Back to Lainsbearsuit's Profile Lainsbearsuit's Profile

Dungeon Meshi or Delicious in Dungeon is a Netflix anime that follows a fairly traditional dungeon group through a fairly traditional dungeon setting on a fairly traditional quest, but the unique flavors and subtle hints of other genres, and maybe a side order of memes and fan-service, are what will make you want to savor every bite of this anime. (This marks the end of the food puns I swear)

Dungeon Meshi is made by Studio Trigger, and some viewers will right away notice the very expressive and stylish animation, lending itself to the abundant comedic moments that really define the show. While there are a ... good mix of battles, in a genre that's already overly saturated with flashy sword and magic fights this show uses character comedy as the primary source of entertainment. While some anime may drop the pretense of the group dynamics during "serious" moments, this show largely sidesteps that and instead leans in to the different personalities and how they interact, sometimes to good results and sometimes to hilariously bad ones. This is a dungeon party show, and almost everything they do is done together as a team.

As far as the characters themselves, Dungeon Meshi tends to emphasize quality over quantity. There is a large revolving cast, and they all have unique personalities and motivations that find them at odds or in cooperation with each other depending on the situation. For the most part however, the series sticks to the core group and emphasizes their differences while exploring their development. This show does tend to suffer a bit from pacing, and too often a character will toe the line between appearing mysterious and guarded to just being bland and uninteresting.

This series is sometimes aided and sometimes diminished by its attempt to be so many different things at once. While the main course tends to be comedy, action, and cooking, there is also a chorus of intersecting plots, motivations, characters, factions, and it all ends up feeling like too much for the show to handle, while also somehow being boring because of the pacing. It's as if one aspect of the show is not nearly enough on its own, so there needs to be more and more wrinkles to the plot, the setting, the backstories, the alignments, etc. The end result is that while all of the attempts succeed, it just feels confused about what the show really is. The actual cooking portion for example is really only a small aspect of the show, once you consider the overall plot and the ensemble of characters that have nothing to do with cooking whatsoever.

Many will enjoy this show but whether it will stand the test of time is definitely in question. There's a lot going on here, and it's all good, but none of it really stands out on its own enough to raise this high above its peers. Hopefully a second season can provide some focus and more to engage with but even if it doesn't solve the issues of the first season it will be worth watching, preferably while having a delicious meal.

Regardless of the fact that this is purely bonus content for fans of Baccano!, which is a fine series and franchise, these 3 episodes tend to feel more like a weight pulling it down rather than something to lift it up.

While this does indeed give us more information about the characters, and maybe ties up a loose plot line or two for the few people that actually cared about them, we still have to ask ourselves why these three episodes exist, who they are for, and what do we do now that we have watched them. As far as I can tell, this was ... made concurrently with the main series which is why it looks and sounds exactly the same, so when they realized that the plot was very neatly concluded after the 13th episode, they decided to use their remaining resources on... this.

This is a direct sequel to the Baccano! anime, and it shows us just a little bit more after the events of the series. The problem is that for the most part it shows us very, very little. Honestly it feels like the story just wants to continue on, which of course it does in the original visual novel form, but this is just 3 episodes.

In fact, these three episodes do have the potential to make the original series worse in retrospect because it just muddies the waters a bit. It ties one or two plot lines together but then just leaves so much undone and even sets up things that we will never, ever see. Not in a way that is interesting like, "Oh there they go again", but more like "I'm about to do something really awesome, sure would be a shame to miss what I'm about to do next" and then it ends. The emotional climax definitely happened in the 13th episode of the main series, and it felt really good the way it ended.

Worst of all, compared to the other Baccano! series, these episodes are boring. Most people will probably watch this thinking it's part of the main series because they are usually listed as Episode 14, 15 and 16. While the main series is full of violent interactions between insane personalities, these three episodes are almost entirely devoid of violence, interactions, or personality. I know it seems like I'm being hard on a mini OVA but it's because this is tacked onto the main series in a way that will make the viewing experience worse for most people.

Truly content for Baccano! fans only, and you should only watch this after you've taken a break from the series. Maybe a few months after watching the 13 episode series, if you feel like you have some itch to play the visual novels or read the manga or play the DS game, maybe THEN you should watch these 3 episodes just to get your toes wet in the larger lore before jumping in. That's why overall it's a 4/10 and just a Bad Anime because it only exists to try and push you out of watching anime and into the rest of the franchise content.

