Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka

welcome to my overcritical & super quick review
very light spoilers below

story 4/10 - an 8 year old could write something on the same level but at least it was coherent

characters 4/10 - extremely generic & less depth than the kiddy pool. their backstories and motivations were barely explained and range from "MY FRIENDS WERE ALL KILLED AND I WENT ON A QUEST FOR REVENGE" to "MY DAD DIED AND I WANT TO BE AN ADVENTURER BECAUSE"

sound 6/10 - it was okay, not close to Hiroyuki Sawano level

art 7/10 - i enjoyed the art style even if it was generic, had a nice fantasy and warm ... feel to it
animation 7.5/10 - surprisingly better than most until they got cheap and starting throwing in CGI midway through

enjoyment 6/10 - i couldnt tell if this show was on full parody mode or if they were really trying to make a decent anime. there were semblances of actual character development and a plot, but they never did anything with them. if this show was trying to be self aware it failed, and if it was trying to be serious it failed even harder.

overall 5.5/10


the 'ending' was a huge letdown and this show is both sequel baiting harder than NGNL and a blatant advertisement urging you to just buy the source material just to not have such an incomplete product

felt like i was watching lackluster satire


you will probably like this if you:
* consider SAO a good anime
* don't care for deep plot or characters
* enjoy fanservice
* like random RPG elements thrown in for no reason

watch if you have nothing better on your plate and set your expectations low

ps: just becuase you like something doesn't make it good

Overall score: 6.2/10

The world of DanMachi (short name for the Japanese title of this series) is interesting. The system that's used in this world is in accordance to what Family you belong in, as it determines how you're going to go on adventures. If you are in a family with a lot of people, then it's likely that you'll be going in dungeons with multiple other individuals. For the main character, since he is the only member in his Family, the Hestia Family, he goes on adventures alone--and that played a big role in his development throughout the series.

Although DanMachi is enjoyable, and although ... I was interested in its world (as I am a fan of Greek Mythology), I personally did not get more interested in its story and characters until around half-way through. A big part of it is probably because I look for character development, how the characters are involved with the story (even if they are not the main character), and if it's set in a fantasy world: how the world factors into their development and involvement with the story. In other words: I had some issues with its execution (such as what they chose to include *coughs: the harem-like element* and what they chose to NOT include: such as some of the characters' backstory and development--although it was mostly due to having to cover the story in only 13 episodes), but I still enjoyed watching it--as each episode made me want to watch the series until the end, to the least--despite how it actually does end.

The animation of DanMachi is nicely done. I like how most of the fight scenes looked, and the scenery that was used in the episodes. It really gives you a good feel as to how the world is like.

***(Spoilers ahead! Read only if you've finished watching.)***
I hope there's a season 2 for DanMachi, as I would like to know more about the Myth that Hermes was referring to at the end. He said something about Zeus, and if I'm correct, Bell being related to him--more specifically, his grandson. If so, that explains why Bell was able to level up so quickly, and grow at such a fast pace (although, admittedly, the knife that Hestia gave him helped as well). However, why Freya pulls strings to put Bell's life at risk (in terms of what she hopes to achieve from that--aside from wanting to see how fast he can develop) still remained unanswered...
***(Spoilers section over.)***

Overall, the world and animation of DanMachi is something to look forward to while you're watching the show. However, it might let you down if you're looking for character development and explanations of certain unanswered questions you may have. If you can look over that, then, go ahead, give it a watch.

Recommended to anime-watchers who likes the genres of: adventure, action, and fantasy.

You're welcome to post a comment on my profile to tell me any feedback and/or critiques you have for my review; any feedback and/or critiques are appreciated.

***

Danmachi (not typing out the show’s title) was a show that frustrated me. There are the seeds of something good in this show, but unfortunately, it falls into a bad pattern of pandering and bad characterization that left me pretty cold after a few episodes once I got a better feel with what the show was going to be.

I took a shot on this one, as I watched a couple fantasy anime and this popped up on my recommended list and showed a decently high rating. To be fair, this show isn’t the worst in this genre that I’ve seen, and there are ... some good points.

The art and color is pleasing. Danmachi has a pretty nice art style. Some of the animations and facial expressions of certain characters aren’t the best, but in general, the quality is serviceable. Many of the battle sequences are pretty exciting and well done enough to be entertaining to watch. I think that the sound and voice acting is on par with the average show too, and doesn’t feel out of place.

The world itself and the town feel like a decent roleplaying setting, perhaps something out of a pen and paper roleplaying game world, and you can get the feel of what they’re trying to accomplish here. There’s a good amount of material that could have been expanded on to make the viewers more involved, and is one of many huge missed opportunities, of which there are many.

Danmachi has a lot of problems, most of which have to do with the issue of shallowness in all aspects that need to be fleshed out to make a show good.
The biggest failing is the world building. Danmachi takes a lot of shortcuts and just expects the viewers to take for granted what’s going on in the world, as not much about it is actually explained. Some of the fogginess may be planned to be explained in a season two, or with reference to the light novel, but really, not explaining more about the world early on doesn’t give any context for character motivations. Why be an adventurer? What’s the allure? What the hell is the tower for, what are the gods doing and why are they involved with adventurers at all? Is this the only part of the world where adventurers can ply their trade, where do all the fantasy races come from, etc. The show just expects you to accept all as presented without much hint to how the world works, and in a fantasy setting, understanding these things is important.

Another big failing is the characters. The biggest problem with most of the characters in this show is that they are poorly developed and in many cases, their motivations are not easy to follow given what’s going on. Again, most of this could probably be resolved by providing more context.

It’s hard to dig too deep on the character failings without spoiling things, but the main protagonist Bell is about the perfect example of a Gary Stu as I’ve ever seen. I have an extremely hard time with this character because his plot armor is so ridiculous that nothing feels desperate or urgent, even if that’s what the action is implying. At no time watching this show do you feel that he is in serious danger, or won’t pull something out of his ass at the last minute, and that’s preposterous with what’s actually going in front of you. There were a few scenes where the deus ex machina is so ridiculous that I rolled my eyes. Or the love interest saves him, for some bizarre reason that I can’t fathom, more on her below. I also understand very little of his motivation or background as it is very limited. He seems like an inoffensive self insert protagonist that every girl drools over just because. While he does work hard in the dungeon, as I mentioned, nothing ever feels urgent, and his rapid progression plot point feels like a huge cop out as it diminishes his hard work and cheapens the character quite a bit.

Other characters beyond the MC aren’t written much better. The main love interest that the MC is pining after is about as wooden a character as I’ve ever seen. I get that they’ve written her to be a super powerful, stoic beauty archetype, but you expect there to be some hidden depth that you get a glimpse of here and there that may spark the MC’s interest, but aside from looking like a blonde-haired model, there’s nothing I can see to spur more than a passing interest in her. I’m also unclear as to why she seems to want to be Bell’s guardian angel and pull his ass out of the fire. It’s really hard to read anything from this character other than she’s this world’s all powerful sword master who takes down raid bosses by herself, which is a little ridiculous.

