The Voracious Villainess Episode 4 Impressions and Dub

Episode 4 of The Voracious Villainess is a quieter one, with no fresh monster meat on the menu this week. Even so, it moves the story along in a real way: Melphiera has accepted Aristide’s proposal and is heading off to live with him, which is plenty to chew on.

The biggest reveal is that the Voracious Villainess rumors were started by Melphiera’s own father, who wanted to keep her and her mother’s research out of the wrong hands. We also learn that the people near the family’s land follow animism, a belief that forbids eating monsters.

I will admit the worldbuilding feels a little tangled here. The research starts to look less like a daring new approach to food and more like a mother and daughter reviving old recipes, which is sweet but not the great taboo the show keeps hinting at. Honestly, the villagers do not need a reason to find monster meat gross. Plenty of people dislike a food purely for its taste or texture, and a series like Delicious in Dungeon shows you can lean into that without overexplaining.

Where the episode wins me over is the central pair. Melphiera and Aristide warm to each other fast, which makes sense given both have been pushed aside by everyone around them, and Aristide flips from aloof hunter to devoted partner almost instantly. They reminded me a bit of Kyros and Marie from Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex, right down to the red haired lead.

The closing couple of minutes are a delight. Aristide shows up to collect Melphiera and casually burns all her trash with one of his dragons. It is gloriously over the top and it made me laugh out loud.

I also sampled the dub this week, and first impressions are positive. For now the dub and sub feel about even, so your choice will likely come down to taste. I am partial to Katie Welch’s wonderfully sweet Melphiera in the dub and Taito Ban’s gentler Aristide in the sub. The series is streaming on Crunchyroll.

My take: When this show stops overexplaining its food taboos and just lets Melphiera and Aristide be charming together, it is a lot of fun. I am here for the dragon powered trash duty alone.