This episode returns the show to some of the silly antics at Clearflow village. It is absolutely a filler plot but I don’t mind it all that much. Not that Boxxo and his friends haven’t caught a break here and there but Season 2 has almost been nonstop adventuring and the slice of life element of the story has fell to the wayside ever since the attack on Clearflow. If anything, I’m happy to go back to this side of the show again.
In this episode, Munami decides to run a new event called the Dungeon Goddess Grand Prix (DGGP), a talent show/popularity contest among the show’s various female characters. The prize would be fifty of any item from Boxxo’s inventory for free. Lammis and Hulemy are initially apprehensive about participating in the contest. They’d feel it’d be too awkward for them and knowing that Shirley will compete in the contest, they think their chances of winning are very low. The girls quickly change their minds however when Munami says Shirley plans on giving Boxxo a kiss when she win. Obviously, Munami is bluffing here (I think) but I can’t say I blame Lammis and Hulemy for taking the bait. It’s a very convincing lie. Watching this scene makes me realize how much I’ve missed Munami’s mischief. The crazy ideas she cooks up in her head really is one of the show’s best sources of comedy and the show does a great job using it just enough times to keep it from getting old.
Lammis and Hulemy team up with Shui to tackle the contest together. In the event that Lammis or Hulemy win, they’ll hand the prize over to Shui (unsurprisingly, Shui wants a lot of free food). While brainstorming, the girls realize that they lack any fashionable clothes to wear for the contest. Fortunately, Boxxo has access to fashion magazines from his world, giving the girls some ideas.
The contest kicks off the next day. I kind of figured Munami would be the emcee but it does feel like a missed opportunity not having her compete. With how much of a gremlin she is, it would’ve made for some fun. Speaking of the contestants, I have to give this episode credit for involving some deep cuts from the cast. Like, aside from obvious picks such as Shirley, you also see minor characters such as Director Origin and Fia (the girl Boxxo helps hook up with Karios) compete as well.
As expected, Shirley is the favorite among the crowd. Lammis, Hulemy, and Shui worry that they still don’t have a decent shot at winning the contest, prompting Boxxo to imbue the former two with the power of modern day makeup from his world. I had a good laugh when the show visualizes the glow ups as magical girl transformation sequences. My one nitpick with this moment is Shui getting the short end of the stick. This is apparently due to a lack of time but that’s a very contrived excuse and if there’s anything I’ve learned from watching magical girl anime, it’s that transformation sequences give you all the time in the world.
The contestants proceed to perform through the talent show portion of the event. Some of the showcases are pretty funny such as Suori and Kikoyu cheating by having their companions do some tricks instead of actually showing something they themselves can do. In addition to demonstrating their talents, Lammis, Hulemy, and Shui also don the new outfits inspired by the fashion magazines. You’d think after browsing through different catalogs, the girls would end up wearing something extravagant but in the end, they just settle on school uniforms from Boxxo’s world. It’s a pretty underwhelming reveal though it does make the girls look like they’re participating in a school festival which, combined with their more fantastical abilities, does make for an amusing image. To everyone’s surprise, Shirley drops out at the last minute, claiming that she’s suddenly caught a cold. Boxxo later runs into Shirley, who explains that she dropped out to let someone else enjoy the spotlight. Given Shirley’s specialties, I would’ve loved to see what she’d do at the talent show but her reasoning is a nice excuse and it also makes her a more likable character so I can let that slide.
Ultimately, the winner of the DGGP is Lammis. I’d call it predictable to crown the main heroine of the show but I can see her goof during the talent show winning a lot of people over. In addition to the free supplies from Boxxo, Lammis is also awarded the Untiring Godsfeet, a pair of magic boots provided by Suori’s family. The boots catch Hevee’s attention though not in the way footwear usually does. Rather, Hevee looks particularly shocked and troubled to see the boots. Suori tells Hevee that her father found the Untiring Godsfeet in the Scorching Sand Stratum and it’s implied that Hevee heads over there during the contest’s afterparty. On one hand, Hevee investigating a pair of boots being one of, if not the very last event in Season 2 sounds a bit silly to me. But on the other, I’m all for the show potentially exploring Hevee’s character in a more serious light.
Watch Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon on Crunchyroll
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