The character that shows the most depth, oddly enough, is the fan-service poster girl of the show, Hestia. She’s a little too attached to the MC, her chest is bouncing all over the place and she’s a little too much of a clingy jealous girl cliché, but you actually get to understand more about her motivations and character than just about any other character. She’ll actually make some sacrifices so her charge can go out and try to impress the stoic girl without a personality. Her motivations are a little silly, as the MC doesn’t do much that I think would warrant affection from her, but you understand that she’s got her reasons. Beyond the pandering, she’s seems to be the most sympathetic character in the show, and the one that I felt was actually the most heroic oddly enough. While I don’t think doting on the MC is worth her time, I understand why she’s doing it way more than I understand why any of the other characters are acting the way they are.

To wrap it up, it’s a show that passes on the technical and does provide moments of entertainment, but it’s really hard to like and enjoy the characters as they are written pretty poorly and there’s no real adversity that ever feels dire. The world itself is hard to get into as they don’t explain much of anything, and you’re really left wondering why anyone is doing what they’re doing. If you’re bored and like fantasy shows, you could do worse than Danmachi, but I don’t think this show should be scored as high as it is, as there is a lot that needed improvement.

If you've watched SAO, then you're wasting your time here. The level system is highly over-used and the story is nothing special. The art and sound are mediocre. There is a strong lack of character development (leveling up doesn't count). This, and MANY other cliches killed my enjoyment.




Also, getting REALLY tired of hearing the same fucker voice every MC.

DanMachi is a show that doesn't try to be much of anything other than a decently entertaining watch to pass the time (and to drum up light novel sales, but that's another story).

The story is nothing to write home about. To try and make it seem like DanMachi is doing something original with the players getting trapped in a video game premise, because for all intents and purposes, the real world IS the video game. Granted, it is fairly interesting seeing simple gaming terms such as leveling up and skills being name dropped in a setting that isn't actually a video game, but it ... still doesn't make it any more original. I really do like the setting though. It isn't that much more special than your typical anime fantasy setting, but it coincides well with other plot points such as the gods and goddesses.

The actual plot is about as simple as you can get. Our main character, Bell Cranel, wants to become a hero and get stronger so a girl who was much stronger than him at ep 1 will respect and fall in love with him. No seriously, that's it. You really can't get much more of a paper thin plot than that.

The characters are actually worse off than the story if you can believe it. Bell Cranel has many noticeable character flaws, but to his credit, there are some things done to alleviate a few of his problems. Even though he is extremely overpowered after a while, and a bunch of stupid powerful skills and weapons get asspulled out of nowhere to make him ever more powerful, the simple fact that he starts off with basically nothing makes him a little better off. He and his goddess, Hestia, have little to nothing, and his determination to get off the ground and get stronger makes the whole "become a hero" plot thing have more humility and humbleness. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything to alleviate his massive case of harem syndrome, where almost every single female (keep in mind most of the cast is female, probably to drive home this sole fact) has at least a crush on him. It's silly and unrealistic, but there isn't much you can do with a harem to begin with, so I won't harp on it too much.

Hestia was the talk of the town in the anime community for a while with her character design. Apparently combining big boobs with the loli stature and a boob ribbon makes for a riveting character. She does get some decent development early on with her earnest dedication to help Bell as much as she can, but loses lots of screentime after the halfway point, making her character feel fairly insignificant as time goes on.

Other than that, there is an incredibly large cast of characters, and many of them have little to nothing other than their standard sole character trait, but I'll quickly explain my thoughts on some of the more prominent ones.

I think they went too far with Lili to the point where I couldn't reason with her actions even though they were explained. I get her lack of trust, but it doesn't make sense to me that she would still try to actively hurt Bell after how honest Bell was (Bell was stupid about the situation too, but it kind of comes with the territory with characters of his nature).

Welf's whole thing with magic weapons didn't really make sense.

Quiet characters can make some of the best characters if written well, and Aiz wasn't interesting. She was just plain boring. Ryu was a little better off, but not by much.

For the most part, the art looks like typical J.C. Staff fare. That's not really a bad thing, it just has that very soft and faint look that a lot of there shows have. The animation definitely has it's high points though. There weren't many, but there were a couple of fight scenes were really well choreographed with great use of camera work. Bell's fight with a minotaur was easily the best part of the whole series because it not only utilized those elements well, it also created perfect tension. I mean, you know Bell is gonna win, but it certainly doesn't hinder your show to give him a losing perspective from time to time, now does it?

Even though the show doesn't try to do much, and also has a great deal of flaws, I still managed to enjoy it for what it was. Even though the story and characters were weak, the simple fact of it being set in a fantasy world with game mechanics and some good fight scenes makes even the most mediocre of shows such as this still bearable. Call me a pleb if you must, but sometimes I just can't help myself. I still wouldn't really recommend this to most people unless you are like me and just like the idea of RPG anime.

Score: 6.4

First thing's first, if you haven't already watched an anime in the VRMMO-type category (including SAO, Accel World, or Log Horizon, to name a few) then watch one of those first, to see just about everyone else's perspective.

Art: 8 - The character and enemy models generally aren't the greatest, compared to anime that came out a few years before it, but the environments and effects are done well enough. I like that the character models are somewhat differentiated.

Sound: 8 - I'm not the best judge of this category, but the intro song is alright and the sound effects match the action well enough ... that I suppose it deserves an 8/10.

Story: 4 - Here's where the anime goes wrong. Just about everything that's done here is a clone of any number of other anime. There are many shots of a tower in the distance, but instead the story focuses on a dungeon, which goes down. Not very logical, now is it? The workings of this anime are similar to VRMMO-type anime, where there are levels and respawns and such, but it never explicitly tells you that they're in a VRMMO. Instead, they tend to take matters very seriously and present this as the real world, just with goddesses everywhere. They actually get some of the lore mixed up, as at first they were showing off some gods as goddesses (ex: Hephaestus), so I thought "I guess they just wanted to be consistent," but then they introduced us to Hermes, a male god. This anime has a lot of missing backstory (why are there walls? Are there any other towns, etc.) and left a lot of things to be resolved in the second season, which I suppose is alright. Hopefully that season or an OVA or two will explain the story better. For right now, it just drops the viewer in, expecting them to understand everything that's going on.

Characters: 4 - The characters in this anime are very cliche, they fulfill the typical harem roles, that is to say, one alpha and a dozen soulless betas. Other than a few main characters, and perhaps Ryuu, the characters have no personality. In fact, one of the characters (Aiz Wallenstein) is a clone of Mashiro Shiina from Sakurasou, just a pro fighter instead of a pro artist. The characters in this anime are one of its weakest, if not the weakest, point.

Enjoyment: 8 - I like this anime. That is because I play games first, watch anime second. If you are not like me, then you will likely be annoyed this anime exists. There is sometimes too much fan service (such as bouncing boobs in the beginning of every episode), and there are quite a few cliches, but overall it's okay. I watched it in a marathon, and wouldn't mind seeing a season 2 to tie things up.

Overall: 6.4 - Unoriginal ideas, but a few good points make this a decent show. If you like games and/or VRMMO-type anime, then I'd say watch this. It's not the best, but it satisfies.

