Picture this: a pristine jungle, birds fly overhead, insects and large fauna create a cacophony of sounds. Trees stretch upward like skyscrapers, their height so magnificent that one would think they could climb them into the heavens. Deep in this vast wilderness, there’s an elephant. Not just any ordinary elephant, however, for it has recently eaten coffee beans. As its powerful digestive enzymes break down its recent meal, the bitterness of the coffee’s proteins is stripped away. Then, when nature calls, the coffee beans are left in a mountain of excrement. A man stumbles upon said excrement sees the coffee beans, and thinks, “Bet this shit tastes better than Kopi Luwak.” And that’s how you get the 50 USD per cup delicacy that is Black Ivory Coffee. You never know what’s edible or not until you try it, and in the Delicious in Dungeon episode 3, we’re faced with this dilemma.
Delicious in Dungeon Episode 3 in a Nutshell
Deviating from its usual multi-monster approach, episode 3 saw the group focus on a single monster, “Living Armors.” As the Delicious in Dungeon party continues their less-than-hasty rescue mission, they enter a dungeon room filled with Living Armor. True to himself, Laios has a back-and-forth with the group about what Living Armor would taste like. Marcille, however, has none of it, and she mentions that Living Armor isn’t a living creature. It’s just armor being controlled by magic.
Chilchuck mentions that given Living Armor’s slow and clunky movement, avoiding them should be easy. They only need to run to the other side of the room. But even a slow opponent can overwhelm with enough numbers, and the group is forced to turn back after a short skirmish in which they are overwhelmed.
As they retreat, Laios notices something isn’t quite right; the movement and actions of their opponents don’t reflect armor that’s merely being controlled. He mentions this to the group but is told they must be that way because the spell caster is nearby. A plan is enacted in which one of the party members is to run ahead while the other three act as bait for the congregation of Living Armor in the room ahead of them. As Laios enters the adjoining room, he’s greeted by yet another Living Armor. As he confronts this entity, he initially fares rather poorly. But, in desperation, he throws a brick at it, causing the Living Armor to use its sword rather than its shield for protection. Laios, being as quick-witted as he is, realizes there’s meaning to this.
Upon closer inspection of the Living Armor, he realizes there’s an egg sac on the back of its shield, and that’s what it’s protecting. There, it clicks. The way they move and fight, coupled with parental behavior, they must be living creatures! And, if it breathes, you can kill it. If you can kill it, you can eat it (probably, maybe, technically). Truth be told. You can eat almost anything; the real question is, “Can you eat it more than once?” Outside, the Delicious in Dungeon party is struggling; they’re outnumbered and exhausted. They plead for Laios to hurry, which drives him to again confront his opponent.
It’s a Travesty
At this point, something important needs to be pointed out. Something huge. Something enormous. Something happens that, as Al Gore in South Park would say, “is super cereal.” A week or so ago, a visual featuring Marcille was decried for unneeded fan service. Twitter raged on it like it was a bane upon humanity. How dare the show stoop so low to use Marcille as fan service? They wouldn’t do that to Senshi. Those complaints were heard, and we got some proper fan service via a panty shot from Senshi. Twitter, how about you eat some Urumiit?
The Only Way to Know if Something Is Edible Is to Try It
Soul-offending, crime against humanity fan service aside. As Laios’s fight continues, he manages to behead the Living Armor. As he does so, he discovers that it’s being controlled by a living creature — a mollusk. It seems to be acting with others of its species as a hive mind to pilot the armor they’re inhabiting. This is actually way more believable than you might think. Animals as inconspicuous as ants often build rafts and bridges by intertwining their bodies and acting as one being. With this information, he overpowers the Living Armor, deduces that it, along with the ones in the other room, is defending the egg sac, and uses the egg sac to distract the others so that his party can escape.
Once safe and sound, Laios once again wonders about the edibility of the creatures he just defeated and asks Senshi if he can eat them. Marcille protests, saying there’s no way they can eat something so mysterious. Laios replies, “Every food is a mystery until that first bite.” Which, honestly, is true. Many dishes would disgust a regular person, be it because of the look or the smell. Hákarl may be an offense against commonsense, but it’s a delicacy. Durian has a sweet custard/cheesecake-like taste but will offend the nostrils of everyone within a 20-foot area.
Food like Casu martzu, often regarded as high cuisine, came about directly by bravery. Can you imagine the thought process of a cheesemaker coming across a maggot-infested wheel of pecorino and thinking, “This is a gift from the gods!” If you can’t, then eat McDonalds like a plebeian. Laios’ train of thought may seem absurd, and you may be tempted to say, “It’s anime.” But, as you go to bed tonight, know that someone once caught a bunch of puffins. Thought to themselves, “Yeah, I could fry these. But, I’m pretty sure if I stuff them into a seal, bury it, dig it up like half a year from now, it’s gonna be AH-MAY-ZING!” And, now we have the Inuit dish of Kiviak. So, there’s that.
Delicious In Dungeon Episode 3 Wrap-up
While not confident in his preparation of their newly acquired subsistence, Senshi nonetheless agrees to cook it. He makes the wise choice of discarding the organs (always a safe bet if you’re eating something for the first time). And then prepares four distinct dishes: Living Amor Stir-Fry, Living Armor soup, Grilled Living Armor, and Steam Baked Living Armor. Since the group is hesitant about their meal, they let Laios have the first bite, and he immediately develops explosive diarrhea. JK, he immediately expresses how delicious it is. The rest of the group tries their fares to mixed reviews. As Delicious in Dungeon episode 3 concludes, the group marches onward. Laios picks up a new sword and, with it, one of the Living Armor mollusks. A fact he conceals from the group.
Screenshots via Netflix
© Ryoko Kui, KADOKAWA/Delicious in Dungeon PARTNERS
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