At first glance, the setting of Delicacies in the dungeonor Meshi Dungeon, seems a bit simple. It may look like an accessible, if generic, blend of Tolkein, Dragon questAnd Sword World. But sometimes the most important part of a dish may not be the strongest flavor but the delicate texture or memorable aftertaste. The power of Delicacies in the dungeonfor it is not found in its high concept or even in the novelty of its fantasy fare, but in the care and attention to detail demonstrated in its world-building.
Editor’s note: The following contains discussion of the Delicacies in the dungeon anime up to episode 16, as well as some allusions to events in the manga, and thus contain spoilers.
Although the story begins with a very classic fantasy setting, there is still a foundation in place. If you have ever played Dungeons and Dragons or any other role-playing game, you may have to decide whether you actually use the logistics and supply management rules, which keep track of how many arrows your archer has taken. shooting, etc. Many players ignore them and consider it all to be done off-screen, so as not to spoil the flow of the game. But in Delicacies in the dungeon, logistics is an important part of preparing for the journey. In fact, the entire reason Laios et al. resorting to eating monsters is lacking the money to buy suitable supplies.
A significant portion of the anime’s first episode is devoted to discussing the logistics of what is sometimes called a “corpse run,” the journey of returning to where you previously died to retrieve his items (and in this case, Laios’ sister). Falin). It skips the minutiae as there are no counting arrows or individual servings and instead covers interesting aspects that require real decisions. Do they downgrade their equipment to ensure supplies or reduce the size of their group and rely on stealth? It emphasizes that despite its simple design and accessible setting, this is a story in which the physical aspects of prison escape are fully considered, and that lends weight to the decisions made. that decision.
Of course, this weight will impact other areas. The need for supplies and weapons, combined with the wealth gained from the dungeon, fueled the growth of the surrounding town. What was once a village on a modest island has become a major commercial center, with all the noise and politics that entails so many people with different interests in one place. Episode 10 cuts away from the main story to just outline some of the goings-on behind the scenes, from territorial disputes between Elves and Dwarves to Tansu and the island’s lord planning to encourage further expeditions. follow for their own purposes.
Now, interspecies hostility is nothing new in the imagination, but that’s the way it is Delicacies in the dungeon shows how people’s perceptions reveal not only the broader geopolitical context but also the relationships between characters from different backgrounds. At first, this game was played for laughs as the Senshi, who had never met more than half a meter before, treated Chilchuck like a child. But later chapters of the manga only elaborate on this, as more goblin characters get involved and we see that arrogant, patriarchal attitude make the situation more complicated.
Speaking of species, Delicacies in the dungeon also does well to avoid treating different peoples within the context as cultural monoliths. Despite their common race, the Senshi are still criticized by Namari for not caring about their weapons and he also mentions how the other dwarves do the same due to their lack of mining knowledge. To borrow some academic phrase, he doesn’t “act short” enough to fit in, which may affect his reclusive lifestyle. There are other dynamics presented elsewhere as well, such as Chilchuck having a special reputation among the other half-legged people on the island or Shuro’s heritage leading to the awkward dynamic he has with Laios. This doesn’t even make the list of worms whose races are classified as “human” and ostracized despite being clearly sentient, such as the Orcs. There’s a lot of drama to be explored when people of different backgrounds exist and interact with each other, but a lot of science fiction and fantasy often turns it into species-wide caricatures, while Delicacies in the dungeon uses more subtlety and intelligence to add to its world-building..
Then there are the denizens of the dungeon. Just as the human town has its own ecosystem surrounding the dungeon, just like the corpse reclaimers and weapon shops, the monsters also interact with each other and their environment. This appeared as early as episode 2 of the anime with the hunting habits of the man-eating plants, but I found the giant frogs in episode 10 to be even more interesting. Not only do they develop an immunity to the vine-like tentacles they live with, but the tentacles also penetrate holes in the wall left by the trapping mechanism.
Even the dungeon itself functions almost naturally, despite being an artificial magical construct, and in episode 16 is likened to a giant creature with its own immune system. And just like the real-world environment, it can be damaged by over-exploitation, as when Tansu reported early levels being stripped of treasure requiring adventurers to venture to deeper level. The dungeon and the monsters within aren’t just piñata loot, they’re also creatures with complex webs of relationships that can be disturbed. Explorers and others also have a place in that ecosystem, but their relationships can be parasitic as well as symbiotic. That’s why Senshi likes to preach about not taking more than you need.
Again, these are not the only concepts for Delicacies in the dungeon or its world-building, in fact most of them are observable in our real world minus the magical element. But the logistics, the geopolitics, the ecology, all the things that aren’t usually considered flashy or exciting, each contribute to making the setting richer and deeper than just “a cooking anime.” but fictitious”.
Delicacies in the dungeon is licensed in the United States by Yen Press, and the anime adaptation is currently streaming Netflix.
