I’ll be honest. When this episode began, I expected to get thrown into the plot point set up at the end of the previous episode. Though that clearly isn’t the case, I’m guessing that’s a plot point that will be explored later in the series. Honestly, I just hope that plot point doesn’t get ignored for the remainder of the series, as it seems to be something they’re trying to build up to, and it’d be a waste to completely ignore it.
The episode begins with Takumi and the kids in town, getting used to life in this new world, and we get to witness one of Takumi’s complaints with the world…the bread doesn’t have anything in it! So he heads to the bakery and teaches the folks who work there how to make some common treats in Japan: bread with things baked into it. Because this world hasn’t discovered that yet, it appears. Alan and Elena get to help out by helping to spread some of the ingredients that get to be baked into the bread, and once they’re baked, the kids end up liking the bread! The workers also offer to sell it in Takumi’s name and give him some of the profits, but Takumi’s like “Nah, I’m good”. I would’ve accepted it, though that’s probably because I’m a broke college student who is making $0 net income at the time I’m writing this article. After all, it’s summer, and I chose to not grab any shifts during the summer. However, I believe that this was a nice way to start the episode, especially since it delves more into the dynamic that Takumi has with the kids.
At the guild, Takumi (and presumably the kids as well) got promoted to E-rank from F-rank. I’m predicting he’s being promoted to the next rank at some point during the cour. During their time at the guild, they hear about how there’s a nearby labyrinth…and Takumi and the kids decide to go explore it. Initially only planning to explore the initial floors, the group ends up exploring pretty far due to the kids correctly navigating through the labyrinth, both pointing in the same direction and being on the correct path.
When it’s time to face monsters, Takumi lets the kids take care of a mole, with the two kids noticing that the mole has disappeared after they defeated it. Takumi then instructs the kids to look for drops, in which they find a whisker. After some further traveling, they decide to take a break to have a meal and get some rest. This is the routine they fall into while exploring the labyrinth, and on their journey, they find a treasure chest, which Takumi checks to see if it’s safe before opening it. Apparently, that’s one of his skills, I guess?
However, after opening the chest, the kids notice a monster coming to Takumi, point it out, and then defeat it. Takumi then does some reflecting on the kids, but that gets interrupted by Alan and Elena pointing out a monster. Takumi fights it because the monster they pointed out has venom, and he doesn’t want to put the kids in that kind of danger. Of course, they also get attacked by giant bees, which Alan and Elena decide to fight (with Takumi warning them to be careful of the stingers), and while they seem to just be playing at first (leaving Takumi to sort the drops), the two end up defeating the bees, getting honey, which is rare for the town they’re staying in! After making a pact to fight all the bees they come across, the two kids get to fight more bees!
For the meal, Takumi makes French toast with honey, which the kids enjoy! But of course, after the meal, more bees attacked since they smelled honey. After further adventuring, they make it to the final floor, where they enter the boss room and fight a giant worm, which after some struggle, Takumi manages to defeat with a single skill once it does hit. This means either bro is over-leveled for this labyrinth, or Syl gave Takumi a high-level skill.
But they then get to the room where the way back to the surface, and the kids find a chest. This time there’s no on-screen check as to whether the chest was safe or not, but the chest got opened anyway, revealing bombs that get activated through magic…and the kids begin playing with. But the three do end up touching the ball, going back to the surface from which they came. They’re about to head back into town, but the kids find a canine-esque creature, and the stats state it to be Takumi’s contracted beast. Takumi decides to try dog tricks, which the beast does successfully. And guess what…it gets named Joule since it still needs a name! That’s where the title comes from! After using the power of contracted beasts to have Joule hide in his shadow, Takumi and the kids go into town, where Takumi has another conversation with Syl, where it’s revealed that Joule was sent by the Water god…and that there’s also a lot more stuff for Takumi to accept, supposedly with divine punishment if it’s refused.
Syl also decides to send a contracted beast or two, giving instructions to Takumi as to where to go to find it/them. Of course, Takumi ends up going and sees the summoning of the beasts…and that is where the episode ends.
This was an interesting way to continue the series, though I hope the expedition that was brought up in the previous episode does come back. Hopefully, it’ll be in the next episode, but it’s not something that’ll cause me to have a 100% chance of dropping the series if it doesn’t appear. After all, it could be building up to something bigger. The antics they got up to were adorable, and it has me excited for what next week…or the upcoming Sunday, has to bring! I guess I’ll see y’all then!
Additional posts about A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring:
Sara Talks Anime 
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