Delicious in Dungeon Episode 18 – Mimicry

If you’re like me and love horror films, when you watched Delicious in Dungeon episode 18, you probably had a smile from ear to ear remembering John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Blizzards Kill

The group makes it to the 6th floor in search of Falin. What they encounter isn’t what they expect. Instead of the hot and humid weather associated with the sixth level, they find a cold and arctic environment. But they press forward as Laios shares his plan and what knowledge he has been able to put together from their prior encounters with the Lunatic Magician. How will he do that, you ask? Some good old fashion talk-no-jujitsu.

But their discussion on future plans is cut short as a blizzard descends on them and brings white-out conditions. If you’ve never been in a blizzard with white-out conditions. Nothing prepares you for how disorienting it is. Yet, the party has the right idea by holding hands to not get lost. They also opted for shelter when the opportunity presented itself. Should you ever find yourself in these conditions, that’s what you should do. In these conditions, not only is heading forward an issue, but the snow and wind will cover your tracks, so heading backward will also be an issue.

Illusions and Monsters

Because of Laios, the party is safe… somewhat. Unfortunately, during their trek, a monster decided to tag along, and to their annoyance, it cast illusion magic and made copies of those it was stalking. This is an issue. Failing to pinpoint the imposter means you get eaten (time for a The Thing rewatch).

While weeding out some of the impostors is easy, the more lifelike copies prove to be problematic. To overcome this, Laios suggests preparing and eating a meal. And while this may seem trivial, it’s honestly a pretty solid move. If something can mimic appearances and surface memories, something visceral like disdain for food isn’t easily replicated. Likewise, the minute movements associated with cooking could also be a giveaway.

I don’t know if Laios was considering this, but he does pay attention to the small mannerisms and expressive traits of his companions. Those, no matter the situation, are hard for an individual to change. More importantly, they’re hard for someone else to copy. Those little things let Laios choose the correct members of his party.

But their lack of faith leads them to doubt him. Instead of lamenting this, Laios decides that the best course of action is to act like a dog and lure out the monster hunting them. And it works! As Laios charges the Kitsune that’s now before them, the illusions break, and Marcille channels her inner Megumin and blows it up.

Turns out all that bravado was for nothing, as Laios was right. And as the group shares a meal, he lets them know how he came to that conclusion. But, if there’s one thing this party can’t do, it’s relaxing. As the episode ends, Marcille gets overpowered by Izutsumi, who had fled during the fight with Falin. And with that Delicious in Dungeon, episode 18 comes to an end.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 18 Wrap-Up

If anything can be said about Delicious in Dungeon, it’s that it’s an honest fantasy. There are never any unbelievable plot twists. The way the characters voice their displeasure comparable to what we’d do. The portrayal of fictional beasts is similar to how those beasts would theoretically live were they real and how they’re depicted in mythology. Many cryptids and myths are often associated with mimicry. It’s a truly global phenomenon. Cultures past and present from all over the world have stories with beings capable of doing this. Some are so ingrained in popular culture that even if one doesn’t know their origins, they’ve heard of them (think of beings like skinwalkers, kitsunes, nahuals).

The show does a good job of not falling into grandiose tropes usually associated with shows like this. There are no out-of-the-blue power-ups, no hidden strengths, and the way the characters associated with the world around them has been pretty uniform, and that’s an A+ in world-building. Hopefully, the show can continue with the level of excellence it’s had up to now.

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Screenshots via Netflix
© Ryoko Kui, KADOKAWA/Delicious in Dungeon PARTNERS