This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)

[Synopsis]: In the city of Orario lies a labyrinthine structure of floors called the Dungeon to which adventurers and craftsman journey from far and wide in attempt to make a name for themselves and explore the mysterious Dungeon. Adventurers partner up with gods and goddesses to form Familias in order to better vanquish the monsters of the Dungeon and form guild-like communities with one another. Bell Cranel (Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu), the sole member of the Goddess Hestia’s (Minase, Inori) Familia, is a fledgling adventurer with aspirations of love and heroism. Along with his goddess Hestia, he strives to ... become a strong adventurer so that he can fulfill his dreams

[Characters]:

The characters were a minor point of strength for DanMachi due to its fairly large recurring cast as well as the small quirks and abilities exhibited by each character. The show didn’t focus too much attention on the development of characters outside of Bell and his companions and so the side characters came off a little flat however their basic traits and designs worked well enough to keep them interesting and occasionally memorable despite this. At the same time however, the show offered up a great deal of fan-service and many of the characters, especially the more uninspired members of the cast, frequently showed up for no real reason beyond this point which somewhat cheapened this element within the show.

Bell Cranel, the protagonist adventurer of the show, is good-natured and exhibits most of the traits you would expect of the action show protagonist. One thing I will say is that he has quite a timid disposition – especially around women, however this somewhat sets him apart from the more typical shounen leads in that he gives him a good place to start from in the development department as well as an extra point of comedy and interest. He is amiable to nearly everyone he meets however also proves fairly thick-headed to any romantic interests exhibited by other members of the cast in typical fashion for a show with harem undertones. He has legitimate development throughout the show however only so much as can be expected in its 13 episode length and therein doesn’t change drastically but rather in more subtle ways.

Hestia, the lonely goddess who inducted Bell into her Familia after failing to recruit others, is extremely protective and caring of Bell and works hard in all that she does in order to better help him in his quest to become a strong adventurer. While she, as a goddess and head of a Familia, has some plot relevance as a character, she mostly occupies a comedic role within the show. She is often jealous of other women that try to get close to Bell and can be quite petty in how she brushes them off and covets Bell however at the end of the day they have a good relationship and her affection for him is genuine beyond that of a comedic dynamic. One of the real problems with Hestia – and this is a problem that I see elsewhere in the cast as well, is that she exists almost purely for the sake of comedy and fan-service however the show, while cashing in on these aspects, attempts to paint her as a more legitimate figure. This approach doesn’t quite work for the show and by the time it wanted me to take the character of Hestia seriously, I simply couldn’t and anyone that was able to was most likely swiftly undermined by another gag or a crotch shot.

There are a good deal of somewhat interesting characters elsewhere in the cast and some probably more so than the main duo at times as those close to Bell also receive character insights and development. There are antagonistic presences in the show but no great overarching enemy which needs to be defeated – despite this the show avoids feeling overly formulaic in this aspect and the obstacles Bell must overcome are not so straightforward in their depiction yet the show still exhibits a pretty predictable course of events.

[Art/Animation]:

I feel that the first thing to talk about in this section are the wonderful designs from Yasuda Suzuhito – his style is conveyed well in this adaptation and each character feels quite visually unique without feeling outlandish amongst the other members of the cast. People that have enjoyed his work elsewhere would do well to watch the show if only for this reason.

The character designs aside, the animation of the show was consistent throughout and was played up for the more important scenes in exciting fashion. There were a couple quality drops here and there infrequently but never during a key moment and not so often that they would become distracting from the scene or setting. As the show deals primarily with venturing into the Dungeon, I would be remiss to not give some critical attention to the monsters that dwell within. They weren’t all that creative or even innovative, featuring mainly things like minotaurs and corrupted beasts however overall they felt pretty par for the course and at least each represented somewhat of a formidable threat and in that way avoided being truly dismissable.

[Story]:

The story, while not necessarily a strength of the show, was done well enough and primarily succeeded in its minor character introduction arcs and it’s finale. The story itself is more or less what you would expect from the premise and so the fact that nothing drastically different and more complete grows out of it should come as no surprise. The end goal of picking up girls and of becoming a hero are a bit abstract and so the show doesn’t work so directly towards these things – choosing to build itself up to key moments and at other times meander about in a more comedic and laid back manner. At the end of the day the show is about adventure and so the lack of a more typical core story doesn’t really hurt the show. One of the negative things I will say about the plot is simply that it felt like the 13 episodes adapted up until a point in the light novels and then ended. This is not to say the show arrived at a good conclusion and didn’t have a thrilling finale, simply that the ending does not leave the viewer with a feeling of completion or full on closure due to it’s source material being on-going.

Between Bell’s initial escapades and the introduction of his companions and acquaintances the show features primarily action and adventure however will have the odd episode occasionally which is more comically inclined and so someone who can enjoy both sides of the show will ultimately enjoy it more however the show does not forget itself so much to lose its audience who is more interested in the world and the Dungeon. The actual system at play within the world is quite reminiscent of the classic MMORPG elements found in shows like Sword Art Online and so DanMachi is often compared to them for this reason. I think the show does enough for itself to at least stand out differently than its similar cousins however at the end of the day, there is monster looting, guild-like communities, and a protagonist voiced by Matsuoka Yoshitsugu. Despite these similarities, one should not base whether or not to watch the show on their previous enjoyment or lack thereof of things like SAO because DanMachi is ultimately a different show and goes about things differently. The only reason I would give for someone avoiding the show on this topic is if the viewer in question had a problem with the system of things that SAO originally tried to capture and not because of any other qualms about the show.

[Music]:

The music was definitely a strong point of the show and worked well with the show’s intense action scenes and occasional monologues. The soundtrack was never exploited in a way where I felt that the show relied on one or two songs too heavily and so the music felt fresh and exciting throughout.

[Final Thoughts and Rating]:

Coming from the action/fantasy/comedy genre I think it is fair to say that the show aimed to be fun and I think it achieved that. It didn’t take itself seriously enough to be a full-blown action show however it certainly had its moments and even a majority of the time was spent in that way – it kept things light while still investigating darker themes which I felt worked well for the show. The plot may have come off as a little stereotypical and overly pandering to the interests of it’s audience but I don’t think these things had the power to ruin the show.

While I may have enjoyed a few characters such as Ryu and Aiz, the majority of the cast came off as pretty bland however not quite forgettable because of their individual abilities and the way the show chose to highlight these minor intricacies especially near the end. While the show attempted to offer a wide range of characters whom I could invest myself in, I was only able to do so with a select few because of characters like Hestia who trivialized the rest of the cast and mainly furthered the show’s harem dynamic.

Rating: 6

I gave DanMachi a 6 because at the end of the day it was enjoyable and had some awesome characters and action scenes and whatever qualities within the show that weren’t enjoyable or where’t aimed at me were not enough to completely outweigh what parts I did enjoy. It wasn’t as good as a good many other action shows and I don’t think it did anything particularly innovative however if I had to summarize whatever praise I have for the show, it would be that it offered up a fun cast of characters (regardless of their shortcomings) alongside a well established and quite typical action/fantasy story.

