At this year’s Anime NYC in November 2023, Studio Trigger came to give us a sneak peek at their newest show, Delicious in Dungeon – an adventurer’s tale on a group of explorers who must regain their power to save a lost group member… using the power of food?
The pilot episode was announced and premiered originally at Anime Expo back in July 2023. The episode was highly praised mainly because this manga is well-known in Japan and highly recommended all around. Releasing in 2014, The Delicious in Dungeon manga has been received so well that in August of 2022 when news hit that Studio Trigger would be releasing an anime adaption, many were (and still are) looking forward to the show. Studio Trigger is a very popular animation studio known for their anime like Kill la Kill, Darling in the Franxx, Kiznavier, and more – all which bring forth amazing visuals and colorful stories. Hints of this partnership for Delicious in Dungeon could be seen as far back as 2019, when Trigger released a commercial to promote the release of their eighth volume.
This release succeeds three other anime Studio Trigger has partnered with Netflix to premiere, Little Witch Academia (2017), BNA: Brand New Animal (2020), and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022). While they’ve all done well in their own regard, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners became a huge success - it’s now critically acclaimed and has a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Whatever Trigger makes next ought to be good!
The Delicious in Dungeon anime premiers on January 4th, 2024, exclusively on Netflix. However, at Anime NYC, Trigger had a special showing of the first two episodes for excited fans to see - giving us a better taste of how Studio Trigger would bring Delicious in Dungeon to life. A quick introduction for the anime was done by the series producer Kazufumi Kikushima, otherwise known as Kadokawa, and a greeting from the cast members was streamed before the episodes began.
The first episode starts in the middle of an action scene where we meet our main character Laios, the leader of the team, while battling a fierce “Red Dragon” monster. Another explorer and Laios’ sister, Falin, uses her magic to transport the team out of the cavern where they’d all regroup without her – as she had been captured in the literal belly of the beast. The underlying plot of the show starts here with the new team of three (who left all their supplies, food, and weapons in the cave) aiming to save Falin before she gets digested by the dragon. The other two in the trio consist of Marcille, a half-elven mage and Chilchuck, a halfling privy to picking locks and disabling traps.
This opening scene gave the audience a bit more context to the world we are being introduced to, but the intensity wouldn’t follow through the remaining two episodes. The show slips into a lighthearted rhythm as they begin brainstorming ideas on how to attain their goal with where they are.
So, let’s get into it!
Their personalities start coming forth as they begin to embark on this new journey. Cute punchlines and gags display Laios as a curious swordsman, strangely excited about the monsters and how they taste as delicacies. He’s harboring a not-so-secret secret interest in eating the monsters and this becomes his chance to delve deeper into this itch. Marcille, on the other hand, vehemently despises the idea of eating monsters and somehow becomes comedic relief with the situations her languish finds her in.
From the start, I could tell that this would be a lighthearted anime. I looked at this first episode from the lens of learning about our main characters and their goals and caught on quickly to just how gorgeous the setting was. I loved how colorful and bright the scenes were, from the team waking up in an expansive field of long grass, or walking through the town - even the dungeons, as dark as they needed to be, had attention to details like textures and unique monster designs. This isn’t surprising for Studio Trigger, and I’m sure this is what made fans buzz throughout the event.
Later on, a strange dungeon-dwelling dwarf by the name of Senshi stumbles upon their failures to cook the beasts properly and presents his expertise in making food from monsters through cute little cooking montages. He knows about monsters, he knows about food, and he jumps at the chance to join the group once the trio makes their goal of hunting the Red Dragon clear… with his motivation being to cook the dragon himself! By now, I’d gotten a bit more of a grasp on the actual unseriousness of the episode. After a dramatic punch in the beginning, with Falin’s demise in the front of my mind, I was a bit confused as to why things seemed so carefree. The focus had shifted more towards the silliness of the characters' interactions and their interest (or disgust, as made clear with Marcille) in monsters, but I was concerned about the impending doom of the character at the start. I didn’t care for how the opening plot was brushed over - it seemed like it was just a reason for the trio to explore the delicacies of monsters, so I didn’t know exactly what tone the show would take carrying forth.
