Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Harem, Ecchi, School Life, Martial Arts, Isekai

Sub-Tags: Video Games, Eroge, OP, Strong Lead, Dungeons

The Underachiever Aims for the Top!

My second review of the week returns me to the world of Eroge in Magical Explorer as Kousuke aims for the fastest dungeon clear of the academy!

Magical Explorer’s third volume sees Kousuke earn the moniker of an underachiever amongst his classmates. Paying them no heed, however, his over-abundance of dungeon diving is all necessary to achieve part of his ultimate goal, solo the first 40 layers of the academy’s dungeon. But first, he’ll have to figure out what’s eating away at Yukine and come up with the perfect dungeon solution to her problems!

By now, I’m sure most of you know what to expect from this series in terms of ecchi fun. Most of it this time around takes the form of a special fan service dungeon requiring an offering of used panties. Cue some great laughs here as each of his party members’ reactions come off as unique, to say the least.

The fan service is always great, but where this volume really shines is in its more serious moments that have consequences going forward. The first of which involves Yukine.

Her’s is a problem that has been developing quietly throughout the past three volumes. Forever thinking that she’ll be in her older sister’s shadow has caused her abilities to stagnate. To help her fix her situation, Takioto takes her to a special dungeon that’ll be her resolve to the test.

Facing off against the shade of her sister is one of the most important moments within the series. Yukine’s character grows immensely due to this experience and so too does her relationship with Takioto. She gains the special powers she had in the game, which is not only a confidence booster for her but an important milestone for Takioto’s overall goal.

The second important development comes from Takioto challenging the first 40 layers of the academy dungeon. A difficult challenge for sure, but doing this opens so many doors for the future of the series.

Achieving this will ensure he gets the top grade amongst the first years, alleviating the unsavoury rumours and allowing him access to any of the committees of his choosing.

On top of this, challenging the dungeon gives the audience a great view of how each of the heroines so far feels about him. Ludie, Yukine, Nanami and Hatsumi all have unique farewell scenes that help to exemplify their personalities. By the end of volume three, I feel as though I can now predict how each of them will react in different situations, which is a good thing.

To conclude, Magical Explorer’s third volume continues to stand out amongst the crowd with a series full of fan service that is both thoughtful and actively engaging. Character development comes to the forefront of this volume, strengthening their resolves as well as their reason to gravitate towards Takioto. This is a series I highly recommend.