DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL ActionDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
ANIME ActionDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka II
MANGA ActionDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru no Darou ka
OVA AdventureDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka: Dungeon ni Onsen wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
MOVIE ActionDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka: Orion no Ya
ANIME ActionDungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Gaiden: Sword Oratoria

REVIEWS

• 

  CaninnTurtle

  77/100
  DanMachi, while it doesn't really impress, it makes up for with entertainment.

  Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, or shortened to DanMachi, which I'll be using to refer to it, is yet another entry in the long list of 'game world' shows that have popped up in the time after Sword Art Online really popularized the genre. DanMachi certainly doesn't do much to separate itself from the pack, but it does have a charm to it that makes it extremely enjoyable. Perhaps its the relief that it's not a isekai that makes it so easy to watch, or maybe it's the simple wholesomeness of Bell and his dream of chasing after Aiz. In any case, DanMachi just seems to exude charm.

  God, intros are hard to write, anyway, on to the technical side of DanMachi. Nothing in DanMachi is going to blow you away visually, there are some nice effects and CGI uses, but nothing awe-inspiring. The character designs are interesting and cute, but definitely don't land in my top-tier design ranks. If DanMachi excels anywhere, its in its color palette. The bright color design really plays into the show's cute lightheartedness, which gives it a comfortable feel visually. Audially, DanMachi is really generic too. I can't name a single song or sound effect that I really loved, but I can't say that I hated it either, which kind of encapsulates my entire thoughts on DanMachi. I did get really annoyed at the Goliath's roar sound like the 20th time it played, but that's a somewhat strange complaint.

  Favorite Character: Aiz Wallenstein

  

  It's kind of strange, Aiz being my favorite character. Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of the kuudere trope, but for some reason, it worked for Aiz. Maybe it was more because of Bell's relationship and fascination with her than Aiz herself, but I'm thinking that's not the case. I think I just liked her growth as she interacted with Bell. You could see her emotionless front fade with every encounter she had with Bell and, to be honest, it was kind of cute. She probably also benefited from me just not liking Hestia or Lilli very much, since they were just the jealous harem tropes, honestly. Shout out to Ryu and Syr though, they were pretty great characters too.

  So what holds DanMachi back? Well, I think just followed the generic route way too hard. There was like three total episodes of actual dungeon crawling and RPG-like character progression. Approximately three episodes where it actually played to its strength and followed a somewhat unique line of thought. In fact, I'm sort of waiting for an anime to follow that kind of path period. Other shows, like Sword Art Online didn't really focus on its RPG side, No Game No Life isn't really that kind of show, maybe Log Horizon is a little different, but I haven't seen that yet. Oddly enough, the one show that I can think of that focused the most on its progression in the game is Konosuba, which definitely wouldn't be the first thing that springs to mind for a lot of people.

  I mentioned already that I didn't really like Hestia that much and that may have been the only strong feeling that I really felt about this show. DanMachi is just so average that it didn't even elicit any real joy or disappointment. I definitely enjoyed watching it and laughed on occasion, but I can see myself forgetting that I watched it in a few months, honestly. I'll tune into season two whenever it's supposed to air, but I just can't help but feel as if DanMachi missed quite a few opportunities to really make a name for itself in the vast sea of isekai game world shows out there.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  BlueBlur

  70/100
  A really fun show that is unfortunately held back by cliches of the genre

  Adapting Fantasy Light Novels into anime seems to be a current trend nowadays, and is a trend that has produced some extremely divisive anime in recent years. A lot of them mostly seem to involve either overpowered protagonists or an RPG like world. And a lot of them seem to be shameless cash grabs that act as an effective way to advertise the light novel. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, or DanMachi which I’ll be referring to it as for the review, doesn’t follow these trends, to a certain extent.

  The biggest difference between DanMachi and some of the other shows that have come out during the post SAO boom is that it knows how to write a decent protagonist. Unlike most protagonists in this genre that are almost always overpowered teens (they’re that way because of the impact a certain black swordsman had on the industry), DanMachi’s protagonist, Bell Cranel has the audacity to be something that these other protagonists aren’t, an actual character. Bell starts off as just another adventurer in the bustling city of Orario who also lives in his guild (alone) with his goddess Hestia in their run-down church. He seems content with his daily life until he meets a swords-woman that saves him from a Minotaur in the dungeon. He learns that she is one of the strongest warriors in the world and is a part of one of the strongest guilds. He then strives to get stronger so he can eventually be on the same level as the swords-woman (Aiz Wallenstein), who he has also fallen in love with. Even though it’s simple, the story doesn’t set out to be anything more than it is. It’s a story about someone who wants to get stronger and do better so he can impress someone who is on a higher level than he is. Through his journey to become stronger, he begins to impact the people around him and gains new allies all with the goal to get on the same level as Aiz and her guild. You see him succeed and gain new abilities all through the act of training and never giving up. One of the best aspects of the show is how the only way he can get badass skills is by facing off against tough opponents and monsters. He actually has to TRY to get more powerful, unlike some other protagonists whose progress we see off screen or are already overpowered to begin with.

