You’ve heard of Delicious in Dungeon so now prepare for its summer successor – Dungeon People. Streaming on HIDIVE this season, Dungeon People had an exclusive two-episode premiere at this year’s Anime Expo.
Right from the beginning it was pretty clear that while there are some elements of fine dining in the dungeon, that would not be the focus here. The plot follows Clay, an overpowered adventurer who breaks a dungeon wall while looking for her father and discovers its big secret: a whole organizational chart led by a girl named Bellehera. Bellehera convinces her to stay in the dungeon and help her with running things and after some struggle Clay accepts.
The double-episode feature started with a message from the main cast: Sayaka Sembongi (Clay) and Sayumi Suzushiro (Bellehera) who greeted Anime Expo attendees. The duo is one of the more charming points of the anime: not only are their characters adorable, but their performances also deliver. Unfortunately, the same can’t be truly said for the general experience I had with this adaptation.
I was initially intrigued by the art style and color choices of the Dungeon People anime and that combined with the plot reminded me of the perhaps forgotten Humanity Has Declined series. But as it turns out, this is a more slice-of-life story in the style of By the Grace of the Gods (minus the isekai) and it’s not too original or fresh. Clay’s search for her father takes a second place next to her new dungeon life, which while filled with some cute moments (and some yuribait) is also faced with quite a lot of exposition regarding the way that the dungeon functions. Obviously, world-building is important but when nothing else is happening it can get a bit tedious.
Still, I have to once again mention the friendship between the main duo: this appears to be the series’ strong point and hopefully, more time will be given to it in the upcoming episodes. Bellehera is quirky and Clay is standoffish but both are lonely and it seems like they are a good match for each other. Their dynamic, along with the promise of more action, will be crucial for further developments and potentially placing this adaptation on anime fans’ radar in the Summer 2024 anime season.
Dungeon People is streaming on HIDIVE.
© Sui Futami / Futabasha / Someone from the production committee
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