I’d like to think that everyone who’s played an RPG has wondered what its fantastical creatures might look like on a plate. If you try to show me someone who hasn’t ever thought about eating a Pokémon, I will show you a liar. And it’s that bold adventuring spirit that Delicious in Dungeon, which recently debuted on Netflix, simmers to perfection.
Based on the manga Delicious in Dungeon (or Dungeon Meshi) by Ryōko Kui, the Netflix anime adaptation has a powerhouse behind it with Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia studio Trigger. For anime fans, that might be enough to whet your appetite.
Laios, Chilchuck, and Marcille are members of an adventuring party, trying to traverse a mysterious labyrinth. It all started when the land split and a catacomb emerged. From there, a man dragged himself forward, declaring himself the ruler of a once-golden land, sunken underground by a mad mage. He promised his treasure to whoever could successfully defeat the sorcerer, before turning to dust.
Naturally, dungeon-diving became a booming profession. But after a particularly rough fight with a giant dragon, Laios and crew are left with almost nothing, and his sister Falin soon to be devoured by said dragon. Down a few members and out on their luck, the party needs to find a way to make it back and save their party member, before the worst can happen.
By itself, that’s a decent set-up. But what makes Delicious in Dungeon so appetizing isn’t just a good quest. It’s what they discover on the way down. Because if you’re going to kill some monsters, and eat some food, why not combine the two?
Meat’s back on the menu
RPGs have frequently used food as a resource to meter out progression. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a recent example, with a full long rest requiring a certain amount of provisions. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam talk about rationing out their lembas bread to last the whole walk into Mordor.
But sustaining a long journey is costly. It’s an expense, for one, to stock up on food. And the party must also carry their supplies around with them. Laios, the sword-and-shield knight leader of the Delicious in Dungeon party, comes up with a simple solution: simply eat the monsters.
It’s initially repulsive to the mage Marcille and rogue Chilchuck, but it’s also the best option to get back down the dungeon and save Falin from dragon digestion. After meeting Senshi, a dwarven warrior who’s surprisingly knowledgeable in the methods of harvesting, hunting, and preparing meals from dungeon creatures, the outside-shot seems more and more reasonable.
It makes sense, too. Dungeons are always depicted as their own little ecosystems; places where monsters don’t just hang out, waiting for adventurers, but actually live. It then follows that something in this little contained world eats something else to survive. And if any of that is edible for the adventurers, then they can add a new link to the food chain.
On-site procurement
Of course, getting those goods is the challenge. That’s been the charm of Delicious in Dungeon thus far, as the viewer gets to follow the party’s antics in getting the goods they need for cooking up meals. Early on, Laios pulls a scorpion from a hole in the dungeon, sticking a blade in a cracked wall and pulling it back out.
Later, the crew deals with man-eating plants, learning about fertilization and why plants have fruit in the process. It’s a nice blend of foraging know-how and fantasy monster design, like you’ve got a DM who’s really into food science, and also forgot to eat dinner before the session.
Then, Senshi whips out the cutlery and it’s time to cook. While all based on fantasy monsters, the dishes have understandable equivalents. A hot pot, for example, or a tart. I’ve read a bit ahead in the manga, and the party delves into omelets, meats, and more.
Plus, it’s all treated with a surprising amount of consideration for how different fantasy monsters might be turned into edible food. The slime from the first episode is particularly memorable, because we see how Senshi has developed his own method for drying the slime out as he travels. Everything, from biology to preparation and practicality, has been thought out here.
It isn’t all rosy, though. Delicious in Dungeon is as much a comedy as it is action or cooking show, often putting Marcille in precarious situations. Meanwhile, Laios barely masks his desire to learn more about the dungeon through cooking. There’s a wonder, as to whether he’s curious about actually cooking these monsters or just understanding them better, or maybe both.
Either way, the party is fun to follow. And as someone who normally opts for subtitled options, I tried out the English dub and was pleasantly surprised. Emily Rudd, playing Nami in Netflix’s live-action One Piece, gives a solid performance as Marcille, and Damien Haas is great as Laios. SungWon Cho is a spectacular choice for the voice of Senshi, too. Sincerely, this is one where the infamous Sub v. Dub conflict need not apply.
A delicious first course
We’re only one episode in, so I was initially hesitant to write this one up. You don’t want to over-indulge on the appetizers, after all, and Delicious in Dungeon has had some rave reviews of its manga. In fact, one of the best things I could say about its anime adaptation is that it encouraged me to finally dive into the source material.
And my takeaway is that, well, this is a bit of a slow cook. While the action is certainly gorgeous, and there are some stakes to the quest, Delicious in Dungeon enjoys the space a fantasy dungeon crawl offers. After all, their quandary is that it’s a long way back down the dungeon, and those trips necessitate some planning and forethought. Early chapters have very much indulged the main idea, with less urgency than you might see in a more battle-centered series.
It reminds me a little bit of Frieren in that regard, though maybe in a different way. Both series are tackling the fantasy setting in a legitimate, non-isekai manner, which is nice to see. And both care a lot about the journey. There might be looming goals on the horizon, but the path before them is filled with everyday woes, whether it be monsters or their stomachs.
So, if you’re looking for something with a fantasy setting and a very, very unique concept, Delicious in Dungeon is certainly that. I’m curious to see where the series goes as the party delves deeper into the dungeon, but its attention to detail and compelling world already have me sold on seeing the tale through. It’ll be airing on Netflix throughout this season, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.
Published: Jan 8, 2024 03:45 pm