  One of the best parts of the show happens in Episode 8 where Bell fights against an enemy that would have been a challenge for even the strongest of adventurers and succeeds. From his struggle, he attains his own personal skill that helps with his overall growth as a warrior. This fight scene shows how much Bell wants to get stronger so that Aiz can see him as an equal. His determination is relatable and admirable, especially since we see how far he will go just so that he will achieve his goal.
  The importance of goals for any protagonist in any form of media is something that I feel is overlooked. A goal is essential in making good characters and a good story. A good example of this is comparing Big 3: Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. Naruto and Once Piece both have a goal that the main character wants to achieve throughout the whole series. Naruto wants to be the Hokage and Luffy is searching for the One Piece. These are both goals for the characters to achieve that also make room for how the story progresses. Naruto grows a lot throughout the series before he becomes Hokage and Luffy is still searching for the One Piece, which involves traveling the world and going on an abundance of adventures. Then we have Bleach, where the series protagonist, Ichigo doesn’t have a goal that spans across the whole series other than protecting his friends, which is more situational rather than a plot point. After the first big arc of Bleach, the story keeps recycling old ideas and keeps the same main villain, all because that is the only way for Ichigo to grow, just by fighting stronger opponents and getting new powers. Because Naruto and One Piece have goals for the characters to achieve we see physical and mental growth as the story progresses. This point is more a part of Naruto since it’s a better example of this compared to One Piece. While this may have nothing to do with DanMachi, I made this point to stress how important goals are to any type of fiction, and how much of a good thing it is that DanMachi has a good goal opposed to shows like SAO, Grimgar and The Asterisk War. They’re not needed in everything of course, but they certainly help with shows like DanMachi, especially with creating a likable and relatable character.

  One of the main reasons that DanMachi was ignored or written off by a lot of anime fans was not the fault of the story but the bland characters. While I do like his growth and effectiveness as a protagonist, Bell is also an extremely bland protagonist, personality wise. He’s the generic nice guy that attracts all the ladies, and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just that it can be a problem since that archetype has been done to death in every single type of entertainment. It’s the same personality trait that every protagonist of these kinds of shows have and it can get annoying after you’ve seen a bunch of them. He does get a bit more confident near the end of the series and really shows his worth during the final few episodes of the series where he saves his unconscious party members from the dungeon, while still injured. It’s times when shit hits the fan that Bell really shines and they also happen to be my favorite moments from the show.

  The other main character in the show is Hestia, the goddess of Bell’s guild. While she is the typical fan service character that is attracted to the protagonist, she never really comes off as annoying and her affection for Bell seems more genuine since they share a heart-warming bond with each other. Her jiggling tits can be distracting in most scenes and the fact that Bell seems completely unaware of her affection can get annoying, but that’s more of a problem with the writing rather than the characters themselves. The other sort-of main character is Aiz Wallenstein who acts as Bell’s love interest and goal of the series. Going with the main theme of lack of originality, Aiz is the typical emotionless but curious badass swords-woman character. While don’t personally have a problem with these types of characters, they appear so much in these types of shows that it feels like they’re all carbon copies of one another. For what this show is, she’s fine and fulfills her role nicely, but her generic archetype seems like wasted potential especially if a little more effort was put into writing her as an actual character rather than a blank slate that’s good at fighting.

  My main problem with shows like this, and DanMachi especially is that if a little more effort was put into writing good characters, the shows wouldn’t be hated by so many people. If Bell was more entertaining and Aiz was interesting, I wouldn’t be here complaining, but the sad truth is while the story is simplistic but effective, little to no effort was put into writing good characters which brings the show down a lot in my opinion. It’s the wasted potential that bothers me the most, but that’s more of the author’s fault rather than the anime itself.

  One of best parts about the characters is that they are all portrayed nicely by their respective voice actors. While I’m more familiar with Dub actors rather than most Japanese seiyuu (I only really recognized Yoshitsugu Matsuoka who voices Bell), I can still say that every voice actor does an excellent job in their role. As for which version you should watch, since I watched this show subbed I would recommend that version, and I only say this because the dub is handled by Sentai Filmworks who don’t have the best dubs. The soundtrack was decent if a bit forgettable, which isn’t as much a problem since it worked well within the show and was far from terrible.

