Delicious in Dungeon, also called Dungeon Meshi, by Ryoko Kui, is an adventure fantasy manga with a lot of comedy present. It follows Laios and his adventurer party of Marcille, Chilchuck and Meshi as they go on a journey into the mysterious dungeon so save his sister Falin with a lot of emphasis on them living off the land by cooking and eating the monsters within.

The art in this manga is well done, composed of many small panels focusing on the dialogue between the characters. One thing I appreciate is the design of the monsters and plant life of the dungeon. While many of the designs are effectively stock standard fantasy creatures, the level of detail that Kui puts into the design of the insides of them while drawing fantasy diagrams reminiscent of biology drawings from a college course is unmatched. The way she is able to show the functionality of the creatures through these internal diagrams and is able to make it understandable how they can be dissected, and further cooked is interesting.

The dungeon is well designed, with the areas feeling very distinct. Enough detail is put in to make it feel like an additional main character. Kui puts so much emphasis on deep worldbuilding compared to her contemporaries its notable. She manages to drip-feed information about the dungeon naturally through the characters well-written dialogue. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the dungeon is designed and fits into the world that Kui has crafted.

I really like the detail that goes into the design of the food. They are so well drawn and explained using the logic of the manga that it feels possible to make and consume my own ‘Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot’ and ‘Mandrake and Basilisk Omelette’.

The story so far feels straightforward, just the group of them making their way down the dungeon to rescue Falin from a dragon’s stomach. Beyond the excellent worldbuilding I think that the character dynamics is a strongpoint here. The way this manga focuses on establishing the characters and their relationships is well executed. They all are very distinct individuals and have differing relationships with each other. The comedic sides of their interactions are very interesting as well. Leaning more into the worldbuilding aspect I think it’s interesting how relaxed the characters are at the notion of death given that they can be revived once enough of the body remains. It makes it more understandable why some of the characters, like the high strung Marcille, are willing to risk their lives easily.

The writing is strong, although there have not been any emotionally strong moments. The comedy is well done. The characters are written with a level of comfort and confidence with each other that it is believable that they are a team of adventures that have been together long sans Meshi. I think Laios, as the main character, is entertaining to read. Him being a warrior yet being obsessed with creatures, and effectively acting as the groups resistant monster zoologist is funny and yet adds a lot of depth to him.

To summarize, this volume is very good. With some of the best and most unique worldbuilding I’ve seen in manga, a decent story, and strong characters I cannot wait to see how the story continues.

If you like this manga due to it’s worldbuilding, I think you’d like One Piece as it is very good at this particularly further along in the story. Magus of the Library for the high fantasy aspect alongside, Witch Hat Atelier and Magi Labyrinth of Magic. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End as well would fit as being enjoyable.

I’d give this volume a 4.8/5.

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