First Impression – Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru no Darou ka
Is it Wrong to Try to Pick up a Show in a First Impression?
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Welcome to the latest round of our First Impressions, and welcome to the city of Orario, home of monsters and treasure and traps…no not those types of traps…well, maybe. So let’s see what adventures await! |
Is it Wrong to Like a Show by JC Staff?
Hey there! Just covered in minotaur blood, don’t mind me….
At first blush this is a JC Staff production through and through. It wears their penchant for pattern, color and vibrancy like a nicely tailored suit. Orario avoids a budgeted or spartan appearance; coming off as lived in and fantastically appointed. Character animation flows very well. All the vocal performances are hitting just the right level with a great crop of veteran VAs. The music has both a relaxed feel for the homey scenes and the right level of epic for the fights. Technically speaking the first entry into the new series is pretty darn sound, and with JC’s rep, it should stay that way and even improve? The anime is based of the Light Novel series of the “same name” by Oomori Fujino
You could make this relationship a lot less complicated dude…
Going into it’s characters, I have to say that I generally like Bell (Yoshitsugo Matsouka), he is earnest and hard working, but maybe with an unneeded shade of SAOs Kirito’s GAR moments. His reactions aren’t too over the top, and they are fairly well nuanced into the scenes; both at home, in the Dungeon, and around town. Yeah, some are done for pure broad comedy, but that is the style of the show, accept it or move on.
Some guys are just stupid…
Is it Wrong to Have an Exposition Dump?
The presentation of the stats, level builds and such feels like a storytelling gimmick rather than something the author arrived to naturally. This makes the basis seem like someone saw SAO or Log Horizon and yelled “Me, too!”. Yes even with “typical harem” as a potential complaint this is my sticking point. The dialog between Hestia and Bell does it’s best to message in the exposition, but it still comes of forced. I think the less they refer to this the better off. But really who am I kidding ::goes to study more::
Cute, but….oh she’s hiding something
I’m here for the fighting, the moe, and the harem hi-jinks, not characters worrying or bragging over stats. I can log into an online game or arrange a TRPG for that. As for the dungeon….it looks like they are going to avoid the more esoteric questions about the ecology of such places (pity), and just have critters spawn (geez) for the frak of it. Ah well, any excuse to monster mash for level up I guess….drops and all.
Dude, again, remember what you have back home!
Is it Wrong to Pick up Girls in Town?
This has been labeled a harem anime and the story has put paid to that. It has relationships of every stripe arranged around Bell like garland on a Christmas tree; and it looks like they will plug in the lights later. In the realm of first girl there is Aiz Wallenstein (Oonishi Saori); nice set up with her being the random encounter, and even better set up to arrange her as the axis upon which Bell turns his wheel.
Never a dull moment with the Loki Familia
As an extra added bonus her guild, the Loki Familia, looks like a natural rival for Bell. Oh, and not a a single one of them isn’t damn pretty. We next meet his guild caseworker Eine (Tomatsu Haruka), who fits into the caring older sister role quite nicely. Then we have his Familia leader Hestia, and this relationship does come off as the OTP. (and in the realm of story, she’s first girl) She might be trying just a bit too hard for most tastes, but I like how it’s starting out. And finally there is waitress Byr Flover (Shizuki Ishigami) of the Benevolent Mistress pub, who either has a crush on Bell, or just sees her mark as a working hostess. Maybe even both? Did he ever pay for that dine and dash?
Ya see, you guys are adorable!
Is it Wrong To Have Extra Dungeon Levels
Is it Wrong to Call this Goddess a LOLi?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes.
Well, the god of thunder, Mighty Thor, is not made of thunder. In that respect the LOLi goddess need not be one herself. Whoever the LOLis want to worship is fine by me. So where’s the offering box?
Overall this is a show that is worth the time. I don’ t know if it will outdo what has become an uncertain light novel adaptation market, but if you know me, you know I more for the anime than the source. The Game System as plot device fetish is not too terribly glaring and so long as they can keep the exposition tidy, it should come out in the wash. I’m enjoying, so far, how the relationships are established and it looks like there is room for even more harem antics in the coming weeks. Quite a few characters introduced this first episode are going to become more fleshed out, with a bit of drama and much more comedy. Oraria looks like a great place to visit, we’ll see how long we live here…
Respect the Goddess, that funky underboob string and all….
