Oh MIke, this is especially for you!
Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon just showed up on Netflix!
The premise is simple - the Gods - all gods, not just one pantheon - have decided to abandon their powers and live with their children. The one thing they can do is gift their followers the "Blessing" - the additional strength and skills that allow them to become adventurers. Of course the more powerful gods have big and powerful Familia - our story is about the Goddess Hestia and her single follower, Bell.
Yah, that's right. Not the God of War, not the Goddess of Wisdom ... the Goddess of the Hearth. Which explains a lot.
This is one of the best fantasy shows out there and season 1 is very strong. Sure, there's a lot of action and adventure - it is a dungeon show after all, but what makes it work is that it is driven by character and character-development. It has a ton of heart - it has good humor (Loki is a hoot - yes, one of the more interesting interpretations of that Loki) and a ton of heart. Yes, folks focus on the hero not because he's the hero but because he is, very honestly, a good kid. A bit clueless perhaps, but that's very refreshing because he's not the 'immediate-expert-in-all-things dungeon' many fantasy heroes are.
The role reversal in the opening scene is absolutely precious!
Upon rewatching (for the fifth or sixth time) the relationship between Bell and his Goddess does come off a bit heavy-handed at the start, but that's given good reason in the episode one stinger. I've also been reading the Light Novels - they are available for Kindle and are a GREAT read. The show follows the novels fairly closely, the only changes being made the necessary cuts when you fit 14 1000+ page volumes into two seasons and a side show ... and the light novels are still ongoing! But there's one volume that goes into the relationships between the Gods and their favorite followers that puts this all into perspective - making Hestia's exuberance not silly but actually a little bit heartbreaking.
So ... good characters, good story, a good sense of both humor and the dramatic.
It may be wrong to try and pick up girls in a dungeon - which, when you realize it, is exactly the type of advice that Bell's adopted grandfather would give someone - but it is definitely NOT wrong to watch it!
Last edited by Wolf; Sat 08/02/20 15:12 UTC.