Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Nothing good can ever come from the ground suddenly splitting apart and a strange man bursting forth. But that’s exactly what happened.
The man’s visit to the surface world was brief. He claimed to those who happened to be around that he once ruled an ancient civilization called the Golden Country, which vanished a millennium ago following the attack of a mad mage who sank the land deep underground with a single spell.
“I shall bestow my kingdom to whomever defeats the mage,” the man uttered before turning to dust and being swept away by the wind.
And with his disappearance, the humans, elves and others who heard the man’s appeal quickly begin to explore the strange underground ruins—the vestiges, it would seem, of that fabled Golden Country—that the man had opened up with his visit.
And they began to find all the magical monsters within them.
One party of adventurers, led by the human Laios, isn’t having such a grand time. Some mishaps caused them to lose most of their rations, leaving them hungry and unprepared for a sudden fight against a red dragon found deep in the dungeons. And that exhaustion ends up costing them as Laios’ sister, Falin, is swallowed whole by the beast—just before she teleports the rest of the party to the safety of the surface.
Laios knows that they need to hurry back down to save Falin before she’s digested. The only problem is that their gear was all left behind when they were teleported away. And they’re a bit too low on money to be able to purchase everything they need to get back.
That’s when Laios hatches an idea: to cut back on costs, how about they forgo purchasing rations and learn to cook whatever monsters they slay in the dungeons?
Sure, eating dungeon monsters is usually frowned upon, since no one really knows what kind of dangers or magical effects will emerge from consuming the creatures. But were you to ask Laios, it’s somewhat of a swell situation. You see, he’s absolutely fascinated by monsters—how they look, how they act…
…And now, he’s excited to learn how they taste.
This animated adaptation of the manga Delicious in Dungeon asks a simple question: in a land of fantasy monsters, surely someone is going to want to know how to cook them, right?
But between rendered slime and minotaur meat stands the difficulty of fighting such monsters—monsters that are fully capable of ending a life in moments. And if the manga is anything to go on, then yes, people will die in the show, too—losing limbs and spraying blood in the process.
But death is more of an inconvenience than a real concern when you have magical spells that can resurrect the dead—another thing viewers will need to consider, as magic users are and will be featured throughout the series, too.
What’s more, while the early episodes are tamer than later ones, the series will likely have bigger issues in the future, too. An astute viewer will note how the animated series is rated TV-MA for violence and nudity. Combine those with some swearing, and Delicious in Dungeon may come out a bit too spoiled for some.
When Falin is eaten by a dragon, her brother Laios and his adventuring party do everything they can to save her before she’s digested—including learning how to cook monsters for food.
We see Falin get eaten whole by the dragon. Others trip or are attacked by monsters. Some monsters, including a giant walking mushroom and a giant scorpion, are killed and prepared for food. A corpse is found inside a killer plant, and another plant is said to plant its seeds under its victims’ skin.
Magic is used in this world, and we’re told that it can even resurrect the dead. (To that point, Laios’ friend and fellow adventurer Marcille references having died before). We’re also told that a mad mage used magic to destroy another kingdom. Falin casts a spell to teleport the rest of her party before she’s eaten. The narrator ponders whether the monsters in the dungeon are creatures “transformed by dark magic, or are they from the bowels of hell?”
Someone vomits. Someone makes a crude reference to diarrhea and vomiting.
We hear one use of “a–” and one use of “h—.” God’s name is used in vain once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