We jumped straight into the second episode and continued getting to know the characters as they encountered more challenges on their journey. We see more of Chilchuck and Senshi’s personalities in the second episode, where they must use each other’s polar opposite personalities to get through a trap and come out at the end learning a lot from one another. I really liked this - I was afraid Chilchuck might become a secondary character, where he comes in solely for a joke or to save them when needed, but showing the side of him that was strong and careful went well with Senshi’s reckless yet genius cooking skill. I definitely enjoyed the second episode more and laughed more at the jokes on their opposing nature.
The rhythm of the episodes would become clearer as I watched - it had the “lesson learned” vibe, where each episode would end on a hopeful tone and the realization of something to help the characters forward on their journey. Again, the fact that Falin was on the brink of ACTUAL death was still tickling my brain. I don’t remember if these two episodes mentioned how long it would be until she is unrevivable, and it had already been established that magic couldn’t bring back every dead explorer (the details of this are still unclear). The first two episodes seemed to glide over this and made for a more cheery adventure-anime over a tone of urgency and fear.
Personally, I thought that the show was cute! Charming scenes showcasing the mystical setting kept my eyes visually pleased, and each of the characters are enjoyable in their own ways. They jump through several locations in one episode, tackling whatever monster inhabits the area. The flow of the show was pretty standard, where the adventurers encounter a problem, conflict ensues, there’s a sentimental moment of understanding, and a clear resolution at the end. The show’s tone almost makes you forget that the leader’s WHOLE sister is at the brink of death. There isn’t much urgency behind this underlying plot-point – instead, the group flounders through obstacles while keeping a well-balanced meal in mind, clear for the audience with Senshi’s cooking tips and food-prep montages.
There are a few drawbacks, that keep me wondering if I’ll give the show a try once it comes out. First, it feels a bit amateur for a studio that has been around for 12+ years. It’s hard to describe, but one thing I felt was that a lot of the visual gags fell short due to lack of proper facial expressions on the characters. The animation isn’t necessarily the issue here, but relying on what looked like a zoomed-in screen cap of a character for a gag only got a short snort out of me. It would’ve been nice to see a bit more detail and flow in this aspect, matching the efforts of the cooking scenes or the world.
As I watched the first two episodes, I noted how Marcille falls into an “only girl in the group” stereotype; the comedic antagonist, creates the problem she falls into, has to be saved despite being a strong mage, and is used as a transition into whatever food is being made next. She seems like she can become a sweet character, so I hope the first two episodes simply did her no justice. I really did enjoy Senshi’s character - his design and navigation of the dungeons make him seem tough and brooding, but his love for cooking and lack of care when finding new ways to make food kept me smiling, including his little tidbits on nutrients and overall expansive knowledge. He’s definitely on his way to becoming an integral part of the team, and I’d keep my eye out for the show if for nothing else than this!
Would I check out Delicious in Dungeon this January? Maybe! As I previously mentioned before, I haven’t read the Delicious in Dungeon manga – so some of these things can be attributed to how the story was written, and the choices the studio went with when producing this as an anime. I enjoy how there is a clear set-up and storyline; the first two episodes gave us something to grab onto… but I just can't help but feel I’d find myself able to scroll on my phone and use this show as a background while doing something else.
If you like low-tension, cute, and silly adventure anime then by all means keep an eye out for Delicious in Dungeon when it releases on Netflix on January 4th, 2024! Studio Trigger didn’t fall back on their ability to paint a delightful scene and build up a world with character’s easy to get into. I could see this as a casual watch, maybe as a breather between anime that bring forward more intense emotions. Otherwise, we did get a Delicious in Dungeon manga with the showing… so maybe I’ll crack it open and see what else Delicious in Dungeon is about!
