Delicious in Dungeon (2024), also known as Dungeon Meshi, popped onto Netflix with a sizzling flavor like no other. Here’s our review on Studio TRIGGER’s latest fantasy adventure.
What is Delicious in Dungeon?
Want to know what a dragon tastes like? Ever wondered what a slime would bring to the table? How living armor could function… as food? Delicious in Dungeon (2024) is Studio TRIGGER’s newest series taking on exactly that. Follow Laios, Marcille, Chillchuck, and their new companion Senshi as they delve deep into the mad mage’s dungeon to save their companion, Falin, before it’s too late to revive her. Though they’re eager, they have to make due with only the equipment on their backs, and no coin for rations. So they decide to farm, eat, cook, and experiment with monsters to find out what exactly is delicious in the dungeon.
Revealed at Anime Expo 2023, Delicious in Dungeon (also known as Dungeon Meshi) set out to adapt the highly rated manga into a hit Netflix show. It has an aura of comedic influences, jumpy jokes and faces, and impact frames reminiscent of the cast’s curiosity, but beneath the surface lies a tragic story with some satisfying combat, slight gore, and black magic Studio TRIGGER fans keep coming back for. It creates a nice mix of tension and community. This makes the dungeon party feel much more intertwined with the world around them. With such an interesting fate waiting for the hungry party, it sure sets up to seem like a fantastic adventure.
Fantasy Delectables in the Strangest Places
The first thing to dig your teeth into is the strangely inspiring plot of the show: the food! In recent times, it’s definitely become one of the more interesting takes on the fantasy genre. Though it seems like a tough task to establish flavor profiles and environmental behaviors for a range of fictitious beasts, Delicious in Dungeon cooks it into an absolutely flavorful stew.
Each dish is described in surprising detail, from how to hunt a monster, how to cook it, what flavoring to use, and even a description of the flavor profiles. In the midst of the stylish fights, there’s a cooking show ready to teach viewers culinary tricks. Even when describing something as simple as a slime, there’s a creative anatomy crafted by mangaka Ryoko Kui that fits perfectly into the world, establishing a level of realism. It’s strange, but intriguing time and time again.
There are a few points of this nature that may seem out there. Yet the attention to detail is astounding in many regards. It’s not too winding as to ruin the pacing, but given just enough to help the viewers imagine the taste profiles. Somehow, a fantasy cooking show of a strange creature can really get the tummy rumbling. Its creativity introduces a fresh and innovative detail about the audience’s favorite fantasy adversaries seen nowhere else.
Not to mention just how good the food looks…
Compellingly Goofy Characters
Some of the characters are smart enough to address the fact that eating a dungeon monster may be seen as disgusting, barbaric, or downright vile. However, the slow yet obvious growth of the main cast keeps viewers coming back. Not only does the food look nice, the characters are compelling. Though the side characters help to put the vast world into perspective, the main 4 cast members are by far the best part of this show.
Laois has an awesome fixation with the anatomy, taste, and nature of monsters. This plays a great role in the plot, along with his physical attack patterns. He works as a great foil to his companions Marcille and Chilchuck, although he’s egged on by Senshi. The same could be said about any of the party, be it Marcille and her magics interrupted by Senshi’s care for the ecosystem, Senshi’s antics challenged by Chilchuck’s need for as calm of a ride down the dungeon as he can get, or Chilchuck consistently getting peeved with basically everyone.
These small archetypes of the mage, front-liner, rogue, and barbarian are written well. They mesh together a nice mix between characters who grow to care for each other and simultaneously prove as fuel for the shenanigans the show loves so much. It’s these mixing of worlds that keeps the show entertaining.
The diversity of fantasy races, and especially the lore behind them, is another thing viewers should keep their eyes out for. With a Tall Man, Elf, Half-foot, and Dwarf on hand at all times, their deep beginnings tend to pop up and piece the world together as it goes on. This racially diverse party is such a great way to develop the world while trapped in a singular dungeon. Especially when they all react differently to the same mysterious creatures that stand in their way; whether they be big or small.
