New Gensho Yasuda short.
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"I have BPD; Beautiful Princess Disorder"Himemiya Rie
The Anime Thread
- Thread starter Realticule
- Start date
New Gensho Yasuda short.
theres even a manga adaptation of the movie too coming soon
yeah it came out long while ago.
More anime from Gensho Yasuda.
Season one of Dungeon Meshi recently concluded and I figured I might as well shill it here since it is the inspiration behind my username. I’m sure most people here have already watched this series, but it means a lot to me, and I wanted to articulate my thoughts on it.
Dungeon Meshi
Genre: Fantasy (Non Isekai)
Dub: Yes
TL;DR: This series is far more than just a fantasy show with a cooking gimmick. If you somehow haven’t checked it out already definitely give it a look if you are a fan of old CRPGs or just want a nice show with an interesting world and lovable characters.
Pros:
Also, I don't know if this is just because my recommendations are full of Dungeon Meshi content at the moment but it looks like this series has resurrected the long dead art of AMVs.
Yes, I know Mr. Blue Sky is more of a meme format then an AMV but most of the other ones are a bit hipsterish for my taste and I do unironically like this song.
Dungeon Meshi
Genre: Fantasy (Non Isekai)
Dub: Yes
I was convinced to check out the manga after a series of funny coincidences and I figured this would be the only place on the internet that would “get it” so I might as well tell the story here. First, I came across an image of a dwarf going over a schematic of a slime’s anatomy while looking for inspiration for drawing which led me to look for more art of the other monsters from the series. At some later point I watched a stream where Metokur recommended a manga with a similar premise. I must have not been paying attention because I confused this for a recommendation for Dungeon Meshi, since I remembered the pictures of characters cooking and eating monsters. Then finally, I found an incredibly bioluminescent account that was following Metokur which would periodically post collages of the main girl, Marcille (Unironic spoilers for the series: This is especially hilarious as later in the series she is revealed to not only be a half elf, but the other half is actually Italian, he took this revelation well though, he just posted a meme of her as a 56 percenter and then proceeded as usual). With the seed firmly planted in my mind I just needed the time and boredom to start reading this series and of course everyone had a lot of that during 2020.
You know the drill by now, Dungeon Meshi is the fantasy cooking anime. But what makes this series good? When I think of the elements that truly make a series great for me, it always comes down to these three things: characters, world building, and escalation. These are three aspects in which this series absolutely excels. If you were to ask who my favorite character from this series was, it would honestly be an even split between all 4 of the main characters. All of them have well thought out and endearing backstories and their designs are all pretty great as well. Their personalities complement and contrast each other well, just like their differing roles within the party, and watching them learn more about each other and grow closer is a true delight. The comedy that results from their interactions is also pretty good. It’s not particularly clever, but it is highly memeable, especially with some of the Youtube style editing in the anime. I also appreciate how each character goes against the typical role you would expect them to play based on their archetype. Laios, the fighter, rather than being the confident, if a little dull, party leader, is instead socially inept and incredibly knowledgeable on monster biology, Chilchuck, far from the jolly childish Hobbit, is one of the most mature and professional characters in the series. The way this series also showcases the failings of certain archetypes that are normally held in high regard is also refreshing. One of Laios’ foils, the charismatic leader Kabru, is shown to be an abysmal adventurer because he refuses to learn about monsters and he comes off as more of a manipulative sociopath rather than a legitimately likeable guy.
I do have a couple of complaints though. I could do without Izutsumi the cat girl. I understand why she is needed in the story and what her role is, but she just seems like a shitty version of Xellos from Slayers to me. Chilchuck also does not get as much development as the other characters in the party. I’m not typically one to complain about anime dubs, I usually just watch anime in whichever language I find first, but it does seem a bit lacking here and does the characters a bit of a disservice. There are some pretty big exceptions though, Laios, and especially Senshi, are great and Marcille’s voice actress can be very convincing in her more energetic scenes when she’s not making a kind of generic anime girl voice. From what I’ve seen, dubs in other languages seem pretty good and I have to give a shout out to the Spanish title for the series, Tragones y Mazmorras, which is an ingenious pun, far better than the Delicious in Dungeon title that we got.