Baccano! is a thirteen episode adaptation of a light novel series written by Ryōgo Narita, who is also the writer of Durarara!! (I guess he really likes exclamation points!!!!) The story centers around Prohibition Era (1930s) USA, specifically New York City, and the perspectives and settings, including both the times and the places, frequently switch between many different characters. The non-linear structure of this show is the lens through which we come to understand the story and characters, and whether you like it or not will probably determine how you feel about the series as a whole.

Some might say that a non-linear story with frequently ... changing perspectives allows us to focus in on key themes and keep the pace of the narrative as fast or slow as the moment desires, leading to a more interesting viewing experience for the audience. Others might say that it's simply a cheap device to make a boring and straightforward story seem more interesting and complicated. In the relatively short span of this series, the result tends to be that some parts feel very frantic, and keeping up with what's happening is difficult, while at other times you will find the show lingering on long conversations between seemingly minor characters, and there is no shortage of characters in this anime and boy do they love to talk.

There are at least 39 different characters that bear some importance in this series, and it doesn't take a math whiz to realize that that's a cramped schedule to fit everyone in. Frustration may set in while watching a character you don't like wandering around on the screen, while one that you do like hasn't been seen or heard from in a long time. This series tends to make a point at not having a main character, and while this is one of the best attempts I've seen at doing so that's only because there are several characters that fill the main character role in a revolving door type of way. By the end, I found myself deeply curious about what might happen to these characters afterwards, but wanting to know more about them didn't cross into the realm of actually caring about them like with other series. While they are all colorful and entertaining, they all tend to fill a niche in their world that just couldn't be any other way, which does make them somewhat 2 dimensional. The short run time can excuse some of this, and the fact that we can point to even a small amount of character development here (compared to other series that run for 100+ episodes without any) is actually pretty good.

The sights and sounds of Baccano! keep things going even through the darkest narrative moments. The Opening, the soundtrack, and the visuals all work extremely hard in service of the series as a whole, and this series would be nothing without it. Just like a non-linear story can mask some of the more bland plot elements, a visual stunner and a deeply emotional backing score can keep you interested at every turn. This series has some infamous scenes, some that just look plain goofy and others that look deeply unsettling, but at the very least it will get a reaction from you one way or another. The mood set by the soundtrack is excellent, and while the names of characters can be ridiculously inauthentic (Nice, Jacuzzi, Luck, etc.) the deep stand-up bass tracks, the melancholic piano, and the jazzy brass section fit perfectly within the smoky atmosphere of Prohibition era speak-easies. Headphones on for this one.

This series is famous for its English Dub. Some have criticized it for sounding fake, but most that aren't deeply connected to the Manhattan area of New York will probably not notice or care. The fact that all of the characters are canonically American (or at least English speaking) makes it uniquely well-suited for an English Dub, and I highly recommend it to anyone even if you're like me and you normally watch subs. Like every other element of this anime there are peaks and valleys to the quality of the voice acting, but for the most part it makes an already confusing series just a bit easier to follow and does a lot for your immersion into this wacky and clearly fictional world based on a familiar historical setting.

As a teaser for Baccano! the franchise, and as an experiment in the medium of anime and visual storytelling as a whole, this anime is a knockout 10/10 for the vision that it has and the passion with which it tries to implement that vision. We should just acknowledge that this is a visual novel written by a Japanese man, based on 1930s New York City, USA, adapted into a japanese animated series and then dubbed over with English speaking voice actors to show to English speaking audiences, because to me it shows how many pitfalls had to be avoided and how many hoops had to be jumped through to get from the vision to the resulting anime and the final product in question. The fact that it came out the other end in a way that seems very human, very empathetic, and endearing to the heart while also authentic and unique, is pretty miraculous.

The experience of watching this show, even on a rewatch, is one that should have you smiling, laughing, making tongue-in-cheek "Ooooooh" sounds while looking with mock surprise at the person next to you. This is a great show to watch with friends, to recommend to people and see if they like it, and it's a quick and enjoyable ride that overall is just packed with fun moments. The execution is not perfect, and as a standalone anime it can be a headscratcher for many viewers. The serious notes probably don't hit as well, and with an ambitious and epic story like this there are bound to be moments that just leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. So while it might not be a masterpiece, this is a Great, 9/10 anime that I would recommend to anyone.