[Recommendations]:

I would recommenced DanMachi to any fan of great action sequences and the more typical shounen action show dynamic. It did these things well on top of providing mediocre to decent comedy. Fans of SAO would feel right at home watching this however at the same time, those who disliked SAO I feel would be safe giving the show a shot despite its similarities. Those interested in the romance or the harem elements of the show would perhaps find enough content to sate themselves however I would warn that the show doesn’t explore the romantic side of things all that much though it does have more romantic comedy than I thought it would.

I've heard many rumors of this anime going on and is pretty good so I gave it a shot.
I didn't really like the anime and I'm going to explain why.
1. Bell was the main character, and around him were many girls who really loved him and worshipped him. (Harem) which I didn't see "Harem" in genre.
2. Bell's personality is annoying and uninteresting, he is just pathetic, always being sorry for everything and a real coward.
3. Bell is OP. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say he's really OP.
From reasons 1-3, I'll rate the characters with a rating of 5
4. Interference in every interesting scene. When ... there's an interesting scene between Bell and a girl, it always has to be ruined, making it into "Comedy", well some people may like it at least.
5. There isn't a story line or developing plot. The anime just "happens". Characters come every some episodes, adding to the count of the girls more girls and make it more Harem.
Story will get 3.
6. Opening and ending were boring and uninteresting. Well, as far as I know, openings should be cool and make the watcher want to watch the anime.
Well, not this time. I've heard the opening and ending and then I'm every episode I skipped on the opening.
The soundtrack wasn't really good and not noticeable.
Sound: 5

Art will get 7 since it was OK. I have seen better arts in other anime but this wasn't THAT worse.
Enjoyment: 5.

Overall: 6, since the concept was good and some fights really happened, it will get 6.
Bottom line: I do not recommend this anime.If you are looking for action, don't watch it, but if you search a coward young man with many ladies and baths, go for it.

Video Review is up on my Youtube Channel, but here is the written review.

Story - 5/10

To keep it simple, I’m going to refer the show as DanMachi since the title is shorter. A long time ago, gods from the heavens decided it was time for them to have some excitement in their life, so they went down to the world, to live with the inhabitants below. Now this world has a place known as the Dungeon, where creatures when slayed by Adventurers, drop shards which can be exchanged for many things in the world. Bell Cranel is one of these adventurers, and goes on these ... adventures in the dungeon in order to improve himself. He’s not trying to pick up girls intentionally, but he does think the stronger he gets he’ll move closer to the girl he looks up to, Aiz Wallenstein. Accompanying Bell, is his goddess, Hestia who helps him with his stats and management. The show really has nothing to do with picking up girls in a dungeon, but more of an underdog story to reach your goals.

The story is rather generic to begin with. A protagonist goes out of his way to challenge himself in order to improve himself, to get those around him to notice him. The big overarching problem I find with DanMachi is that the world that the story takes place, needs a better explanation. After doing some extra research, yes the world they do live in is real, just with RPG elements. They don’t explain how this came to pass, you’re just going to have to accept it’s a real world with RPG elements. And that feels like a cop out, they already explained that gods came into the world, why don’t they expand on that, besides came down onto the world and lived with the residents. The plot overall is average, it’s nothing special, but it’s not bad. It just really needed to work on its lore, and it doesn't help that the story is kind of generic.

Characters - 6/10

Bell Cranel is our main protagonist of DanMachi, and he literally fulfils the job criteria of almost a lot of protagonist in this type genre. Is he weak, but’s gets stronger as the series progress? Yes. Is he a nice guy? Yes. Is he a somewhat good looking teenage boy? Yes. Does He attract a lot of girls along the way? Yes. And is he oblivious to the obvious surrounding girls who want him already? YES. Now to be fair I like Bell as a protagonist, he’s not douche as the title would've suggest him going to dungeons to pick up girls for his own enjoyment. I do like how the story centres around Bell, and we get to see him really grow as the series went on. But perhaps the reason he grows a bit slow is because he’s completely naïve and trusts everyone despite how they look.

Hestia is Bell’s goddess and he is her familia. Apart from being the character for her iconic blue ribbon and tone of amount of fan service, she is fulfils the role as the main female protagonist. She has an obvious thing for Bell, and gets overly jealous for all the girls he obliviously attract. As the series go on, there isn’t really much development for her character other than the fact she starts off worried about Bell, but starts to have more confident in him later on. So it’s a shame for a character with that much hype to be underdeveloped, but then again she was hyped for ribbon.

Unfortunately, the main cast aren’t all that interesting compared to their supporting cast. Each supporting cast character has a purpose, as they all play a role in levelling up Bell. Each supporting cast character backstory is interesting enough for the time it was shown and they are important to the storyline. Aiz, is Bell’s driving force to become stronger. Lili, not only being Bell’s supporter, helps him grow as a leader. And Welf Crozzo, despite his many appearance in the opening and ending, only shows up for the last 4 episodes, shows to be the Big Brother type Bell needed to help him move forward. Because they are supporting characters, they get their fair share enough of screen time. However as for a general overview of the cast, I must say it’s not a very strong cast, sure they all fulfil their role and are interesting in some way, but there wasn’t really anyone you could delve very deep into. There wasn’t really anyone that caught my eye.

Animation and Sound - 9/10, 6/10

Here is where DanMachi shines brightest. The animation for the fight scenes in DanMachi look incredible. It is well animated and well-polished, it moves smoothly and looks clean. What I like about the animation is that we get enough of it to be well entertained, it doesn’t go by quickly, but at the same time it doesn’t drag too long. The art design is clean as well, and it really fits that bright fantasy world setting. Each character has a unique design, but that being said unfortunately I find the monster designs kind of generic. They come in range of typical fantasy creatures, with very generic looking designs and they give them red glowing eyes to signify it’s a monster, but this only applies to the common monsters, I do like the designs of the Boss Monsters, they look cool. Throw those in with the amazing fight scenes and you have an epic animated sequence.

As for the soundtrack of DanMachi, all I can say is it does its job well. It’s a fantasy genre so expect something to mesh with it. You get a lot violins and pianos here and there. There is even a good accordion for the bar scenes, which is really nice to have in the fantasy genre. It really makes you feel like you were in that fantasy world. However all I can say is that I didn’t find anything outstanding in the soundtrack, even for the epic fight scenes, the soundtrack for it didn’t sound suspenseful enough for it, it should’ve been more intense to add as if the protagonist was going to lose, but it was very quiet. For the opening and ending songs of DanMachi, they are catchy with cute sequences to go along with them.

Enjoyment - 7/10

I’ve seen many shows like this before. It is rather typical and generic. It’ll have to do something special to really get my attention, however the story is rather basic and the cast of characters aren’t all that interesting as a whole, individually their fine, but there need to be more from them. The most enjoyment I got out of the show was watching the action scenes and incredible visuals, which is where I think the anime shines. You feel so immerse the world because looks good, and filled with nice colours. And as a typical fantasy lover, I do enjoy this type of show very much. The show besides the concept and title, isn’t really breathtaking as a whole.

