The Netflix original anime Delicious in Dungeon (known in Japanese as Dungeon Meshi) began airing in January 2024. Now, the fantasy-comedy anime series' first season finale will air on June 13. From Studio Trigger, the studio behind other acclaimed anime like Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, and the award-winning Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Delicious in Dungeon is adapted from the original manga by Ryoko Kui which wrapped up in late 2023.
With the anime's season finale set to air soon, it is the perfect time for new fans to dive into Delicious in Dungeon and catch up on the story so far.
The series follows a group of adventurers led by Laios and consists of the spell-caster Marcille, the rogue Chilchuck, the expert dwarven chef Senshi, and the beast-woman Izutsumi. Originally, the party's goal is to rescue and revive Laios's sister Falin after she is swallowed by the red dragon living in the depths of the titular dungeon. However, as their quest progresses, they discover more about the true nature of the dungeon and the stakes of the series get higher and higher.
What is Delicious in Dungeon?
The simplest way to describe Delicious in Dungeon is "Dungeons & Dragons meets a cooking show." The dungeon-crawling adventure aspect will be instantly familiar to Dungeons & Dragons players and fans of other anime adventure series. The unique spin the series puts on the premise is Laios's obsession with trying to cook and end every kind of monster living in and around the dungeon. Most of the humor in the series comes from the contrast between how eager Laios is to try monster-based meals and how disgusted Marcille is by the same idea.
Although the meals are purely fictional, Delicious in Dungeon puts a lot of thought into how somebody would actually cook well-known fantasy monsters like dragons, sea serpents, and even ghosts. The end result is detailed fantasy meals that come across as entirely plausible, despite being based on sources that do not exist in the real world.
In addition to the excellent art direction and animation found in other Studio Trigger series, Delicious in Dungeon features a strong voice cast in both the original Japanese and the English dub. The series is primarily a comedy and the voice cast and script display some excellent comedic performances and timing.
However, there are also moments with legitimate tension and emotional weight, as well as some intense fight scenes with serious stakes that are just as well executed as the comedic moments. Delicious in Dungeon will definitely appeal to fans of other anime series with a similar premise like Slayers and KonoSuba.
The clip below provided by Netflix is a good indication of what to expect from Delicious in Dungeon:
How to watch Delicious in Dungeon
As one on the ever-growing list of Netflix original anime, Delicious in Dungeon is available for all Netflix subscribers. New episodes air on Thursdays, with the season finale going live on June 13, 2024. Earlier episodes in the series can be viewed at any time on Netflix. As of this writing, a second season has not yet been confirmed. Additional information about Delicious in Dungeon can be found via Netflix.
Delicious in Dungeon is rated TV-MA for nudity and violence and contains subject matter that some viewers may find disturbing.