After taking a break in Clearflow Lake, the gang decides to head back down to the Labyrinth to take on the Flame Skeletitan. Kerioyl reveals to Boxxo and Lammis that the Lord coins can each grant one wish when used in the lowest stratum in the dungeon and that the goal of Menagerie of Fools is to get all their wishes granted with their coins. Currently, the eight members of Menagerie of Fools has three coins; some members such as Kerioyl and Filmina share the same wish so they need six coins in total. Kerioyl invites Lammis and Boxxo as part-time members of the team to help them get more coins and he honors Boxxo’s ownership of the Crocodile Lord coin.
The coins’ ability to grant wishes raises an interesting dilemma for Boxxo. Should he use his coin to wish himself back into human form? Thing is, Boxxo can’t deny that he’s felt the most useful as a vending machine and he probably wouldn’t have as many friends if he was human again. That said, Lammis will still be his friend and the possibility of doing more human things with her (not like that) might be enough of an incentive for Boxxo to wish himself back as a human. I suppose Boxxo becoming human again would be a happy ending. And if the show really wants him and Lammis to hook up, they may want to make their relationship less weird. That said, it would be funny if the dude is a vending machine for the rest of his life so I don’t know which route I prefer.
Now, you may be wondering what the gang could possibly do against the Skeletitan. Well, Director Bear provides part of the solution. From an earlier expedition, the Hunters found a giant trap door that’s large enough and deep enough for the Skeletitan to fall in and allow everyone to fight it more safely. To extinguish the flames, Boxxo first dumps a ton of water into the pit though he later switches over to dry ice when drainage becomes an issue and he realizes that depriving the Skeletitan’s flames of oxygen would be more efficient.
The dry ice works as intended but the gang still lacks the firepower to damage the Skeletitan from afar. The problem with fighting the Lord up close however is the amount of carbon dioxide down below and Boxxo lacks the ability to inform everyone that the air is poisonous. So to keep everyone out, Boxxo gets Lammis flustered with his pornographic magazines (I know what I wrote), tricking her into smacking him into the pit so that he can then use his weight to crush through the Skeletitan. I like that Boxxo’s plans aren’t instant fixes and they aren’t always foolproof. It’s more fun when there’s something he fails to take into consideration and he has to improvise from there. The silliness is a neat bonus. Only in this show can I see a girl call a vending machine a pervert. Also, it’s nice to see the show utilize Lammis’s superstrength for a change. This poor girl keeps getting get sidelined whenever the action kicks in.
You know, Hulemy might want to take notes whenever she’s around Boxxo. She’s the only one who finds it odd when there’s no signs of vaporization after the Skeletitan lands in the pit and she more or less figures out from Boxxo’s form change that the pit has poisonous air. The gang also leaves it to her in deducing Boxxo’s abilities when he shows them a new form. This vending machine might singlehandedly advance her understanding of science and technology and the show should honestly bank more on that.
Once the Skeletitan is dead, Boxxo collects its Power Coin. Kerioyl almost takes it for himself but he concedes when Hulemy points out that they wouldn’t have won without Boxxo. So instead, Kerioyl buys the coin off of Boxxo and by its going rate no less. Props to him for keeping things fair. I’m guessing the endgame of this show is fighting more Lords and collecting more coins. I believe Menagerie of Fools needs two more coins so it’s possible that could happen within the four episodes. That said, Hulemy did say that Lords spawn at an extremely slow rate. The best way to fight more Lords would be going to other stratas and marathoning through that much worldbuilding in four episodes would be a bad idea.
Watch Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon on Crunchyroll
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