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.

In a mythical world where God's live among men, adventurers choose a God to follow and join their Familia. Then they explore this huge, multi-levelled dungeon and kill the monsters inside to gain crystals (in exchange for money) and to help build their skills. Bell Cranel is the sole member of the Goddess Hestia's Familia and he's an adventurer of modest skill. He does have a lot of courage, heart and potential though and learns fast. He meets a woman of immense beauty and strength and vows to become stronger so he could be considered worthy of a woman like her.

There's a lot to like about this show. It has humour, action, a good plot, interesting characters and great animation. I only scored it a 7 because it's a bit 'young' for my taste (I'd have liked a darker, more serious tone) and at one season, it does seem a little pointless. I'd like to see a 2nd season to flesh things out more. Worth a watch.

I absolutely loved this show, I can not tell you how bummed I am that I have to wait patiently for another season, I am definitely chomping at the bit! I will mention I did get annoyed by Hestia quite often though. Other than that it is a fun adventure!

Give it three or four episodes before it can really make an impression and honestly think it's worth it.

This is a nice and fairly fresh take on many figures in classic mythology and how they interact with their human "followers" and worshipers.

However It is, like almost every Anime at this point, filled with tropes but "generally" it seems to handle them fairly well, avoiding wearing them out.

The first season is better than the second (as seems to be often true) otherwise it would get a 8/10, but there is Hope the 3rd season will pull it all back together maybe make the previous season make a little more sense.

Pro's: -Consistent animation quality. -Colorful characters. -Fresh take on classic mythology. -Good English Dubbing. -Additional seasons and OVA's.

Con's: -Trope heavy. -Predictable at times.

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 :)