Review — Delicious in Dungeon

There was something quirky about the premise to this show whenever Netflix would try to convince me to watch it. The idea didn’t sound unique at first, but eventually I was swayed enough into trying it. I’m glad I did, for I liked the full course meal that was Dungeon Meshi, or Delicious in Dungeon. This is my review of all the important pieces that brought it together.

Content

Violence
The show is quite bloody but in a very matter-of-fact way. It is obviously bloody to cut up an animal and prepare its parts for eating, so it is with the show. No attention is drawn to this blood and gore, and it’s still much tamer than reality. In episode 3, a sword is shown going through a guy’s neck from the bottom up, and a pool of blood is shown on the floor. A bit graphic.

Language
D***, A**, H***, and B****** are used throughout the anime.

Sexual Content
A few instances of “Barbie doll nudity,” where a character is clearly nude, but their genitalia are not drawn. Episode 17 has harpy birds with exposed and detailed female breasts. There are many gratuitous underwear shots of one of the male characters, Senshi. They are played for laughs, but the shots can be revealing. In ep 15, Dryads (plant monsters that look like partially naked humans) are ALMOST shown making out (there is a brief close up of their open mouths, tongues visible). They are interrupted. Later, a character starts to give another character “the talk” to explain why he covered his eyes from seeing them. Used for humor. Two female mermaid/siren characters are shown bathing together. Scene is completely non sexual and their breasts are briefly seen with hair covering their nipples. A girl who is part beast undresses in front of everyone because her clothes got wet; her entire body is covered in fur so nothing explicit is shown. A man obsessed with researching monsters asks how many nipples she has before he is quickly shut up by the rest of the group.

Alcohol/Substance Abuse
There’s brief scenes of people drinking in taverns.

Review

The Appetizer

The beginning isn’t original, but it is done really well. We are introduced to Marcille, Laios, and Chilchuck, a trio that has a very clear goal of reviving their healer, Falin, who had fallen to a dragon in their last raid. But they are extremely poor — too poor to afford food. It’s Laios and his interest in monsters that proposes they cook them up and use them for sustenance. Enter Senshi, a dwarf that lives in the dungeon and survives off this same notion Laios suggests. Together, they convince the other two to give it a shot. It works in their favor, and with this new knowledge and potential for new ways to survive in the dungeon, they are able to carry on in search of their friend.

The Entree 

Delicious in Dungeon formats their episodes into exploring, and somehow making two unique dishes. The tone of the series is mostly chill, humorous, and adventurous; but it can get thrilling and suspenseful at times. What gets me excited for each new episode is the relationship between the main characters. They have wonderful chemistry, and they each have their own personality that is typical but refreshing. Laios is always overly ambitious to try a new monster. Marcille is the skilled elven mage and is immensely against the idea of eating monsters, even though she finds the food yummy. Chilchuk tries to play it cool, but is usually the one giving practical advice as the voice of reason. Senshi lives for cooking monsters. He carries no weapons, only cooking utensils and tools. His vast knowledge of monster weaknesses, herbs, and dungeon-ology serves the party well.

The anime really gets going when the backstory of all the characters come out. The whole cast is well-written, and their motivations are clear. Just when exploring and eating food get good, the plot arrives; and it throws this whimsical adventure headlong into the lore of the dungeon, the world politics, and the personal interests of the main party. 

This isn’t a spoiler, but the dungeon is its own entity. Not living or breathing, but magical. The depths have not been fully discovered, but people don’t die in it. They can be resurrected for a certain time if the diving crew comes and gets them. It does have limited resources. The first few floors only have monsters and vegetation left. Laios and the party get plenty of time to stock up, and relearn exploring with the mind of a dungeon foodie. In doing so, it flips everything they know, and even begins to help the other adventurers around them.

The Dessert

I like Delicious in Dungeon for its wholesome vibes. It’s got action, mystery, adventure, and friendship and doesn’t include fanservice. There’s been a surge of anime and manga lately proving you can have a quality experience without sexual overtones. The anime spends its time investing in smaller details like Marcille’s staff construction through magic, or Chilchuk’s mastery of traps. The one time they took apart a floor tile trap to reveal how it works was genius, but then they turned it around to use it as a makeshift stove! It’s that kind of thinking that makes me enjoy something. Delicious in Dungeon has soared into my top ten, not for one thing about it, but for all its parts that work together.

I’m hungry.