REVIEW: ‘Delicious in Dungeon’ Episode 2 – “Roast Basilisk/Omelet/Kakiage”

With the expedition to save their teammate underway, Laios (Kentarô Kumagai), Marcille (Sayaka Senbongi), and Chilchuck (Asuna Tomari) are learning all about dungeon cooking thanks to Senshi’s (Hiroshi Naka) knowledge. As the journey continues, some party members will question how helpful they can be in Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) Episode 2, “Roast Basilisk/Omelet/Kakiage” from TRIGGER.

This episode opens with a focused look at the party’s mage, Marcille. In particular, we get insight into her struggles to adapt to the group’s new focus on foraging for food. As this new element of the group’s dynamic leads them into encounters with Basilisks and Mandrakes, Marcille finds herself feeling less than useful. These feelings of insecurity lead her to take some ill-advised chances to show she can contribute to the group’s food-gathering endeavors.

The comical nature of these misfortunes provides some entertaining moments as Marcille rediscovers her role in the party. A close encounter with a Giant Bat highlights the sequence, as Marcille is left in a state of shock from her near-fatal misfire. While the incident still shakes her, Laios and Chilchuck take the opportunity to inquire about why she took such a foolish chance. Learning about what she has been going through, Laios reassures her that she is not useless. Instead, her magic is one of the most dependable assets they have. And while she may not be shining right at this moment, he knows that she will be there for them. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. He assures her that it is ok for others to carry the burden when confronting a weakness.

The back half of Delicious in Dungeon Episode 2 shifts its focus to Chilchuck as the party encounters a room brimming with traps. We see the rogue at work as he guides his party safely through the perils surrounding them. Or at least he tries to.

As the party maneuvers through the maze of dangers, Senshi shows little interest in following Chilchuck’s directions. This leads to several traps being triggered. Enraged by Senshi’s indifference to the danger, Chilchuck confronts the new party member with little progress made. Senshi largely brushes off the rogue’s criticisms as he ponders how the traps could be utilized to cook their next meal.

Senshi’s hyper-fixation with cooking leads to the big downfall of Delicious in Dungeon Episode 2. Twice in the episode, the character puts his desire to make a perfect meal ahead of people’s safety, with no consequence. When confronting the basilisk early in the episode, Senshi refuses to give an adventurer the antidote for a poisonous wound they’ve suffered, insisting that he be allowed to use it in a basilisk roast first. Only once the meal is completed does he provide the dying man the cure via the meal itself. This makes Senshi look heartless. Whether you love food or not, give the man the medicine first.

While the lengths Senshi goes to prepare his perfect meals are questionable, the visuals continue to showcase the mouthwatering nature of those meals wonderfully. While the visual presentation from TRIGGER delivers everything from comedy to the episode’s brief action well, the food remains the visual highlight of this entry. Speaking of action, this episode’s brief battle with the basilisk brought an unexpected element that made the short confrontation more than it might have been.

How the party manages to overcome the twin-headed monster establishes an interesting approach to the special nature of monsters, grounding them in a level of realism. By threatening both heads of the monster at once, the party causes the enemy to become confused as both heads struggle to react to the individual threats. This feels like a realistic drawback to having multiple heads that are generally overlooked in fantasy. Working clever solutions to dangerous encounters should allow the series to get more out of its brief battle sequences than otherwise possible.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 2 largely delivers a fun entry in the burgeoning series. Aside from some problems with how far its cast will go for the perfect meal, the episode delivers some humor, intelligent combat, and a strong visual presentation.

Delicious in Dungeon Episode 2 is streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes airing every Thursday.