EXTRA NOTE!!: Depending on where you watch this, you may find that instead of 13 episodes there are actually 16. Before you get too excited, these are considered Bonus episodes and are listed as such on this very database. They should be treated as such when you watch the series. In other words, if you're getting physically and emotionally prepared for the series to end you should remember that the ending is EPISODE 13, and everything after that is truly bonus content and nothing more.



EXTRA EXTRA NOTE!!!: (OMG) so as I stated before this anime could be considered a teaser for the expanded universe of Baccano! As of the writing of this review it seems to be ongoing, so whether you are reading this before or after viewing the show, keep in mind that there is more out there to enjoy, and of course the support of fans may lead to more content in the future. That being said, I've only watched this show so I can't tell you if it's any good.

Have we peaked already? At least we did it in a FLASHY WAY!

So at this point we should wonder whether Demon Slayer will stand the test of time, and I'm afraid the answer is No, but I'll get to that later on.

The Entertainment District Arc continues our firmly established heroes on their path and is probably the pinnacle of Demon Slayer both now, and I predict will continue to stay that way in the future. I'm not sure why anyone would be watching at this point if they didn't enjoy the character design, but if you do then you will be very happy because ... we get a lot of fun moments with our protagonists. Saying that Zenitsu and Inosuke are comic relief doesn't do them justice. Without them Tanjiro would be exposed as a fairly dull MC that doesn't have a single unique thing about him (that happens next season). The other characters we get are decent enough but it must be said that in 11 episodes there is simply not enough screentime given to anyone else to really make the audience care about them. As usual we get dribs and drabs that are meant to set up an emotional payoff, and while I think it worked in the Mugen Train Arc it was far less effective in this one, and begs the question 'Do we really need something like that to happen every 10 episodes', or if that is even sustainable, and again the answer to both of these is No.

So what else is there to say about this season? Honestly not much. Of course, the animation, the visuals, the fight scenes, that continues to deliver just as strongly. The sound quality and OST even seem to pick up a bit, so it's not a stretch to say that this anime is a treat for the senses just as a shonen should be. In all honesty a lot of reviews (including this one) maybe miss the point of this being a shonen and intended for audiences that don't always care about plot holes, but that could also be a disservice to the intelligence of the audience, and I think the demographic tends to skew older anyway, but I digress. The point is that this anime is not a masterpiece, and it never will be. It still has a chance to achieve staying power and become a classic, but this narrative is on very bad footing. It's not enough to just retread the beaten paths and hope to become a classic in anime like its predecessors. As I said before, there is absolutely nothing unique about this protagonist, this show, this story, the setting, etc. At the end of the day it amounts to fast food which satisfies you in almost every way while you're consuming it (as long as you don't think too much about what you're consuming), but how you feel afterwards could be anywhere from great to terrible.

As a fan of the show there is actually a lot to be excited about with this series, and I haven't read the manga so I have no idea, but the potential could already be spoiled at this point. The beauty of this show and the writing seem to hint at something deeper, but the execution and explanation leaves us a bit lost and that's not going to be forgiven by the audiences forever.

The Swordsmith Village Arc is a bad sign for anyone who was concerned about issues that Demon Slayer has been presenting since Season 1, mostly concerning the overall plot from the larger down to the smaller details. This show is absolutely in love with presenting many new plot elements, and then choosing when, how much, and indeed whether they will explain anything about these elements. Information explaining Wisteria, the Demon Slayer (Nichirin?) Swords, the strikingly similar appearance of several characters, the abilities of characters, the history and motivations of characters, etc etc is given to us almost completely at random if it is given to ... us at all and sadly to say, in these 11 episodes we see a lot but learn very little.