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It is not wrong to look for girls in a dungeon. It instead is fucking dangerous. Wait ’til that beholder sneaks up on you. Or that Black Pudding. In a dungeon, your concentration must always be on the damn things that try to kill you.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I would love to see some of the more esoteric monsters in this dungeon. Gelatinous cube for certain, and the ever smiling otyugh. But as I mentioned this dungeon seems to be “programmed” rather than have a somewhat realistic ecology…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
And suddenly a Gryphon attacks. First initiative.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
No, the encounter table clearly says gryphons are mountain. The dungeon interior clearly isn’t…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Excuse me. Some Gryphons go dungeon diving for… say… to pick up LOLis? 😉
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The more refined gryphons yes…..
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
We’ll get some wilder monsters as we go deeper in the dungeon. Bell’s mostly hanging in the upper floors due to his low level and experience. You can somewhat guess the ferocity of the monsters of each floor given the ones that Bell encounters so far and that the Minotaur was said to have come from the 17th floor.
Also, Spammy caught my tl;dr.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It is not Wrong to Slay Spammy in our Dungeon….
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
No it’s not wrong. In fact, it would be a pleasure.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
it’s a furious replicating little bandersnitch no matter what we do….
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 154 comments
Maybe, but where would be the fun in that?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I won’t argue the that way it’s presented isn’t fun. It is. I just crave something with a bit more nuance.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Life is not without risk, my friend. Fortune favors the bold!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
And that is why my friend, you must always brush your teeth before dungeon diving. At least you have nice, clean and sparkling death when you die. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
-_- spammy… that is 3 fking posts today you’ve eaten. Another save please.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I shall see what I can tame.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Danke.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Three of your posts in one day… Spammy is on a roll.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
First off, I blame Yen Press for the godawful localized English title of this series that I don’t dare use. Ever. It’s a very misleading title and very far from the original title’s meaning. Heck, the original doesn’t contain the word ‘girl’ in it. It doesn’t help that this is the title that sites like CR and ANN are using. Oh well, moving on.
Matsuoka is definitely not my first choice for Bell but I can see why they would go with him. Aside from him being the in-demand seiyuu nowadays, they’re aiming for maximum effect in the climax fight of volume 3. You’ll understand once we get there.
He did well for Bell though and I disagree that he has no range. He’s doing a pretty good shota-ish voice for Bell, who’s pretty much a good guy, simple, earnest, naive and a bit gullible. Bell’s an excellent character and it will be nice to see him grow. One would say that his new skill is too OP but the gap between him and his goal is too large that even with it, it would take a long time to catch up and even longer without it. Plus it all depends on his feelings. It wouldn’t take effect once his feelings change.
Hestia is love, Hestia is life. The hot topic seems to be whether Hestia qualifies as a loli or not. I’ll leave it to the experts to discuss it but she’s definitely an oppai loli at its finest.
One would question why Bell isn’t noticing Hestia at all. Remember though that they’re gods and goddesses that descended from the heavens. They’re more like parents or guardians to the mortals, hence Familia. You wouldn’t hit on your mother wouldn’t you? I surmise some would answer yes but that’s definitely a minority.
I have high hopes for the series even if JC Staff has Souma in its other belt. This seems to have gotten a sizeable chunk of budget as well given this was green-lit for GA Bunko’s 10th anniversary. From the OP(used as ED this episode), I can see it will cover a lot of volumes but the content could be compressed properly if handled well. And the first episode was handled rather well with just minor omissions.
So yeah, one of my top shows this season and looking forward to it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
What was the better translation before it got taken down? People say yen press is one of the better commercial translations out there.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh this is a snapshot of the state of the industry that we have to move on from the title convention, isn’t it?
Matsouka is very high profile these day, and last season he felt very very over-used. But I agree that he does have range. But he does get casted as a certain type of scene chewer ala Kamiyan. Bell’s skill is very much OP, and I didn’t really know how it would effect the rest of the show; I just hope they have a firm handle on it in future.
Well, Hestia isn’t his mother. So for me, such hand-wringing isn’t even in the question. There’s no rule that states that she carries that role of mother figure, and if there is one, it’s a stupid rule. Now, getting burned by the power of a diety? I can understand his reluctance. As for being a LOLi or not, I find more value in her character type as a litmus test than having the definition nailed down.
I have high hopes for the series as well, being a 30+ year dungeon diver myself. Looking forward to the monster mash, and it’s cool to hear that more goodies are in store. From the OP it looks like the drop stones are more than just a barter tool for coins, am I correct in that assumption? Regardless, I’m here for the long loot filled haul….
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
The most fearsome beasts are yet to come: pack of killer chickens from Zelda.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…or the chickens, or the kobolds, or the babies…
All Hail King Torg!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
But you must face the Gazebo alone!
