Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 review: The dichotomy between Freya's desire and Bell's nightmare gets the spotlight

Produced by J.C. Staff, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 was released on October 31, 2024. The episode, titled Invasion: Freya Familia, witnessed Goddess Freya charm everyone in Orario to erase Bell Cranel as a Hestia Familia member from their minds. Instead, she replaced it with the false narrative that Bell belonged to Freya Familia from the get-go.

Like the previous episodes, J.C. Staff remained faithful to the adaptation, covering the written words from Fujino Omori's light novel series. Although the episode had a few pacing issues, the studio never let the narrative feel bland. The rushed pacing was only to be expected as the studio had to cover many events and condense them to suit an average episode's runtime.

At any rate, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 saw J.C. Staff bring out the dichotomy between Freya's desire for Bell and Bell Cranel's nightmare. Freya's selfish desires plunged Bell into his biggest nightmare, making the world seem like a claustrophobic space. Undoubtedly, from a critical perspective, the narrative was the shining aspect of the episode.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5.

Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 review: Evaluating J.C. Staff's treatment of Bell and Freya

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From the onset, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 created tension and a morbid aura, keeping the audience interested in the narrative. Picking up the events from the previous installment, the episode commenced with Bell Cranel returning after rejecting Syr. Although he met Ais, Ryu, and others, he refused to make eye contact with them.

Suddenly, the episode time-skipped to Bell Cranel informing Ryu about why he rejected Syr. The sudden shift in the narrative was slightly jarring to an extent, but it's something the studio had no other choice but to do. Otherwise, the esteemed studio had to add more elements, which would ruin the episode's overall storyboard.

At any rate, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 explored Bell Cranel's true feelings and confirmed that he rejected Syr only because he had feelings for Ais Wallenstein. Although Bell didn't directly tell Ais's name to Ryu, his memories revealed it to the audience.

Ryu realized she shouldn't have lashed at Bell for rejecting Syr. She had forgotten to pay attention to Bell's feelings. Shortly after that, Ryu told Bell that Syr had gone missing, so the duo went to search for the girl. Likewise, the Hestia Familia members in Orario were morose about the whole situation.

They also decided to look for Syr, who didn't return for a while. Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 did well in portraying the feelings of each Hestia Familia member. Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime, all were concerned about Syr since they were well acquainted.

Elsewhere, Goddess Freya met Hestia and demanded Bell Cranel. When Hestia refused, the Goddess told her to be ready for the repercussions. Following that, we see the Freya Familia members in action, easily incapacitating every member of the Hestia Familia, including Bell Cranel.

Bell Cranel, as seen in the episode (Image via J.C.Staff)

Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 teased the strength of the top adventurers of the Freya Familia, who are above level 6. Therefore, not only Bell but others too didn't stand a chance. The Gulliver brothers' impressive strategy overpowered Lily, Haruhime, and Mikoto. Likewise, Ottarl punched Ryu and subjugated Bell.

He returned to Freya, bringing Bell Cranel and the incapacitated Hestia Familia members' weapons. Goddess Hestis was overwhelmed with horror to see Bell's limpid body. At that moment, Freya once again forced Hestia to rescind her vows with Bell.

The action scenes in Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 could have been slightly better choreographed. Especially, when we compare with the previous episode, which had exciting choreography, the latest episode was slightly let down in that regard. That said, it wasn't even a fight for the Hestia Familia members, who were completely overwhelmed.

Freya and Hestia in the episode (Image via J.C.Staff)

On the other hand, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 probed into Freya's character and unraveled her desire, personality, and ultimate motive. She discarded her Syr persona because she realized she couldn't get Bell a Syr. Freya knew Bell wouldn't return her feelings, so that's why she chose the other method.

After threatening Hestia, Freya observed Hermes, who reminded her that an adventurer in the mortal realm can't be converted unless they are active in a Familia for one year. Since Bell had only joined the Hestia Familia for six months, Freya had to wait for six more months for the conversion.

At that point, Freya already knew what she was going to do. She accepted Hermes' terms but added that she would take some measures to ensure the conversion proceeds smoothly in the future. Freya's words sent a chill down Hermes's spine, as he realized the implications behind them.

Freya uses her charm (Image via J.C.Staff)

He frantically told Alfi to fly as far as she could from Orario and advised Hestia to boost her Divinity. Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 then saw Goddess Freya use the Guild to assemble a huge crowd at Central Park, where she used a megaphone to deliver a speech.

Freya abandoned her honor, pride, and code to charm everyone in Orario and alter their perception of Bell Cranel. The next day, Bell woke up in Folkvangr, Freya Familia's mansion, and realized that everyone had been addressing him as their own. His nightmare was actualized when his friends and acquaintances identified him as a Freya Familia member, not a Hestia Familia member.

Freya's charm turned the world upside down for Bell Cranel, who spiraled into his biggest nightmare. Since she couldn't charm Bell because of the boy's Liaris Freese skill, she changed Orario and turned it into her sandbox.

Bell Cranel becomes horrified (Image via J.C.Staff)

J.C. Staff studio did well to accentuate Bell's nightmare, with some still frames, showing the horrors on his face. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka has done a decent job of voicing Bell in the episode. On the other side, the episode did justice to Freya's character as well.

Somehow, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 created a dichotomy between Freya and Bell. Freya, who wanted to make Bell hers more than anything else, didn't pay any attention to Bell's feelings. Although Freya's action got her what she wanted, it came at the cost of the boy's feelings. She alienated Bell to make hers, and this is where lies the narrative's dichotomy.

Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 review: The missed opportunities

Ottarl in the episode (Image via J.C.Staff)

Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 didn't have massive errors in terms of the adaptation. However, a light novel reader would realize that the episode was extremely fast-paced. That said, the staff working on the episode did well in storyboarding the episode, ending it on a dramatic note, with Bell Cranel crestfallen by the situation.

Besides the pacing issues, Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 had some issues with the fighting scenes. The animation wasn't as smooth as the previous episode, where J.C. Staff did well to choreograph the Ryu vs. Hogni battle. Other than these, the episode didn't have many drawbacks.

Conclusion

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Danmachi Season 5 Episode 5 has given the deserving spotlight to Bell Cranel and Goddess Freya. More than Bell, the episode unraveled Freya's character, presenting her thoughts more profoundly to the viewers.

From the production perspective, the episode had a fine storyboard, moderate/rushed pacing, and subpar action choreography. Yet, strictly from the narrative and animation perspective, the episode has truly shone.