Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

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{This review encompasses volumes 1-4, which are all that have been translated at the time of writing this}

Danmachi is an interesting story in the sense that it mixes together typical RPG game mechanics with real life. It doesn't actually take place inside a game but rather a fantasy world, however the magic of said world works basically like how a game does. Adventurers gain experience points, earn loot, level up, gain skills and magic etcetera, but it all still takes place in their own actual reality. It's a quite fresh take on what is otherwise a somewhat overused concept in recent years.

The story follows ... a shy but optimistic rookie adventurer named Bell Cranel who has a youthful dream of having a romantic encounter with a pretty girl during his adventures. And shockingly enough for him, it actually happens as he one day gets his life saved by an unknown beautiful woman, whom he instantly falls in love with. As a result, he's given a unique skill which causes him to gain experience points at an unbelievably fast rate as long his feelings of love towards her doesn't dwindle.

Unfortunately for Bell however, he's the very innocent type that starts blushing furiously just by touching a girl's hand, and thus he has a very hard time confessing his feelings towards her. However that doesn't mean he's weak or wimpy by any means; he's actually very energetic and passionate when it comes to fighting. He's just very childlike when it comes to romance, but personally I think that side of him just comes off as rather cute more than anything else.

Bell is also the sole member of the "Familia" (basically like a guild) belonging to a goddess named Hestia who plays the part of the lead heroine in the series. She's madly in love with Bell, and also the exaggeratedly jealous type. If she had the option of choice then Bell should never even be in the same room as another girl, which of course also means she isn't too happy about him falling in love at first sight with another woman, and even gaining a unique skill for it in the process.

Beyond that, the premise of Danmachi is honestly very simplistic. We basically follow Bell's adventures as well as his relationships with the people he meets during them. There is nothing outstanding or spectacular in this series by any means but for what it is, it's very easy and enjoyable to read. The male and female leads are both very cute and likable, and they also make a quite unusual couple compared to what you'd normally see. The illustrations are top tier and look very pleasing for the eyes, and they also complement the comedic parts of the story very well.

Overall, Danmachi is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it provides a fresh outlook on an otherwise quite overused concept, and I always appreciate that kind of originality. It is simple, light-hearted fun that almost anyone can read and still enjoy. And really, enjoyment is all we actually seek in the bottom of our hearts when reading these kinds of novels, so I don't think you can ask for a whole lot more than that in the end.

Alright. First off, this review is only for the first novel. Back in December, I ordered the novel from Amazon, and decided to read it due to the fact it didn't have an anime yet, and I wouldn't know the story. It was a really good read, and I finished it within the month.

Story:
The story is a tad unusual, mixing real-life and game elements together. The characters are not in a video game, yet they "level up," and gain strength. Once they level up, they gain skills, etc., etc., like an RPG game. This concept confused me for most of the novel, due to the ... fact I thought they were in a video game for the longest. Other than this minor hiccup, the story was easy to digest and understand, and kept me interested throughout the complete novel.

Art:
Any art by Suzuhito Yasuda is amazing, in my opinion. The illustrations are seen throughout the novel, and are easy on the eyes. The art isn't too edgy, and sometimes, they're even hilarious. Beware, however, as there is a lot of fan-service illustrations in the novel.

Character:
The characters are cliche, however, they are also unique in their own way. The character growth, is strong even within the first novel. Bell, the main protagonist of the series, is a good example of this. At first, he is a spineless coward during the first few chapters, but after some goading by a few members of another's family, he starts to man up immensely.

Enjoyment:
I was nearly unable to put this book down, for the first few days. After that though, I was able to pace myself, since the next set of light novels by Yen Press wouldn't come out for a few months. I was excited to read the next chapter, day after day, that the novel pretty much flew by, truth be told. Seeing as it didn't have an anime, at the time, it was new material, which helped a lot in keeping me interested.

Overall, this is a good novel series, and I would recommend them to a friend. Like I said, though, beware of the fan-service. It's plentiful in these books. You can order the first novel from amazon, and pre-order the second novel now. I highly recommend this series, as you will be unable to put the book down for a good while.

Generally, I've only ever read manga or light novels after first watching the anime and am interested in seeing where the story goes from there. Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (I'll just call it DanMachi from now on) was the first time I reversed that and read the source material before seeing the anime. This review is based on the first 10 volumes.

