Aahana Swrup
The Netflix anime ‘Delicious in Dungeon,’ a fantasy comedy, presents a monster-slaying quest that ends up taking an outlandish culinary detour. The show follows Laios and his dungeon raiding team, notorious for their tendency to fall into financial brokenness. As such, after a hunt goes wrong and Laios’ sister, Falin, falls victim to the infamous Red Dragon, the warrior, and his friends have no choice but to embark on a journey into the deadly dungeons without proper supplies. Thus, as Laios, Mage Marcille, and Lockpick Chilchuck venture deeper into the dungeons, they must accept the monsters as their meals. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Delicious in Dungeon Episode 1 Recap: Hot Pot/Tart
Once, years ago, in a tiny village, a man emerged from a split catacomb upon the ground’s trembling. The unnamed man claimed to be the ruler of the Land of Gold, a country fabled to have prospered greatly before disappearing a thousand years ago. However, according to the man’s claims, the land’s disappearance was due to the curse of a mad mage who cast a spell to confine the land and its subjects into the underground. Therefore, before turning to dust and blowing away into the wind, the man promises to pass down the Golden Land to whoever destroys the mage.
In the present day, when the Land of the Gold has become only a myth again, Laios and his dungeon raiding party face off against the mighty Red Dragon. During the battle, the warrior remains distracted by thoughts of food and hunger. As a result, he fails to see a blow coming his way, leading his sister, Falin, to shield his body with her own. Thus, the girl becomes the Dragon’s prey, trapped in its mouth, as the realization of his team’s defeat dawns upon Laios.
Nevertheless, Falin uses a spell to transport her friends out of the dungeon and to a safe meadow. While Laois and his friends awake safe and sound, they quickly realize Falin’s spell failed to save herself. Further bad news arrives when Chilchuck informs the party that two other team members have decided to quit to join a better, more lucrative team of dungeon raiders. Laios vows to save his sister but stops by the village for a meal first.
Only, while at the village, Laios realizes that his rescue mission is bound to fail since he doesn’t have any supplies. The party was already broke, and they had lost most of their belongings while fighting the Dragon. Although Laios attempts to convince Marcille and Chilchuck to quit as well so he can sell their gear and gain the money, the two members insist on joining Laios in this new quest, knowing he would have more of a chance to save Falin with them.
As such, once the trio makes the decision to face the future together and save Falin, they prepare to confront the dungeons. Only Laios convinces the other two to forgo food supplies since they can rely on the ecosystem within the dungeon to feed themselves. Marcille is immediately against the idea, unenthusiastic about eating monsters. However, given their situation, the party doesn’t have other options. Besides, Laios reminds them plenty of people, banished to the dungeons, already survive on monsters.
Early into the journey, the team encounters one giant walking mushroom monster, easily slain. Consequently, Laios excitedly decides to prepare for their first meal. Procuring a Dungeon Monster Gourmet Guide, Laios ensures the mushroom is edible, much to Marcille and Chilchuck’s chagrin. Afterward, the trio enters the merchant’s catacombs within the dungeons, bustling with villagers and warriors. Upon catching another monster, a giant scorpion, and expressing similar enthusiasm to consume it, Laois sheepishly admits that eating monsters has always been a fantasy of his.
However, after preparing the two monsters in boiling water, Laios learns both dishes taste incredibly bad. His heaving attracts the attention of a nearby Dwarf warrior who offers to teach him the right way to consume such monsters. After gathering more ingredients and using some of his own, the dwarf, Senshi, prepares a delicious hot pot that even Marcille can’t turn down. Senshi introduces himself as another monster cuisine enthusiast who has been studying the art for a decade.
Therefore, Senshi decides to join Laios in his quest when he learns his sister was abducted by the Red Dragon. After all, Senshi reveals, he’s always wanted to eat a Red Dragon. Thus, the group proceeds to the next levels of the dungeons, a lush green forest ripe with plants and fruits, albeit carnivorous ones. The party’s next meal comes from different plants that they have to fight beforehand, and Senshi prepares a monster plant tart, another surprisingly mouth-watering delicacy.
Marcille still has reservations about eating monsters, and Laios’ obsession with it still remains disarming. Nonetheless, the team at least realizes they won’t have to starve themselves in their quest to save Falin and even get some delicious, if weird, food out of it. Still, all three remain unsure if they’d be comfortable feasting on a human-eating Dragon.
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