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Episode 9 of Delicious in Dungeon brings a new type of conflict within the group and serves up another interesting character study.
Namari the dwarf warrior and blacksmith returns this week. Her allegiance to another party creates new tension for the audience and we are treated to the struggle. It’s not that the party hasn’t had conflicts up to this point—there have been a lot of them! But so far, it’s mostly just been a sort of petty squabble going on between families and some differences of opinion in approach. With Namari in the picture, there’s a real sense of truly opposing views and a different set of values than the rest of the group.
The magical world building here is also really good. The lore surrounding the use of resurrection magic is quite fascinating. Dungeonpunk-style settings often encounter this type of question and grapple with it in some shape or form: if magic exists that can bring the dead back to life, what impact does that have on society? how? The accidental defeat of death would have huge social consequences, so it’s worth exploring. Delicious in Dungeon can be simultaneously explanatory and hand-waving, localizing its use to the dungeon itself since souls never leave the body after being killed. I like that this is a quick, neat solution. Sure, resurrection magic is possible, but it only heals and can only happen in this dangerous area, so it doesn’t have much value to the outside world. It doesn’t feel like an evasive answer, and it helps blend in with the rest of the adventure sim.
The cooking pan is another great combination of clever thinking and world building. The Senshi had a giant diamond bowl that served as a shield but had no effect on him. That’s just great character writing. It makes us ask questions (“Why does his family have this in the first place? Are they rich?”) and highlights the Senshi’s values (“He doesn’t value weapons but puts it into the cooking utensil”). In short, great stuff, an effective and evocative series of texts.
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Grant is a host on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and the Super Senpai Podcast.
Delicious in Dungeon is now streaming on Netflix.
Delicious in Dungeon is now streaming on Netflix.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more companies mentioned in this article are members of the Kadokawa Group.