Dungeon no Naka no Hito

I'll start off by saying that I enjoyed the episode-to-episode watching experience. The characters are likable enough and the worldbuilding was sort of interesting. So what's the issue? Well, the issue is that there is literally 0 plot. There are *crumbs* of a plot peppered throughout the show but it never goes anywhere. It is a show completely comprised of filler. At the pace it was going I was certain that it was going to have 24 or even 48 episodes because it was unimaginable to me that they could have any sort of satisfying conclusion after 12 eps... And, well, there wasn't one. The showgoes literally nowhere. Nothing happens. By episode 12 we are basically in the same spot we were in episode 2 or 3. Don't get me wrong, there are still self-contained stories that are kinda interesting but they don't really impact the bigger picture at all. Clay starts off wanting to conquer the dungeon and find her father but each of those goals has 1 episode dedicated to it and, you guessed it, it goes nowhere. They keep setting things up and there is never any payoff, instead, it's all immediately swept under the cupboard. I wish I could say I was looking forward to season 2 but there wasn't even a hook in the finale to give us something to speculate about, it just, kinda, ended... There is nothing that I'd be excited to see them explore in s2 because they have already shown that it doesn't matter and it will just be another crumb contained in a single episode and I don't see this series getting 10 seasons so it has enough times for these crumbs to add up to a satisfying conclusion.

Dungeon People - Dungeons have gotten more complex over the years seen through anime, so let's take a step back to attend a masterclass on how dungeons operate, shall we? Let's be real for a hot moment: the world is getting more complex, things are getting tougher by the day, and entertainment is slowly seeping into our brains that are suffering from decreasing IQ each and every day. Sometimes all you need is just something that pulls us back to its roots and slows us down in the ever-growing pace of life that never slows down. Luckily, within the height of the rom-com genre for thehot and sour Summer season, if you need a show that just allows you to be a couch potato and just go figure, boy do I have the show for you: mangaka Sui Futami's Dungeon no Naka no Hito a.k.a Dungeon People, a slice-of-life fantasy adventure comedy about dungeons and what goes on in the deep troughs that is, its many layers of underground obfuscation. And if I didn't know any better, her earlier adaptation of the 5-minute short series Mahou Shoujo Nante Mou Ii desu kara. back in 2016 was an awkward and cringeworthy write-off. A small family so fixated on wanting to conquer the dungeon, that's a good thing. But what's not is that when one of the family members goes missing in said dangerous place, someone has to go find that family member to reassure him or her that he or she is safe. This is the scenario for Clay, a young woman with the skills of a thief, whom she traverses the dungeon to find her missing father, who's been gone for 3 years. Clay is so capable in fact that her Thieves' Guild acknowledges her as one of its best adventurers, being able to reach the deeper depths of the dungeon alone. But once she gets there, she gets a rude awakening facing the usual monsters...in a rather unkempt environment that feels like a dungeon, yet it is not at the same time. In fact, the dungeon is led by the final boss...of a young girl, whom Clay coincidentally found out when she was facing a rather tough monster, that after the fact, she dismisses the monster like it was her fellow co-worker and takes Clay under her wing...to help manage the dungeon alongside her. For starters, this rather uncanny dungeon doesn't even feel like a dungeon at all, but rather, resembles an upside down typical human office, but for monsters instead. The final boss of the dungeon, this cute lil' sweet girl of Belle, she's as easy as she comes, despite the fact that she actually exudes boss energy thanks to her outstanding abilities. And unlike the human bosses of ego and pride, she takes care of the monster population within her dungeon like an actual kind and thoughtful caretaker, discerning issues as they go. Of course, how would a human like Clay come to understand all of this, and that's where the abnormal relationship between the young'uns of the human and the final boss comes in to weigh on the overall situation. The job ranges from taking care of the monsters in various rooms, dungeon operations from design to ideation, heck, even planting your soul to monsters through gems to imitate being monsters with human capabilities. Anything goes in this dungeon management class that's a sight to behold, being a change of pace outside of the typical stuff that we're so used to seeing. It's actually infotainment value, I've gotta say, for the standard and the unusual. Clay and Belle's relationship is so tight, you could almost call this a Yuri-esque CGDCT trait for the goofy comedy banter between both girls who act just as normal as they come, or even towards the point of disbelief (at least much for Belle) to play off as the funny woman who feigns ignorance at times and expecting Clay to get her meaning, but which often fails to decent hilarity. Alongside another fellow employee of the dungeon, Rangard is the undisputed dungeon's treasurer, taking care of things that range from monetary expenses through its many treasure chests, weapons manufacturing, and even on-site construction supervision of the monsters he's in control of. I just find the small rock golems that Rangard supervises, quite the adorable monotone monster that's actually quite versatile with its occupation of dungeon maintenance and handiwork, aside from just the typical small and weak monsters they are to face the usual group of adventurers invited to tackle Belle's ever-changing dungeon. One thing's for sure: don't expect the complex out of this rather simple dungeon, just take your time sinking things in at a slow, comfortable pace that honestly, doesn't take away the enjoyment out of a simple, almost generic show like this. Neither its production nor its music will win it any awards, as OLM's animation is quite minimalistic, and the OST is just a simple, charming theme, aside from the upbeat OP and ED from TrySail and Akari Nanawo, respectively, which were mediocre to decent. Overall, Dungeon no Naka no Hito a.k.a Dungeon People is actually a fine show that still has its own world-building, albeit at a snail's pace that some will like, and many others don't. Instead, what it delivers is a solid, steady pace of an enjoyable trip down the depths of the Earth just to have a good time to hang out with fellow monsters that treat you better than the humans do, that all along, was a strategic approach that does its small wonders to impress the "chosen" few. If you're on the fence, just try and see if it does work for you.

I went into this show thinking it might have the same energy as Delicious in Dungeon, so that might've made me more bias. But it was nothing like the other series other than taking place in a dungeon. This show does not have much of a plot at all. There is no end goal. It is just two cute girls managing a dungeon (like a hotel). Most of the plot is episodic so you can tune in at any time and not really miss any continuity plot points. It's a great watch if you have a lot of free time and want something mindless toend the day with. The plot is super simple and there is not a lot at stake. The art is the same as the plot. Basic and a little boring. It uses light pastel colors for the palette for the most part. And that's where the interesting art direction ends. The animation and style are simple.... to tell a simple story. The characters are hard to remember. None of them had any character development other than the MC. The MC's development can be shortened into "master adventurer turned manager." There are no plots where they deal with internal conflicts or greater forces of external conflicts. At most it was different adventurers being a nuisance or monsters in the dungeon. I enjoyed it the first few episodes. As the plot went on, I realized it was the same thing over and over.

The story follows Clay, a strong adventurer fighting in the dungeon to find her father who went missing there years ago. While fighting, she is shocked to find out that the monsters can talk and the dungeon is run by a young girl named Belle. Got hired by Belle, she starts to learn more about the mysterious case of her father as well as the exciting new life in the dungeon. As you can see from the synopsis above, Dungeon People is mainly a slice of life show. It has a bit of comedy, bit of action but most of all, a very well thoughtout anime about life in the dungeon. Usually dungeon in media overall is seen as an obstacle to overcome, with this show, you could see the other side of the coin, the monsters that resides in it. The tone of the show is quite light and comedic, but the characters are surprisingly ruthless despite their looks. A good slice of life anime is always character-driven and frankly, I do think Dungeon People nails this part nicely. The OP is quite catchy and the animation is smooth. I think the quality for this show is definitely above average. That's all, I just wanna talk about a gem that people might enjoy.

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