“Delicious in Dungeon” (2024) is a fantastical and comedic manga adaptation that follows Laios Touden and his party of adventurers as they try to resurrect his younger sister, Falin, after she is eaten by a dragon. The anime series puts a creative twist on the dungeon crawl genre of fantasy anime by having its characters eat the monsters within the dungeon for survival. This need for fantastical sustenance quickly becomes the backbone of the series, making for a memorable if not hunger-inducing show. However, “Delicious in Dungeon” does more than add creativity to an existing premise — it transcends its genre through excellent character design, worldbuilding and animation.
Laios is the ultimate focus of the narrative; his goal of reviving his sister contrasts his fascination with the monsters that inhabit the dungeon. He encourages his companions to go along with eating the creatures they find underground because they don’t have enough time to resurrect Falin and keep leaving the lower levels of the dungeon to buy more food. However, the other members of his party don’t find it as thrilling as he does. Marcille the half-elf mage, Senshi the dwarf and Chilchuck the half-foot all have different rationales for being in the dungeon, with each of their designs reflecting their purpose and relation to the story.
The characters in “Delicious in Dungeon” are refreshingly irregular, considering what most adventure anime series contain nowadays. Instead of an overly saturated color palette and characters sporting green, pink and white hair, the main cast designs feel innovative.
For starters, Laios dons a simple brand of armor that contains a chainmail shirt and an iron chest plate — normal attire that makes sense given his adventuring experience. Marcille wears a whimsical ensemble, fitting her role as the mage at the party. She sports a blue dress and a yellow-lined poncho with a red bow at its front. Furthermore, her staff is made from the material ambrosia, resembling a lovingly carved stick. Marcille’s design sticks out, especially given how many fantasy anime series struggle with making female character designs cater to male audiences rather than play significant roles in a well-developed story. Unlike female characters in other dungeon crawl anime such as “Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?” (2017) and “Sword Art Online” (2012), Marcille is fully clothed and in attire that makes sense for her character.
The remaining members of the cast are dressed plainly, yet their outfits still fit their designated roles very well. Senshi’s large black beard comprises most of his appearance and resembles other dwarven designs, just as Laios’s armor covers most of his body, protecting him from the monsters in the dungeon. les other. His arms are also exposed, making him the most skin-showing member of the party; this is a fun twist on the exposed female fantasy character trope. Chilchuck is the last member of the party, and his clothing is perhaps the least magical of them all. He sports a leather tunic with leather boots, a black back, a green scarf and some black dress pants. Chilchuck’s design mimics his no-nonsense personality well. It’s devoid of frills and too much drama because of his lack of interest in exploring the dungeon. Little personalizations also impact his ability to work, as any significant weight from his trinkets could set off a trap. The main cast designs are nothing new, yet each one manages to speak volumes about their character without relying on fan service or recycled, dated tropes. Even the most grounded design still matches the style of the series, allowing the viewer to appreciate the anime’s imaginative setting while not being overwhelmed by bright colors or cliche-reliance.
The dungeon isn’t only used as a setting for Laios’s goal. Each character has different personal reasons for being in Laios’s party; these desires often cause more harm than good, especially when those wants have to do with the ethnicities of the characters themselves.
Many fantastical races tend to conflict with one another, allowing the characters to have interesting subplots and undergo character development. For example, Marcille’s character often discriminates against other races, and yet she is also discriminated against for being a human-elf hybrid. Though these differences can certainly be touchy (given the story’s magical setting), the anime handles them with respect, making a point to showcase the histories behind these acts of discrimination as well as the characters overcoming them. Marcille confronting her biases and learning to accept and cherish the people around her is a highlight of the series, as the audience watched her risk her life for the party on several occasions. The anime presents an in-depth character narrative in only one season.
Beyond that, “Delicious in Dungeon” stays true to its namesake. The monsters they find, cook and eat in the dungeon don’t always look appetizing, but they play a vital part in the circle of life the anime teaches about. The show even cares about the dungeon’s ecosystem, utilizing its characters to ensure the ecological conservation of the dungeon itself. A simple idea, but one that cemented the dungeon as its own world outside of the party’s adventure.
It was difficult not to get immediately hooked on Studio Trigger’s newest hit series and its strong worldbuilding. The studio has always been famous for its signature energetic style, and “Delicious in Dungeon” is another example of that. The series features a solid animation style, yet its truly stellar moments are more carefully drawn and shot. Falin’s resurrection, in particular, was brilliantly animated, with the added motion and quality giving the moment more physical and emotional weight. The anime also makes small tweaks to the manga it’s based on in meaningful ways. Though the story and characters remain the same, the anime changes the framing of some scenes, letting even readers of the manga get to experience the story in a new way.
One truly excellent highlight was Laios discovering his sister’s bones. In the manga, Laios simply holds the skull in his hands with a shocked impression on his face. Yet, in the anime, you see Laios through the eye sockets of her skull. Such a key moment is made all the more dramatic through a simple shot change. Furthermore, the tone shift does a much better job of foreshadowing events in the series.
Overall, “Delicious in Dungeon” is an innovative and fun anime that will intrigue even the most skeptical fantasy enjoyers. The series has already been confirmed for a second season, and with the first season ending on a cliffhanger, fans have more dungeon exploration to look forward to in season two.