Now the reason I have Mixed Feelings is because I think in some twisted way it's actually good to want to learn more. The fact that we care about these plot points now even in Season 3 means that we are still hopeful but it's looking a bit shaky. This season gets a 7 because the narrative is a mess. Only 11 episodes is not enough to explain what we just saw in a way that is satisfying. Sure, there were some tearful moments, and happy comedic moments, and some great fight scenes as well, but you don't really get time to breathe at the end and sit with the different characters about what just happened. Maybe this is an issue inherent with the Arc style that they are firmly committed to at this point. The first season felt like it had more flow and when we jumped to the next thing it didn't feel as jarring because our MC was just as confused about it as we were. Now that he is more confident and everyone seems to be on the same page it's more uncomfortable as a viewer to feel lost because it feels like we shouldn't be. When there's too many questions about how things work in this world and we've gone so long without explaining some of them it starts to turn confusion into frustration, and that's what may unfortunately end up killing this series in the long run.

There is a lot to be excited about with this series, but will it ever actually deliver on the promises that it makes? Will it put its money where its mouth is and actually explain these concepts, commit to the characters and the world it has created, or will it leave us out in the cold at the end like so many shonen before it? These are the questions you will likely be asking yourself at the end of this season. Overall it was still a fun watch. Definitely only watch this if you're a Demon Slayer fan and if you are, then it's a must watch. They've got us invested now but this does need to improve narratively to enter into the pantheon of Shonen Greatest of All Timers.

Demon Slayer is a classic example of shonen that somehow adds up to more than the sum of its parts. At every turn it provides you with a good reason to keep watching, even if those reasons are just that it's good fun.

As a notorious Westerner, I view Shonen as analogous to an action/comedy series, especially because the crossover between those audiences is high. Demon Slayer does an excellent job of this by having stunning visuals and enjoyable action scenes, along with plenty of comedy as well. This obviously won't land for everyone, and if it doesn't work for you it probably won't get ... better over time. For my part, I've laughed plenty, I've cried some, and stared in wide eyed amazement as some fancy/magical/awesome swordplay keeps up the pace of the show.

Now let's go over the bad things. The biggest flaw that will turn most people off, consciously or unconsciously, as well as send critics tearing their hair out over how popular this show is, are the unexplained plot points. I won't go over them all, and it can certainly start you down a never-ending rabbit hole, but whether it makes the show less enjoyable will depend on your ability to suspend disbelief in the face of unexplained or extremely vague world-building. One such example and possibly the biggest plot hole is the use of Wisteria, a real life plant, as a deterrent against even the strongest demons, who cannot stand to be around it and can be poisoned by its application in battle. There should be, and indeed there MUST be, a reason why Wisteria isn't used universally and only is used very selectively in certain places, but unfortunately we aren't given that explanation. Even just a hand-wave, throwaway line about how it only works under certain conditions, or it's hard to grow and maintain, or it only grows in certain places, would be sufficient just to quell that tiny voice in our mind saying "That makes no sense".

Now I could certainly say "Who cares, it's a shonen series!" but the problem is that the author does actually try to provide explanations sometimes, which only embiggens already existing plot holes. At one point, we learn that some humans for some reason are very valuable to demons, and can be equivalent to eating a hundred or more humans. Essentially, their pure souls make them a demon power up. One such person (in fact, the only one we ever see) is given some Wisteria in a pouch to ward off the demons in the future. This small scene tells us that the author thought to themselves "People will wonder how this person is going to survive, so I'll give them some protection", but at the same time the author also thinks "No one will care why they only use Wisteria here and there, and not all the time everywhere. I don't need to explain that." These two narrative choices are incompatible, and will certainly leave more than a few people scratching their heads and angrily turning off their TV.

So why is this show good then? My own subjective reasoning tells me that modern audiences are tired of the Shonen genre being bloated with too many characters, origin stories, and overly complicated powers that ultimately don't need long explanations because they end up being thrown away. So many Shonen series tend to invent new rules for each arc, and while that keeps things fresh it also feels like a lack of continuity between the arcs. Demon Slayer may not provide adequate explanations all the time, but it does layer new information in way that feels like progress is being made. Characters are introduced seldomly, and to fill a role rather than to be relatable or fanservice. Often times I find myself thinking many of the characters are complete idiots, only to like them more later when they show a bit more depth. Again, I think this stands in contrast to many series which try to give us the depth first and foremost even before we've grown to have any feelings towards the character.

I'm concerned this accumulation of plot holes will eventually swallow this series and cause it to become less enjoyable when it becomes apparent that many things happen arbitrarily and there are no actual rules, but I'm prepared to be disappointed and I will be watching until that happens!

