Delicious In Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) Review: Why It's Worth Watching

'Delicious In Dungeon' just recently finished its first season, ending at 24 episodes on Netflix. A season 2 has already been confirmed by the official Delicious In Dungeon twitter account. It's a better time than ever to get into this show if you're the type to binge seasons.

This review is for those who were either hesitant to watch the series, or have had this anime in their backlog for far too long, as I'll be going over why 'Delicious In Dungeon' is a must-watch for audiences who like the fantasy genre.

Studio Trigger Create Another Gem In Their Library

Anime fans who've seen 'Darling in the Franxx', 'Kill la Kill', and 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' already know that these animes differentiate themselves from their contemporaries through their very unique artstyle. 'Delicious In Dungeon' also shares this trait, as its beautiful presentation of food and cute characters has allowed it to capture the hearts of many anime fans.

Series that have been animated by Studio Trigger aren't just known for their artstyles, though. Studio Trigger doesn't just adapt any random mangas, but instead focus on the truly unique and creative stories that they can animate.

So, what makes 'Delicious In Dungeon', an anime which looks like a typical fantasy adventure show, so special?

An Adventure Inspired By Classical Fantasy RPGs

There is no shortage of the fantasy genre in the anime industry. From popular shounen series like One Piece and Dragon Ball Z, to many, and I mean many isekai series like Overlord and Log Horizon.

But 'Delicious In Dungeon' doesn't merely get inspirations from the fantasy genre media. The show rather focuses a lot more on the classics.

The show takes great inspirations from western fantasy. More specifically, most of the setting of the anime seems to be inspired by the popular western tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons And Dragons.

A lot of the creatures in the show are ripped straight out of the tabletop game, like dwarves, half-elves, golems, orcs, kelpies, red dragons, and more. Some other creatures are given a unique twist, like Kobolds, which look closer to anthropromorphic dogs in the show.

The main cast of characters even resembles the classic party composition of fantasy RPGs, with a fighter, a rogue, a wizard, and a barbarian. The only one missing would probably be a ranger and their trusty animal companion.

Watching the series brings enjoyers of fantasy back to the roots of the genre. But that's not all 'Delicious In Dungeon' has to offer.

Dungeons And Dragons And Delicious Dining In The Deep

When adventurers travel to the great depths of a monster-filled dungeon, most accounts of their tales talk of how many monsters they slayed or the treasures they found. But one aspect of the adventure never gets brought up.

What happens when the band of adventurers run out of supplies? What do they eat and drink?

In 'Delicious In Dungeon', Laios, the party leader and fighter, suggests cooking the dead monsters as means of getting food in the dungeon. Chilchuck the rogue and Marcille the wizard hesitate at the thought. But unfortunately for them, they're not left with much choice, as resupplying would cost them precious time. Each second wasted will lead to Falin, Laios' sister and the party's cleric, being slowly digested by a red dragon.

So, without any food and water, Laios, Chilchuck and Marcille head into the dungeon in order to rescue their cleric. On the way, they come across a dwarf named Senshi who seems well-versed in the art of hunting and cooking the monsters of the dungeon. After recruiting him, the band of four head deep into the dungeon, not knowing what horrors await them, but knowing that whatever it is, they'll probably have to eat it.

Worldbuilding Through Monster Biology, Ecosystems, And Culinary Arts

What makes this premise so interesting for fantasy enjoyers is how each monster the party hunts and cooks is tied to the entire dungeon's ecosystem.

As Senshi and Laios cook the different monsters, they also share different facts about their biology and behaviour. This allows the two to create better tactics to hunt those monsters as they understand their weaknesses.

As an added bonus, the dishes cooked from these monsters look extremely delicious. Five-star cuisine inside the dark depths of a dank tomb isn't something one expects on a fantasy adventure show.

That doesn't mean the adventurers go out of their way to hunt and kill. They understand that they're exploring a balanced ecosystem and want to remain in harmony with it.

In many cases, the adventurers also acknowledge their own place in the ecosystem, and the necessity of their existence. Without adventurers, the monster population of the dungeon would increase exponentially, leading to towns and cities in the surface being raided by them.

Character Eccentricity And It's Importance To The Show

The protagonists of the show have excellent personalities to explore the idea of monster cooking. Laios has an eccentric obsession with anything related to monsters, and has always been fascinated with the idea of tasting them. Senshi has lived in the dungeon for years and as such, has a lot of experience living off of the resources in the dungeon. Chilchuck and Marcille are tend to behave like typical fantasy adventurers, acting as comedic foils to the other two and giving audeinces someone to relate to.

This doesn't mean the series is episodic either, as with each episode, the protagonists develop new perspectives, understand their own weaknesses, and work towards becoming stronger for the sake of reaching their goals. The eccentricity of characters like Laios may be played for laughs at times, but the series doesn't shy away from showing how his behaviour may lead to scenes of tension and even hostility.

This allows the series to handle both comedy, drama, action, and thrill in one anime.

Final Thoughts

'Delicious In Dungeon' is excellent at giving the viewer a good sense of the world that the protagonists are exploring, which is important for any fantasy adventure to do. The fact that it is able to do this through monster ecology and very delicious looking food is a great achievement in and of itself.

Watching the series reminded me of movies like 'How To Train Your Dragon' and 'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them'. If a story based around fantastical creatures is something you're interested in, or maybe you just want to watch people make some really good-looking food, then 'Delicious In Dungeon' is for you.

Readers can find all 24 episodes of the anime's first season on Netflix.