Dungeons & Delicacies: new Netflix fantasy anime (trailer).
In the veritable ocean of culinary TV shows that permeate our screens, from competitive bake-offs to mysterious food travelogues, who could have anticipated a fantastical intermingling of dungeon-crawling with a cook-off? Netflix’s new anime TV series, “Delicious in Dungeon” has taken this quixotic union of genres and left viewers gobsmacked, and weirdly hungry.
First, let’s clear the fog around the name. Yes, it’s “Delicious in Dungeon”. Do not mistake it for a dramatic fantasy epic with a confusing culinary title. And, certainly, do not mistake it for a cooking show with a misplaced fantasy tag. It is an exhilarating hybrid, like a unicorn running a taco truck.
Adapted from the much-beloved manga series of the same name, penned and drawn by Ryoko Kui, it is a fantastical smorgasbord of characters, flavors, and perils. Laios and his motley crew of adventurers – including Marcille, the half-elf magician, Chilchuck, the halfling locksmith, and Senshi, the dwarf warrior with a penchant for cooking monsters – delve into dungeons in pursuit of Laios’ sister, and delectable meals made from monsters.
Produced by Studio Trigger, helmed by Yoshihiro Miyajima, and backed by a majestic soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda and Shunsuke Tsuchiya, “Delicious in Dungeon” is like ‘Lord of the Rings’ decided to break for lunch and never really got back to adventuring.
Our hero, Laios, with his tactical culinary acumen, not only leads the crew through treacherous dungeons but also ingeniously cooks up monsters. Who knew you could cook Minotaur steak with a sprinkle of elf-grown herbs and a dash of wizardry?
Meanwhile, Chilchuck, the locksmith, isn’t just unlocking doors – he’s also unlocking flavors. And Marcille, the anxious spellcaster, finds herself in a continual dilemma between casting spells and dishing out palatable monster sushi.
However, the real pièce de résistance in the series is Senshi, the burly dwarf with a bottomless appetite for culinary monster creations. In one memorable scene, he battles a monstrous tentacled creature only to triumphantly transform it into a sumptuous calamari stew – all in the same breath.
The script by Kimiko Ueno cleverly weaves through unexpected humor and amusing character development, and Naoki Takeda’s character designs remain faithful to the original manga, giving long-time fans a comforting sense of nostalgia.
The series poses vital questions – how far would you go to procure ingredients for an unprecedented dish? Is sautéing a werewolf over a magical flame the ultimate farm-to-table experience? Or perhaps, how does one prevent their food from fighting back in a literal sense?
