Dungeon Meshi

I would say the manga is a 10/10 while the anime id 9/10 because the animation quality kinda varies here and then. Some might like it but for me it was such a jarring transition especially when they do it in one episode.

I did started this series from watching the anime. It didnt interest me at first until like episode 2 and then I started reading the manga.

I have to give my highest praise to the mangaka. I dont think I ever saw another series that put so much work and detail on their lore, character designs, and world designs. The mangaka really knows what she's doing and it truly shown in the manga (and the anime since they follow the manga pretty closely).

The anime has become one of the things I look for every week. I just wish they would have animated the extra mondter tidbit from the manga too and put it in as an extra. It would be an added joy to watch.

I love this show, I'm genuinely excited to watch it every Thursday! It's got me leaning forward during the fight scenes and they are such a sweet group that and they make meals I'm jealous of! It's such a fun genuinely good show. They really do a good job of (figuratively) thinking on their feet they surprise me time and again, and I usually am good at guessing the "path" the characters are going to take. At first the characters come off a little whiney but character growth is solid and maybe makes you a little proud lol as much as you can be a for a fictional character. I recommend this show to everyone!!

What started as a light watch and silly anime really expanded into a gripping and fun show! I love that they release it weekly because I look forward to it. I love every second of it. The relationship development is super interesting, the cooking theme is cute and really clever, and the writing is great- so many funny bits with great comical timing. The show surprised me with the darker overarching storyline which develops over the season and I've found the pacing and development to be a little confusing but also engaging and it leaves me wanting more. I love the primary cast but the secondary characters have surprised me with their quality additions to the story and plot. It's kind of a trust the process start which pans out well.

The show has been carefully designed, to make use of vibrant colors and quick pacing, which hooks you and keeps you watching. The concept is entirely unique, has the perfect sense of morbid curiosity, and is intertwined with a meta story that wraps into something bigger which is excellent. Surprisingly for a Netflix show, the main character Laios is not portrayed shamefully, and there's many elements of cultural European folktale and mythos - portrayed again, surprisingly accurate for being curated by Japanese. Clear inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons, which is infinitely fascinating, but the show has its own concepts. Though, Namari's voice acting was jarring and hard to listen to.

The show doesn't take itself too seriously despite having many references to depth. And, it is childlike in a sense. I think it's good if you have no intention of a more serious plot. I do think there's just a little too much emphasis on food at times, which I honestly think could've been handled in a less repetitive fashion - it alternates between a medieval fantasy setting and a cooking show and I think the former is more intriguing personally.

In the beginning, Laios seems pretty unemotional which isn't explained until they go into how death and resurrection works. That seemed out of place, and for people watching I don't think they'll understand. It really does almost portray him as a straight up psychopath at first.

On the topic of death and resurrection, having something go wrong that gives rise to "real deaths", I think would give more gravity to the storyline. Adding or subtracting characters, especially in a political climate adds a lot of meaning. Marcille's charisma is really held back by her unwillingness, and there's not much of a character ark that has handled that so far. Izutsumi's negativity kind of brought the party out of balance and there's not much chemistry with Chilchuck.

Those are my criticisms, however it's still in general enjoyable to watch: the campy nature of an adventure party never fails to entertain, medieval fantasy will always strike the perfect chords for me, and the intrigue painted by the plot clearly does a great job of making an easy to follow and interesting story.

Hoping to revisit this series when newer seasons arrive, and that it gains popularity.

I find this series enjoyable. It reminds me for some reason of childhood. The plot is not very serious and heavy and the humor is blended well. I think I enjoy the pacing the most, nothing is rushed and you really take time to know the characters. The characters by the way are a pleasure to watch how they interact with each other, with the environment, and how they behave with their main and side quests.

It's also great how they left enough space to further develop the world with intrigues all around, which even if they don't address I wouldn't mind, as the plot is already good enough.

All in all this is a nice series to watch as a filler series that doesn't feel heavy on you.