September 16th, 2020 
Charles Solomon 
The hit broadcast series Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (2015) blends elements of two popular anime genres, the fantasy adventure and the harem comedy, into an appealing mix.
Long ago, the gods who dwelled above the city of Orario descended, looking for entertainment: They limited their powers and began interacting with humans. Each deity established a Familia, a group of mortals dedicated to fighting monsters, crafting weapons, etc. Squadrons of Adventurers from various Familias prowl the Dungeon, a subterranean labyrinth inhabited by monsters. The Adventurers’ power increases as they vanquish more formidable monsters and acquire more valuable treasures. Interactive tattoos on their backs indicate their power levels.
Fourteen-year–old Bell Cranel (voice by Bryson Baugus) is the only member of the Hestia Familia, so he goes on solo expeditions. When he’s attacked by a minotaur far too powerful for him to even challenge, he’s rescued by Ais Wallenstein (Shelley Calene-Black), the redoubtable Sword Princess. Although he’s immediately smitten with the blonde heroine, she’s socially too far above him for a relationship to seem like anything more than a very desirable fantasy.
And Bell has to deal with the goddess Hestia (Luci Christian), a nubile brunette who dotes on him. She even persuades the powerful goddess Hephaestos (Stephanie Wittles), the “Lord of the Forge,” to make him the magical “Hestia Knife” that enables him to dispatch increasingly powerful foes and ramp up his levels.
Like the heroes in many harem comedies, Bell initially seems unimpressive: His nicknames are “Little Rookie” and “Vorpal Rabbit” (a reference to Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”). But, like Tenchi Masaki in Tenchi Muyo, he’s a consummately nice guy: kind, well-intentioned, hard-working and loyal. And, like Tenchi, his unassuming demeanor conceals a lofty but hidden ancestry.
The adoring Hestia provides the fan service moments, as she often seems in danger of jiggling out of her thin shift. She clings to Bell like a Band-Aid and prefers to sleep next to him (no hanky-panky). Freya (Patricia Duran) intuits Bell’s potential powers and wants to acquire them/him. Elfin waitress Ryu Lion (Genevieve Simmons) falls for Bell as soon as she meets him. As Bell stumbles through Orario and delves further into the Dungeon, he meets more people and unknowingly wins more hearts.
Dungeon, sometimes referred to as “DanMachi” (from the Japanese title Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darō ka?) began as a series of light novels written by Fujino Ōmori and illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda. In seven years, the 15 novels in the series have sold more than nine million books and have repeatedly been adapted into manga. The animated series proved so popular, it ran for three seasons and spawned two OAV’s, a spin-off series, and the theatrical feature, Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Arrow of the Orion (2019).
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is hardly a weighty series. But its ingenuous mixture of adventure, romance, slapstick comedy, a clueless but winning hero and numerous powerful female characters have made it a fan favorite. Otaku searching for something to binge watch will enjoy leaving their all-too-familiar homes during COVID isolation to join Bell in the Dungeon below Orario.
In addition to the two-disc set of the first season, Sentai is releasing the complete second season of Is It Wrong, the feature Arrow of the Orion and the first OAV, Is It Wrong to Expect a Hot Spring in a Dungeon?
Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Complete Collection
Sentai: $45.99 two discs, Blu-ray
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