Highlights
- Laios’ outrageous proposal of eating monsters captures the viewer’s attention, making the story unique and engaging.
- The complex and vibrant worldbuilding of the dungeon in Delicious in Dungeon creates a fascinating viewing experience.
- The blend of genres, combining action fantasy with cooking elements, sets Delicious in Dungeon apart from other series in the genre and keeps the audience intrigued.
Delicious in Dungeon begins just like any other action fantasy anime. A group of adventurers led by a warrior named Laios challenge a massive red dragon in an underground dungeon. Unfortunately, the dragon turns out to be much stronger than anticipated.
To make matters worse, the dragon snatches Falin, the group’s healer and Laios’ sister. Just before the dragon swallows her alive, however, she casts a magic spell to teleport the group safely out of the dungeon. Thanks to that, they survive without any meaningful injury.
So now the objective is to go back and revive Falin as quickly as possible. But things quickly take a turn for the worst. Firstly, two of their comrades decided to leave the group. Secondly, all of their belongings are left in the dragon’s lair, which means they can’t even afford to buy a meal now. Facing such a dire situation, Laios comes up with an outrageous proposal.
Laios Comes Up With an Outrrageous Plan
Every story needs a surprise. A twist that can make the viewers scratch their heads, wondering what will happen next. This particular story element is not only great for keeping the viewers engaged with what happens on the screen, but it is also a perfect way to differentiate a story from any other similar series in this highly saturated genre.
After all, since the rise of isekai a couple of years back, action fantasy featuring magic and monsters has become a dime in a dozen. So every author and showrunners need to find something unique to make their works stand out from the crowds.
In Delicious in Dungeon, Laios’ outrageous proposal is that twist. Who in their right mind would ever think about eating the dangerous and mostly gross monsters who live and breed in an underground dungeon? People come to the dungeon to look for fame, glory, and some hidden treasures. No adventurers purposely set out to arguably the most dangerous place on the planet to make a delicacy out of the monsters that live in that godforsaken place.
That is precisely why Laios’ outrageous proposal instantly captures the viewer’s attention. This idea is so preposterous yet so logical at the same time that we don’t have a choice but to pay attention to what the characters will do next. Not even ten minutes into the first episode, we were already hooked.
A Fascinating World That Immediately draws You In
Had the first episode ended with Laios’ outrageous idea, it would still be an interesting introduction to the whole series. A wild proposal that creates a sense of cliffhanger that makes the viewers curious to find out what happens next. What a way to end the first episode. However, one twist is apparently not enough for this series, it has to throw another interesting piece into the mix. A story element that instantly elevates the entire viewing experience. The surprisingly fascinating worldbuilding.
A dungeon is a rather common setting in high-fantasy stories. After all, this is the perfect place to showcase the character’s growth while simultaneously displaying some exciting action sequences. As far as settings go, however, dungeons are drab, gloomy, and incredibly monotone. And it is like that by design. A dungeon is supposed to be a dangerous place that the heroes must visit in order to achieve their objective.
Delicious in Dungeon takes an entirely different approach. The dungeon is complex and vibrant. Every level looks and feels different. They have different ecosystems, layouts, monsters, and needless to say, different cooking ingredients. This creates a unique viewing experience where it feels like the characters are visiting different places while they are actually descending the same dungeon all along. In a way, the dungeon in this series is like a much friendlier version of the Abyss in Made in Abyss.
Ryoko Kui (the author of the original manga) knew that the story would take place mostly in the dungeon, so rather than making it boring like a typical dungeon, she decided to craft one of the most exciting fictional places ever made. A place filled with interesting details like hollow tree trunks that can be used as a resting place or carnivorous plants that also produce delicious fruits. What a fascinating world!
A Unique Blend of Genres That Works Better Than Expected
Blending different genres to create something unique and refreshing is nothing new in anime. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End from the previous season beautifully blends mellow slice-of-life with exciting action adventure. Long before that, there was also the Monogatari series that combined action, mystery, and romance.
Delicious in Dungeon is not even the first fantasy series that has cooking elements in it. There’s a Restaurant at Another World, Isekai Izakaya, and Campfire Cooking in Another World, just to name a few. But all of them inevitably lean more towards the “Cooking in a Fantasy Land” concept with a bare minimum of action happening. None of them goes as deep as Delicious in Dungeon in exploring this unique blend of genres.
Just in the first episode alone, the viewers get to see noodles made out of dried slime, broth made out of a scorpion that has to be cut in a certain way to extract the tender meat inside the hard exoskeleton, and a pie made out of sweet and savory fruits that are harvested from giant man-eating plants.
This series truly showcases how this dangerous dungeon can provide delicious and healthy foods if you know where to look for them and how to cook them. Look beyond the hideous monsters and bizarre plants, and you’ll find nutritious, tasty, and one-of-a-kind ingredients. If the rest of the series can be as interesting as this first episode, then we get a strong candidate for the anime of the season in our hands.
Delicious in Dungeon is available to stream on Netflix.
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