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
Well, we haven’t seen any other goddesses yet apart from Hestia and Loki so I guess I spoke too soon. Nevertheless, the next episodes will show how much the people respect them and how they treat them as subjects that are out of their reach. They’re gods after all that gave them power to fight monsters in the dungeon.
Magic stones are just there to trade for coins. There’s nothing that special about them. I guess the rarer the monster, the higher the stone will fetch. It’s one of the main reasons that people go dungeon diving. The OP showed a pretty large stone so that would equate to a rare monster. And to get the stone would mean to fight that monster. You figure out the rest.
Will you be covering this?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, I would be more concerned with “Drink from the cup of the gods and go mad” trope.
I always thought hard about dungeon ecology when I used to design them for my players. So much to the point I would spring random hardcore monsters on them if they so much as stopped to loot the bodies of low level goblins that shouldn’t have so much as two copper pieces to rub between the six of them. So with that in mind the dugeon of Orario seems both “over design” and “meh” to me at first blush. I really should dig into my loot and find my trusty +5 Chillax.
I am reasonably certain this show is a lock for my weekly coverage. Plastic Memories is my the shoe-in so far.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
Seems like the ‘Categories’ in the sidebar is stretched now because of the title of this show. Any chance that can be fixed somehow?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, that rather is a very big stretch. I can add Categories, but cannot take them away it seems. I’ll see to fixing it.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Fixed. Maybe add Familia Myth as a tag instead?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…done.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I thought this was a great start for the show. I wouldn’t say that Bell channels too much Kirito since enemies (and girls) don’t spontaneously wet themselves by the very thought of him. Also, no dual wielding or lightsabers (yet?).
More importantly, Hestia is best everything. I’m pretty sure the loli qualifier is meant to describe the goddess herself and is not in reference to her “association,” even though she still doesn’t look like a loli besides her small stature. But that doesn’t matter. What really matters is that she’s a cutie. Also dat underboob string is too stronk.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I also really liked Hestia, who has a lot of qualities that make me want to root for her. I wonder if there are concerns about different lifespans, although Hestia doesn’t give off the attitude of someone who is immortal (has that been explained at all?).
What I do wish is that Hestia would just sit down and explain what’s going on with her feelings to Bell. Too bad I think she’s too afraid of rejection. It’s much easier to convince yourself that his rejections of your over the top-ness are because it was absurd, and not because he doesn’t like you.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Yeah, I wish Bell would at least acknowledge Hestia’s approaches; we certainly don’t need more Kodakas. I’m not sure yet if he’s deliberately doing it or if he’s really that ignorant. But either way, it’s gonna get old very quickly if he keeps it up.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
This anime was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its source LN publisher, GA Bunko. I think that’s why the production values are high; better than Souma’s (which JC is also animating).
I still think Suzuhito Yasuda should’ve put in more cultural/historical costume elements for the goddesses’ clothes to make them stand out more from the fantasy designs of other characters.
A good example is Yone Kazuki’s designs for the god-boys of Kamigami no Asobi, which combine both history and fanservice.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
YAY NOT A MMORPG ANIME YAAAAAAAYYY JK it has some video-game-y elements which is a nice touch.
Anyway I loved this first episode and Hestia is so damn fun to watch even thou she is hiding something major from Bell, but I guess if he “levels” fast she is afraid he will leave her for another god, at least that is what I gathered from this episode.
Fun fact the character designs are from Gundam Build Fighters hahah
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It is video gamey, and it’s also TRPGy, and that’s what I like about it, too a point….
She is hiding quite a bit from him, including her jealousy over who is giving him the feels that makes his new skill go into over drive…
Nice….
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
We, House Gryphondor, shall ride our mounts into battle!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…I usually sort Ravenclaw….Besides the Gryffindor lion doesn’t even have wings…..lame….
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Now that you reminded me of Rowling, I can say A/Z’s ending is as bad as Harry Potter’s. So anticlimatic.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
….she’s groaning all the way to writing million dollar checks for charity and still have plenty of plenty left over to put in the bank…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Now that’s filthy, stinkin’ rich for you.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
guys please…the snake is the best
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nagini??!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Though the direction may be a bit different but in general, this feels like something I’ve seen before. There’s just the trouble of putting my finger on what that is. Otherwise, it’s not a bad, I guess but it’s not something I’m totally sold on. Time is needed for this show to sink in. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka sounded different here. The entire run, I thought it was Natsuki Hanae voicing Bell.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Tower of Druaga?
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
the manga(at least i think it’s a manga) is great, Hestia..is just too cute, she the best character so far, Bell is kind of MEH, but Hestia is grear *0*
Aiz…not as cute as I expected