SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON EPISODES 1-5
“The intention behind Gygaxian Naturalism is to paint a picture of a “real” world, which is to say, a world that exists for reasons other than purely gaming ones”
– James Maliszewski (Sept. 4th, 2008)
DinD (Delicious in Dungeon)
Delicious Dungeon Diving would not usually come to mind when facing the dark depths below. Delicious in Dungeon begs to differ!
Delicious in Dungeon (which will be referred to as DinD for the rest of the article), shows exactly what I want from my players at the table. To be able to use their surroundings to not only “survive” the dungeon, but to be able to enjoy its wonders and find uses for items they might have never thought possible before.
The following article will review the first five episodes that release weekly on the streaming platform, Netflix.
Diving Deeper
The story starts out in the midst of a battle… with an adult red dragon. Almost instantly we can only describe it as a TPK1, until a last-ditch effort by their Cleric, Falin, saves what remaining members remain.
The remaining members of the party are as follows, Laios the swordsman, Chilchuck Tims, a halfing locksmith (I categorize as rogue), and Marcille Donato, an Elf who is their remaining spell caster. We never formally get to meet the remaining survivors, because they instantly signed up for other adventuring parties.
In this world, just like the worlds of Dungeon and Dragons, death is not the final goodbye. After this revelation, and continuing episodes thereafter, the universe and all of its intricacies unveil itself. With the dream of rescuing their beloved party member, they set forth back into the dungeon almost instantly.
The first problem that the already disheartened group ends up facing in this world is one that many parties face; money problems. You may think, “Why would money stop a group of heroes from being, well, heroes?”.
Well my rule-bending friends, while many players/DMs may not always worry about certain obstacles in their game, the “real” world seems to not be so considerate.
The Adventurers
Let’s take a misty step to the side and discuss the new and improved adventuring party!
Falin Touden
While not part of the main party in the first five episodes (unless you count the fleeting moments before her death, which I don’t), Falin Touden is still one of the most important characters we have come across. Being the sister of Laios Touden, they had many adventures since their childhood, each flashback actively showing the kindness and good-natured human she was. This background helps shape her and the alignment falls into what I would consider being a cleric.
One of my favorite moments of the series thus far would have to be the most recent episode shows us a past that includes Laios’ old party having a run-in with ghosts and zombies. The group goes into a panic without properly taking in the situation. After all, the things we fear the most are the things we don’t understand. Falin, composed, takes action in a way I would not have as a player in other games. The power of kindness and compassion (She hugs the misunderstood possessed person/zombie and asks nicely to have the body back, which the spirit complies with)
Now while there is no Dungeons and Dragons equivalent to the “power of kindness and compassion”, I would have to argue that narrative can equally be as useful in DND. It may sound a little too slice of life for some people, but the scene helps not only show what type of character she is but reinforces the show’s narrative that everything is not what it originally seems
Laios Touden
The leader of the group, Laois Touden (A swordsman), is unbiasedly one of my favorites. Being the brother of Falin Touden, his overall goal is to get back into the dungeon and retrieve his sister’s corpse from the belly of the red dragon. But what is he to do in the meantime?
Well, this issue is resolved within the first five minutes of episode one (yes all that I previously described about the whole party being attacked and digested, Falin sending them back out, and them discussing what to do next happens within FIVE MINUTES). As the leader, he declares that they will survive off of the dungeon.
While there are instant quarrels within the group, topics of what could they possibly eat when it’s monsters they are talking about arise immediately. This is when we figure out Laios’ true passion, cooking! Something that Laios explains to the group early on is that if there are beings that survive and eat within the dungeon, then humans also fit alongside them and eat as well.
Not only does he constantly look for new ways to be able to cook ingredients, but the ways that he cultivates/captures in itself are so interesting. One of the first creatures he captures is a small humanoid mushroom, which he immediately remarks that it should have a meaty and mild taste. In moments like this, we will constantly see Laios referring to “The Dungeon Food Guide”, which we will loop back to later on in this article.
Senshi
Senshi is what I would describe as an innovator to the extreme. His home brewing (or dungeon brewing) encompasses every aspect of his life because cooking is his life. The first time we encounter Senshi is right as Laios is making his first dungeon meal with the ingredients and instructions from his book “The Dungeon Food Guide” in hand. The meal is less than divine.
Coming out of the group of wanderers that have taken haven in an abandoned cemetery in the dungeon, he exclaims “Hold it right there!”. I would not call it criticizing, but informs them that their method of cooking “leaves much to be desired”. This dwarven man dives in and starts properly taking apart and seasoning the ingredients that will be used for the stew.
Now here comes my favorite part of the show, the cooking. Senshi has been in the dungeon for many years (over ten he explains) and truly excels in the art of cooking dungeon meals. The narration that accompanies the beautiful (shall I say.. delicious?) animation is what makes this show shine. Not only is it detailed, but it makes sense based on the physiology of what he is dissecting. And with all of this going on, it finally concludes its climax with their first dish created together in the dungeon: Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot.
As the show continues, you learn Senshi has a deep respect and appreciation not only for the food he makes but also for the beings that dwell in the dungeon.
Marcille Donato
Probably one of the picky eaters in animation, Marcille Donato does have some redeeming qualities though! The elven mage was one of the last remaining party members and has joined the mission with Laios and the others to try and retrieve the fallen cleric.
In the show, Marcille is wholeheartedly against almost every meal that has been created thus far. The details of cooking are what turn her stomach, but when it comes to eating what is made or starving she is left with no choice but to expand her pallet. I think the reason for the constant unease of the meals is because she is supposed to represent us, the watchers.