I really don't like the title of this series. I find it very misleading. It gives the impression of a standard harem concept, but this story is anything but. Sure, it has the standard harem cliches, with a ... bunch of girls who all have the hots for Bell. But it never ever feels like the harem or ships or romance is driving the momentum of the story. There's always a bigger plot, and Bell's focus is always on overcoming obstacles and helping the people around him. It actually bothers me that some people might pass on these books thinking they're just boring harem fare, because there's so much more being offered here.

Simple explanation is that this story is set in a fictional world where a huge hole in the ground serves as a spawning pit for monsters (the dungeon), and adventurers flock to the city to fight these monsters, level up, gain fame and fortune, etc. It's a unique twist on a pretty standard RPG/fantasy theme. It weaves in some mythology, as gods from various cultural backgrounds have descended from the heavens to form familias (guilds, essentially) of adventurers. The story follows Bell, a teenage boy who comes to the city hoping to make his name as an adventurer. He finds a small familia and starts off on his adventure, picking up new comrades, potential love interests (although the romances never really go anywhere in this story), and new enemies along the way.

If I had written a review of the first volume, I might have given it a 7/10. Not great, but interesting enough that I picked up the second volume. The real strength of this series is that it picks up momentum as it moves forward. The early books set up the world and the characters, and as the stories progress they grow more complex and fulfilling. Too many series start with an interesting premise, but the author loses creativity or direction after a few volumes. DanMachi is the opposite - it just keeps getting better the longer the series goes on.

The author of the series has a real skill for building to an exciting climax. I don't think there's been a volume yet (save for 9, which is the first part of a two-part story that concludes in 10) where the story doesn't build to an epic scene that resolves the main conflict, and leaves the reader feeling wholly satisfied. I read a lot of these Japanese translations these days, and I always find that I rip through DanMachi faster than any other series, just due to the forward momentum in the plot - I can't wait to find out what happens next. There are other series I like more overall, but this is definitely the one I can't put down once I start it.

I don't want to get too much into plot specifics or character development or whatever, since I'm basically posting a review for 10 volumes of a series. It's kind of hard not to have some level of development over that length of time. Suffice it to say that the characters are mostly likeable and interesting, and their interactions are amusing when they need to be and serious when they need to be. The tones shift naturally and there's a bit of everything in each of the stories. There's action, adventure, humour, mystery, intrigue, camaraderie, and (mostly unrequited) romance. It's unusual for a story to blend so many different tones so seamlessly, but it works well here.

Overall, I'm giving the series a 9/10, based on the first 10 volumes. The first few volumes set the stage, handle the world-building heft, and the series just keeps picking up steam with each subsequent instalment. Epic climaxes top off each book, and new characters are introduced regularly without feeling forced or creating much bloat to the story. A great read, highly recommended.

DanMachi is a rather peculiar series. My introduction to it was in the form of the anime, and needless to say, I wasn’t particularly impressed. It seemed like your typical harem-bait show set in a fantasy world, complete with the bland main character who fancies himself to be a womanizer, and the hoard of females who seem to fall for him for no conceivable reason. Even the story seemed have adventuring as a side-focus rather than anything else, which gave me little reason to like the anime.
On picking up the light novel though, my impression started to change, little by little. My impression of the ... first few volumes was quite similar to that of the anime, just that the protagonist felt a little more believable in the LN. As I kept reading, I was quite pleasantly surprised, as the series managed to grow into something rather incredible. Only later did I find out that the author made the first few volumes as such on purpose, so as to gain an audience, and the volumes after that contain the actual story that he wanted to tell. Below, I will attempt to go into the details, while making sure to spoil as little as possible.

Story (9/10):
While the start is certainly slow, but the story picks up considerably after a few volumes, most notably at around volume 6, and yet again in volume 10. The story of DanMachi is centered on two main themes, namely Growth and Adventure.
The Growth aspect is mainly focused on the protagonist, Bell Cranel, whose main feature is his tremendously fast growth as an adventurer. Of course, the speed is only relative, and he simply grows a lot faster than his peers – he does not, in fact, become the strongest there ever was within the span of a few volumes. Bell’s growth, both as an adventurer and as a person is quite believable and fun to read about. It strikes the right balance between being slow enough to not seem rushed, and fast enough for him to stand out.
The Adventure aspect is quite self-explanatory – it’s all about delving into the unknown, with only one’s skills and allies for support, having little idea about what sort of situation one may end up in. This applies both to the labyrinth exploration, and to the various situations that the characters find themselves in.
As you keep reading, you may even notice that the author has thought ahead a fair bit, and brings up various elements in the later volumes that he planted the seeds for in the initial few volumes. On top of that, as the story goes on, it gets increasingly dark – much more so than the initial impression would have you believe. All put together, I would say that DanMachi’s storytelling is quite impressive, despite minor drawbacks.

