Delicious in Dungeon vol. 13

This isn’t a review of vol. 13.

That’s because it’s basically the first half of the ending of the series.  The volume’s six chapters are all about Laios and company’s climactic battle against the Winged Lion and you’re not going  to find out anything about how it ends here.  However, you will have to wait in order to see how everything shakes out afterwards.  Without all of the falling action that follows, you only feel like you’re getting half the story in vol. 13.

When I was reading the scanlations, I was wondering if vol. 13 would wind up being an extra-long final one given the chapters that follow it.  That turned out not to be the case as Japanese publisher Kadokawa split it up into two, but at least did Japanese readers a solid by releasing both volumes 13 & 14 on the same day.  I realize that’s a price-gouging move that I’d expect to see out of an American comic book publisher… but I am so far in the tank for this series that, had I been reading this in Japan, I’d have said (wait for it) “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!”

Vol. 14 isn’t set to arrive on these shores until July, but I can assure you that it’ll be worth the wait.  I’ll also be ready to talk about the series, and its final two volumes, on the podcast when it happens, and with Steve too – his schedule permitting.  We’ll be dishing on the series highs and its lows on the podcast with our specific thoughts about how we thought it wrapped up.  As to whether or not mangaka Ryoko Kui dropped the ball here… well, after her track record up to this point, how do you think she did?