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"Eat, or be eaten. There is no hierarchy to it, just the reality that to eat is the privilege of the living". It was with these profound words that we started off this "funny cooking comedy" back in January. Now that the show has finally wrapped up its first season, I think it's time to look at what makes Delicious in Dungeon such a scrumptious show.

Delicious in Dungeon asks the three questions that anyone who has ever played a TTRPG or is just really into medieval fantasy has asked themselves: What would be the best dish to use dragon meat for, is it moral ... to eat goblins, and would a kelpy taste more like a marine or a land animal? (the answers to each question respectively are: pizza, no and I don't know, but I hear their livers are very nutritious) It takes the simple yet creative premise of making meals out of all the nasty and dangerous things one might find in a dungeon (meals that all look very appetizing I might add) and manages to weave it into an oddly compelling story with excellent worldbuilding and an incredibly likable cast of characters.

I think that when it comes to worldbuilding, this is one of the first shows I have ever seen that delves into explaining ecosystems and the biology of their creatures. Dungeons in this world are not just obstacles for adventurers to overcome. They are a living environment filled with creatures that have their own unique ways of survival. For instance, did you know that slimes carry their stomachs and digestive system on their outside and can sense people their breathing? Or that dragons click their tongue, using it like a piece of flint to ignite their fire? Little factoids like this get dropped regularly in the series and make the world feel more alive and real.

The characters are an absolute blast to watch and bounce off each other very well. This is a party of adventures that is forced to eat monsters due to circumstances, with some of the members being a lot (and I mean a LOT) more into it than the others, which leads to a lot of the earlier comedy in the series. Dwarf survivalist Senshi has been eating monsters for over a decade and the eccentric warrior Laois is generally excited at the prospect of eating monsters. The party's mage, Marcille, and the half-foot roque Chilchuck, however, seem to have their reservations about eating monsters. Now in a less properly written story, the naysayers would usually remain stick-in-the-muds throughout the story and must be convinced of the other's way of thinking, but that isn't the case here. Though Marcile does learn a thing or two from Senshi's way of life, he learns about as much from her when it comes to magic and its many applications. This is a cast of characters whose relationships with and understanding of each other are constantly growing.

There is a message present in this show. It's not just all about killing and eating things. It also teaches the audience lessons such as respecting an ecosystem and watching what you eat. The characters eat three meals a day and Senshi makes sure that all the stuff they put into their meals is nutritious. The times when our characters don't eat well or balanced usually lead to their defeat, so be sure to eat your greens tonight.

So to conclude, this is a show with clever work building, well-written and enjoyable characters, and a good message. This is by far one of the best fantasy shows in general that I have seen. If you are an enjoyer of fantasy stories with good characters, action, and comedy, then I can wholeheartedly recommend this series. Please give it a watch

The interesting thing about this show is that I get incredibly annoyed whenever people call it a Spy x Family rip-off, while I also wonder if this show would have ever seen the light of day had it not been for Spy x Family. Clearly, stories about found family are doing rather well right now and this show has a lot of beautiful found family moments

The characters are all endearing. On first glance, you look at our two male leads and you might think 'eh, I have seen this before. One of them is a badass straight arrow, the other is the funny goof with ... a heart of gold. Thank goodness that Rei and Kazuki are a lot more than meets the eye, with both of them coming across as rather realistic depictions of guys in their late 20s.... aside from the whole hitman gig. And something that some people in their late 20s tend to think of is starting a family. Luckily, through circumstance, our two charming leads come across the four-year-old Miri, who happens to have a vacancy for two father figures in her life. What follows is an endearing story in which the two men learn what it means to be part of a loving family and provide a safe and happy home for your kid.

This show nails the parenting aspect. Throughout the 12 episodes, it deals with a lot of situations I can see a young family deal with: fights over who does what in the household, worrying over forgetting to pack your child's lunch, and getting too obsessed over what your kid should wear to daycare. These guys are killers, they know what to do in a fight, but this is all new stuff for them, and with each challenge they overcome, they form a stronger family bond. It is all very heartwarming. Both of the main characters learn to love and care for Miri at their own pace and it all feels very natural.

