Dungeon Meshi

I know I’m a little late to this one, but when anything gets super popular it can be a little hard to evaluate it simply because there’s a lot of excitement and opinions about it. Now these reviews are just something I do as a hobby right now, so I won’t say I’m too serious about my viewing experience and trying to remain uninfluenced by the opinions of others, but as just a viewer I try to think at least a little for myself before looking at what people are saying online. So, watching this anime nearly a year after it premiered and several months after it ended, I have forgotten anything specific in terms of people’s thoughts on this show and can talk about it almost in a vacuum.

Now after all that rambling, let’s talk some details. We follow a group of adventurers that will feel a lot like a classic TTRPG party who sets out to bring out one of their party members who died in their last trip into the dungeon. Now since they are broke they opt to skip trying to find ways to buy food or other supplies and instead set out with a plan to live off the dungeon. Now our main character Laios is the party leader, and very excited about trying out different monsters. Joining him we have Marcille, an elf mage, and Chilchuck, a halfling who disarms traps and other sneaky tasks. They soon meet Senshi, a dwarf who has been living off the dungeon for an extended period of time. Their dynamics and thoughts on eating monsters are a lot of fun, though it does feel (in my inexperienced opinion at least) different from a D&D adventure and the antics you may expect from either playing or listening to those games.

There’s a good amount of lore and backstory that tie things together, and while the “monster of the week” formula provides entertainment on its own I did become very interested in the wider world. Dungeons are a normal part of this world, and the particular dungeon being explored is very unique and they explain a good amount, though maybe not as much as I’d like. Regardless, even with some details not being fully fleshed out I think there’s enough to make the show deeper and hook in viewers more. I’m excited to see what season 2 brings as the party continues on their main journey.