I do have a couple of complaints though. I could do without Izutsumi the cat girl. I understand why she is needed in the story and what her role is, but she just seems like a shitty version of Xellos from Slayers to me. Chilchuck also does not get as much development as the other characters in the party. I’m not typically one to complain about anime dubs, I usually just watch anime in whichever language I find first, but it does seem a bit lacking here and does the characters a bit of a disservice. There are some pretty big exceptions though, Laios, and especially Senshi, are great and Marcille’s voice actress can be very convincing in her more energetic scenes when she’s not making a kind of generic anime girl voice. From what I’ve seen, dubs in other languages seem pretty good and I have to give a shout out to the Spanish title for the series, Tragones y Mazmorras, which is an ingenious pun, far better than the Delicious in Dungeon title that we got.
The worldbuilding is also ingenious. While fans of old CRPGs will instantly recognize that the broad idea for the setting is nearly identical to the first Wizardry game, with the local economy being almost completely based on one dungeon which adventurers would regularly plunge in and out of looking for treasure, mostly just trying to get rich, rather than aiming to defeat the evil wizard that rules over the dungeon. Where it differs and how the greater details of the setting are revealed is where the true genius lies. Outside of short lectures on the biology and ecosystem dynamics of the various monsters, there aren’t too many exposition dumps and many of the more important details are foreshadowed much earlier than one would expect. The haunted painting and Marcille’s nightmare episodes are both brilliant in how they give you a lot of information in a creative way that goes along with the story, rather than grinding it to a halt in order to explain something. The lore of the dungeon is very well fleshed out and each monster’s place within the ecosystem is very imaginative, even if some of it is basically an excuse for making monsters like mimics and living armor edible. If you’ve seen the art I did for the Phase RPG, Dungeon Meshi and old CRPGs like Might & Magic were a big inspiration for how I approached the creature and dungeon design. Dungeons and creatures have always been my favorite aspect of worldbuilding and videogames, and like the dungeon itself the wordbuilding in this series is deep rather than wide. You won’t hear about the history of lands far away from the dungeon but you will learn about the lifecycles of different monsters that live within it. It’s focused and I like it.
The escalation of the story is very satisfying. What seems to just be just some slice of life/monster of the week gradually reveals itself to have much more going on both with its characters and setting. The story is well paced, picking up momentum as it goes on, starting slow with only small hints of the underlying story that could be missed until eventually the stakes are revealed and the true plot comes to the forefront of the narrative. However, once this change occurs there is a lot less focus on cooking, as you might guess. But the anime hasn’t reached this point yet. Speaking of anime vs manga, the anime is very faithful to the source material. It’s almost a one-to-one adaptation, save for a couple of short scenes (and one or two of my favorite panels from the manga).
Ryuoko Kui’s art style is fantastic. It takes her a little while in the manga to get her art to a consistent level of quality but once she does the results are amazing. To me, the style seems to be a bit of a blend of anime and western art styles. Kind of like a softer, more cartoony, version of the style in Berserk, without as much emphasis on shading and detail. I especially like the little touch of giving each race their own art style that still work cohesively together. Elves are very angular and feminine, Dwarves are masculine and highly geometric, utilizing a lot of circles and squares in their design, Half Foots have rounded features and are fairly childlike, Gnomes look kind of like Jim Henson creatures, and Tall Men are, well, human. The creatures are also all beautifully rendered. Most of the monsters don’t stray too far from how they are traditionally depicted in other fantasy media but there are plenty of unique takes as well, like the mimic, living armor, and dryads.
Of course, all of this is made so much better in full motion and color. I was so excited when I heard that the series was being taken on by Studio Trigger and they did an excellent job with it. I like how there seem to be different animators with different specialties that work on different scenes. In particular there is a grounded, more detailed style for slow and emotional scenes and a looser, more stretchy style for action and comedic scenes.
