It may well be safe to say that it is not wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon because in the city of Orario it’s somewhat a right of passage, though a very dangerous one. Based on the popular Manga series of the same title, the story evolves around a huge labyrinth which homes many monsters of various sizes and sits underneath the city of Orario. The further down the Labyrinth you go, the more hideous and dangerous these monsters get. In order to keep the city above safe there are many adventuring heroes among the city who train to fight these monsters. With each defeat the adventurer may collect crystals that can be used to make various magical items or be exchanged for currency. There are groups within the city known as Familia. Each one is named after and serves a deity, they also serve the city with different skill sets. It’s very much like a fantasy role playing game such as Dungeons and Dragons, the more experience the adventurer gets the higher level they become starting at level one.
The show introduces the young novice protagonist Bell Cranel. He sets out on his first real adventure in the Dungeon to fight a level one monster but it doesn’t quite go to plan. Fortunately for him, an experienced and beautiful swordswoman, Aiz Wallenstein, discovers him and saves him. Bell being a typical teenage boy he becomes besotted by her but can’t seem to gather the courage to speak to her. After his hard work training and fighting he goes home to his deity, Hestia, who definitely has a thing for him. Hestia can’t hint enough her feelings towards the oblivious boy thus hilarious, cute and awkward shenanigans begin. They aren’t the only women who become a part of Bell’s life either. All this whilst Bell tirelessly strives to be a great adventurer.
The show definitely attempts to play to fan service but not to the ridiculous extent. Whilst there are still a lot of boobs, for those looking for more that jiggle in all the wrong places, you may need to look elsewhere. Here they deliver a balance of cute and sexy romance with a little action in between. It’s a light hearted, colorful story and though the characters are very generic they are still fun to watch. With such an interesting concept however it would have been nice to explore these characters with a little more depth, as there isn’t a great sense of care or empathy for a lot of the characters, perhaps it’s because a lot of them are gods or amazing adventurers too cool to show who they really are. The monsters are portrayed really well, they all look the part and can appear pretty threatening which adds a bit more suspense to the story. The show gets a little deeper and serious as Bell becomes a more experienced adventurer, though he is still just as silly and awkward, a reflection of the entire series and it’s title.
Special features: Choice of English subtitles or voice over / Opening and closing sequence /Trailers from Sentai Filmworks
IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON? SEASON 1 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: YOSHIKI YAMAKAWA / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: YOSHITSUGU MATSUOKA, INORI MINASE, SAORI OONISHI / RELEASE DATE: 12TH JUNE