First things first: there is no need to watch both this and the movie, and if you're going to watch one of them I would choose this. It has some expanded scenes, and the opening and endings are nice as well. That being said, you could definitely watch the movie if you wanted and not lose anything.

Mugen Train arc is a very short arc of only 7 episodes that frankly does very little to advance the plot. Some enemies and allies appear, some are defeated and some survive, it's hard to pinpoint any momentous shift in the narrative because there isn't one. What this arc ... does do is what Demon Slayer always does, which is gradually advance the plot and the character development in a very tight story that doesn't concern itself with unnecessary things.

Our intrepid and heroic trio which was firmly established by the end of the first season is now ready to go on more adventures in earnest, and now they have one of the strongest Demon Slayers along with them. An enemy close to the Big Bad Muzan also appears, and of course this is no simple train ride from one point to another.

The story doesn't do anything besides what is required, and that can leave it feeling a bit bare-bones at times. For example one of the characters appears to be conscious of their actions but they are a servant of a demon for reasons that are obviously blackmail, but it's never explained what those reasons are. In fact, there are a few minor antagonists that do a decent job filling their role but afterwards they basically disappear. It's unknown whether they remained in service to the demon, repented, went to jail, we just have no idea. I wouldn't be hard about this, and I'm not, but it seems to be a pattern with Demon Slayer to introduce things and then just leave them in the background forever.

The characters are probably what makes this show amazing. The slow development, their little quirks, their relationships with each other, it all trickles out in a very satisfying way that doesn't reveal too much or too little. In this arc we once again learn a little bit about them, and we also see them become very emotional in different ways. Loved the emotions and the characters and the moments between them.

The visuals are stunning, not much to say there. This is next tier, current era shonen for the modern audience and it shows. The soundtrack like most of Demon Slayer is lackluster but does the job that it needs to do.

This would've gotten an 8 out of 10, but the ending hit me surprisingly hard. By the time I usually would be looking to see how much of the movie is left I found myself completely invested and mirroring the characters emotions. Demon Slayer has an indefinable quality that makes it a cut above the rest despite being fairly generic on paper. If I ever find out what that thing is I will be sure to make a note of it, but until then just enjoy the ride because it just keeps getting better!

As I said in my review of Part 1, this is Part 2 and a direct continuation of the previous manga, so go read that first. I also said that if you ever enjoyed Kaiji, Squid Game, Alice in Borderlands, Battle Royale, or anything in that genre, then you should definitely check this out, especially if you enjoyed those but thought to yourself "I wish they would focus less on a coherent plot and characters and just add more games and more supernatural elements", then you will absolutely LOVE this manga.

This is a bro version of Survival Game, there is simply no better way ... to put it. For one thing, the main character is a fairly average male high school student that for one reason or another (or no reason at all) seems to become universally beloved by everyone they meet. I honestly think that at least five different female characters, and at least one male character, openly declare their love for the MC at various points in the series.

Secondly, this manga is really not about the games themselves, but is evidently and quite explicitly about the relationships between the characters. I won't spoil it because it will become apparent over time, but the interplay between these characters, and how much or how little you care about them and the dynamics of the ever-changing cast, will determine how much you enjoy this manga, and probably will determine whether you will care to finish it at all.

Unfortunately the plot of this manga just makes no sense. If it does make any sense, then it is from a one-page, two-sentence info dump for the premise of a manga with 186 chapters and two prequels. It's unsatisfying, and it honestly is a bit insulting to the intelligence of anyone that cares about the plot making sense, even a little bit. This manga does a very poor job of pacing out the overall plot, and it is almost completely unclear at any point what the causes of the plot are, and why any of the events of the story are happening. That can be mysterious early on, but later it becomes this huge underlying plot hole which as I said, does not actually get a satisfying resolution, at least not in my opinion.

We are essentially told as a reader that the motivations do not have to make sense, we just have to believe in the strong feelings of these characters because that's what they're telling us, but because the cast changes so much by the nature of a survival game manga we are only really convinced of the feelings of the main core cast which is precisely two people, and my point in all this is that if you love those two characters and their dynamics with each other then you will be happy or at least happy enough until the bitter end.

