Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 1

Laios and his adventuring party are trying to defeat a dragon when his sister is grabbed and eaten. Before the dragon gets her, she uses magic to teleport the whole party to safety. Laios wants to save her before she's digested and unrevivably dead, but he's all out of money for provisions, and selling his weapons in order to buy food wouldn't put him in any better of a situation. Which is why he decides to try something he's been curious about for ages: cooking and eating the dungeon monsters he kills. His companions are horrified, but they go along with it out of necessity. It helps that they gain a new member, an experienced dungeon monster cook/nutritionist named Senshi.

This series is bizarro. No one seems to be very worried about show more dying, or even in that much of a rush to save Laios's sister, in large part because resurrection spells are a thing. So a lot of time is devoted to killing and cooking things. This is basically a foodie manga, just with fantasy food. Each meal even includes a list of ingredients.

This particular volume discusses the importance of a balanced diet, the fact that even experienced dungeon cooks can learn new things (for example, Senshi learns that mandrakes taste better if you let them scream first), and the use of dungeon traps as kitchen utensils and appliances (for chopping meat, frying it, etc.). Also, Laios acquires a sword with a living armor creature inside it. Portable food? I worry that this guy's obsession with eating dungeon monsters is going to get him and his party killed. Thank goodness Senshi is there, although that guy has his own issues.

Marcille, the elf character, was borderline annoying. She was the character who seemed to have the most difficulty adjusting to eating dungeon monsters and finding her place in this slightly altered adventuring party - the polar opposite of Laios, who'd have happily eaten anything Senshi gave him (and some things even Senshi never considered cooking).

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

This is my JAM. I'm head over heels for this series after just the first volume here and I hyped to read the rest! The premise of this series has a D&D style quest of dungeon explorers who need to quickly make their way to the lowest levels of a buried kingdom in order to rescue one of their own from being digested by a dragon. They don't have time to restock their supplies, so they decide to eat the dungeon monsters along the way. I know: it sounds kinda weird! But I truly love how it address this idea of surviving on a quest in a way that's actually very practical. For real, why rely on bread and dried meat when you could COOK your way through a dungeon adventure?!
The characters are wonderful- Senshi the dwarf is probably my favorite show more for his love of cooking and willingness to challenge the status quo. The rest of the gang are all interesting and I feel like there couldn't be a better case of characters. The monsters encountered along the way are equally as fascinating. Some are a little more "typical", like the basilisk, but there are some new ones too, such as the Living Armor. The world just feels very well-rounded and fully realized.
As a whole, the book blends adventure, battling, cooking, and questing all into one tale that's both fresh and funny- if you like manga with heart and food, then definitely check it out! show less

A group of adventurers suffers a tragic defeat by a dragon and one of their number is eaten. Devastated by the loss, but still hopeful of recovering her before the slow digestive system of the dragon can kill her, they throw caution to the wind and return to the dungeon, planning to forage for supplies on their way.

A chance encounter brings them into the orbit of a bizarre wandering chef who is expert in cooking monsters. Although most of the group is disgusted by the idea, their leader, Laios, is obsessed with curiosity - almost as much as recovering his sister from the dragon's maw.

This first installation in the series is really cute and surprising. The tone is light and fans of fantasy and table top gaming will find lots to love.

While the art is charming and the subject matter is imaginative, the lack of character development and true stakes makes this manga a torturous read. It's a shame that so much world-building effort is wasted on such a stock cast of JRPG trope characters. Some may appreciate how much ink DiD spills to explain the culinary traditions of a fantasy world. I would rather seek out interesting relationships or plot developments.

Despite being a bit dry and ponderous, I actually enjoyed this odd little cooking adventure. I found myself getting caught up in the hero's desire to eat everything in the dungeon maze, especially those things which frighten him the most. It's a weird but effective combination of the fantasy, cook book and self-help/motivational genres. (See: [b:Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time|95887|Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time|Brian Tracy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328854785s/95887.jpg|2203492])

The story is fun, and I love the way the jokes are visually presented. Has a few things not in the anime. The exploration of dungeon ecology and the ways monsters are prepared as food is very interesting. 

Really enjoyed this! I watched the show first, and it follows the manga very closely but I still loved this version of the story, too. The art is beautiful and detailed in every panel. I love how much thought is given to the speculative biology aspects and the monsters in the dungeon. A great read!