Verdict - 6.5/10

For the story of DanMachi I give it an 5, as I believe it’s an average story at best, it’s been done many times and don’t get me wrong it’s pulled off well and was evenly paced, but it’s so generic you most likely seen it many times. Plus the whole lore behind their world vaguely explained.

For animation and sound I give them a 9 and 6 respectively. The Animation is incredible to look at, it really depicts the fantasy world very well. The action scenes looked good and the designs of characters and boss look good, it was just the common creatures that were lacking. The soundtrack does a decent job of fitting in with the fantasy theme, but it was really lacking anything special. But the opening and ending themes were catchy and cute though.

The Characters of DanMachi get a 6 from me, as they are generic, but without them the story wouldn’t be nearly as good as it could’ve been. Each character had a purpose of helping Bell grow, but that is all there is to them. There wasn’t really any character that stood out from the crowd. No one was really special.

For my own personal enjoyment, I give it a 7, as I have seen many depictions of this type of genre before. The story is really basic and the characters are lacking a spark to them. However I enjoyed seeing the world that was created, through the visuals and being a fan of the fantasy genre. I wished they explained more on the world, as that was something I found a bit confusing, seeing how everything worked. But I got enough dose of action when it came the fight scenes, as there was plenty of them and they were paced.

For the overall score after rounding it all up I give DanMachi a 6.5/10. It has basic plot and a generic set of characters who have their moments. The soundtrack is nothing special, but it’s the animation that pushes it forward. The depiction of the fantasy world and the action scenes were the best thing about the series. I recommend this anime to fantasy fan, as the world is gorgeous to look at, but for the rest there have been many other shows that have been done better.

It is a very mediocre anime, I am not saying that as an insult, it's just the best description of the show.

Character: they all are recognizable anime stock characters. The distant, overly-capable love interest, the hero that needs to grow up, the friend with a support role, several side love interest who don't stand a chance; anyway all very well done but with no excitement. The main character is the weakest link, since he is just the hero as designated by the plot, he goes into the dungeon as every other adventurer, but because he got an special ability which lets him level up faster ... he becomes stronger. Thus he has no admirable qualities to set him apart from the rest, he was just chosen.
Plot: it is generic, but competently executed. There is a half thought mystery thrown into the mix, which it's not develop in the 13 episodes, one of those read the manga animes. The whole harem aspect it's the worst part, the love interest is determined very early on, so you know the rest have no chance. This results in a series of female characters with no purpose.
Animation: the color palette is an intriguing choice. It is very bright, and it contrast very well with the darker parts of the dungeon, but at the same time is very artificial, almost takes you away from the story. In the end, it's so bright an unreal that makes it hard to take serious the more dramatic aspects of the plot.
Conclusion: an enjoyable anime just to pass the time, but it's very shallow. The ending is no ending at all and to know how the story will progress you have to read the manga, but I was not engage enough with the show to want to read the manga.

if you are fan of battle adventure anime, you might think this anime just as another fail battle adventure anime (if you finished watch it of course). at first you might enjoy it, because I myself found it enjoyable to watch this anime, but it doesn't last long until I found how this anime end.

OMG, I just still can't believe that they really end it that way. they simply rush the art at the last episode and the ending of the anime it self. despite that there are a lot of thing that they still should explain to us.

"sorry, I just can't stop complain ... about it. I write it first so I hope you will prepare to brace your self to see it until the ending. I will really start the review now."

"Danmachi" (that's how people short it), I think I going to nominate it into an inspiring anime. the main idea about the story is about a boy and his god who always try hard to get acknowledgement from people - "there will always be a good result for hard work" - I think they want to say that. as I said before that I actually found that this anime is quite interesting. they use "JOJO" pattern to develop their main character, but at the the end it doesn't became same anime as "JOJO Series" (lol). the development of the story are good. too bad that they rush the ending of the anime.

there are a lot of work that they should do to fix anime. a lot of thing aren't explained to us such as what happen to the new level of relationship that the main character earn at the end of the episode or what happen to the main character it self at the climax. also there are some character that just missing at the end of the story. there are a future wait this anime if they fix those missing part.

(TO MAKE MY ALL MY REVIEWS WELL ANALYSED AND FAIR, I WATCHED THE WHOLE SERIES TWICE AND LIST DOWN THE PROS AND CONS IN THE SECOND TIME)

Is it wrong to pickup girls in a dungeon? Never found the answer, not eager to keep searching.

STORY - 4/10

(Evaluation for the quality of the story of this series is made void of other factors, like the artistic value, sound and characters)

We can all agree that a story is what makes an Anime worth considering or not. When it comes to this series, honestly, the story is so mediocre, that you'd confuse it as an adaptation of a ... children's storybook. It was a combination of simpleton thinking and unnecessary over-complication. What I mean by this is that this anime on one hand is so simple that you'll say it's cliche every 5 minutes or so, but on the other hand, is so complicated that you can hardly understand what is going in a particular scene.

That's why I'd say this Anime is an adaptation of a 5 year old's imagination. It's a cliche story of a boy who is a loser working hard to become a hero to impress girls and in the end succeeds in doing so. Somewhere along the way, I asked myself, "am I watching an Anime written by a Sword Art Online fan?"

The pacing was obviously rushed to the point that the climax didn't develop more than 2 episodes and the ending got everyone saying; "That's it??" The lack of exposition and proper development of the settings in the Anime made it hard to follow the plot. I swear I asked myself "What is Hestia doing? Why are there weird symbols and stuff?" almost every episode.

The story is overall quite disappointing but I guess it doesn't completely ruin the enjoyment of the Anime. (I'll explain more below) If you are the type to watch Anime based on the quality of the story, don't bother with this series. If you're going to watch this series, expect many plot holes (like the explanation of how the universe in this anime actually worked), a rushed climax resolution, and a disappointing ending.

ART - 8/10

(Evaluation for the artistic value of this series is made void of other factors, like the quality of the story, sound and characters)

The art was very good in a sense that the setting felt realistic enough for you to experience and indulge the events as they are happening. I actually almost forgot that the story was bad because the Animation was good.

The Victorian-esque setting worked and anybody would be convinced that the story would've taken place in Victorian times. It suited the premise of the story and it helped compliment the adventure. The art was enough to make you react to it (like the realistic depiction of blood made me uncomfortable since I suffer from Hemophobia) and is quite memorable. The character's designs were perfectly suited to the target audience (younger audiences) where the colours and curves of the characters are exaggerated to give a youthful and sexually attractive feeling. This also made the characters look suitable in accord to their traits and personalities, and they were unique enough to make you able to distinguish their behaviors just by their looks. The animation panels were fluid and consistent enough for anyone to overlook any minor changes or fluctuations. The backgrounds however, were nice, but not special. It wasn't breath-taking enough to make me pause the video and say, "wow" thus I couldn't really rate the art higher than 8 for this reason alone.

In a sentence, I would say the art is good enough to make you keep watching even if you hated other aspects of the anime (story, characters, etc.)