Of course, all of this is made so much better in full motion and color. I was so excited when I heard that the series was being taken on by Studio Trigger and they did an excellent job with it. I like how there seem to be different animators with different specialties that work on different scenes. In particular there is a grounded, more detailed style for slow and emotional scenes and a looser, more stretchy style for action and comedic scenes.
You might be wondering what all of this has to do with food. This is supposed to be a cooking anime isn’t it? Well food actually ties into the three themes of the story; connections, desire, and mortality. Families, friends, and coworkers all gather around a table to eat with one another and through this act of sharing a meal we come to know each other and grow closer. We are also connected to all of animal life by our shared need to eat. This even ties into the monster ecology, after all what is a food web but a series of connections between living things made through the act of eating? Regarding desire, gluttony (at least in the common understanding as an obsession with food, not overconsumption in general) is the only sin tied to an inherent need for one’s own life. A living being can abstain from sex and money and still survive, but it must always partake in food. Desire for and consumption of food can be moderated but not completely excised. Finally, mortality is inherently tied to food. Almost all animals must kill and eat other organisms in order to continue living themselves. The death of one organism sustains the life of another and when that organism dies its body returns its nutrients to the soil, continuing the cycle.
TL;DR: This series is far more than just a fantasy show with a cooking gimmick. If you somehow haven’t checked it out already definitely give it a look if you are a fan of old CRPGs or just want a nice show with an interesting world and lovable characters.
Pros:
- Interesting and well thought out world building
- Fully fleshed out and incredibly likable characters
- Well-paced escalation from a fantasy slice of life to a sort of lighter toned dark fantasy
- Great character/creature design and animation/artstyle
- Thought provoking themes that tie in surprisingly well to cooking
- Very faithful adaptation of the source material
- Some characters aren’t as fleshed out as others
- The cooking gimmick loses relevance once the story picks up pace, though this is understandable
- Not a fan of the English dub, though it has its moments
I’m sure there are plenty of anime that are similar to it but I’m far from an anime expert so I wouldn’t know them. The closest parallel I can draw is with Slayers, as they both start out as fairly lighthearted fantasy comedies but gradually become darker, more serious stories, though Slayers is more focused on comedy while Dungeon Meshi has deeper characters and worldbuilding. I rewatched the Metokur stream and the manga/anime that he talked about were Garbage Hero: A Revenge Story of a Hero Who Got Summoned to Another World and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest. I don’t think that either of these series are actually similar to Dungeon Meshi other than the whole eating monsters thing.
Speaking of Metokur and manga, in his latest stream someone mentioned Xenotype and that unlocked a memory for me, did the author of that comic call in/donate to one of his streams and tell Jim that he was the inspiration for the main character?)"
Speaking of Metokur and manga, in his latest stream someone mentioned Xenotype and that unlocked a memory for me, did the author of that comic call in/donate to one of his streams and tell Jim that he was the inspiration for the main character?)"
Also, I don't know if this is just because my recommendations are full of Dungeon Meshi content at the moment but it looks like this series has resurrected the long dead art of AMVs.
Yes, I know Mr. Blue Sky is more of a meme format then an AMV but most of the other ones are a bit hipsterish for my taste and I do unironically like this song.
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New trailer for DanDaDan dropped today. Holy shit I cannot wait for this show to premier.
It looks like they're going to premier the first 3 episodes in theaters a month early too at special sneak peak events.
comicbook.com
It looks like they're going to premier the first 3 episodes in theaters a month early too at special sneak peak events.
Dandadan Is Coming to Theaters With First 3 Episodes
Dandadan will be hosting special world premiere screenings for its first three episodes!
New trailer for DanDaDan dropped today. Holy shit I cannot wait for this show to premier.
It looks like they're going to premier the first 3 episodes in theaters a month early too at special sneak peak events.
Dandadan Is Coming to Theaters With First 3 Episodes
Dandadan will be hosting special world premiere screenings for its first three episodes!
i cant wait to see okaruns balls on anime form