Art (7/10):
I’m not one to care much about artwork, but I found the art in DanMachi to be pretty good. The ‘cool’ illustrations are done pretty well (especially some of the covers). Still, there are some illustrations that are purely for fan-service, even if the novel itself doesn’t really divulge into that.

Characters (8/10):
The characters in DanMachi start out fairly stereotypical and shallow, but the growth and development is quite well done, as the series goes on. Bell grows from some lecherous kid (not strictly true in the first place) to a proper, hardened adventurer. Even his negative aspects are explained fairly well, so I have no complaints there. While Bell gets majority of the development, the other characters aren’t left out, and receive a fairly good amount of focus. Characters like Welf, Lily and Hestia get a good amount of attention, and even less important characters such as Lyu, Miach and the members of the Takemikazuchi familia are developed, with various character perspectives being the main medium for doing so.
There are quite a few characters who are introduced later in the series, and they are generally of a decent quality and level of depth. Without delving into spoilers, there are quite a few characters who were introduced in volumes 9 and 10, all of whom I found quite interesting.

Enjoyment (10/10):
My enjoyment of DanMachi kept increasing volume by volume, until about volume 10, from where I began to view each volume as an adventure in itself. While there was an occasional drop in enjoyment (volume 7, I’m looking at you), it usually picked back up, with more momentum than it left off at. All put together, I find DanMachi to be an extremely enjoyable read.

Overall (8.5 ~ 9/10):
As you may have noticed from the rest of this review, I quite enjoyed reading DanMachi, and would most certainly recommend it. Of course, it requires a measure of patience, as the initial few volumes may feel rather lacking. Still, I believe that the payoff is more than sufficient to keep going. As long as you enjoy fantasy, adventure and a good fight here and there, you’d most certainly like DanMachi… Provided you persist, of course. With this, I conclude.

Danmachi (a beautiful work)

A work that focuses on Bell Cranel, a 14 year old boy who becomes an adventurer and shows us his story.

The novel currently has 17 volumes and as I have been reading them I have gone through all kinds of emotions, from moments of anger, hate, laughter, joy and sadness.
The author manages to make you go through those emotions and makes the scenarios feel like he writes them, imagining each scenario is easy because of the descriptions he gives of the moments they live, both the description of the environment and the actions taken by the characters are easy to understand ... and imagine (since they have their plot), such as refusing a hand.

I like this work because the thinking of the protagonist is pure and his desires are laudable, the battles, misfortunes and joys they go through are satisfying and the feeling is shared with the reader. And the Plot twists that the plot creates are unexpected and satisfying.

Accompanied by their companions, which tell their respective backgrounds and explain why they are the way they are. They make you take an attachment to many of them, to the point that the villains have generated a certain attachment to them and made me wish they could have a good ending.

Since we are talking about their companions, the background of the gods and their followers is very well achieved. Respecting to a great extent what is known of them by mythology, an example of this could be the spells that are recited (that the one who knows mythology will find a great depth and sense), or the personalities of the gods and their qualities.

Whether or not you have seen the anime or read the manga, I would recommend that you give it a chance, as the anime and manga lose a lot of detail of this work. I think it may serve you well to have seen the anime or manga so you can get a better mental picture of who and what the characters are like.

Summary:

A work with a lot of detail/argument (both settings, actions/decisions and characters).
It also has a great backstory, which I personally think is fabulous. If you avoid spoilers you can't stop being surprised and the more you read the more you scale the story it presents.
With many plot twists and teachings that can be transmitted (values, thoughts, etc.), full of funny, sad and happy moments.
A reading that I find entertaining and profitable.


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Review in spanish.

Danmachi (una obra hermosa)

Una obra que se centra en Bell Cranel, un chico de 14 años el cual se convierte en aventurero y nos muestra su historia.

La novela actualmente cuenta con 17 volúmenes y a medida que los he ido leyendo he pasado por todo tipos de emociones, desde de momentos de enojo, odio, risas, alegría y tristeza.
El autor logra que pases por esas emociones y logra hacer que los escenarios se sientan como el los escribe, imaginar cada escenario es fácil por las descripciones que da de los momentos que viven, tanto como la descripción del ambiente como de las acciones que toman los personajes son fáciles de entender y de imaginar (ya que cuentan con su argumento), como puede ser el rechazar una mano.

Me gusta esta obra porque el pensamiento del protagonista es puro y sus deseos son loables, las batallas, las desgracias y alegrías que pasan son satisfactorias y se comparten el sentimiento con el lector. Y los Plot twist que la trama crea son inesperados y satisfactorios.