Comfy Trigger-Style Animation
One guarantee when entering this show is the sense of style from the studio. Delicious in Dungeon is laced with everything TRIGGER, from the funny faces, popping impact frames, and frankly super stylish battle animation. There’s a certain charm that guarantees a fun time. Though the somewhat slice-of-life-like feel seemed a bit out of the box for the studio, it would be a lie to say it didn’t work out.
Spellcasting, sword-swinging, and brawling all look beautiful in this adaptation, yet surprisingly it’s not the aspect that stands out the most. The general movement of each creature and combatant feels fluid, somewhat realistic, and personal to that specific battle. Even in the stuff movements of living armor, there’s still a certain clunkiness to it that personalizes that enemy. Same could be said for chimeras, dragons, and everything else thrown at the main cast the whole way through.
And the cooking animation is exceptional. Who knew that a group dedicated to swinging swords expertly could be so delicate with a frying pan, or meticulous with cracking an egg? There’s just a dash of something so smooth and comforting rooted deep in this show that shines through in the effort put into the cooking.
Delicious in Dungeon Has a Recognizable English Dub Cast
If Netflix exclusives are good at one thing, it’s the quality of the voice casts. For many English viewers, this dub stood out among the rest with exceptional performances. Although the beginning was a little rough around the edges, with such notable names, audiences were not let down in the long run.
Damien Haas truly stood out as Laios, being one of his first few protagonist roles. Known best for his work in My Happy Marriage (2023) and on the YouTube channel Smosh, it was refreshing to see such a fitting VA take the role of such a chaotically lovable character.
An unexpected cast, but more than welcome one, was Emily Rudd as Marcille, known in the anime community as the live action Nami in Netflix’s One Piece (2023). She was really able to channel herself into the role of Marcille, matching the comforting yet grouchy side of the elf mage herself.
Other recognizable faces such as SungWon Cho as Senshi and Casey Mongillo as Chilchuclk really spruced up the cast in a fresh way, decorating the voices of these beloved characters with the spices they needed. The same could be said for the Japanese voice cast, but any English internet-surfer will more than likely fall in love with these familiar voices in a new context.
Cleaning the Pot
Delicious in Dungeon is a great anime for fantasy lovers. Overall, it has a fascinating take on the humanoids, monsters, and adventures many are familiar with. With such a fun cast, great studio, and awesome writing, it’s no wonder that many fans are sitting back and relaxing to this show, even with its darker lore.
It is relatively easy to see some of the flaws at some parts though. Certain episodes seem to drag. Sometimes the plot is rearranged in a strange way. And when extra stakes are presented, some of the dishes seem to be given too much depth during a fast-paced scene. The pacing can linger at times but really grasp the audience at others.
Also, some characters are given a good amount of screentime in season one that seem to hold little significance to the main eyes of the party. Though it does present another perspective, it’s easy to get lost in the dungeon without some connection to the main characters. It does pay off, but the hanging threads aren’t really grasped until the later episodes. Even then, it seems as though many of them were just there to set up the next season. They don’t serve much purpose in the first 24 episodes, even with a spotlight. Though, in a similar vein to One Piece, it’ll pay off later down the line.
Final Thoughts and Overall Review
Laced with all of the above is a lovable, energetic cast in an amazingly made world, with a great balance between suspense, curiosity, and comfortable cooking sequences, Delicious in Dungeon stands its ground as a tasty fantasy to sink your teeth into.
There are little details that mix really well to create an engaging world that presents itself as relatively simple at first, but the adventures of the main characters flesh out the fantasy genre into a fascinatingly detailed and dark world that is sure to rope in TRIGGER fans and dungeon dwellers alike. And the conclusion at 24 episodes makes it all the more binge-able.
This Dungeon really Meshi’s together an enjoyable experience for all fantasy fans, granting season one of Netflix’s Delicious in Dungeon our 9/10.
Where to Find Delicious in Dungeon
Delicious in Dungeon is available in both sub and dub on Netflix, with the entirety of season one streaming now. With 24 episodes, it’s a nice snack to freshen up a good watchlist.
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