dungeon man is a cute, cozy mashup of the fantasy comedy and workplace comedy genres that mostly succeeds in its original intention. While not as creative or eye-catching as earlier this year Delicious food in the dungeon, dungeon man Maintaining a pleasant, mildly entertaining atmosphere, there are plenty of interesting ideas to explore.
Its core is, dungeon man An exploration of the development of a friendship between two lonely girls: Clay, the stoic, (most of the time) emotionless thief, and Bellehela (Belle), the passionate but socially inexperienced caretaker. Much of the humor comes from Bella and Clay’s interactions, a variation on the time-honored Japanese humor manzai A form of comedy in which a character says something strange or outlandish and the “straight guy” reacts. Although I often find stereotypes manzai annoying, dungeon man The overly emotional and loud reactions that are characteristic of this art form are avoided, as Clay himself is… barely responsive. Whether this inversion of standard convention appeals to you may depend on the individual, but I found Clay’s perpetually deadpan confusion somewhat endearing. When Bell casually talks about some strange topic, Clay’s usual reaction is usually limited to a scowl or a drop of sweat. It was like she was trapped in an endless slow-motion nightmare from which she didn’t know how to wake up. Bella’s joyful vivacity and eagerness to share everything about her strange secret world are infectious, and Clay’s quiet resignation is the perfect contrast.
However, Clay’s stoicism doesn’t mean she’s a protagonist without agency – she’s essentially a problem solver, driven to succeed, and curious. While Belle is certainly unnaturally superhuman (we never really learn her origins or why she possesses such overwhelming magical powers), Clay has shown off her own not-quite-normal skills, wall-jumping Jump around and slip past unwary adventurers effortlessly. She searches for new solutions to organizational problems – I especially love the early scene where she jumps into a giant chasm to deliver boxes of supplies to the lower floors, sprinting along the walls like Prince of Persia, inspiring to watch The little rock puppet looked at her and blushed with admiration.
Those tiny rock puppets are probably the cutest part of the show, with their expressionless little stone faces, adorable arm poses, and squeaking sounds. While the designs of the characters and monsters are extremely simple, they are also very effective, giving the show a unique and attractive look. Both Bella and Clay have childlike faces and huge eyes, giving the impression of an (inaccurate) children’s cartoon, which does obscure the darker thematic aspects explored in later episodes.
Occasionally, dungeon man There are sudden shifts to scenes of visceral violence and even existential horror. Three criminal adventurers who lure women into a dungeon and torture and kill them meet a particularly dark (albeit deserved) fate. Although structured like a documentary about the inner workings of a theme park, dungeon man Never shying away from the fact that adventurers go into dungeons to kill and die. Belle often behaves in a very inhumane manner, and her values, words, and actions are unsettling to her new friends.
Clay’s co-workers are an eclectic bunch, from a grumpy dwarf to a friendly minotaur and an excitable demon cat. We meet them outside of their normal role as combat fodder—in the rec room or the kitchen, socializing or cooking. Every aspect of the dungeon, as well as the support structure outside the dungeon, was carefully managed by Bell. one of the most interesting aspects dungeon man You’re learning how typical dungeon features in this world work – from death, resurrection, and rebirth through magical crystals, to corridor lighting, magical fog that prevents adventurers from seeing too far, and refilling treasure chests. It felt like running a dungeon might be a real viable business. If you’ve ever wanted a sociological exploration of how over-specialization in the workforce affects efficient operations and relationships in a relatively technologically advanced fantasy dungeon setting, this is the show for you!
dungeon man Not one of the animation studios OLMThe more ornate pieces, though most look pretty good – the simple aesthetic helps maintain a consistent visual identity, even if the backgrounds can be a bit bland. Action sequences mostly use shortcuts, still images, and Pan frames, but sometimes the animators surprise with smooth, intense fight sequences. For the most part, the animation does what it needs to do, and the simplicity of the character designs probably helps keep the budget spend modest.
Trial voyageopening remarks microrevolution Appropriately cheerful and upbeat, but not necessarily a must-listen; Nanao Akari‘s ending theme blueprint Perfectly evoking the show’s lighter tone, accompanied by even cuter-than-usual visuals. One of my major complaints is about who chose a muddy brown subtitle font for the explanatory text translation on the mid-episode title cards. This is unreadable!
I really enjoy and dungeon manWatch it every week with my Dungeons & Dragons obsessed son and he loves it. It’s definitely not for everyone – mildly humorous, rarely eliciting genuine belly laughs, overly cutesy, but occasionally involving dark, intense violence. But overall, this is mostly a light-hearted show with two lovable protagonists and a supporting cast of lovable strange creatures. With Clay’s father’s ultimate fate still to be discovered and Belle’s true origins yet to be explored, Season 2 will have a lot of material to cover. I hope we get one.
