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The Dark Souls of eating anime.

By which I mean this episode I think had some references to Dark Souls. The golden armour looks a lot like Ornstein, and also bringing to mind the Dragonslayer Armor from Dark Souls 3 which had a connection Ornstein and was armour puppet by a creature. I might even go so far to call out Laios having a broken sword, or in general the themes of revival after death.

Other than that, I was going to say that the OP being done by Bump of Chicken gives me a big impact, I can recall them in front of a bunch of great stuff.

Yeah, there are themes/elements of certain games and series to be found in the show. Myself, I am very curious to see if the mimic will get a showing (aka end up in a meal), I always find mimics to be fascinating creatures and they are usually in every dungeon.

Episode 3

This show just continues to get more compelling for me week to week. I felt in the first episode they got the balance wrong: there was way too much emphasis on the eating side of things compared to dungeoning. This week I feel like they absolutely nailed the right balance. The dungeon stuff was interesting and the eating stuff was the right amount of time investment. And as always the elf's facial expressions and attitude continue to be hilarious. I could have done without the dwarven panty shot, mind you...

Yeah, the eating/cooking part is great, but the show is at its best when there is also some adventuring/fighting mixed in, though, in the case of this week, gardening and hanging out with some orcs works too. The former makes for a very creative method of getting fresh vegetables underground, it also makes one realize that the dungeon is a unique world and eco system in many ways. You have to both give and take to maintain it. As for the orcs, it was a intense start, but they kind of got along in the end.

Episode 4

I love this dungeon's eco-system. Another entertaining episode. I don't think this show did itself any favours in the first episode with its preponderance of cooking stuff versus actual dungeoning. Since that time, they have gotten much better at striking the right balance while showing excellent humour and creativity along the way.

#4

Recipes viewers can actually relate to for once, even if the means through which said ingredients were obtained are par for the course. It's surreal seeing Senshi practice sustainable agriculture coupled with the aim of keeping the shallower dungeon levels safe for spelunking newbies. Also, Laios might be a psychopath, but he doesn't engage in necrophagy nor cannibalism.

Marcille is far more accepting this week of Senshi's dishes because they are regular ingredients rather than exotic monster parts. For the rest of us neophyte cooking acolytes the whole process of baking bread from flour and yeast without modern appliances is a reminder of how far humankind has come for one of history's most important staple foods. The orcs even serve as a plot device by giving the intrepid party a lead to work on, because it appears the orcs were recently forced to raid due to the dragon's destructive collateral damage. I don't know how much of a catalyst the map will be towards beating the digestion deadline, but giving a detailed tour of each and every dungeon level and its exotic inhabitants is a formula that won't hold casual viewers attention to the end of the quarter

#5

One cannot fault the approach taken by the animators with regards to the storytelling angle. Watching the first third of the episode, ?? would be on top of most viewers' heads as we see a completely different party have the spotlight before normal service resumes. It is a good twist though; how many casual viewers would have guessed the real reason for that party wipeout? The dish that follows isn't quite as appetising for many viewers, after all insects as a part of diet isn't usual for much of the English speaking world. It IS common elsewhere, so for me viewers in Asia and Africa will find it easier to relate to this (even if it looks like our main party is eating shiny metal). Senshi isn't too bothered about material wealth, much to the chagrin of Marcille and Chilchuck who certainly wouldn't mind spending those "unwanted ingredients". Not a bad punchline, especially with the deliberate dragging of Senshi's last words as gravity does its work.

The next part with the ghosts mixed in flashbacks, a bit of character development and a completely left-field approach to exorcism to complete another unique episode in this franchise's stable. Of the three methods quoted by Senshi for dealing with the supernatural, the last two are most familiar to Japanese viewers (the first one most cultures, especially those with long winters, would more easily empathize with including the Japanese). Another rare glimpse of what the party's main target was like before she was swallowed, turns out she glued the party together no thanks to Laios being a psychopath (who again shows why his party wiped out to begin with and why two members departed immediately after that). Utilising popular culture with regards to wraiths being unnaturally cold to create sorbets and iced confectionary wasn't what I expected, but the amount of sugar added to the mix (the only way this concept could have worked) just about made this dish somewhat passable for suspension of disbelief.

The last part about corpses and resurrection makes the latter concept easier to understand. Unless it's someone important and the corpse is recent, most people won't go out of the way to use the spell on random strangers. The "corpse collectors" aren't really gravekeepers, more like corpse couriers who might be hauling temporary carcasses back to someone who can raise the unfortunate victims. Also, corpses are empty vessels for stray wraiths to possess and haunt the living until they are expelled. That also raises the question of how the spirits and wraiths are formed; our party is not too concerned about Laios's sister becoming a wraith yet as she's (technically) not dead (yet). It's also implied if one becomes a wraith then resurrection won't work since the corpse won't be revived with everything intact. More to explore with life and death as concepts in this franchise yet.