Of course, slime is not supposed to taste good, bugs disguised as precious jewels shouldn’t be a key ingredient in ice cream, and mushroom feet shouldn’t taste anything besides like feet! Just as she watches and shudders, we shudder. But as the meal comes together in continuing intricate and creative ways, we can’t help but loosen up as the meals start looking more like meals. In the end, when presented with her meal, and with the first bite she will exclaim “It’s delicious!” and chows down with the rest of the party.
One of her shining moments in the series is when the party is looking for ingredients. This is not her strong suit and throughout the episode, she seems to believe she “messed” up or caused trouble for the group by being captured or “useless” as the elf puts it. Finally, they come across Mandrakes, which she proudly says that she is the expert on. Almost instantly the group berades her with questions on the validity of her text, coming up with apparently “better” ways of harvesting it. To her initial suprise, Senshi easily cuts and plucks the mandrake.
This sends Marcille in a spiral, there must have been a reason why the text wanted it to be extracted in a certain way. After a mishap happens after still trying to prove to her companions that she is useful, she becomes nonverbal and out of it. Then comes the big realization of the episode, the mandrakes she had picked and used in the meal tasted considerably better, without the bitter and mild taste the others had noted.
DinD shows that, yes, there are many different ways to go about the dungeon. But if you want to eat delicious food, then there is a right way to do things;/ no half-footing things.
Chiltuck Tims
This half-foot can see the vision when it comes to food. Now if it is because of a deep appreciation for food might be an overstatement. While Chiltuck is not as particular with food as Marcille, he still lacks the enthusiasm to try new and unusual creatures that Laios naturally has. Nonetheless, you know there is always a plate set in front of him during their meals.
Chiltuck Tims is the rogue of the group, disarming and making sure his companions do not step on traps is his highest goal. While he may look like a child with large ears and ginger hair, Mr. Tims is anything but that. His race as a half-foot makes him appear young, but is serious when it comes to doing his job. We see this as he diligently checks it, even going as far as to tell Senshin to “let him do his job, and he should do his”.
This quickly unravels for him as Senshin completely does not listen. Setting off an array of traps in the meantime. To Senshin, a revelation comes to him in the form of deep-fried visions. For Chiltuck this is the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. He was here to disarm traps not to set them off. With this, Chiltuck gives Senshin an ultimatum; he will help disarm the traps only if he listens to him down to the exact step he takes. This quickly backfires when it is pointed out by Senshin that the opposite would have to be true as well.
They start to earn mutual respect for each other’s knowledge, or as I like to say, real-recognizes-real. This friendship developed through the food they create is a constant reminder throughout the series that food brings people together, no matter where you are.
The Reason to Delve
“It all started in a small village. One day, A rumble in the ground caused a rift under the cemetery, from which a single man appeared. He claimed to be the king of a once prosperous kingdom. He states that the once glorious land continues to be held captive deep underground by the hands of a mad magician. To whomever defeats this magician, he offers everything his kingdom has. After he imparts these words, he turns to dust and vanishes.“
– Laios Touden (Narration)
The introduction of DinD throws you right into the lore without giving away too much. Just like any Dungeon and Dragons prompt, there should be a hint of mystery and a feeling of wanting more. This almost prophecy-like prelude does just that, showing the wide expanse of what lies below without showing anything yet. On the first watch of the first episode, it seems like another fantastical adventure set in a dungeon. Which it is, but we soon understand that there are more than just dungeon layers to this show.
The most amazing thing about the group of adventurers we follow is that so far their journey has no relation to this introduction. We are made aware of it constantly, but for the party, the main objective is to get the missing sister of Laios.
Alot of the magic of DND is the randomness of it all, but as a DM I feel like I tend to fall into the trope of making events for certain situations. This loses the randomness factor that we have come to love. The world of DinD is not made for the lost sister of swordsmen and his crew. The world is shaped around the lost kingdom with a mad magician deep in its dwellings. From that information and the show, we see entire ecosystems that could care less about who is traveling through it.
One of the best examples of this would be when they’re fighting the animated armor. The group enters a large hallway lined with suits of armor that jumps out and starts fighting them. They are expecting an outside source funneling magic into these suits, this is an educated guess on their part, but a well-reasoned one from the world they come from. To no avail they can not find any magic source, and soon Laios finds out there is no magic at all.
Mollusks. These creatures had formed colonies of mollusks, which when intertwined and interlocked in suits of armor, created human-like reflexes from helmet to boot. To be able to distort a so well-known monster we all know from DND 5e to this degree is what had me constantly misguessing the whole time. “What do you mean there is no magical source”, I first thought. I kept doubting the show itself until finally the origin of the suit’s armor was exposed. This is exactly what I want my players at the table to feel when they coming across differnt encounters.
My Bardic Verse
Now with this being the introduction post for DinD, I will be doing occasional updates on episode milestones. I love the deep lore that is slowly unraveled as we do our dungeon diving.
As mentioned above, I think that Delicious In Dungeon will only get better from here. The creativity of combining monsters with other monsters to create delicacies is unmatched. It constantly has me going over material that I thought I had a strong grasp on. But as Gygaxian Naturalism tells us, it can always go a step further.
Not much has been unlocked from the chest of the lands below, but what we have seen is constantly reshaping the universe that we find ourselves in. As the show continues onward, what else will we discover, and most importantly what will we eat?!
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Manga: Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) (Delicious in Dungeon, 1)
Sources:
- Gygaxian “Naturalism.” (2008). http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/09/gygaxian-naturalism.htm
- Image Sources: Wiki, C. T. D. I. D. (n.d.). Characters. Delicious in Dungeon Wiki. https://delicious-in-dungeon.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Characters
- Total Party Kill- When a group of adventurers, usually in a party created by the players and DM, are completely wiped out by said DM and the plans they had set into motion. ↩︎
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