Today i wanted to make a whole review for in my opinion of the most peculiar Isekais of the season.
Why though?
Because i can and i feel like i have a lot to talk about this series.
The review summary is like that cause i wasnt able to come with a better one xD
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If you want to read my full opinion on the show spoiler free, jump to the Conclusion at the end!
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But leaving the jokes aside, what is "The Dungeon of Black Company"?
Is an isekai adaptation of the manga that goes for the same name, created and drawn by Youhei Yasumura. This adaptation was made by SILVER LINK studio and directed by Mirai Minato, who has worked as a director in other anime series like "BOFURI"." or "the Great Jahy" betwen others.
Whats the main appeal of the anime / manga?
The parodies about toxic work enviroments, laboral explotation, greediness of mega corporations, loyalty to a company / brand and surprisingly innovation. Yeah lots of themes that could be used masterfully on a seinen, but are used in a more satirical silly manner by the author of this Isekai.
Ninomiya is one of those characters with a disgusting personality but what do you end up liking
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SPOILERS AHEAD
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Story:
Our main character Ninomiya, is a guy who invested in some real state goods and got really good results. With the money he got he decides to live the rest of his life in a deluxe pent house as a rich Hikikomori, forgetting about work and other mundane ocupations. But suddenly he gets Isekaied in a really surreal way, by a random portal that opens below him. he ends up working for the Raiza´ha corporation on a dungeon mine, where employes suffer for constant laboral explotation and are teached to be loyal / grateful to the company. there Ninomiya has to work his way out using all his cunning and dirty tricks at his disposal. Alongside he gets to know new partners or "minions" that will help him acomplish his goals.
One of the main issues for many with the anime is how the story goes back and fourth with weird plot twists or deus ex machinas.
two examples:
The one time he travels to the dystopical future with Rin. In this future the earth is a wasteland dominated by the demon king, after Raiza´ha destroyed the dungeon´s ecosistem. it gets explained kind of why Ninomiya ends there with the pillars technology. But it surely a big wtf moment that felt kind of anti climatic for the episode and series.
In the same arc when they find out that the ant that Ninomiya befriended was a general of the Demon King, like i know Ninomiya can get out of trouble most of the time with his trickery but was this necesary?
The tittle of the anime comes from the name that Ninomiya gives to his at the time illegal company "The Black Dungeon Company" which goal is to overthorwn Raiza´ha and create a work enviroment where monsters and humanoids can work together without distinction.
So have that in mind, the story is more or less a mess the more the season goes on.
Scene where Ninomiya created the Black Dungeon Company
Overall the story is not a strong part of it, thankfully the series doesnt take himself seriusly the majority of the time making it possible to enjoy all the random things that the anime throws at the viewer. Ofc if you want a good story that has sense and a great character development arc, this anime is not what you are looking for. Is a simple silly story that parodies concepts of modern capitalism with a direct aproach.
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Animation and Visuals:
The animation by SILVER LINK is a really average one. Dont get my wrong the anime is not horrible or gross to look at, but certentaly the animation could be 10 times better. Some of the characters movements are stiff and the 3d... Oh lord the 3d is as bad as you would expect for a average seasonal anime adaptation.
The main cast
The series uses a lot of bright colors alognside heavy drawn lines and some peculiar eyes design, that move a bit out of the norm.
Meanwhile the animation is ok, is not the strong part of the anime by any means.
The music for other part is good most of the time and helps with the atmosphere of the sequences. The ending and the intro are really good ones!
Opening:
Shimi / By HOWL BE QUIET
Ending:
World Is Mine / By Humbreaders
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Characters:
This is one of the strongest parts of the anime for me. I could get why some people might dislike the characters, they are really cartoonish stereotypes. But i think that makes the series able to keep a silly tone in which more serious and grounded characters could break the feeling.
Ninomiya: a decent MC that always has some trickery hidden and ready to go when needed, thats doesnt mean he always gets what he wants.A big part of the series moves alongside Ninomiya trying to fix one of his mistakes or getting out of bad situations. he´s not a hero by any means, he uses others and manipulates them in order to achive his goals. Although at the end he some times ends up making more good than evil.
Rin: she is a hungry monster "majin" that Ninomiya finds with Wanibe in the first episode of the series. She gets promised food in exchange of protecting Ninomiya and his allies. Most of the time she serves as comic relief, doing silly stuff and one shooting powerful enemies. She gets some character development during the season, passing for being that hungry op monster to a more caring character that worries about her friends and her sister.
Wanibe: he´s a lizardman, that contrary to belief is weak and more of a coward. He serves as the voice of reason in the group, normally pointing out the dumb stuff going on and arguing with Ninomiya about his dirty plans. he ends up helping Ninomiya most of the time and against his own will. He has a decent development from a coward and shy person to a more determinated and caring one at the end of the season.
Shia: she is an expert adventurer and one of the most skilled and devoted employes in Raiza´ha. She joins the group by force after being tricked by Ninomiya. She´s serves as another voice of reason inside the group, but she´s more vocal about it than Wanibe. She being a skilled adventurer serves as fighter alongside Rin. She starts to develop a crush for Ninomiya with a tsundere like stand and starts to care more about the group members towards the end episodes.
