Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Review (Anime)
I’d like to preface this review by letting you all know that I’ve ready eight volumes of the light novel, and that I’m a really big fan of Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and so I found the anime to be easy to enjoy despite its insistence on speeding through five of the books in only thirteen episodes.
This is a great introduction to the world and characters of Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? and if you enjoy it, then you should definitely look into reading the light novels. Whilst the anime is enjoyable on its own, I’m watching it as a fan who knows just how much content has been missed from the novels, and it’s sad to see how much potential has been missed here. Dungeon? follows youthful, aspiring adventurer Bell Cranel as he makes his home in Orario, the city where the world’s only dungeon is located. Gods and Goddesses have their own Familias which they use to explore the dungeon, make money, etc, and Bell joins as the only member of the Hestia Familia.
A wonderful cast of characters, a realised, fantasy world and explosive action make for a thrilling watch.
After facing embarrassment at the hands of a high-level minotaur and being saved by Aiz Wallenstein, one of the highest level adventurers in all of Orario, Bell’s determination is thrust forward as he trains to one day be on equal footing with his new idol. His willpower allows him to become stronger at an exceedingly quick rate, and it isn’t long until he makes a name for himself as the “Little Rookie”. A wonderful cast of characters, a realised, fantasy world and explosive action make for a thrilling watch, and I’m hoping for a second season. Who knows if it’ll happen, but spin-off series Sword Oratoria is currently airing!
I bet J.C.Staff will forever kick themselves for opting to give Food Wars! (which is another brilliant show) 24 episodes over Dungeon? but alas, it’s a decision they now have to live with. Dungeon? released to a lot of fanfare and Hestia and her blue ribbon took the world with storm — there was a time you couldn’t go on any anime websites without seeing her! Dungeon? is a beautiful show with intense action scenes balanced out with plenty of humour, and I really like how the world is portrayed — it’s not very modern but has a lot of natural stone structures and wooden buildings, and the bar looks lovely bathed in its soft orange glow. There’s a fair bit of fan-service but it never bothered me here, and there are Gods and Goddesses that exist for love and lust, so it makes sense that there’s quite a bit of skin on show.
Dungeon? is a beautiful show.
Having read the books, I had a clear idea of what I wanted each character to sound like, and the English Dub has done well in bringing those thoughts to life — without any input from me either! Bryson Baugus captures Bell’s bashful, energetic self whilst Luci Christian breathes life into the excitable yet jealous Hestia. You can’t go wrong whether you watch this in English or Japanese! The opening theme is super catchy and in general the soundtrack reflects the sense of adventure which Dungeon? and Orario bring across.
I hope one day we see Bell’s adventure continued.
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is a fun anime with a huge appetite for adventure, and it’s hard not to love Bell and root for him achieve his goal. It’s funny but knows when to take itself seriously, and this balance is upheld throughout the series in a way that feels natural. Considering it was one of the most popular anime when it originally aired, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d already watched Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? but it’s a show that’s easy to watch again. I’m happy to see Manga UK bring this one over, and I hope one day we see Bell’s adventure continued in anime form.
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