So why is this manga a solid 8 (Very Good)? Well for one thing, I happen to love the main cast, I love the dynamics between them, and how they are awkward and uncertain as real people might be. Also, the art and the writing will absolutely compel you to turn the next page, keep reading, and if the ending is unsatisfying it's at least partly because we read so far to get there and didn't get the payoff we were expecting. The art is far from perfect but does serve the purposes of showing us clearly the emotions of the characters, emphasizing dangerous and scary moments, and also keeping things surprisingly light and humorous.

Most of the best manga don't have a lot in common, but what they do tend to have in common is a cast of characters that feel like they have real relationships with each other. Characters in this manga show real depth of emotion, they have personalities that change and grow, their relationships with each other evolve, change shape, wither away, and otherwise accomplish things in a difficult genre that many other genres aspire to but do not get there. The character design leaves a bit to be desired, but this cast is truly what makes this manga great. That might not be such a bold statement in a typical shonen manga, but in a survival manga I think it really says a lot, and is what makes As the Gods Will Part 2 a manga worth reading.

A Survival Game with a Twist, or maybe a Half Twist

Right off the bat let's note that this is Part 1 of a Two Part (so far) manga series with the same name, except part two is called Part 2. Pretty simple.

If you enjoyed Kaiji, Squid Game, Battle Royale, Alice in Borderlands, or any other Survival Game, and thought to yourself "I wish they spent less time on the plot and characters, and just spent more time on the games, maybe add in some supernatural elements" then you are absolutely going to love this manga. Otherwise, you will be like most people and probably ... enjoy it well enough, while being more than a little bit confused at times. This is Kamisama no Iutoori or As the Gods Will (Part 1).

To be honest, this manga is a test to see if you will enjoy Part 2, which is much longer, and has exactly the same plot and characters as part 1. This manga will not take long to read, so if anything about Survival Game, psychological horror, and supernatural elements appeal to you then you should give this a read and see if you like it. I can at least promise you that Part 2 improves in every possible way from the 1st one, although maybe not by much. It corrects a lot of the mediocre aspects of this manga, so if you enjoy it you absolutely MUST go on to the 2nd Part.

Otherwise I could go on, but this manga is so short you should just read it instead of reading a long review. I will however do a more in depth review of Part 2!

TL;DR - Edgelords rejoice, this manga a Head-empty Horror-fest, Sci-fi Shoot-em-up, Fan-service Fever dream from start to climax! er.. i mean Finish.

Jagaaaaaan is weird, and it's hard to tell whether it's trying to be a dark story similar to Ajin or Chainsaw Man, or whether it's trying to be something else. I think this is the how the authors felt as well, as there are many indications early on for setting up plots and characters that just never seem to go anywhere or fizzle out a bit (or a lot). There is still plenty to enjoy here.

The opening chapters do a great job of establishing ... an unconventional main character that seems like he will have interesting character development, and he does, but it doesn't quite feel like it was earned or really made any logical sense. I actually had to go back a couple times and look at the beginning chapters to make sure this is the same character and the same artist drawing him. While I could enjoy a main character that switches personalities for the sake of making fun of mainstream media which does this all the time, this manga suffers from the sin of taking itself a bit to seriously, especially considering the events and the premise of the story. There are times where this manga needs to give a wink or a nod to the reader that these characters are NOT acting normal and we should NOT take them seriously, but it doesn't do that, and the result can feel confusing at best and downright endorsing despicable and disgusting acts of violence at the worst.

It should be noted that there's A LOT of "adult" content in this manga, to the point of feeling like a straight up H doujinshi. The way it treats the scenes and presents them can also be hugely problematic. Female characters simply do not exist in this manga outside of being an object of desire or a tragic/abusive mother/daughter figure for a male character to draw motivation from. Some people might not care about that, or take a message away that these are bad things, but undoubtedly some will go away thinking not only is nothing wrong with this, but may even be envious of some of the most evil characters ever penned to manga which I find disturbing to say the least.

On the plus sides I find the characters to be highly entertaining for the most part, the art is very good and reminds me of I Am a Hero, the plot is quite simply good enough for what it needs to be, there are a decent number of humorous moments, and the action scenes really shine and carry the series. Unfortunately it suffers from pacing issues, and while it subverts many tropes it also falls pray to just as many and doesn't seem very aware of this fact all the way until the completely corny and unearned ending, that even sets up a potential sequel in the most cliché way possible. Worth checking out for sure, but you may not finish it and that's okay.