SOUND - 6/10

Firstly, let's talk about the opening theme. Any fan of ecchi would expect the theme to be joyful youthful and sound a little bit enticing (if that's the best word to describe it), and well, that's more or less what you get from this series. The theme isn't bad enough to deserve being skipped every episode, but it's not special enough to earn a spot in your Itunes playlist. In fact, give yourself a week and you'll probably forget what the theme was like.

Secondly, the OST. It is not special, not enjoyable, but not trash. There were some tracks that aided in the development of the story, and didn't overpower the plot, but some scenes lack the track to make it feel emotional and strong. In other words, the background music won't make your heart beat faster when the scene is supposed to make you feel excited, but isn't trash enough for you to consider muting the video.

Thirdly, the voice acting. (BEAR IN MIND, I WATCHED THE SUBBED VERSION, THEREFORE MY THOUGHTS WILL BE BASED ON THE JAPANESE VOICE ACTORS). I had no problem with the voice acting. In fact, I guess it was to a certain extent good enough for you to believe that the voice actor was actually the Anime character. The voice actor for the main character even made it believable that he is somewhat innocent and just wanted to be a hero. All in all, I must say, the voice acting was fair enough to merit the sounds of this Anime a score of 6.

CHARACTER - 4/10

This is another aspect where I had quite a problem with the series.

The main character was probably the only one I must say deserves to be glossed over. After all, he's a young boy entering adolescence, obviously he'll be quite impulsive, unstable and to a certain degree quite the pervert.

The other characters however, where your typical set of girls. Ms Perfect, Ms Pervert, Ms Powerful, etc. The characters are so cliche that you wouldn't even bother remembering their names. Their development wasn't good either. It was rushed and quite illogical. For a perfect heroine who has everything she wants suddenly feel pity for a boy who's being picked on for starting from the bottom, it felt like a stretch to me. I didn't see the coincidence in the bar (this is where their relationship started to develop) to be believable and realistic. It sounded like the producer wanted to force the main protagonists to get along for no apparent reason. The backstory and exposition behind the characters were too rushed to the point that the character's motives isn't something you figure out from the events, but rather it is something directly told to you. They are definitely not special and memorable, so you wouldn't even remember their names. Not even the main hero, in fact.

ENJOYMENT - 5/10

Okay, let's be fair. Good story and perfect character development isn't everybody's cup of tea. Some may prefer blatant fan service and simple humour. I took that into consideration. Throughout the series, you will not run out of fan service, and if that rocks your boat, hey, great! The girls in this anime will keep you entertained!

But in a holistic evaluation, not even the fan service was enough to compensate for all the shortcomings of the series. The story will definitely annoy you at some point and the characters will fade away from your memory faster than you know it, and this will make it quite difficult to enjoy the series to the max.

That being said, this doesn't mean this Anime is completely unwatchable. To a certain extent, the adventure was exciting enough for you to keep rooting for the cute little hero. Even if you may get bored along the way, isn't that what the fan service is for though? You will somehow get through this Anime without gouging your eyeballs and cursing the kami, that's for sure.

VERDICT = MEDIOCRE
OVERALL RATING = 5.4/10

Danmachi is objectively better written than madoka magica and SAO.Cause unlike those shows,it can keep its story and tone correct.

The story follows a boy named trying to clear dungeons.His progression is the story itself.

Bell-I like the fact that he has his own goal not born of angst, or "save the world bs"(all shinji ikari clones like Kirito)He just wants to impress a girl who saved him at the start.He does go through trials get friends who help him later on.The series has some very impressive close fights(minotaur fight ftw),and he is not an overpowered Gary Stu like kirito(still cant beat his love interest lol).He is ... very young,and is shy around girls(not wimpy, the dude got some serious game when he needs to).He does some boy stuff like play with his new skills.watching him grow was incredible.

I like the girls that "he picked up".They don't mindlessly hang around him unnecessarily like most harems.Love is not just the mindless declaration of love like in shallow shoujo like in kimi ni todoke.They show commitment responsibility and understanding.At least there is some measure of real bonding.

The girls are very girly.T-hey gossip fault tease amongst themselves.Sometimes i forget i am watching a harem lol.

Hestia.Funny how girls in real life just want to learn the ways of the boob string.But this "oppai loli" does have some decent character.She is the goddess that looks after him.At first she only shows affection.but the great thing about her is that over time she was willing to shoulder responsibility and help him become stronger.She isn't just a "gold digging wife".She knows it takes two to tango.A girl like her could have been annoying.


Aiz,love interest- i thought aiz would just be strong girl that would completely ignore him.but she was curious about him.and bells fear would just be a running gag.But they do get along.Aiz is not just his love.She was is rival and role model.And aiz at least noticed that and his determination as he got stronger a bit and that that rubbed off her.

lili-A traditional girl.She manipulates bell at some point and pays the price of it.What girls have responsibility and consequence?!Her arc also shows how dark the world can get.

Welf-a best friend character that is actually not a bad character.A weapon-smith with his own personal arc.

All in all the shows does not set false expectations like madoka magica and SAO,where they promise grandness but never deliver.

What will happen next?Danmachi is full of surprises,cause the is no goal other than clearing the dungeon.

final score 6/10.Ok, but how they proceed from here is important.

I would not rate it higher than five. It is a light comedy anime, light plot and i dont really find anything really especial going on. There was a bit of suspense at one point which led to nothing really. Also, it could probably need a second season.It tends to get a bit boring. Of course, we see the rise of a hero; from a weakling to struggling to be powerful, fighting. It doesn't quite leave the after effects of a good anime, where you really want to rewatch it, but it's an alright watch.

For generations the question has been asked, over and over again, "Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon". Truth be told I went into this show not knowing what to expect, seeing as how depending on the answer to this question, my life, the world even, could fall into ruin. For real though, this show doesn't really bring anything new as the sole purpose for its creation is to pander to the easily satisfied masses who are more likely to watch a fan-service show filled with swords and magic than a psychological thriller. This show falls into the still growing genre known ... as 'Not Sword Art Online', a genre of anime that follows in the fart cloud left behind by their great predecessor SAO. While some have managed to at-least create a more interesting environment, none have really pushed any boundaries. Now I look over all the reviews and see low scores, and in fact I agree with them for the most part, however you will notice that my score is significantly higher than the majority of the reviews, and that is because while a bad show, like SAO I found some enjoyment in Danmachi. I'll try to keep it short and sweet. So without further ado, let's get on with my criteria and the scores given in each section.