  Any show done by J.C. Staff (which is one of my favorite studios) always has great animation, and DanMachi is no exception. Every fight scene in the show is fast, fluid and enjoyable to watch and was one of the main reasons that the fight in Episode 8 was such a memorable moment. The character designs were also nice to look at including the main character, Bell whose signature white hair and red eyes are a nice addition so that he can be easily recognizable unlike every other black-haired teenager that is in almost every show now. The city of Orario is also designed nicely. It’s a good sign for any show if the viewers would like to live in the world that they’re watching, even if Orario is like every other fantasy city, but there’s nothing wrong with that, especially with a show like this.

  DanMachi is the kind of show you’d watch either to kill some time or if you’re looking for a fun, enjoyable adventure show. It’s let down by blandly written characters which can ruin decent story. Despite its flaws, it’s still worth watching and is one of the better fantasy Light Novel anime to come out in recent years. If you want a light story with a little bit of fanservice, well animated action and a lot of heart, DanMachi should not be overlooked.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Leorion

  75/100
  An intriguing show with enough of everything to pull you in for some mindless fun but lacks in depth.

  DanMachi is an overall nice anime. It isn't outstanding, nor is it bad. It has a little bit of everything to please everyone and that often comes at the cost of the things it tries to do. Light harem? Check. Some slapstick comedy? Check. Some ecchi? Check. Action? Check. Don't expect much depth or answers but likeable and numerous characters somewhat make up for that.

  The plot of the show is very interesting and intriguing and there is much to be learned there but the anime keeps that all in the backburner for the course of the 12 episodes. Unfortunately this leads to poor world building in general. Normal answers about the world are left vague or unanswered which makes the environment seem small and uninteresting why the gods left, where exactly are they? why are all the gods in one area? is this city the only one in the world?

  The characters of the show are normal. The show features a harem-light aspect which means there are too many female characters and not enough time to develop any of them to a significant degree. What their motivations are, their intentions, their purposes. It's all left mostly to the imagination of the viewer as the cast more appropriately resembles a cast of generic tropes for your basic shipping needs. Some of them, such as Ain - the main love interest present no actual character traits. She is without expression, does nothing really interesting and the show only hints about some kind of depth but it leaves her overall bland. The MC on the other hand is very lovable and wholesome. The kind of idiotic blind trust that we'd all love to have.

  Without a tangible or really interesting goal, it's hard to find the motivation to watch the show sometimes. Why does the protagonist do what he is doing? Why is the villain doing what they are doing? What is the end goal of going into dungeons to fight when it presents no threat to the people of the city? What do the gods get from all this? It's all up to you to decide. I hope the show can find a more linear setting to advance the plot and perhaps add a goal so we can truly feel the characters evolve and move with purpose.

  ART: 8/10

  The designs are cute. Nothing special. Mostly generic character designs. The soundtrack and songs were all enjoyable to watch but nothing special. The animation was quite fun to watch too, especially during action sequences but I'm not very nitpicky with these stuff.

  PLOT: 6/10

  - World Building: 5/10
  - Central plot: 6/10
  - Characters: 6/10

  Some semblance of a plot is there but it remains confused about its purpose and goal. Characters don't really see much development. There are some exceptions of very interesting characters that did receive some depth but mostly everyone sticks to their traits.

  The environment is quite bland and boring and the show gives no information about the backstory of the world, or it's rules, or anything really. Hopefully that changes in the next seasons because the show did seem like it wanted to explore that further but it's quite hard with only 12 episodes.

  Enjoyment: 7/10

  There is a little bit to enjoy for everyone but since it tries to appeal to so many people, some stuff just isn't universal. The show has some troubling quotes - that is a man's duty to peep or that it's normal to kiss or touch women when they're asleep, and I know some people might get mad I'm mentioning this but that's just not cool. In general and to be included in this show with this kind of MC. It isn't major for me but it did knock off a few points. That being said, it's still a fun show - the characters are likeable, the idea is intriguing and it has plenty of chances to develop it's plot and characters more.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• ANIME

  ActionMagi: The kingdom of magic
• ANIME

  ActionSword Art Online
• ANIME

  AdventureMade in Abyss
• ANIME

  ActionSword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld
• ANIME

  ActionRAGNAROK THE ANIMATION
• ANIME

  ActionArifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou
• ANIME

  AdventureKono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!
• ANIME

  ActionNoragami
• ANIME

  ActionLog Horizon 2
• ANIME

  ActionTate no Yuusha no Nariagari
• ANIME

  ActionDarwin's Game
• ANIME

  ActionKami no Tou: Tower of God