Delicious in Dungeon

This is based of a manga by the same name which has been completed in Japanese as of this review. While it may start a bit slow, it is VERY worth sticking around for.

Per the manga, the characters have fun interactions, the world isn't as simple as it seems, and the plot gets twisty. It has a constant forward progression yet retains the spirit a food centric anime. It's very well balanced in all these and the pacing may be a little more slow than normal for anime, but there is no dawdling, that's replaced by character development. Honestly, I think it's just worth it for the characters alone and the comedy is solid.

I really hope Trigger does right by this through the end (hoping we get that far) and so far they have delivered.

The show has been carefully designed, to make use of vibrant colors and quick pacing, which hooks you and keeps you watching. The concept is entirely unique, has the perfect sense of morbid curiosity, and is intertwined with a meta story that wraps into something bigger which is excellent. Surprisingly for a Netflix show, the main character Laios is not portrayed shamefully, and there's many elements of cultural European folktale and mythos - portrayed again, surprisingly accurate for being curated by Japanese. Clear inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons, which is infinitely fascinating, but the show has its own concepts. Though, Namari's voice acting was jarring and hard to listen to.

The show doesn't take itself too seriously despite having many references to depth. And, it is childlike in a sense. I think it's good if you have no intention of a more serious plot. I do think there's just a little too much emphasis on food at times, which I honestly think could've been handled in a less repetitive fashion - it alternates between a medieval fantasy setting and a cooking show and I think the former is more intriguing personally.

In the beginning, Laios seems pretty unemotional which isn't explained until they go into how death and resurrection works. That seemed out of place, and for people watching I don't think they'll understand. It really does almost portray him as a straight up psychopath at first.

On the topic of death and resurrection, having something go wrong that gives rise to "real deaths", I think would give more gravity to the storyline. Adding or subtracting characters, especially in a political climate adds a lot of meaning. Marcille's charisma is really held back by her unwillingness, and there's not much of a character ark that has handled that so far. Izutsumi's negativity kind of brought the party out of balance and there's not much chemistry with Chilchuck.

Those are my criticisms, however it's still in general enjoyable to watch: the campy nature of an adventure party never fails to entertain, medieval fantasy will always strike the perfect chords for me, and the intrigue painted by the plot clearly does a great job of making an easy to follow and interesting story.

Hoping to revisit this series when newer seasons arrive, and that it gains popularity.

"Delicious in Dungeon" is a fantastic blend of fantasy adventure and culinary exploration, uniquely serving up an enthralling plot seasoned with humor and imagination. The series brilliantly marries dungeon crawling with cooking, where the characters must forage and feast on their monstrous encounters to survive. This inventive approach not only adds depth to the character development but also enriches the world-building, making each episode a delightful surprise. I'm a die hard d&d fan and I binged watched the entire series. I can't wait for more. It's a must-watch for fans seeking something refreshingly different. 10/10 stars!

DunMeshi has an unusual concept, but the worldbuilding is so well done that It grows on you. In a dungeon the characters usually worry more about defeating monsters, but in this story they realistically have to worry about food, water, carrying weight, and other aspects of daily life. The animation is beautiful and the food actually looks yummy even if it is made from monster parts.

If you enjoy thinking about the ecosystem of an universe, I bet you will enjoy this show. Senshi is one of my favorite characters because he understands the importance of each being, from big to small, and shares his knowledge and wonder with the other characters. A great hit for TTRPG fans, for sure.

I genuinely really like this show. Is it dumb? Yes. It is slowly becoming a comfort show for me. I genuinely like anime about food/cooking and this show is basically that mixed with d&d.

The premise is a group of adventurers set off to rescue a party member who has got "trapped" in the dungeon but they have no money or resources for food other than a book of recipes for cooking monsters.

They respawn? It's not really very clear to be honest and it doesn't have to be, it's fun and that's all that matters. If you want a show that looks pretty, you don't really have to pay attention to it and is funny look no further.

It's nice looking, music is good and the English dub is actually pretty good. I am usually a sub over dub guy but the dead pan of the main guy hooked me.

I hope this gets loads of episodes as it's slowly becoming a favourite for me.