APADFTMOM Day 15: Dungeon Meshi, and Creativity In Building Lore

Fiction is pretty good. Fictitious storytelling can consist of whatever you want it to with as much or as little detail as you want to give it. As the author, you have control over everything from the characters and setting to how and why things are the way they are. There’s a delicate balance to maintain between all of the pieces to keep them coherent, but ultimately you can do whatever you want. A lot of works tend to put the smaller details off to the side in favor of focusing on larger things such as characters or storylines, but today we’re checking out a series that puts those little details on a pedestal and makes them the focus point. Let’s talk about Dungeon Meshi.






Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui is set in a classical fantasy setting with elves, dwarves, orcs, and the like and is centered around dungeon exploration. The story follows a group of adventurers led by a human named Laius whose sister is eaten by a dragon within a dungeon. After the party retreats and enters again in order to track that dragon down, they exhaust their resources and are forced into eating the flora and fauna within the dungeon in order to survive. They soon meet a dwarf named Senshi who accompanies them and shows them how to make delicious meals out of everything within the dungeon, and they continue their hunt for the dragon without worry of starving.




Laius is the party’s leader and is a typical human warrior in terms of character design. He is moderately durable and fights with a sword, and he knows a fair bit of miscellaneous information about various plants and monsters within the dungeon. What makes Laius so noteworthy is his culinary enthusiasm. Laius is not only okay with eating things found within the dungeon, but he is actively excited by the idea to the point of throwing common sense away if it means trying a new meal. Granted, he still prioritizes the safety of himself and the party, but if there is an opportunity for Laius to take a risk to eat something new then he will not say no.




Senshi is a dwarf and the chef of the party. He is not only knowledgeable of the dungeon’s plants and creatures, but he also knows the best ways to transition that knowledge into cooking. Senshi carries a large cooking pot on his back at all times which he prepares the majority of his meals in, and he is also not above using it as a tool while in combat. Not a lot is initially known about Senshi’s past or what brings him to the dungeon, but his skills are so valuable that the party welcomes him with open arms.




Chilchuck is the party’s halfling rogue. As a halfling, Chilchuck seems to be a child at first but is actually a fully-grown adult. Chilchuck’s character reflects this well by leveling out his rational adult thinking with occasional over-the-top childish reactions. Chilchuck is usually the most reasonable party member, sometimes to the point of him seeming like the strict parent to the rest of the group.




The final party member is the elven mage, Marcille. Marcille is a reasonable person similarly to Chilchuck but this is often played up with her being the straight man to a lot of comedic scenes. A great deal of importance is placed on Marcille throughout the story due to her being the party’s magic user and she is the device through which the author explains the magic of the world. She is also good friends with Farlin, who was eaten by the dragon, and is easily the second most concerned person in the party behind Laius. Marcille is also notable as being the only party member who is hard-set against eating any sort of humanoid monster for moral reasons.




Dungeon Meshi’s plot structure is fairly straightforward with one large overall goal that the story moves towards while setting a chapter-by-chapter pace with smaller conflicts that serve to give the party an opportunity to try a new dish. Each smaller conflict is a step towards the larger goal in one way or another and can be sorted into one of two categories: Dungeon or food. Dungeon-focused chapters are heavily story-based and involve mysteries of the dungeon separate from its wildlife, while food-focused chapters are either about the party foraging to make the most of their situation or some form of direct conflict after which the party eats their foe.




The dungeon in Dungeon Meshi is a vast, mystical void full of unknown treasures and horrors, and this is used regularly to keep things fresh. Settings are connected in such a way that the party’s journey helps to show the dungeon as not just some cave system, but a thriving ecosystem. Each area is made to feel like more than just a backdrop for something the party encounters; These places are homes to this wildlife, and the party is invading that boundary regardless of their intent.




While the series builds an incredible world for its take on classic fantasy monsters, Dungeon Meshi’s creativity continues a step past that towards the food the party makes from this world. Much care was put into the design of each monster and the dish derived from that monster, and this is made apparent by some of the finer worldbuilding details that come into play while the party cooks. These serve to make the cooking process more than just an action leading to a result.




Dungeon Meshi does not dive too far into fantasy so as to try and create brand new cuisine never before seen in fiction before. Everything from the details of the monster’s design to the idea for the final dish have real world bases. Monsters are fantastical beings with simple-to-understand anatomies based on real animals that are closely related to them. Plants are showcased similarly although there is more emphasis put on their magical properties than their appearances. The preparation and cooking process is always full of techniques that the audience can understand while also keeping a mindful eye on the party’s inventories to make sure they are not using anything they do not have. Each final dish is a twist on a real world dish using fictional ingredients with the added flair of an ingredient list written out near the dish.




It is important to keep in mind that Dungeon Meshi is a series about food. That focus on food means that the series needs to take its cuisine seriously in order for the audience to take it seriously, and Dungeon Meshi finds that necessary balance in doing so. Dishes made by the party are presented as visually appealing thanks to the gorgeous illustrations of them, and the party supports the dishes by praising their taste. Senshi plays a large role in this by showing that these dishes are relatively easy to make and that the worst part about them is gathering the ingredients for them.




Dungeon Meshi excels at making a fantasy setting feel relatable by grounding itself in reality while keeping its story, locations, and characters true to themselves. Whereas Misoshiru de Kanpai! approaches cooking with a “Look what you can make” attitude, Dungeon Meshi uses something more along the lines of “Look what they were able to make.” This series has some loose educational tones to it, but they apply almost exclusively to cooking processes and are not made out to be a focal point. If anything, the focal point is the party’s resourcefulness in using what they had available to the best of their ability.




Creativity isn’t a finite resource. Don’t be afraid to add that extra step between point A and point B, and challenge yourself to make that step relevant even if just a little. This month has been numerous steps between point A and point B for myself and I’ve loved every one of them. Dungeon Meshi is available via its western release from Yen Press under the name Delicious in Dungeon.