Hot off the trails of Netflix’s impressive Delicious in Dungeon, anime fans hungry for more dungeon anime were offered up a serving of Dungeon People, adapted from the manga series of the same name. When I read about the anime adaptation of the manga title created by Futami Sui that launched in June 2020 (and is currently serialized in Futabasha’s Web Action Comics) coming soon to the HIDIVE app, I wanted to know more. Premiering Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Anime Expo this year, attendees were able to watch the first episode and get a taste of this newer dungeon anime.
The newer anime series follows Clay, a young woman who is navigating through the mysterious dungeon to find her lost father. Along the way, she crosses paths with Belle, the dungeon’s caretaker. Seeking Clay’s aid, the two start dungeon maintenance and Clay learns more about this place that adventurers and monsters meet. Clay may have found a new purpose here with this new job ,but will this new journey lead her to her father? I thought I’d watch the first five episodes and leave you all with my first impressions…if you aren’t already watching and onboard!
Spoilers Big and Small Follow Below, Be Warned!
The Concept of the Anime
In short, Dungeon People is a cozy, dungeon deconstructing anime. Falling into the oddball yet intriguing genre of anime, it was certainly on my radar yet not a show that I could recommend to everyone I know who consumes anime. Anime fans everywhere have seen enough dungeons in our anime and have probably been yearning for a new batch of series with something new to offer. Netflix’s wildly popular Delicious in Dungeon was a great dish to whet our taste buds. I often thought while reaching the end of that first season: what will I watch next?
One of my favorite comments on the trailer below for Dungeon People is simply: “If Dungeon Meshi is to an ecosystem, Dungeon People is to a company building.” With each episode, seeing Clay assist Belle in maintaining the dungeon and all the intricate tools, pathways and league of monsters involved is a developing treat to see on screen. This is an anime about work, purpose and the alternate ways people can find the answer we’re looking for, the friends they end up making, and the clarity in discovering what one can achieve with their own means. And for characters like Clay, it is also about finding a place you can belong–her relationship with Belle, working together, and becoming friendships works together into the overall story and concept of the anime, too.
The Humor of the Anime
The humor is like someone’s chicken but that’s not all bad. One of the elements that could be a hit or miss for some viewers, the type of humor that the anime leans on is subtle and full of deadpan-like moments. A lot of these funny moments arrive when Clay: who isn’t socially well-adjusted herself (friendless and taught to be a loner by her father, her own family) is tasked with something that she eventually excels at; shocking those who work with her. Or when she misunderstands a system in place there in the dungeons or how so much of her solo adventures alone were manipulated and surveillance before she started working.
There are lots of spots of funny moments through the series in such small creatures of items or rooms that help add to the overall humor. I especially loved the introduction of the little rock golems who are basic workers who pop up here and there. They are cute in a weird way and their reactions to the episode where Clay first meets them where she impresses them (and inspires them) is pretty endearing. Seeing the efforts of Belle not owning up to her hoarding is funny too as she and Clay have different organization modes in mind. Every episode where Clay interacts with any monster is worth watching for laughs.
The Slice-of-Life Pacing
The other element that could be a hit or miss for some viewers is the pacing which doesn’t feel too slow to me but has a slice-of-life feel to it. One episode, Clay and company are restocking treasure chests that adventurers have come across in the lower levels (and coming up with a new system for transporting goods that gets rejected, hilariously). In another episode, Clay joins a crew of monsters to test the mettle of big time adventurers but in a unique way that doesn’t give away her identity. There is really no telling what you’ll get with each episode, and that’s fun to be honest.
On the topic of pacing: once Clay becomes employed by Belle to work in the dungeons, behind the scenes, one might ask why doesn’t she go straight to her boss and ask to see him? Or check out the floors he was last spotted at (that she herself, did not work to get to)? With what we learn while watching this first handful of episodes, Clay is not someone who wants handouts and has to feel like she’s earned her lot by her own hand. YouTuber AH Brandon Reviews really explains this in deeper detail and elaborates on why it may help save the newish anime from a major plot hole that could turn away interested watchers. He also touches upon how the great contrast here in the coziness and cute aesthetic of the series that produces some out of pocket scenes with darker elements (*laughs nervously in one monster in particular*) that goes hand in hand with everything.
The World-Building Inside and Out
I already figured that the anime would obviously focus on the interior of the dungeon and in episodes four and five, the series surprises me once again branching outside the dungeon. Finding that the dungeon actually assists in prepping supplies for adventurers in the fourth episode is a small detail that I did not miss. Learning that Belle, the dungeon’s keeper has dealings with people, guilds, and groups all involved in power struggles deepens the world-building of this place and this series, in an intriguing way. Also seeing what happens when those who oppose the dungeon or get in the way of how the dungeon ultimately works is startling for viewers and not just Clay as she learns of who and what not to emulate in her quest for answers.
As one character says, “There is always something going on behind the scene, you know” so seeing Clay discover lost magic only found in the dungeon, learn more about legendary weapons and learn that the monsters have interviews to be employed is lore worth learning about. The very cool reveal in episode two alone, stands as an extraordinary narrative thread in the overall story and in the dungeon sprawler genre as we contour to see series playing up the formula–for our gain!
The Fight Scenes
While they feel far and few in between while watching this first handful of episodes, the fight scenes really enhance the storytelling. Clay, trained by her missing father, a man who has even earned a nickname from the monsters in the dungeons, must be a talent that comes once a generation. She initially appeared on Belle’s radar because she soloed up the first set of levels in the place by herself. Her commentary when effortlessly being in combat accomplished two things: one entertains us and two, aids in further deconstructing the dungeon happenings. Never too long and always satisfying to watch, seeing the fight scenes in Dungeon People help with the pacing of the series and also reminds us that danger is never too far away in case viewers start feeling complacent.
Dungeon People is an anime that feels like a hidden gem in the way that I feel that not enough folks are watching it this anime season. With just the first five episodes, I feel that the series is contributing something new and fresh to the genre that is subverting it little by little each episode. It is a cozy dungeon deconstructing anime with very cute but simple animation and character designs that might have some viewers glossing over it to bigger name series and titles this season. Even as a slow starter, Dungeon People has so far proved to be silly, cute, dark, and overall a unique anime that I hope I’ve successfully persuaded you to check it out, and jump in with Clay, Belle, and the crew!
Dungeon People can be streamed on HiDIVE.
About HIDIVE:
HIDIVE is home to some of Japan’s very best anime and among the fastest growing services in AMC Network’s streaming portfolio. From TV series to movies to original video animations, HIDIVE offers one of the anime industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic anime created by Japan’s leading and emerging producers. Each season, subscribers have exclusive access to first-run simulcasts of the best new anime at, or near, the same time as their Japanese broadcast.
HIDIVE can be viewed on a wide array of platforms including desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and streaming devices and is currently available by subscription in the U.S. and Canada as well as key overseas markets including the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. For more information on HIDIVE or to sign-up for a free 7-day trial, visit www.hidive.com.
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