Danmachi season 5 episode 10 review: Freya's backstory gets cut short as J.C. Staff keeps speedrunning the adaptation

Although Danmachi season 5 episode 10 witnessed one of the stunning expositions from J.C. Staff in terms of animation, it was probably the first major fumble the studio made concerning the adaptation. Released on December 12, 2024, the episode, titled War Game, was all set to act as a prelude for the main event.

While it did, it came at the cost of Freya's backstory. Throughout the season, J.C. Staff's production has been speedrunning the adaptation, leaving multiple narrative points unaddressed from the light novel. For instance, Syr's actual identity in the anime was delivered in a roundabout way without properly explaining Freya's backstory.

J.C. Staff had the perfect chance to rectify the mistake by covering the narrative from the end of Volume 17 and its epilogue leading into Volume 18's prologue. However, the studio cut almost one-fourth of the volume's content to highlight the War Game mini-arcs inception. Therefore, while the episode may have appeared stunning to anime fans, it did a massive disservice to the light novel readers.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains spoilers from Danmachi season 5 episode 10.

Danmachi season 5 episode 10 review: Evaluating the adaptation, J.C. Staff's production, and the overall narrative

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

The anime adaptation of Fujino Omori's light novel series has always met a fast-paced adaptation from J.C. Staff Studio. For instance, the first season staggeringly covered volumes 1-5, leaving many plot points unexplored. This led many fans to read the light novel and acknowledge the wide range of narrative nuances by Fujino Omori.

Although the adaptation's pace slowed in the subsequent seasons, it covered three average volumes. The ongoing season isn't an exception from this. There are multiple plot points related to Freya, Ryu, Anya, and others that the anime hasn't done justice.

While Freya has had a fair share of the spotlight in the season, J.C. Staff left major narratives concerning Freya and her "Double Role" with Syr untouched from the end of volume 17. Danmachi season 5 episode 10 picked up the events from the previous installment and commenced with Freya challenging Hestia to a War Game.

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

In other words, the episode picked up the adaptation right before volume 17's epilogue. While the scene did justice to the light novel, barring some minor changes to Freya's response to Bell Cranel's proposal, it could have led up to Freya's monologue on her double role.

However, Danmachi season 5 episode 10 skipped many events from Volume 17's epilogue and Volume 18's prologue and directly showed Orario's response to the War Game's news. While it may not seem strange to an "anime-only" audience, a light novel reader would know the hard fact.

Freya's motives, or rather, why she's obsessed with Bell so much, was perfectly elaborated in volume 17 epilogue. Likewise, Danmachi season 5 episode 10 could have covered the "Double Role II" chapter (acts as an extension of volume 17's epilogue to volume 18's prologue) to show Freya's backstory in Heaven and how her life in Paradise was.

Hestia, with War Game's rules (Image via J.C.Staff)

However, the staff working on the episode decided to focus on the War Game. While the outcome was satisfactory from an anime audience's perspective, the episode could have offered more. For example, J.C. Staff could have slowed down the adaptation and taken one episode to invest in Freya's backstory fully.

Danmachi season 5 episode 10 could have begun with the adaptation of Double Role I and II rather than picking up the adaptation from the previous episode. Moreover, it was revealed from the DVD and Blu-ray information that the ongoing season would run for 15 episodes. With five episodes remaining, how J.C. Staff covers volume 18 remains to be seen, which will likely be the final volume for season 5.

Ais Wallenstein in the episode (Image via J.C.Staff)

Moreover, the adaptation wasn't the only problem Danmachi season 5 episode 10 had. Although the episode knit the fragmented events and gave them coherence, it still couldn't escape a "rushed" feeling. The production studio could have slowed down and let the characters interact slightly more. Finn's discussion with Royman and Hedin was elaborated in the light novel.

Likewise, the episode only left breadcrumbs for fans who have read Sword Oratoria, with Ais and Ottar's scene. An anime-only fan will be confused by the scene, which will probably be explained in the future. Besides, the scene featuring Hestia and Bell Cranel could have had more narrative.

However, these are only minor faults compared to the initial problem that was already discussed. Yet, there's still a glimmer of hope that J.C. Staff can fix the adaptation's pace. The production studio has five episodes remaining, with one volume left to cover.

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

That said, volume 18 largely consists of battle scenes. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the studio incorporates anime original scenes. Yet, that seems to be a wish at this point.

Coming to the animation, J.C. Staff maintained the high quality from the previous episodes. The art direction and the still frames appeared polished. Moreover, the studio didn't have to animate heavy battle scenes since the episode was calmer before the storm.

Freya collects the flower ahead of the War Game (Image via J.C.Staff)

Danmachi season 5 episode 10 acted as a set-up installment for the War Game, which has already commenced. Thus, the next five episodes will largely consist of high-quality battles between the Freya Familia and the Allied Army led by Hestia Familia. As a set-up episode, J.C. Staff truly nailed the production.

Following the opening theme, Danmachi season 5 episode 10 emphasized Orario's reaction to the War Game's announcement. Hestia Familia's allying with other Familia was revealed via an off-screen conversation. At the same time, the episode witnessed Familia's different reactions and preparations leading up to the war game.

Hedin Selland, as seen prepared for the War Game (Image via J.C.Staff)

Although the light novels did it better in some respect, the anime did well within its runtime. Besides, J.C. Staff perfectly employed OSTs throughout the episode. For example, the scene where the Ganesha Familia explained the War Game's rules and inaugurated the Hide and Seek game deserves special mention.

Likewise, the mellowed OST played in Hestia, and Bell's scene at the former's manor is worth noting. J.C. Staff didn't disappoint fans in the OST, animation, and production departments. Besides the rushed adaptation, Danmachi season 5 episode 10 was truly a fine exposition, reflecting the essence of Fujino Omori's original work.

Conclusion

The setting for the War Game in Danmachi season 5 episode 10 (Image via J.C.Staff)

Although Danmachi season 5 episode 10 was visually brilliant, it couldn't reach the realm of greatness due to narrative reasons. J.C. Staff had ample scope to extend Freya's background and show the time she spent in Paradise. The studio had the perfect chance to elaborate on Freya's double role and impact on her psyche.

Yet, the production team decided to focus on the War Game's narrative. J.C. Staff can still rectify and add those missing elements as flashback devices in the remaining episodes. As such, it remains to be seen how or whether the studio plans on incorporating such scenes to expand Freya's character more.