A good episode in that besides a bit of munching on weird food it also provided some information about the larger world at play and the past of the party. It is easy to forget that regular parties are in the dungeon to make money or to defeat the wizard at the bottom. I do wonder what happens when said wizard is defeated though, the dungeon collapsing/disappearing would have major consequences for a lot of people. It would also be a real shame to lose such an interesting place.

As for the bugs, having tried some out of curiosity they can be quite tasty, them looking like coins or jewels would make for a unique experience though.

The Treasure Bugs are a great example of how this show is frequently quite creative. I don't play enough (er, any) RPG games or D&D (since high school, that is) so I don't know if Treasure Bugs are a staple of this kind of material or something inventive the source material came up with, but they were pretty cool. Also, I was completely gulled by the new party, not predicting that they'd all meet their demise so soon after being introduced. Got me!

I had previously been impressed with the halfling's thief class prowess but now have to downgrade him severely. What kind of thief can't discern real gems???

I would suggest buying a monster guide to D&D (though I do believe treasure bugs are something unique to the source material), you would be very surprised about what sort of weird critters you can find in it, it makes me very excited for what this show might have as food in the future.

#6

The show may have a general template, but it doesn't stop it from surprising casual viewers with all manner of variations.

Although the first part felt more like a time filler and setup for the show's conventional show and eat, it's a clever twist on the Japanese language equivalent of "pie in the sky", literally interpreted. Laios is a psychopath, but you can't fault him for his dedication. Turns out one really can't eat painted food like some kind of Dark Souls parody, but the background to the underground kingdom which created the living paintings and the elf mage who served the long dead dynasty feels like it might be important moving forward. For all we know, the elf mage is still alive and was the catalyst for the labyrinth which hosts the adventuring industry Laios and company are contributing to.

Another Chilchuck spotlight, this time focusing on the bane of lockpickers: the dreaded Mimic. The direct cause of two of his deaths and an indirect cause of his third, the trauma scars are most prominent this week. Good thing he paid attention in the previous week with the treasure bugs and found a way out of the mess he got himself in, leaving Senshi to cook up the fortuitous remains. This franchise reimagines mimics as hermit crabs, so we get steamboat crab as this week's inspiration. The aside on each member's age is nicely mixed in trivia, although unsurprising as the franchise more or less conforms to existing archetypes for high fantasy races. Psychopath and his cleric sister were most likely the youngest members of the wiped out party, and retain that position in the new one centred around Senshi who I'd expect is decades old. Chilchuck has the consolation of knowing he'll be spelunking for years to come as his race live longer and age slower than humans.

I keep getting amazed by how creative the show is. The first half gave us some solid plot while letting the viewer decide what to make of it all. Besides that it also makes one wonder what the world inside the paintings actually is given that Laios was recognised by the elf for popping up several times. Just how much life is there in a living painting.

Kudos for the mimic second half, it was another creative showing of a classic monster. The natural enemy of the mimic being treasure insects and those leading up to a chest filled with insects looking like treasure is a rather unique system.

smurky turkey wrote:

The natural enemy of the mimic being treasure insects and those leading up to a chest filled with insects looking like treasure is a rather unique system.

Yeah, that was a good moment to explain why the treasure like bugs would find themselves in chests.

Sadly, I usually prefer more terrifying mimics.

Not sure what it is that makes Marcille a particularly enjoyable character, even when she is being an annoying gremlin bullying Chilchuck. Maybe how I heard the manga author is a woman, so it doesn't feel like she is written the same as most "the girl characters in these types of fantasy shows.

#7

I didn't expect the previous party to be revived so quickly, only to get wiped again by a single merman. The collectors have a point: if adventurers are too stupid to know when to cut losses and return to the surface then they're prey to not just the local monster denizens.

As always for this show, it's not just about the food. Who knew haircare plays such a massive role in the efficacy of magic in this franchise? Being the only female in this party she has the crucial role of teaching the men about the merits of personal hygiene. We even get a lesson on monster habitats and the ecosystem balance; get rid of the apex predator and equilibrium can be swiftly restored to Senshi's satisfaction.

For the food, I'd expect the Kelpie to be just another kind of horse, which the series more or less handled as such. Similarly, the Kraken is just an oversized octopus and squid so the cooking methods (and hunting techniques) don't differ too much. The oversized parasite ended up being a substitute for eel, but with actual parasites which teaches Laios the hard way what sushi chefs in real life take great pains to avoid their customers from befalling.

It felt a bit rushed, but it's a change of habitat and cuisine for this week. Water doesn't suit the party, so Marcille's water walking gets them through it quickly to the next level. If the hapless beginners party revived again and continues their pursuit for alleged theft, odds are short for a three-peat of wipeouts.

I think the just revived party killed one another due to the singing of the sirens/mermaids, they said something to that effect at least. It also shows that although that party is strong when it comes to fighting, they are way too naive when it comes to the hidden dangers of the dungeon said as sirens of treasure bugs.

I loved Laios his singing to throw off the sirens, they were having none of it and quickly left. As for eating raw parasite....being brave in wanting to try everything is one thing, but you gotta think a little bit before putting something in your mouth.

Also kudos to Senshi for some epic Kraken slaying.

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