You Can Enjoy Dungeon Meshi Even if You Don’t Like Cooking or Comedic Fantasy

Summary:

• Despite cooking being the core of Dungeon Meshi, it’s not all it has.
• The characters are refreshingly vivid.
• The worldbuilding is handled wonderfully.

It’s not a mistake that Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) is in all anime top lists of this season. If you love a good comedic fantasy or cooking anime, perhaps the series looked intriguing to you even before watching it.

But what about those who are not fans of these genres? Should they stay clear of Dungeon Meshi?

The answer is no, of course

Yes, the center of Dungeon Meshi is indeed cooking. There are new meals and recipes each episode, and gaining the ingredients (we mean, monsters) and cooking them are the devices that drive the plot forward. But it’s not everything that the anime has to offer.

Let’s start with the most obvious things: the art style and the characters. Should we even tell you that the series looks incredible? We think we shouldn’t because you’ve already seen the posters, the trailers and maybe even a couple of episodes.

What did we expect from Studio Trigger, anyway? They brought us Kill la Kill and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, so they have fans’ full trust.

It’s also refreshing to watch an anime about adults instead of overpowered teenagers (no offense, teengers) for a change. Even if the adults behave like kids sometimes, they are very compelling and appealing. The most interesting thing is that they are all different, so you’ll definitely find something in them to relate to.

Worldbuilding is the best part

But the thing that makes Dungeon Meshi stand out so much is its worldbuilding. Everything that you see in the anime feels real (to a point, of course, let’s not forget that it’s a fantasy series after all). You understand the characters and their motivation, you believe in everything that’s happening on your screen.

On top of that, Dungeon Meshi doesn’t dump hours-long exposition on you, it shows you how its world operates in a way that’s relevant to the story and that won't bore you to death during the first episode.

It can also impress you with the thought that went into creating its monsters and surprise you with some things that you’ve never even expected.

The world of Dungeon Meshi just feels alive, and you believe it. Of course, you have to cut off the mushroom man’s legs to eat it! Or of course, slimes have brains and other organs, too, how would they function otherwise?

The attention to detail is what makes Dungeon Meshi so enjoyable. It’s very engaging to follow its characters and explore its world. Even if you are not into cooking or humorous fantasy.