The only critique I have for this show is that it is just a little too short. They only have so much time and a majority was (wisely) spent focusing on the family aspect of the show. This does unfortunately mean that we don't get to see as much hitman stuff as I'd liked to see. I didn't want to see Miri being put in danger or anything, but I would have preferred some more moments that focused on the struggle of combining parenting and having a job as a hitman. More hitman scenes also could have helped delve a little bit deeper into one of the main character's backstories and give the audience a chance to get acquainted with the main antagonist of the show.

However, if my only point of criticism is that I wanted more of the show, I guess one can see that as a sign that the creators were doing something right. If you are looking for a fun show that blends family life with some good action scenes here and there, then I can fully recommend this show.

If you liked the first two seasons of Spy x Family so far, then I can very much recommend Code White. This movie essentially is a prolonged episode of the show. The best thing about a Spy x Family story having a longer runningtime is that each member of the Forger family is given their chance to shine, with no one really feeling left out or benched by the end of it. The shenanigans we see then get in are familiar to a returning audience, but non the less still very entertaining.

The plot can be a little messy and disjointed from time to time, with ... the general objective of main characters mission kinda changing a bit too rapidly. The villain also feels a little undercooked, for I still actually have no clue what his plan was other than getting his hands on the MacGuffin. But all that aside, this film offers us beautiful action scenes, some of the most hilarious Anya moments in the series so far (apparently even the lowest forms of humor can be turned into art when the right animators are put in charge) and some pretty sweet bonding moments for the family. Part of me wished those bonding moments could have gone a little bit further, especially because of the incident that sets the entire film's plot in motion, but perhaps it would be best to save that for a future installment of Spy x Family.

All and all, this was a fun watch and I would certainly recommend it

If I had to describe this anime in one word, it would be 'charming', with an incredibly thick and posh British accent.

It is in the protagonist that the strength of this show lies. Catarina Claes is charismatic, dense, incredibly kind, and imbued with a lot of prior knowledge of the world and its characters, traits come in quite handy in her attempts to survive her inevitable fate. It is lovely to see how she uses her extensive knowledge of the supporting characters to help them deal with their mistakes, drastically changing their lives for the better and winning over their hearts.

The general story ... of the show is alright. Catarina has a pretty clear goal of not wanting to die and it is rather fun to see her often completely misunderstand which of her actions actually will and actually won't contribute to her achieving this goal. To add some more tension to this generally laid-back story, a villain is introduced in the third act, which wasn't a bad idea persé, but I must say that they did execute this generally poorly. Let's just say they kinda fumble it due to a poor buildup and poor motivations for the third-act villain.

The supporting cast itself is a fun bunch, all with distinct traits and decently thought-out personalities. The only problem I have with them is that we never really get to see them interact with one another unless Catarina is involved. It seems like their lives kinda come to a bit of a standstill whenever the protagonist is not around for them to gawk at, which I do think is a missed opportunity. Perhaps this is a common staple of a Harem anime. Truth be told, this is a subgenre I am not really familiar with, so perhaps my expectations are a tat unreasonable. I do hope that the supporting cast will interact a bit more with one another in the second season of the series.

As for the humor (this show is a comedy after all), it is rather tame. The show lacks the high energy and over-the-top reactions (at least, in the dub that is) that one would often find in other comedic anime. That being said, the aforementioned denseness of the main character does lead to a couple laugh-out-loud moments. Two jokes regarding gardening equipment did have me rolling on the floor with laughter.

To conclude, the show has some problems with its third act and could spice things up a bit more when it comes to interaction between its supporting cast. This, however, is balanced out with a charming cast of characters, a good premise, and some pretty decent humor. If you're looking for a decent romance show, I'd say you should give it a try