The Legend of Vox Machina
The Legend of Vox Machina, on the other hand, was definitely not made for children. Based on the first Dungeons & Dragons campaign from Critical Role, this series tells the tale of Vox Machina, a group of adventurers who might not all be the sharpest sword in the bunch, but they mean well (most of the time). The group has fought necromancers, vampires, dragons, and demons over the course of the series’ first three seasons, and the adventure is just getting started.
You don’t have to know anything about Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Role, or the Vox Machina campaign to find this show entertaining. Critical Role and the creatives they work with to bring this show to life have done an incredible job of making this show accessible and fun for any fantasy fan to jump right into.
Delicious in Dungeon
Based on the manga series of the same name by Ryoko Kui, Delicious in Dungeon follows a group of adventurers as they delve into the depths of a dungeon to save their friend and fallen party member, Falin. In this world, raiding dungeons is a common way to make money and seek glory, as anyone brave enough to defeat the Lunatic Magician is promised the entire kingdom for their efforts. Most adventuring parties don’t make it that far, and a lot of them end up living out their days surviving in the upper levels of dungeons.
This adventuring party, however, must go further and further down to find their friend, fighting a number of monsters along the way. Thankfully for them, they find a dwarf named Senshi, who has been living off of the monsters in the dungeon and knows how best to prepare them to eat. That’s right, this show is all about fighting and eating monsters.
As silly as that premise may sound, Delicious in Dungeon does a wonderful job of balancing a slightly goofy tone with more serious plot points. The stakes of this mission still feel large even when Senshi is giving the wildest instructions on how to grill up the terrifying monster they just killed (and staring into your soul with the biggest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen).
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Though a bit more somber and serious than Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is another fantasy anime series worth watching. This show follows the Elven mage Frieren as she reflects on the ten years she spent with a party of adventurers working to defeat the Demon King. The party was successful, but Frieren’s extended lifespan means that this adventure was a mere blip of time in her life whereas it took up a majority of her companion’s lives.
