{"id":944,"date":"2019-02-25T22:00:11","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=944"},"modified":"2019-02-24T19:57:31","modified_gmt":"2019-02-24T10:57:31","slug":"what-its-like-to-watch-danmachi-and-sword-oratoria-chronologically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/25\/what-its-like-to-watch-danmachi-and-sword-oratoria-chronologically\/","title":{"rendered":"What It’s Like to Watch DanMachi and Sword Oratoria Chronologically"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leading up to the release of new feature film <\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion<\/span><\/i>, I decided to go back and re-watch the previous two TV anime: the original <\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i>. But this time, I decided to try something a bit different: watch them in chronological order.<\/span><\/p>\n

The original <\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?<\/span><\/i> is a 13 episode series (with one additional OVA episode) set in a world where gods make partnerships or \u201cfamilias\u201d with humans–giving said humans the power needed to venture into the mysterious, monster-filled dungeon beneath the city of Orario. It follows newbie adventurer Bell Cranel, the only human paired with low-tier goddess Hestia, as he ventures into the dungeon in the hopes of finding adventure–and a girlfriend. But while his grandfather told him he\u2019d certainly get the chance to rescue a damsel in distress and win her heart, the exact opposite happens when he is rescued from certain death by Ais Wallenstein, the legendary Sword Princess. From there he is driven to grow stronger so that he can one day be a man worthy of her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

Rather than a sequel, the second anime, <\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i>, is a 12 episode \u201csidequel\u201d to the original. Taking place over the same basic time period as the first anime, <\/span>Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> shows what is happening through Ais\u2019 viewpoint instead of Bell\u2019s–though not Ais\u2019 exclusively. The other main character in <\/span>Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> is Lefiya, a young elf girl in the same familia as Ais, who attempts to befriend Ais even as she battles against her own case of hero worship for the Sword Princess.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

But while both series happen at the same time–and many of the same events happen in both–they are far from identical. And the best way to see all the differences? Watch both series not in broadcast order but rather in chronological order. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, by this, I don\u2019t mean to imply I re-cut and re-edited both series into one or anything so extreme. Rather, I simply alternated back and forth between the series in the following, roughly chronological, order.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> 1
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>1
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> 2
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>2
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> 3
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>3
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>4
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>4
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>5
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>5
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>6
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>6
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>7
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>8
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>7
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>9
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>8
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>10
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>9
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>11
\n<\/span>Sword Oratoria <\/span><\/i>12
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>10
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>11
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>12
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? <\/span><\/i>13
\n<\/span>Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?<\/span><\/i> OVA<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

To be clear, this is in no way perfect as the pair of anime are not designed to be watched this way. The resulting pacing is terrible: sometimes several episodes of one series happen in the middle of a single episode of the other. Other times, we switch series on a cliffhanger, recklessly diffusing the tension by focusing on events that are completely unrelated. <\/span><\/p>\n

And while this is<\/span> a <\/span><\/i>chronological order, due to how the two series jump through time, it is not <\/span>the only possible<\/span><\/i> chronological order. However, the strong point of this particular one is that it (mostly) keeps the emotional impact of the various scenes by not undercutting itself–e.g., we see Bell\u2019s fight with the Minotaur before we see it from Ais\u2019 point of view since it is a pivotal moment for Bell more than anyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

In watching chronologically, the story takes a different shape. There are now three main characters, each who have different viewpoints. Bell is at the bottom of the adventurer hierarchy. He is a newbie attached to a no name god who basically has no idea what he\u2019s getting into. Ais, on the other hand, is at the top of it all–though that\u2019s not to say she lacks in her own troubles. While Bell\u2019s are much more basic–i.e., making enough money for food–Ais\u2019 are as complex as they are personal. Then, rounding out the trio we have Lefiya who is a newbie not to adventuring but to the top tier of adventuring that is basically old hat for Ais. With the three of them, we get a nice cross section of what life is like for the standard (and not so standard) adventurer. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, it\u2019s revealed that the world and recent events are far more complex than we see when confined to just Bell\u2019s POV. While Bell\u2019s story so far is of a more personal nature, Ais\u2019 story paints a much bigger picture of the dungeon and the odd things happening within. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

This wider view applies to characters as well. While in the original anime the goddess Loki seems enigmatic at best, seeing her actions across both series together makes her seem downright noble. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the biggest plus of this watch order is that we get to see the same scenes from different points of view within minutes of each other. This allows us to directly contrast the two scenes while they are still fresh in our minds–intensifying the impact. Scenes, especially those with a romantic undertone when seen through Bell\u2019s eyes, can be quite different through Ais\u2019 eyes. Because, as we learn, while Bell is interested in Ais for romantic reasons, Ais is interested in Bell because of the astounding speed of his improvement. Then, from Lefiya, we can get a complete outsiders view of the whole situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n

In the end, I would not recommend watching these series in chronological order on your first time through. The sad fact is they are just not built to be watched this way. So unless you already have a firm grasp on the events going in, it\u2019s easy to get confused. However, if you\u2019ve seen either or both series before–and are looking to get a refresher before the film and new season come out in the West this year, I can\u2019t recommend re-watching them this way enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?<\/span><\/i> can be seen in English on <\/span>Crunchyroll<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Sword Oratoria<\/span><\/i> can be seen in English on <\/span>Amazon Prime Video<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>AnimeLab<\/span><\/a> (AU\/NZ). <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Top Image Source: warnerbrosanime<\/a> on YouTube<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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