in clear context. But, like any against-the-odds plotline, there is a glimmer of hope for both Falin and Izutsumi. The Ludicrous Mage who runs the dungeon may possess the knowledge to undo the transformation—giving both the party and viewer some hope while also transforming Izutsumi from an antagonist to an ally. If only one of convenience.

While the party hashes out the truth of beast people with Izutsumi, a secondary curse he bears goes out of control due to his rising anger. Spawning a monstrous creature, the party is forced into a brief battle with the conjured monster. This brief battle puts Senshi (Hiroshi Naka) in the spotlight.

We get to see Senshi’s extensive understanding of cooking implements shine uniquely. How his knowledge and the implements of his craft affect the battle allow him to impact the episode outside of his cooking. Those cooking elements present a mixed bag for the episode. While the visual presentation of food is a delight, as always, the placement of the first such sequence feels awkward.

In the middle of the hostage situation, Senshi offers to prepare Izutsumi a meal. While it’s not surprising this would be the character’s go-to, it still feels disruptive overall. Less so, perhaps, given what the show has done in the past, but still unwelcome.

Once the hostage situation is averted, Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 sees Marcille receive unwanted nighttime visitors. Nightmares, monsters who drain people’s souls through their dreams, invade Marcille’s sleep. The invasion prompts Laios to enter her dreams to save her from the threat.

The sequence that follows utilizes both Laios and Marcille excellently. For Laios, we see his kind-hearted devotion to his friends play out, and many of his insecurities are brought to light. How his family views him is shown during the sequence, forming a better picture of the character for the viewer to understand. How he has persevered towards his dreams despite his family’s objections gives the character a new level of resolve for challenges beyond tasting new monsters.

For Marcille’s part, we get a deep look at her fears and guilt in the wake of her decision to resurrect Falin. She is shown to feel overwhelming guilt for how things turned out, even though she never could’ve known what the Mage would use Falin for. Her fears manifest in the dreamscape as one of the more conceptually terrifying monsters I’ve seen in a while. Its huge maw and combination of grasping hands and tendrils fully realize just how much pain Marcille is in.

How the two characters come together to defeat the nightmare haunting Marcille’s dreams delivers all the positivity the show leans into. With so much struggle in recent episodes, it’s good to see that the wholesome drive at the series’ core hasn’t been forgotten. The current situation is grim, but the power of friendship still shines bright.

Once Marcille is freed from her dream, we see that Nightmares are creatures that nestle in adventurer’s pillows, slipping into their dreams. This wouldn’t be the most bizarre concept if not for the creature’s design. These things are effectively clams. How any person could not notice the hard-shelled creatures in their pillow long before they laid their head down is beyond me.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 delivers some great character moments and creative exposition. While it gets in its own way a little in how it incorporates its cooking, it is nonetheless an enjoyable episode with many excellent elements.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 19 is streaming now on Netflix.