Danmachi’s Problem with Committing to Love Interests

by

Summary

  • Danmachi struggles with balancing harem tropes and single love interest, leaving characters feeling unfulfilled.
  • Ais Wallenstein’s underdevelopment as Bell’s endgame love interest dampens the romantic narrative.
  • The series’ fear of committing to one love interest leads to a bloated roster of unexplored emotional arcs.

As a longtime fan of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (DanMachi), I’ve watched the series evolve over the years and observed its unique blend of action, comedy, and romance. Having read numerous light novels and manga, I can’t help but notice some parallels between DanMachi and other popular franchises like Dragon Ball Z in terms of power scaling and harem dynamics.

There’s something inherently frustrating about the way Danmachi handles romance. Bell Cranel, the pure and innocent hero, is orbiting an ever-expanding roster of love interests, but the story seems to trip over itself every time it gets close to genuine romantic progression.

The series seems to be hesitant, dancing around the topic of relationships, fearful of fully delving into one storyline. This indecision leads to a balancing act between typical harem themes and a sole love interest resolution, neither of which completely satisfies the audience, particularly when the main character’s growth in power is as effortless as spreading soft butter on bread.

Harem or Romance?

An Author’s Dilemma

The conflict arises due to the contrasting tones in Bell’s love story with Ais Wallenstein and the larger plotline. While the tale strongly suggests that Ais is Bell’s ultimate destiny, on the other hand… or from another perspective, it can be said that the narrative forcefully implies that Ais represents Bell’s final goal.

Instead of saying “The author himself has confirmed that Bell x Ais is the ‘destination,’ promising more development once Bell reaches a specific milestone in strength,” you could rephrase it as: The author has explicitly stated that the relationship between Bell and Ais will be further developed when Bell achieves a certain level of strength. However, why does the author continue to subtly build emotional ties with other characters such as Ryuu, Hestia, and even Freya? This question arises because of the emotional connections being established among these characters in the story.

Tell him I will never again ride a chariot that won’t do as it’s told.

From my perspective as an observer, it appears that the solution appears straightforward: harem fanservice is at play here. However, Danmachi encounters a common trap in harem storytelling – escalating emotional tension for characters whose affection will remain unreturned in the end. Notably, Ryuu Lion experiences some of the most heart-wrenching moments with Bell during Season 4.

The storyline of the dungeon arc portrays their bond as intense, authentic, and life-changing. When it becomes apparent that Ryuu is destined to play a secondary role to Ais, a question arises in your mind: “Why did this happen?” or “What was its purpose?

When Everyone Loves Bell, No One Does

Trying to Please Everyone Almost Never Works

The author initially develops intriguing romantic subplots for various characters, including Hestia with her innocent crush and Freya with her intense longing, and creates an engaging dynamic between them and Bell. However, as the plot thickens, these promising romantic storylines are suddenly put on hold, leaving much potential for development unrealized. If the narrative were to follow through with the resolution of these subplots, it could lead to a rewarding conclusion – but for now, that seems unlikely.

Ultimately, guilt boils down to whether you can find it within yourself to forgive your own mistakes. If you truly have transformed, demonstrate it through your behaviors and actions.

Instead, Bell often tiptoes around emotional depth, consistently shy and unaware. Maintaining his “blameless protagonist” image is beneficial, but it hinders the development of the storyline. This ambiguity creates a lack of substance for the female characters. Characters such as Eina and Haruhime, who have the potential for deep friendships, are diminished to mere participants in a romantic game.

It eventually becomes evident that Danmachi fails to distinguish between friends, romantic interests, and mere supporting characters.

The Silent Center

Ais Wallenstein is a Mystery

In the central plot, Ais Wallenstein is surprisingly lacking in depth as Bell’s potential soulmate. Instead of delving into her emotions towards Bell, these feelings are mostly hinted at. This results in their bond appearing rather cold and devoid of emotional warmth compared to his connections with other characters.

In a different take on Sword Oratoria’s spinoff, efforts are made to add layers to Ais’ character, yet it’s additional content for fans who choose to engage with it. The primary narrative often overlooks Ais, making it challenging for viewers to fully support their relationship, as other relationships seem more vibrant and engaging. Bell’s devotion towards Ais significantly contributes to his character development, but this admiration seldom appears mutual. Instead, Ais comes across as a mysterious, detached, and passive figure—cold, distant, and emotionally reserved. If she is indeed Bell’s ultimate goal, the narrative must focus on her character growth, allowing her to actively choose Bell not only as a hero but also as a person, thus giving their relationship depth and making it more compelling.

A Page From Dragon Ball?

The Power Scaling of Romance

In the anime Danmachi, the way love interests are handled bears a striking resemblance to the infamous power scaling issue in Dragon Ball Z. Just like DBZ needed to constantly create more powerful adversaries to keep Goku significant, Danmachi seems to constantly introduce new romantic interests or develop existing ones to sustain the story’s pace. This pattern can quickly become problematic as it leads to an escalating cycle: each new female character requires her own emotional journey, background, and shared moments with Bell. However, as the number of potential love interests increases, the series loses space to provide substantial development for any of them.

In a simpler and more conversational way, characters such as Ryuu Lion and Haruhime illustrate this predicament beautifully. Ryuu’s emotional bond with Bell during the dungeon arc in Season 4 could have been a pivotal romantic moment—her cold exterior softening into something genuine and human. However, it seems more like a powerful emotional climax that will gradually fade into insignificance because the storyline can’t allow her to outshine Ais. Similarly, Haruhime’s romantic connection initially has high emotional significance but is soon pushed aside once her story wraps up, almost as an afterthought in the bigger picture. This continuous craving for “more”—more emotions, more characters, more love stories—weakens the impact of each love interest. It’s reminiscent of how DBZ’s villains eventually lost their significance in favor of grand spectacle, and Bell’s harem starts to feel like an oversized group of potentials that never truly develop. Consequently, no character, not even Ais, gets the attention they deserve.

Fear of Closing the Door

Ultimately, Danmachi’s struggle with romantic relationships stems from a deep-seated fear. The narrative is hesitant to shut the door on its harem-like dynamics since it feeds off audience excitement about potential pairings. However, this reluctance to make a choice leaves every love interest feeling somewhat neglected.

Instead of leaving the “what ifs” between Bell and Ryuu, or the silent tension with Hestia unresolved, the storyline in Danmachi seems to lack a satisfying conclusion, making the romantic narrative feel incompletely developed. If the relationship between Bell and Ais is indeed the future, Danmachi should stop avoiding the topic and fully explore it instead.

Read More

2024-12-25 05:39