Character: 6
Character Development: 5
Little no interesting characters, and to put the cherry on top, there was no real character development aside from Bell powering up which doesn't count. Bell follows the trend of somehow being the protagonist, the desire of all women on earth, and yet also the most undesirable and normal individual. This is most likely in order to appeal to those at home who have no social life and feed off of anime in order to feel as if they've accomplished something in life. The only character that I liked, and only reason why I gave improved marks in this area is thanks to Lili, the only character with an interesting backstory, as well as the only character who goes through some form of true character development.
Plot: 5
Pacing: 5
The story is like the vanilla ice cream of anime, there is nothing special about it, literally nothing. Hero is weak, for some inexplicable reason he has the ability to grow stronger faster than anyone else, he becomes the strongest, and then fights to save everyone. The great Demolition_D commented on this show, and I couldn't agree more, it’s basically "Sword Art Online: fat fucking titties addition". The show isn't even well paced, it jumps around too much, granted that it’s in order to get us to the action faster, it doesn't hurt to slow down at times and just have an interesting conversation about the world they live in (and I said interesting, that doesn't include any of the BS they talked about in the show).
Music: 6
Art: 8
The music was okay, kind of sad that the music is one of the qualities making sure this show doesn't get a failing grade, usually in my reviews the music's grade is lower than the total, however this show was bad enough that its lack luster music was helping compensate for its atrocious, well everything else. The art was outstanding though, however with the amount of money they had to animate it, it better damn well be pretty, I wasn't about to sit through an ugly show that also had no story.
Enjoyment: 7
Truth be told, I am a simple man, it doesn't take much to make my stupid brain smirk or smile, and while that is both a good and bad thing, it allowed me to enjoy the show a lot more than most people did. Would I re-watch it: no. Would I recommend it: no, I'd sooner recommend SAO than this, however that's just exchanging a pile of crap for a slightly smaller pile of crap.
Final Verdict: 60/100
And when it all comes down to it, the answer is yes, yes it is okay to pick up girls in a dungeon.

The title is a cute hook, which fails to deliver, because the protagonist doesn't actually pick up girls in a dungeon.

I didn't expect a whole lot from this, and I wasn't disappointed -- there wasn't much to it. If I were a lot younger, I might have liked it, but now I need my stories to have more depth.

Story (5/10): Here's your generic RPG story. It has enticing aspects, like the gods from various pantheons have descended to this vaguely medieval fantasy land and formed guilds, so-called "familias" to further their specific interests. Since I love mythology, that idea made the anime tempting, ... but alas it doesn't do much with this. Yeah, Hephaestus is a great weapons smith (and a girl), but Loki (also a girl) mostly throws drunken parties. Hestia, Greek keeper of the heart, home, and domesticity, who is our protagonist's patron goddess doesn't show anything much of her roots, and neither do the other gods. And why does Hephaestus have an eye patch? He was lame, not half-blind in Greek myth. Hestia, surprisingly, doesn't even have a proper familia, our protagonist Bell is her first and only follower.

Adventurers who seek divine blessings trawl the dungeon in search of magic stones and dropped items that can be acquired by fighting monsters. There's a system for gaining stats, skills, and levels, but the gods don't actually seem to be running this. The gods also have no say over the dungeon and are in fact not allowed to enter it. Maybe the dungeon is running things; it does seem to be sentient at times. Not a bad story by any means, but it has no depth; it feels duct taped together.

Character (4/10): Bell feels largely like the insert character for a harem anime, which this one sort of is; he's naive and dense, but well-meaning and a nice guy. There isn't much in-depth development -- sure, he starts out as a bit of a coward and overcomes that, and we even see him work with Aiz to become a better fighter, and he powers u a lot faster than is apparently normal -- but somehow I never felt a single thing that brought me closer to caring about his fate. I didn't root for him (or against him), not to gain more power nor to win his fights nor to hook up with one of the girls who compete for his favours.

Hestia is not quite the big-boobed airhead she seems to be at first; she's actually a hard worker and tries her damndest to give Bell whatever she can so his adventuring can be successful. He doesn't even notice how hard she works, he's that dense. She sees the two of them as a romantic couple, he doesn't.

Liliruca becomes Bell's "supporter", and I like what they've done with the standard, disposable NPC hireling whom everyone treats like dirt -- they gave her a backstory, and she gets an actual character arc complete with redemption. If only she hadn't started out being a callous bitch who left Bell to die, I could have warmed up to her.

There are other characters here, but you know, I am already tired writing about this. Pretty much every character arc is tossed away anyway after giving us some backstory to whet our appetites.

The thing that keeps this from being a true harem is that Bell's admiration is basically directed at only one person, Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, champion of adventurers and so far out of his league it isn't even funny. Aiz is also completely stoic, even when Bell falls into her breasts.

Art (6/10): Character design is ok, a bit simple, nothing fantastic, but most are easy to tell apart. Too much big boobage for my taste. Background art is nice, but again, with few exceptions (the 18th dungeon floor), not special. The animation is where this show shines -- some of the best action scenes with excellent choreography I've seen in a while.

Sound (5/10): OP and ED standard. I liked the BGM quite a bit. I might try and find the soundtrack so I can say something more substantial about it. Voice talent is fine, nothing stands out for me.

Enjoyment (5/10): Lukewarm, flat sodapop. All the ingredients were here for making this a really good story, with lots of injokes for RPGamers, an interesting premise with enough variation from standard RPGs to potentially make this superb. And yet I didn't feel a thing. I didn't root for anyone. I wasn't at the edge of my seat in the fighting scenes, even though they were so well done. The entire thing felt paper thin -- something I could have enjoyed as a preteen but not now.

This might be the most misleading title of an anime ever.
You go into this thinking the main guy is some kind of sleaze ball who spends his time hitting on chicks the whole time and it just isn't. Bell is honestly a sweet and caring guy who just wants to get strong for Hestia. But because this is anime he is always getting into the most uncomfortable sexual situations. And yeah there's a lot of unwanted gross fanservice when it comes to the female characters. It can be a bit hard to get past all of that.
But if you do it's honestly a ... cool premise. There are lot of really interesting characters and the fighting system is quite fun. The battles are pretty awesome without feeling like they last 80 episodes. The animation isn't jaw dropping but is clean and nice to look at. I think this show is worth a shot and I fully plan to keep watching, but I can understand it's not for everyone.

Your time is important to you, so instead of rambling; I present to you th mmnlst’s 5 Question Minimalist Review!

Was the anime enjoyable?
As much as the anime was nothing original, it still provided me with many moments I found enjoyable. The animation, fight scenes and voice acting were all very well done. If nothing else, this anime is enjoyable when you don’t really think too much about what you’re watching. 2/2

Did the anime accomplish what it was attempting to do stylistically?
DanMachi on a stylistic level did not take many risks or do anything that I’ve never seen before. It accomplished its role as a ... semi-RPG inspired anime, but did nothing along the way deserving of praise. 0.5/2

Was the anime mostly original?
If I was going to describe DanMachi, one word I would definitely never use is original. DanMachi almost serves as a 13 episode experiment to see how many clichés one anime can fit into a season. You have your insert-yourself male protagonist who inexplicably has incredible luck with the ladies, cheesy RPG game-esque setting, big breasted female characters with little substance, fanservice galore and unstoppable OP main character with almost no character flaws. 0/2

Did the anime rely too much on filler content?
DanMachi this season is 13 episodes in duration, there were no recap episodes or episodes that otherwise seemed to branch from the main narrative. 2/2

Would I recommend it to others?
I certainly would not recommend this show to people looking for a cerebral and thought provoking anime. If you’re looking: for nicely done fight scenes, well-endowed women, a God-like main character whom everyone seems to like and not much in the way of substance in between; this is the show for you! 0.5/2

Total score: 5/10

I really didn’t expect anything from this show when I started watching it, only deciding to give it a try because of wanting to try as much of the new shows as possible. I was surprised that this show ended up becoming one of the more popular shows of the season, it just looked like one of those shows that would be mainly overlooked. But of course, this is anime, where fan-service, harems, and overpowered protagonists are all the fans care about. But putting aside popularity aside, let’s talk about if the show is any good.

