REVIEW: ‘Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?’ Season 5 Episode 4 — “Seith”

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4 (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka) is one of the most shocking and satisfying episodes the series has had in a while. It’s also almost objectively the best episode the season has had yet. All the build-up from the previous episodes has boiled down to the current events in a fantastic way.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4 resumes the last episode by showing Syr and Bell in the Inn they entered to escape the Freya Familia members. As expected, Bell is incredibly nervous and acts reserved around Syr, who tries to seduce him and convince him to get intimate. However, Bell refuses her advances and insists they just fall asleep. Syr is still insistent and begs him not to refuse her, and for a second, her powers kick in, and it seems she is about to charm Bell and force him to accept.

She stops herself before this happens and audibly voices her embarrassment and shame. The two sleep on the same bed, and Syr cuddles with Bell and expresses jealousy that he did the same with Ryu under very different circumstances. She also voices her love for Bell and contemplates why she fell in love with him.

The next morning, Bell finds that Syr has left the Inn and begins his search for her. While searching, he runs into Welf, who is somehow still stuck covering for Syr and her friends at the tavern. Bell catches him up to speed on what happened and why he is currently searching for Syr. Welf then gives perhaps the best advice Bell has received in a long time. He tells him to stop the “dense fool” act, acknowledge her feelings, and respond appropriately by immediately telling her he does not feel the same way. He then tells him to look for a Freya Familia member for the best chance of finding her quickly.

This scene is very satisfying, as it finally acknowledges Bell’s overly nice and reserved attitude toward women who clearly have feelings for him. Instead of letting them know he doesn’t feel the same, he usually just avoids addressing it, which is always annoying to watch.

Afterward, Bell finds the first-class Freya Familia member Hogni Ragnar. Though he’s incredibly eccentric and speaks in an unnecessarily obtuse way, he reveals that the Freya Familia members are no longer looking over them and that he should bid his farewell to Syr. The next scene also reveals that Hestia, Ais, Ryu, and the other tavern girls are searching for Bell and Syr. Hestia tries to ask Hermes for help, and Ryu visibly shows her sadness that Syr and Bell spent the night together.

Bell manages to find Syr, and as the two reunite, they are attacked by Hogni. Hogni actively tries to kill Syr because she is “infringing” on Bell, who belongs to Freya. Bell tries to defend her but is quickly overwhelmed, but Ryu and the other tavern girls step in to help. Syr and Bell manage to escape, but Hogni and the Gulliver Brothers quickly dispatch the tavern girls. Anya’s brother Allen also shows up and scolds her for getting in his Familia’s way.

Bell and Syr hide out in an abandoned building, where Bell reveals he knows that this Syr is an imposter and not the real Syr, and stops her from her true goal of stabbing him. She is then forced to tell him where the real Syr is as the Freya Familia captains confront her. In the process, she reveals herself as Horn, the character introduced in the first episode. As a child, Horn gave up her name, “Syr,” to Freya to become one of the daughters of the Gods.

She then reveals that she planned to kill Syr so Freya would not lose her divine self, even if she ended up hating her. Bell meets up with the real Syr, who pours her heart out and emotionally confesses she’s in love with him. Bell sadly turns her down. The next scene shows another shocking revelation: Syr was actually Freya the entire time. She tells Ottar that Syr is no more and says she now intends to take Bell by force. This grand revelation makes many things make sense while also leaving some questions.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4 is the most packed episode of the season thus far and is absolutely thrilling in almost every way. Horn really being Syr was far from a surprise, but the revelation that she planned to kill Bell for her own selfish reasons was quite a surprise, and her manic scene was executed impeccably both by her voice actress and facial expressions. Horn trying to kill Bell explains why she was so antagonistic toward him at the start of the season.

Sry having powers also explains why she could shapeshift in the episode. As such, every action based on the character made sense, exhibiting great character writing. However, while shocking, the episode’s big revelation feels like it came from nowhere. Syr has been a recurring character in the anime for a long time, but we’ve never seen anything suggesting that she is a goddess.

While this episode shows Syr had powers similar to Freya, it was never obvious it belonged to Freya, especially as other characters like Horn share her powers. Additionally, the scene earlier in the season, where Syr and Freya talk to each other, is now confusing because it means she either spoke to herself through an illusion or spoke to Horn as Syr, neither of which makes sense. These all throw viewers off the trail of the revelation, and the shock doesn’t seem earned.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4 features a short but great combat scene, which is rare for this season. It shows the strength of the Freya Familia and that even seemingly dumb characters like Hogni are as strong as their rank, which makes the next episode that much more to look forward to. The animation from J.C.Staff is consistently amazing, especially in this combat scene.

Overall, while there are some inconsistencies, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4 is highly engaging and entertaining, proving that this season has the potential to be another great one.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Season 5 Episode 4  is out now on HI DIVE.