You should indulge in the flavor that is Dungeon Meshi.
Dungeon Meshi is a rare meticulously crafted world that is only about making delicious food out of the dangerous monsters that are found in dungeons. In the sea full of mid isekai anime, this unique take on the fantasy genre is a nice change of pace.
The art style is adorable, the characters are lovable and the food, although cooked from made up ingredients, looks delicious when it is prepared. This is one of those comfy anime with a surprisingly rich world and an entertaining cast of characters that really make it worth watching.
My favorite character of all is Marcille, an elf who reacts how a normal human would react to disgusting creatures from dungeons be killed and prepared to be eaten. In an episode, some nasty mushroom being was killed and prepared into a delicious stew, and of course our cute elf absolutely refused to eat such a dish, knowing where the ingredients had been sourced from.
However, she notices her friends chow down on the stew which admittedly looks delicious to her. She eventually succumbs to her hunger and meekly tries out the food anyway and ends up loving it. She is like the tsundere of food in Dungeon Meshi, and it’s adorable!
That is not all. The supporting cast are all quirky and do hilarious things together. They’re always up to some shenanigans in each episode that end up getting a chuckle out of you. They’re not just personalities with colored hair. Humor in anime can feel like a hit or miss for me, but I can assure you that Dungeon Meshi will have at least one moment that will make you smile or laugh out loud.
Dungeon Meshi isn’t superficial either. The foods here are clearly based on real life subcultures and new cuisines are accurately represented and explored in each episode. The level of thought that is put into the ecosystem of the made-up monsters and how they may coexist with one another is very commendable. It definitely helps you immerse yourself into this world and feels just that much closer to feeling like it is a real world.
The comfiness of Dungeon Meshi just makes you want to get cozied up in a warm blanket, get a snack and watch it. I highly recommend you have a snack with you, by the way, because the deliciously animated food is guaranteed to make you feel hungry. You should give Dungeon Meshi a watch if you are okay with Slice of Life anime. Like, who doesn’t want to watch a cute elf be tsundere about delicious food?
