Given the title for Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon you would probably immediately think that the whole endeavor would amount to nothing more than up skirt shots or feature woman with ridiculously proportioned features to their anatomy. What the show actually features is something far more likable and charming while having a few moments of female ridiculousness. The story follows the exploits of Bell Cranel a young boy who moves to the big city to become a heroic adventurer like his grandfather and fight in the infamous dungeon. In order to do so though he must receive the blessing of a God or Goddess so they can bestow the powers of leveling up upon him and he can begin making a name for himself. His blessing comes from another unlikely source when he meets the Goddess Hestia and the two begin their rise to become big names in the world of Orario.
One look at Bell and you would realize that he is not exactly what you would expect when you think of an epic hero or someone who knows a thing or two about woman. And this fact is true, the first moment you meet Bell we see a reversal on the classic hero saving the damsel in distress story as he is rescued from a rampaging minotaur by a rather famous adventurer, Aiz Wallenstein. Extremely embarrassed he runs away covered in blood but extremely love struck by his first encounter with this girl and vows to become as strong as she is so he can be worthy of standing beside her as an adventurer and possibly more. This becomes the whole drive for the show in most regards but it isn't done in a hopeless and pining sort of way that would make you loath the story. Bell's aspiring notion to become as powerful as Aiz the Sword Princess grants him a skill which allows him to level up and gain high ability ratings far faster than a normal adventurer would. What made it even better was the fact that Hestia hides this skill from him and down plays his growth so Bell never loses focus which allows him to keep his ability and continue growing incredibly strong.
The others characters were frankly just as charming as Bell was, for the most part anyway. Hestia for instance may be one of the sources of the fanservice for the show but she is not as bad as that word would make her out to be since it is the camera that sets her up with some provocative angles. Whatever the case it is instantly obvious that she cares for Bell in more of a romantic way than that of a member of her familia, her only member at the moment actually. But this means she is insanely devoted to Bell as she goes to great lengths to try and do the best for him despite her low status among the other Gods and Goddesses. She works tirelessly at many different jobs around the city to support the two of them and the gifts she bestows upon him. Her part in the story also helps to give insight into the other Gods in the show, famous names like Hermes and Loki are thrown into the mix as well as others. Why they all descended from heaven and started this age of adventuring is still a bit of a mystery that the show doesn't delve too far into.
What is also a little odd is many of the Gods seem to be interested in Bell for some unknown reason and unfortunately the thirteen episode series didn't have time to explain it. The Goddess Freya appears to have some evil in her as well as an unhealthy obsession with our young hero. How she even knows about Bell or why he interests her so much is never explained but she puts him through many different tests throughout the show. Not that I am complaining about that aspect though as the fight scenes and action are some of the most terrific moments for Bell. The animation is far better than what I would have expected as scenes and action alike are insanely crisp and smooth. These moments are never more evident than during the fights that Bell and other adventurers go through, it is much in the vein of Sword Art Online but Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon takes a different direction with it's MMORPG angle.
Adventurers work in much the same way you would if you were playing Dungeons and Dragons or some MMORPG game where you gain experience and abilities by fighting monsters and leveling up. Thanks to the blessings of a God you can return to them after a day of fighting and they will update your status which appears on your back in a language that the Gods can read and alter, thankfully they make a nice character sheet for you when they're finished so you can see the progress for yourself. Monsters in the world increase in difficulty and frequency as you go further on into the dungeons and will drop gems when they're defeated which can be converted to gold along with items that can be made into weapons and other handy tools for an adventurer. This all made for a very interesting watch as I felt like I was watching a game session taking place as the story progressed and it had me hooked.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? No it is not and it might actually work too if you prove to turn out like Bell. The story has it's ups and downs with plenty unanswered questions left by the time the show ends, along with a few questionable female moments, but the story thankfully doesn't make that it's main aspect. Bell is a wonderful main character who I found myself rooting for a lot of the time, he never whined about being weak and he kept getting stronger and overcame amazing odds. The other characters are just as charming and have some interesting backgrounds and depth to them once you get to that point. All in all, I am pleasantly surprised by this series and now I'm off to find my own dungeon girl to impress.
Good:
- Bell Cranel is a great main character
- The MMORPG angle to show including leveling up, magic and other cool skils
- Supporting cast are all enjoyable and unique
Bad:
- Minor fanservice
- Some unanswered questions and issues with the story
Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10
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