Ranga: the last main character. he gets introduced in the future arc as a more or less deus ex machina character. She dresses as a girl and has a femenine behaviour, but he´s in reality a boy. Leaving that weird stuff aside, he serves as magic support of the group helping Rin and Shia in combat. Its revealed that he´s in fact a decendant of Belza the actuall CEO of Raiza´ha , that made him suffer from social rejection and his fathers ending up dead.
Belza: She serves as the main antagonist of the series. She´s the CEO of Raiza´ha and has a selfish / careless personality. She doesnt care about the consequences of her actions and if something brings her more power and money she will go all out for it. One of her main goals is to be the ruler of society and be on top of everyone. She changes a bit at the end of the season.
Overall most of the characters are funny, simple and easy to understand. Most of them arent given much development, but this being a simple parody isekai makes it easier to forgive.
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Comedy:
With this being a comedic parody this have to be good, right?
Well yes, at least for me. I had a really good time with the show, but for some people the humour might be dumb or cringe and i totally understand and respect that. Most of the comedy relies on the cartoonish / exagerated representation of modern laboral explotaiton that Raiza´ha put his workers on. The work is hard and unforgiving, the dungeon is dangerous and deadly at times, the miners have to praise the company and be thankfull to "work" there (be exploited).
it uses alongside that kind of unexpected moments that might be shocking or horrible, depending on your taste:
2 examples:
Wanibe being choked by a monster
Ranga gets.....
Another common one is Rin doing silly stuff or weird cartoonish / faces.
Rin is capable of changing her body
Overall the humour is hit or miss, but for me was a decent hit and i enjoyed it.
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World Building:
Another simple but interesting part of the series.
Everything is set in a modern world that reasembles the vibe of the early 90s, but that is filled with magic, dungeons and a more modern technology. There are still adventurers that go inside the dungeon to clean them and leave Raiza´ha mine the demonite, a mineral that grows inside the dungeons and can be used to craft multilple goods like equipment, electrodomestics, or just be sold.
Belza is the classical unscrupulous CEO, that just cares about gathering more power and money above all else
Most of people seem to dont care about Raiza´ha monopoly on the mineral extraction and how this affects the planet, in a similar manner how much of us dont mind using google for almost anything nowdays or oild companies that throw a shitton of dangerous stuff to the oceans and rivers.
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Themes:
Wasnt going to talk about this one because the series was a more comedical oriented anime with not much to learn from, but the last episode changed my mind.
The series around his entire lenght talks mainly about not giving up and being true to your beliefs. Ninomiya constantly fights against the odds and succeeds briefly, but then again another problem or issue arrives. Even with that he never gives up and tries to acomplish his goals with all the power to his reach. He ends up inspiring Rin to become a more caring person, Wanibe to be more secure and determinated, Shia to not be naive and over trust the company and to Ranga to be the one in charge of his life.
Ninomiya knows that his beliefs might and will collide with the others, but he will still be true to them.
>"The true defeat will only be when they break my will" Ninomiya
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Ending:
Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
We start the last episode with the results of Belza´s discovery. Ninomiya getting jailed and interrogated.
After Shia comes to meet him at his cell and confeses that she was the one to blame for his incarceration, but Ninomiya answers it with a really decent monologue about his search of allienating himself from treats and why he does it.
Belza thought she won, but at the shareholders meeting of Raiza´ha she´s giveng the role of director and surprinsigly Ninomiya gets to be the CEO. They achived that with a plan left by Ninomiya, this ends up with being Belza seemengly defeated and under the charge of Ninomiya.
After sometime Wanibe because Ninomiya´s recent behaviour / actions starts to belive that he wanted to return to Japan and left them. Ninomiya being a cuck doesnt get the misunderstandment and ends up revealing on a farewell party organized by the main cast, that he was going in fact to travel around the world to spread his influence.
Ninomiya goes back to the portal hidden on the mining camp, grabs the coin he lost in the first chapters, literally tells the coin to follow him and contemplate how he will conquest all the world
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Conclusions:
The Dungeon of the Black Company is a fairly decent isekai that isnt free of issues and has a more or less subjetive appeal for his cartoonish parodies and humour.
The story goes all around the place with few moments that keep being relevant the more it goes on. The characters create a fun dynamic of a normally conflictive group, making up for some funny moments.
The animation is ok for an seasonal anime adaptation, but could be far better. the comedy present is as i stipulated more or less subjetive, you can like it or hate it. In both cases you wont be wrong. One recomendation i have is that if you want to watch the series, lower your expectations of a good story with meaningful character development.
The anime doesnt take himself seriusly and the parodies are most of the time exagerated versions of his irl counterparts. Turn off your brain and enjoy the funny mess that The Dungeon of the Black Company is.
It was a fun watch and i would totally be on board for a second season!
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Have a great Friday and weekend everyone!__