Thread by @Herms98

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai ep.41: Pissed Myst’s great and the logistics of Dai’s sword are interesting, while the castle’s just there to be knocked down. But it knocks down well. 4/5 #DragonQuest #ep41

What was the name of this episode again?

Even under torture, Popp’s still Popp

Thanks to Mimas from the Dragon’s Den and several others for explaining the secret behind Myst’s Byut Deathstringer technique. This is a reference to Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (the OG sentai show), whose Red Ranger had a whip named Red Byut.

In turn, the name of Gorenger’s Red Byut was apparently supposed to be based on the sound a whip makes as it cuts through the air, and it’s inspired whips in various other series to be named “Byut”, including the DQ games.

(This has apparently given rise to the misunderstanding among Japanese fans that “Byut” means whip in English or some other foreign language, since on its own the sound effect byut isn’t strongly associated with whips)

The Dai Perfect Book contains a diagram of Sovereign Rock Castle. Height: 145 meters. Weight: immeasurable. It moves via the magic motor balls in its elbows and hips. When it stands, these magic balls draw in rocks to form its feet and hands, which it lacks when in castle form.

The Left Shoulder contains the table where the six legion commanders hold their meetings. The Heart is where magical ceremonies are conducted to learn new spells. The Lungs are where new soldiers are made. And the throne room is in the head.

In the manga, the Shadow monster hides in King Bengarna’s shadow, where Merle spots it and stabs it. It’s a refreshingly active moment for her, so it’s rather disappointing that in the anime she just points at the Shadow.

Also, while the Shadow itself runs off, the anime adds in an extra monster that Leona defeats. This addition is a bit puzzling. Why add this but leave out Merle’s shadow-stabbing? Seems a bit Leona-centric.

After Dai departs with his new sword, in the manga Jank toasts Lon on a job well done. After teasing Jank about his age (despite being way older), Lon notes how demons have longer lifespans but as a result tend to live slow, uneventful lives. Sadly anime leaves this scene out.

In general I think the anime has left out a lot of good Lon moments, which is a shame because he’s a character I’m particularly fond of. But he’s still got plenty of good bits coming up, so here’s hoping this trend doesn’t continue

From the manga: the splash page of the castle getting sliced in two, plus Dai holding his sword up afterwards.

Hmmm…I feel like the anime pose isn’t quite as dynamic. Am I just being picky?

I did like the look of the castle bot more this time around, but it still looked cooler when it was a rock Eva

Also, I’ll belatedly note that 鬼岩城/Kiganjō is a homonym for 奇岩城, the name of Lupin’s hideout the Hollow Needle in the Japanese translations of Maurice Leblanc’s Lupin novels. Coincidence? Maybe, but Lupin is pretty well-known in Japan (hence Lupin III)

Another small touch: in the manga the others are a bit startled by King Romos’ exuberance. The anime tends to leave out these smaller comedic visuals.

Next Week: Badlands!