DanMachi: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

I should have known by the title that something was going to be off on this anime. I was looking for a Rise of the Shield Hero type of anime and this one came up as recommended on IMDB. It has all of the usual traits I like: Dungeons, monsters, levelling style characters, action, adventure check, check, check across the board. The title tells me it's going to be a bit of a comedy, but I can live with that.

So what is it about this anime that has me giving it a 7/10 instead of the 8/10 that I wish I could be giving it? The plot is decent enough, storytelling is ok, animation is great. It's the main characters stupidity combined with the 'moral of this story' type of episodes that the creator has decided to make this show. For example, the main character a new dungeon adventurer teams up with a shady fox girl that is supposed to support him as he runs dungeons for loot and fame. From the very start she comes across shady with secret sneers and shady smiles telling us that she is out to steal and rip off the main character.

Unbeknownst to our protagonist his "supporter" is lifting money from him every run because he is to dumb to understand a 50/50 split on loot OR because he just implicitly trusts her when she says she split the loot 50/50. In reality she is getting 70 and he 30. Their relationship culminâtes when she pushes him into running a much harder dungeon than normal where she drops monster lures all around him then steals his magic weapon and money straight to his face before leaving him TO DIE surrounded in high level monsters. If this happened to anyone they would be pissed! Well he manages to escape the monsters thanks to another adventurer. The thief manages to get surrounded by monsters herself and is about to die when our protagonist shows up, kills the monsters and saves her life. This is the part that got me upset: he treated her "why did you run away?". He didn't even understand what or why she did what she did to him. She starts crying and tells him how she has been stealing from him before trying to have him killed. He just shrugs it off like it was nothing of note and still wants to be her partner even after learning what she did to him! This kind of moral high road story is ridiculous. Anyone wronged in such a way would want Justice, their money and goods back and certainly wouldn't want to work with or be friends with them again. Our hero doesn't want any of that and it bothered me a lot!

That's why this could have been a better show if they "got real" with reality and didn't take the high morals to such a ridiculous place. If this show was a little more serious and a bit darker it could have been a hit like Shield Hero.

Going by the name and a lot of the early interactions within this series you would think this was just a dungeon exploration anime with plenty of over the top breasts and a whole host of girls in love with an adorably clueless and well meaning adventurer.

But the latter does subside and the side characters are actually interesting rather than just pointless harem bimbos.

The plot becomes way more complex and interesting and the world building is actually quite expansive.

My biggest issue really (having watched seasons 1 - 4 and the film) is the level of plot armour that is going on. Is completely removes any sense of threat because you pretty much know who is going to survive all the time.

Given how people are ripped to shredds, limbs and body parts can go flying, etc, I would have expected this anime to be more willing to remove the plot armour on occasion and if it did then I would certainly give it a higher rating.

The Gods have descended upon the world to live among the mortals. Those who worship them are known as Familia. Bell Cranel is a low level adventurer and the only member of the Goddess Hestia's Familia. She is lustfully obsessed with him. He is an admirer of high level adventurer Aiz Wallenstein and gets rescued by her often. As Bell continues his adventures, he is joined by supporter Liliruca.

I don't know much about anime but this ridiculous title drew me in. It sounds like a silly adventure series and it is exactly that. The characters are fun. Hestia is a ridiculous sex kitten. Bell's boy scout persona doesn't get me until the end of episode six. Saving Liliruca despite everything is an emotional high point. The plot isn't much but it has just enough story to let the appealing characters work. The overt sexuality is silly fun at first but that does wear thin. Overall, it isn't a great series but it is a bit of fun.

The story starts a bit slow during the first two seasons. The main character has weak emotional strength and socializing issues, he doesn't know how to manage mature situations, some people may find this annoying, but we can't blame him, he's 14. The story is decent but not very exciting, though, there are some pretty exciting moments in the first season. I still found the show pretty entertaining with these "issues". However, since season 3, this show has kept me continuosly hyped and tense during a lot of scenes. The story arc is much stronger (for now) and it just keeps getting more and more exciting. The animation is also top notch, the fights are a pleasure to watch (especially season 4, for now), looks like the animation just gets better and better. Also, Bell's character growth is much more present since the third season, Bell risks his reputation for doing the correct choices and starts learning from his mistakes. Right now i'm really hyped for the next season 4 episodes. The show's current state while writing this review is just after the fifth episode of season 4 got aired. Give this anime a chance, wait until season 3 :)

Despite the title, the anime is quite serious. Like several modern anime series, this one is also plagued by some tropes. As of July 2022, the main character is a generic anime protagonist. I don't dislike that but I'd prefer if future titles would add something unique to their protagonists. For instance, they could have gotten a voice actor with a unique voice for Bell whiles still keeping his kindness and naivety. That would have made him stand out in comparison with the cliché shy protagonists in numerous anime shows. I have nothing against Bell because he works well for the plot. However, after watching countless anime, Bell is just a shade of the several generic protagonists I've seen. As a result, he's forgettable.

The side characters, in contrast to the main protagonist, are rather complex. I enjoyed their moments. My only problem is some of the female characters. They don't all have to fall in love with the main protagonist. If you've watched lots of anime like I have, this forced harem gets too old and cliché. Look at Avatar the Last Air bender or Attack on Titan. The females in those shows are simply human. Not all of them exist just to fall in love with the main character.

The strongest point this series offers is its plot. In the first season, it felt like your typical plot where the low ranked protagonist climbs up the ladder and becomes powerful. From there the show becomes complex. It explores its world setting and introduces engaging arcs that are perfect to binge watch. The show isn't perfect or top tier. However, its plot makes a good argument.