Acompañado de sus compañeros, el cual cuentan con sus respectivos trasfondo y explica el porque ellos son así. Hacen que tomes un apego con muchos de ellos, hasta el punto de que los villanos me han generado un cierto apego a ellos y me han hecho desear que puedan tener un buen final.

Ya que estamos hablando de sus compañeros, el trasfondo de los dioses y sus seguidores esta muy bien logrado. Respetando en gran medida lo que se sabe de ellos por mitologia, un ejemplo de esto podría ser los hechizos que se recitan (que el que sepa de mitologia les a encontrar una gran profundidad y sentido), o las personalidades de los Dioses y sus cualidades.

Hayas o no visto el anime o leído el manga, recomendaría que le des una oportunidad, ya que el anime y el manga pierden mucho detalle de esta obra. Creo que puede servirte el haber visto el anime o el manga para así poder tener una mejor imagen mental de quienes y como son los personajes.

Resumen:

Una obra con mucho detalle/argumento (tanto de escenarios, acciones/decisiones y personajes).
Además tiene un gran trasfondo he historia, que en lo personal me parece fabulosa. Si evitas los spoilers no puedes parar de sorprenderte y mientras mas lees mas escala la historia que presenta.
Con muchos Plot twist y enseñanzas que pueden llegar transmitir (valores, pensamientos, etc.), llena de momentos graciosos, tristes y alegres.
Una lectura que me es entretenida y lucrativa.

After catching up to season 2 I decided that I may as well give the light novel a shoot since its still quarantine and I needed something to read. So I started with volume 8 which is what the second season didn't adapt (They only did the last story).
WITH ALL THAT ASIDE I'M GLAD I READ THIS SERIES. The way the author was able to flesh out characters and give them agency within the story was amazing. After some light research I came to learn that the reason for the bad reviews for ... the anime was indeed what everyone said was wrong about it. To much fan service and boring story. But from what I read in the book this was never the case.
The fan service isn't something you'll find often given that this book focuses on story and action quite a bit. The story is well defined by the author and he even explains the workings of the dungeon, what Ranking-up is and its' connection to the familia's deity, some minor politics between familias, and power level among adventurers.
The protagonist had some of the most interesting inner monologues which fleshed out his character and made me realize that I was reading about a naive kid with a dream to be a hero. But his motivations would slowly change, not for the sake of becoming a hero rather. The protagonist, Bell, would make decisions and face hardships in a way that would make him seem heroic while we the reader are privy to his inner thoughts and see why he makes the decisions he does.
And if you're worried about side characters then rest assured that they are not at all like what is in the anime. The anime could only show a surface level and even altered perception of the characters. In the the novel however you get to appreciate them more since they become more fleshed out.
Sadly the title is a turn off for a lot of people and rightfully so. I'm even embarrassed recommending it given the title. But there are few times a story and give me such a whirl of emotions that I nonetheless have to recommenced the series.
If you truly want to dive in then start from volume 1 chapter 1. Or you can try to watch the first 2 seasons and dive into volume 8, which is a nice read and then head to volume 9 which starts the intense Xenos Arc.

I watched the anime first before reading the light novel. You can read the light novel if you are interested in watching the upcoming season of the anime(That is if you want to read). This is because many important details are missed out in the anime, so you can read the light novel and get to understand it. Reading the first 5 light novels will cover the first season of the anime(That is if you want to be in pace with the anime).

Story 9/10 Enjoyment 8/10
The story starts off pretty well with a good understanding of the environment of the MC and moves with a ... good pace. The story is really good with unexpected cliffhanger ending in some volumes which would make me want to progress to the next one. The writer has combined both first person and third person type writing in this light novel, so that different situations which does not revolve around the main character can be stated clearly. However, the one flaw is that sometimes the writing gets over detailed making it annoying to read that scene itself. For example, (not related to the light novel) the details of a short running scene could go for many pages which would get annoying. This happens only sometimes, so it is bearable. Some action scenes gives me goosebumps which is really nice to read.

Art 6/10
There are more random art than scene related art which was a bit disappointing, but it could have been compensated with its details, but that also was not achieved. If the art was much better, I would have given this novel a higher score.

Character 9/10
There are many characters in this light novel. The personalities in each characters seem very different from each other making the dialogues very enjoyable to read.

Overall 8/10
I really liked this light novel and I will continue reading it. You can go ahead and read this if you are new to light novels or if you want to start a new light novel.