So...I knew nothing of Delicious In Dungeon until I learned an anime was going to be made for it this year. My only knowledge of anything by Ryoko Kui is reading her one-shot collection Seven Little Sons of the Dragon. It was a cute manga and had interesting ideas, but I don't really have any strong feelings about it. Apparently Delicious In Dungeon is a popular manga that's pretty well known for its thoughtful fantasy world-building and fun take on the concept of cooking monsters into food. Somebody even paid Linkara to review the earliest chapters of the manga, which apparently led to it being more well-known if what I've heard is true. I've heard so many good things about this show, and at one point, I was bored and thought "Eh, what the hell? I don't have anything better to watch, maybe I'll check this out and see if its any good." As someone who hasn't read the manga, I can definitely see why people like Delicious In Dungeon. It's a cute, delightful, and fun fantasy anime that's a breath of fresh air among the glut of bad isekai that continue to oversaturate the market. But I also don't really have any strong feelings for it beyond that as of this season.

In a fantasy world of dungeon exploration, adventuring parties set out on expeditions to raid dungeons, with many hoping to find the mysterious Golden Kingdom, which is said to be the treasure of an island dungeon. The story begins as a group of adventurers unsuccessfully attempt to slay a red dragon and are forced to escape as it consumes the leader's sister, Falin Touden, a "tallman" (human) spellcaster. Wanting to rescue Falin, who used magic to teleport them to safety, the remaining members of the party—Laios Touden, a tallman swordsman; Chilchuck Tims, a halfling locksmith; and Marcille Donato, an elven spellcaster—brainstorm how to get back to the dungeon level with the dragon in time to save Falin from digestion. With most of their supplies left behind in the dungeon, their mission seems impossible until Laios, who secretly wants to eat dungeon monsters, suggests they sustain themselves by finding food inside, to which Chilchuck and Marcille reluctantly agree. Inside, they encounter Senshi, a dwarf with many years of experience surviving in the dungeon by cooking monsters and harvesting food. The story details their travels through the dungeon, the environments, traps, the monsters they encounter, and the meals they create.

Now, I ask you, did anyone expect Trigger of all studios to be the one to do the animation for Delicious In Dungeon? For as little as I knew of Delicious In Dungeon at the time, I did see that many people were rather skeptical of whether Trigger would be able to do the manga justice. Thankfully, Trigger themselves managed to prove that they were definitely up to the job, giving the series fairly high quality and dynamic animation that a show like this deserves. The quiet scenes are fairly well done on their own, complete with the series' signature food porn, but the action scenes are brought to life with Trigger's signature stylized animation, exaggerated movements, and comical expressions that really make the show, its characters, and setting truly come alive. So don't worry, Marcille's constant comical facial expressions are still there. Also, how am I only just now finding out that the anime's soundtrack was made by Chrono Trigger and Xenoblade alumnus Yasunori Mitsuda?! Well, that certainly explains why the soundtrack is so awesome and reminded me so much of Chrono Trigger. I think that tells you all you need to know about how I feel about the soundtrack.

The characters are definitely a fun bunch, and I enjoyed watching them grow and bounce off each other, even if Marcille does start off like a stick-in-the-mud sitcom housewife who recoils at even the thought of eating monsters until later. I do feel that several of the side characters feel either a little superfluous or underutilized. Granted, a second season was announced, which may cover the rest of the manga, so for all I know that issue might get addressed. I know the villain has yet to be more fleshed out, and I admit, said villain feels pretty cliche so far. Again, the second season might change this, so for all I know my complaints about him might be moot. But like I mentioned before, I don't really have any strong feelings for the characters. I like them okay, but that's it. I don't LOVE them like others seem to, but that's more of an issue with me than anything.

Another point people might take issue with in regards to the show is that it takes a while to get going. The first few episodes are pretty episodic, not really getting into its groove until halfway through, which is when Delicious In Dungeon really starts to strut its stuff. This is the kind of show that's happy to be what it is and be as weird as humanly possible. I mentioned the show's world building before, and this is where it really shines. It really goes into what the dungeon is, how it works, its ecology and ecosystem, what the monsters in it are like and what their behaviors are, and so on, really making it feel like a real place with its own set rules as opposed to just some no-name fantasy land that's just there for an isekai protag to get transported to. It almost reminds me of Twelve Kingdoms or Escaflowne in how fleshed out its setting is. Seriously, more anime and manga need to do this, and KEEP doing this! Good thing we have more well thought-out fantasy series like this, Frieren, and Witch Hat Atelier bringing us all the goodness, because the anime industry is in dire need of fresh, pure fantasy series again.

Yeah, I'm with the fans with this series: Delicious In Dungeon is a fun, goofy cooking fantasy series that still manages to be intriguing and thoughtful, and the team at Trigger did a great job at bringing it to life. I haven't become a diehard fan of this series, but I can definitely see its appeal now. I do plan on watching the second season, and I should probably check out the manga, as that has more details that the anime didn't adapt. So yeah, definitely check this series out if you want your fantasy/cooking fix.