Delicious in Dungeon is the latest in an emerging genre of ‘action gourmet’ anime

polygon.com:

Delicious in Dungeon, the new culinary fantasy anime from Studio Trigger (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) that premiered on Netflix earlier this month, does a lot in the opening five minutes of its first episode.

In that short time, the series establishes its setting (a fantasy world with a magical subterranean dungeon), stakes (adventurers having to reach a far-off level of the dungeon before their comrade gets digested by the dragon that swallowed her), and, finally, its unique hook: To get to their destination quickly, our heroes choose not to waste time earning money to buy provisions and instead opt to eat the dungeon monsters they encounter along the way.

With this, Delicious in Dungeon transforms the fantasy genre and becomes a fascinating mix of intense sword-and-sorcery battles, slice-of-life comedy, and calm moments dedicated to the preparation and eating of mouthwatering dishes like Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hotpot, Man-Eating Plant Tart, and more. This premise not only makes Delicious in Dungeon stand out among other recent fantasy fare, but positions it as the latest example in an emerging genre of culinary-themed shows that I would call “action gourmet” anime. This new genre mixes heart-pounding fights with prolonged breaks centered on food in the tradition of iyashikei (literally Japanese for “healing”) anime where things like antagonists, conflict, or drama are replaced with relaxing slice-of-life scenes to help audiences appreciate the simpler things in life.

While the subgenre of action gourmet is only just now coming into its own, there are plenty of examples of shows out there to justify this new categorization, each iterating on the basic elements of the genre in their own deliciously interesting way.

Where to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

At first glance, Toriko could not be more different from Delicious in Dungeon. The latter, based on a manga by Ryoko Kui, is about being open to unconventional culinary experiences, like a fantasy take on Anth