Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

The Wronged ROSSMAN

Yes, that is the real and official title of this show: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? The title (and the main female character with enormous titties in a lil' white dress) reeks of desperation to attract horny teenage viewers, and the show itself does nothing to rise above this initial assumption.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? goes a little something like this: There's this magical world (Orario) where the gods have come down from their heavenly thrones and started to hang out with humans. The gods (Greek, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, etc.) all have "Familias," or groups of humans who are their followers, and together these Familias serve their respective god, and also venture forth together into the resident Dungeon to find riches and fame.

This Dungeon is pretty large, but not half as impressive as the overall world seen in the first SAO series. In fact, up until the last 2 episodes of the show we only see floors of the Dungeon that look like abandoned salt mines — just bare rock tunnels with a couple of piddly to semi-large monsters roaming around. These monsters are what the Familia hunters are looking for though, seeing as when they callously slaughter the usually minding-their-own-business beasts, magic gems are left behind for them to pilfer. These gems are then traded for cash at the world banks in an exchange that makes no monetary sense whatsoever. It's never explained why these monster gems are worth anything. One theory a fan told me was that they use these shards to make "magic weapons." But with the thousands of hunters who go down into the dungeon every day to fight respawned monsters over and over again I can't see how the market is NOT already flooded with these gem shards, especially when honest-to-god magic weapons are so rare in this realm. But, whatever.

So the story follows an adventurer named Bell — a 14 year-old boy with hopes of becoming the greatest monster-fighter ever because that's what all protagonists in shows like this want, and because his grandpa whispered in his ear about such deeds when Bell was younger. Bell is the only member of the Familia for the goddess Hestia (now in the body of a short, but very well-proportioned girl with long dark hair, a tight, tight, white dress, and flip-flops). Bell is a total klutz, and being a soloist in the Dungeon is hard on him, especially when everybody else has parties made up of large groups of fellow Familia members who battle more powerful monsters together, and aren't such wimps and lamers all the time (unlike Bell himself).

But being the main "hero" of an anime series, Bell of course has a special power that makes it super easy for him to level up and begin to rival the champions in the big leagues in no time. And because of his tenacity (and idiocy in most cases), Bell soon recruits a couple of other desperate adventurers to join him in his money making and power-gaining quest in the Dungeon.

Bell also has a huge crush on a bland blonde warrioress from the god (goddess?... They don't really make it clear) Loki's Familia... I don't remember blondie's name, nor will I even bother to look it up because I gave no shits about her or her quest. See, other than Bell, Hestia, and Bell's eventual two party members, everybody else in this series is just a one-note caricature of roles you've seen in shows like this at least a dozen times before... Only not quite this dull. For example, the blonde fighter that Bell wants to bone, she's absurdly strong and quiet.... That's the only way to describe her. She has no personality and exists only as an achievement for Bell to attain (either as a girlfriend or as an equal in fighting monsters). Other characters exist only to fawn all over Bell, who I repeat is a 14 year-old boy who only has his mind on one thing: killing monsters in the Dungeon... Okay, and boning the blonde chick. Two things. He only has his mind on two things.

Every female character in this show eventually falls in love with Bell despite his density and ability to spout blood out of his nose like a geyser whenever a girl even looks at him (because all heroes should be this manly), and they throw themselves at him once they realize he's a born monster fighter. Well, that's not entirely true; Hestia loves him from back when he was just a little whiny turd without any great powers, but Bell is too blind to see it (despite her enormous.... tracts of land that she flaunts in his face all the time).

So let's see, this thing has a boring setting for a magical world show (lame Dungeon design, very non-detailed monsters who look like a 4th grader drew them while being put to sleep in biology class, and a large town that is severely uninteresting and lifeless), and the plot doesn't go anywhere new at all. We're only dropped a hint as to why we're supposed to care about this lame protagonist in the last few minutes of the final episode, and this "revelation" wasn't all that impressive. I think it was supposed to make the viewer get all moist for a potential second season, but it made me groan and roll my eyes thinking that something potentially grand was going to be kicked aside to make a second season of the same lamenocity.

The character designs are by far the best part of this show: everybody looks well drawn, they're all cute, and they're all memorable (and most of the women are very "well rounded")... Unfortunately that's not enough. If you want "pretty," look at a Rembrandt. If you want good storytelling and plot, watch something like From the New World. If you want a good dungeon-raiding RPG anime, watch Sword Art Online. Honestly, there's no real reason to watch Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? unless you've already watched everything great that was ever made and now you're tired of life.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is a fairly boring show with well drawn character designs, but poorly envisioned environments, a been-there-seen-that plot that goes nowhere, and a really poor cliffhanger that does nothing to entice the viewer into wanting to come back for the next season (if there is a next season). I give this anime series a thumb down. There's a lot worse stuff out there, but also a whole helluva lot better. You can totally skip it.

CUPCAKE Dreamer

This show was fun. That should be all that you need to know in order to want to watch it or skip it.

If you need more, well, I guess I could say that the characters were fun, the world was fun, the battles were fun, and the OP and ED songs were fun.

Still not convinced? Oh! I know what'll convince you. First, reach down behind you, grab that bit of wood sticking out of your anus, and PULL that stick out of your ass. Then go watch the fun Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? show. You're welcome.

I liked this show quite a bit. If you want a short but sweet DnD-like series with a cute goddess as one of the main characters, you've got nothing to lose.

Mega MEGAPLAYBOY

I will worship the busty, I mean the BUSY goddess Hestia seven times a day if she'd move in with me and live on my couch like she does in this anime!

I will wash her bicycle seat with my tongue... I mean my THONG... it's like a chamois.

I will cook for Hestia meals fit for a beautiful queef... QUEEN! A beautiful and pungent queen!

Beautiful Hestia. I will give this show 5 out of 5 Ninja Stars of Justice for you. Please visit your poor, well-hung worshiper any time! ANY time. Especially bath time.