Mimic Soup and Fried Dragon: What Hooked Me in the Anime "Delicious in Dungeon"

When a Comrade Needs to Be Rescued, But There's Nothing to Eat

In the world of Delicious in Dungeon, magic and fantasy races exist: dwarves, elves, halflings, orcs. A special event is the appearance of a dungeon — a multi-level labyrinth that is saturated with magic and teeming with monsters. Driven by greed, groups of adventurers go there to plunder ancient ruins.

The story begins with a group of heroes who managed to reach the lower level of the dungeon. Everything was going well until a red dragon appeared. It devoured a girl named Falin, but she managed to teleport her comrades to the surface with her last strength. Some of the survivors decided to return immediately to save their friend before the dragon digested her.

The heroes of this fairy tale had a very realistic problem: a lack of money. They can afford either equipment or provisions, but not everything at once. Laios, a knight and Falin's brother, resolved the dilemma. He suggested cooking and eating the monsters killed along the way to solve the food issue. It was Laios who laid the foundation for the main theme of the anime: turning terrifying and bloodthirsty monsters into nutritious dishes.

Japanese animators and manga artists have a special respect for cooking and eating. The dishes they draw look so appetizing that you want to take them out of the screen and eat them. Examples can be found in the anime Shokugeki no Souma, Toriko, One Piece, or the manga Hell's Kitchen.

The manga artist of Delicious in Dungeon depicted monsters as edible exotic animals. The main characters cooked walking mushrooms, mimics, living armor, spirits, a dragon, dryads, nightmares, and even pieces of the dungeon. They adapted traps into kitchen utensils, and the culinary knowledge they gained helped them cope with new challenges.

Living Dungeon

The dungeon in Delicious in Dungeon is a complete ecosystem, divided into biomes. Among the monsters are predators and herbivores, as well as animated plants and fungi. The maintained balance allows them to feed and reproduce without outside interference. It's a pity that throughout the story these amazing creatures were only shown as unusual animals — my inner fan of legendary creatures was indignant. But the manga artist already endowed the characters with a well-thought-out character and motivation, so the plot would be overloaded with intelligent monsters.

The dungeon lacks the usual concept of death. Adventurers can receive fatal wounds, but they will not die completely — skilled mages will bring them back to life. Technically, this makes the adventurers immortal. But if the body is not taken in time, the fate of the unfortunate will be much worse than death.

The master of the dungeon controls this entire machine. In place of the current levels, there once existed a great kingdom. Now it is the domain of the Mad Mage, who is able to change the environment with the snap of his fingers. And he hates uninvited guests.

A whole economy is built around the dungeons. On the surface and upper floors, equipment, supplies, maps, and information are actively traded. Mercenaries and corpse collectors offer their services. In fact, this is an analogue of the gold rush, when only a small part of the adventurers found gold, and the main profit was received by merchants of mining equipment.

Those who have read the manga to the end know that adventurers should not fear monsters or even the Mad Mage. You don't need to be too attentive to see the signs of the true villain. And when he starts to act, the colorful story will turn into a horror.

Classic Fantasy

The work of John R.R. Tolkien on the development of European fantasy cannot be overestimated. His works became the basis for many films, cartoons, and games. Alas, the depiction of modern fantasy races often lacks nuances: arrogant elves are forever dying out, and dwarves are greedy and narrow-minded. A similar problem exists in anime, for example, in Goblin Slayer, where a typical elf and dwarf argue on racial grounds.

Delicious in Dungeon takes into account the characteristics of various races: height, physique, lifespan. Differences cause many conflicts, but the heroes find ways to get along and solve problems together.

The group of main characters consists of representatives of different races with their own unique traits:

• The elf Marcille is a powerful mage who hates eating monsters, but at the same time she is kind, caring, and not afraid to look stupid.
• The dwarf warrior Senshi possesses all the qualities of a representative of his race, at the same time he became a caring father for the whole group and does not quarrel with Marcille because of prejudices.
• The halfling Chilchuck is greedy and cunning, but he was one of those who immediately agreed to go to rescue Falin.

Special mention should be made of the catgirl named Izutsumi. This is a wayward and conflicted personality whom everyone loves — here a parallel with real cats is visible. And that's good. After all, catgirls are usually depicted as simple girls with cat ears, made a subject of ridicule or a source for 18+ content.

Not All Scoundrels Are Lucky

In modern fantasy, nobility is not in honor. In the pursuit of "realism," authors often punish and humiliate those heroes who follow the rules and show mercy. And the villains get all the honor and glory, even though they achieve victory by dirty means.

In Delicious in Dungeon, there is a villain named Kabru. He is a cynical narcissist who ruthlessly gets rid of enemies. In the dungeon, he encountered real realism, when skills in killing and manipulating humanoids turned out to be useless against most monsters.

Laios also faced a harsh reality — many scoundrels took advantage of the nobility and kindness of the knight and his sister. But it was these qualities that allowed Laios to find true friends who helped in the search for Falin.

Analysis

People have always liked stories about noble heroes, but not everyone knows how to tell them well. Too many authors have come to rely on shock content and breaking the mold to attract the audience's attention.

Delicious in Dungeon tells a classic story about rescuing a comrade, but does it at the highest level. The author has thought out every detail in the plot, thanks to which it is impossible to tear yourself away from what is happening on the screen.

The second season of the anime was announced in 2024. If it does not yield to the first, then viewers will be able to fully enjoy the machinations of the main villain, the new sufferings of Kabru, and the delicious ending of this appetizing story.