Story + Characters

The show is very simple. There is a ... dungeon filled with monsters. Adventures go into the dungeon to fight and kill the monsters with magic and sharp objects blessed by the power of gods and goddesses. And the story focuses on one such adventurer, Bell.

Now, I really like Bell. He’s your typical shonen protagonist, a bit sheepish, very naïve with all the females falling in love with him, and he’s a generally nice guy, wanting to help and protect his friends while being willing to forgive those who hurt him. Despite the fact that his character really isn’t anything new or unique, he’s the type of person I really want to root for. I want to see him get stronger, to overcome his foes.

I really liked seeing him become respected as the show went on, overcome difficulties that seemed impossible. Yes, he does have quite a bit of plot armor, and he’s a bit overpowered, which did hurt the show, but not as badly as it could have.

We also have the goddess Hestia who is the leader of Bell’s famlia, of which Bell is the only member. At times, I really liked her. Bell and Hestia really do care about each other, will to whatever it takes to help one another, and this makes their interactions really cute. Unfortunately, Hestia is in love with Bell, and she gets jealous easily, which leads to some really cringe worthy moments. They really should have either left romance out completely, or just developed the romance between Hestia and Bell without hinting at the feelings the other girls had for him; as it was the harem elements really hurt the show.

All the other characters had something that made them interesting. From the elf who works at the local restaurant, to Lili, a girl who joins Bell as a supporter, they all have a little bit of back story that gives them depth. My favorite character is the god Hermies, but he doesn’t really play a role until the end of the show.

Looking at the plot here, it really feels very generic. Pretty much all the story elements here have been done before, so if you’re looking for some revolutionary anime, you’re not going to find it here. The genericness is something that holds the show back, but it also helps the show in a way. A lot of anime, especially of the adventure genre, try to tell some grand story, aiming for the peak of anime greatness only to fail to handle their story right and become a mess. Instead, this anime chooses to stick with something generic, but executes it in a way that’s a lot of fun.

Despite the fact that Bell is an overpowered protagonist, it never feels like he’s the strongest. His power may grow faster than anyone else, but there are a lot of people who are still way more powerful than him. Bell does get a number of moments to shine on his own, but there are also times where despite his strength, he’s not able to overcome his obstacles without the help of others.

Despite its generic nature, I found the story interesting. There were enough different conflicts to keep me engaged. Sometimes it was a monster in the dungeon that Bell had to defeat, and other times it were other people he had to overcome. Another thing I liked about the show is how it was able to contrast Bell’s naïve view of the world with the dark pasts and actions of some of the characters. The themes of what it means to be a hero are strong here, as this is Bell’s motivation for wanting to get stronger. Again, this is something that’s been seen elsewhere numerous times, but I still like what it added to the show.

Of course, despite the fact that I did enjoy this show, I can’t look past its problems. Due to the nature of the show, you know that Bell is going to be the hero and save the day. So any battle he’s in with at least something at stake, you know he’s going to win.

The fan-service and harem elements really hurt the show as well. They were oftentimes very uninteresting, and just seemed to be taking up time until something more serious happened. Some could say that they added comedy, but I didn’t find it funny at all. And really, the romance didn’t go anywhere by the end of the show. Sure, some friendships were developed, but the romance could have been taken out completely and nothing would have been lost. As for the fan-service, did having Bell fall into a lake filled with about 5 naked girls really help the show? I get that they were trying to have some lighter scenes before the end of the show, but they could have done this in better ways.

And speaking of the end of the show, it’s really not over. The final episode worked as a good enough season finale. The battle was epic and all, and it resolved that arc nicely, but it also tells the viewer there is much more story to tell. Now, will the rest of the story be animated? Possibly, with the popularity the show has gotten a second season wouldn’t surprise me. But I have to hold the fact that the story is incomplete against the show.
Overall, the best word to describe this show is generic. It does well to keep the viewer entertained most of the time, and it doesn’t take itself so seriously that it falls apart, so those are both plusses, but there isn’t anything great about the story. It’s good at being okay, which is more than I can say for a lot of other shows that came out this year.

Animation + Sound

The animation here is okay. The show looks pretty good for the most part, there weren’t any times where it was so bad it hurt the show, or if there were, I didn’t notice them. The action scenes were where the show could have really shined, but these were too short lived for the most part to really have any impact. The most interesting thing visually about the show was the final battle where everything had a red tint to it. This really added to the intensity of the scene and the danger the character’s faced, but at times it made it hard to tell who was who, and since a lot of minor characters were involved in this battle, it made it hard to follow.

Music wise, this is another case where the show is pretty good. The battle scenes had intense music that helped. The actual sound effects felt off at times, especially with the explosions from fire magic.

The opening here is cute, does a good job of introducing the show, and even foreshadows some of the big moments later on in the show, which is all I ask for from an opening. Skippable if you want to get right to the episode, but not a bad opening at all.

Final Thoughts

This show is one of those shows that was good to watch on a weekly basis as it comes out. It’s one that you’d watch just to watch anime. It’s a generic, but fun show, and if that sounds like what you’re looking for, then this anime is for you. I really can’t see this show’s fame lasting much beyond the time it was airing, but it was fun while it lasted.

Scoring:
Story: 5.5
Characters: 5.7
Animation: 6.5
Sound: 7
Other (Excessive Fan-Service): -0.1
Total: 5.76 (note that categories are not weighed equally)

Rating: Worth Checking Out

Other Suggestions: Attack on Titan, Show by Rock

I don't know why I even started watching this in the first place. The title should have been an immediate red flag saying "DO NOT WATCH THIS" but for whatever reason I ignored it and found that, hey, it turns out the title is really misleading! This isn't about picking up girls, it's about a kid trying to become a hero! What a relief. It's a shame it didn't continue to surprise me by being really good.

I will say to this series' credit, it's got some of the best visuals of anything I've ever seen. The animators did a fantastic job on DanMachi, kudos to ... them. I admit, there were some points where I thought this was going to end up being a great series, but it always fell flat for me. The story was decent for the most part and the characters were generally okay (I liked Bell but nobody else's character really got a chance to develop by the end), but the pacing was terrible. Some episodes it felt like way too much was happening, and some episodes it felt like nothing was happening. Then the finale comes around, no spoilers here but it just felt like a total cop-out. I didn't get the sense that anything was happening for any real reason besides "it's the finale and we need a big exciting climax!"

It seemed to be setting up for a second series, and I would be surprised if there wasn't one, but I don't think I'll be watching it. I didn't dislike DanMachi by any means, but it was rarely anything more than "fine".

tl;dr DanMachi is not bad but it's not particularly good either. If you're thinking about watching it, I wouldn't bother.