vytgador magestic heritage
Juan Navarro
Back in the day, before I started doing this weird job called video games journalism, I worked in hospitality for more years than I'd like to think about. It was always going to happen, my family has a background in it, and my dad's a chef, so food was just a big part of my life anyway. In turn, I'm lucky enough to know a little bit about cooking, and have gotten pretty good at it! It's a skill you have to put time into, as it's not exactly something most people will teach you, which sometimes makes it hard to learn. But, and bear with me here, I honestly think Delicious in Dungeon, Netflix's latest anime about killing monsters and turning them into delicious meals, has some surprisingly good lessons about cooking.
How about a point of introduction, first, as you might not have heard of this new anime. Based on the manga of the same name, Delicious in Dungeon sees a group of travellers attempting to make their way through an underground dungeon filled with all kinds of creatures and monsters, as they attempt to rescue one of their members from the stomach of a dragon. The only problem is, they're flat broke, so can't afford food. Enter Laios, leader of the party, and monster lover, suggesting that they eat the monsters they kill.
The anime adaptation comes from the acclaimed Studio Trigger, best known for their works like Kill la Kill, Promare, and more recently, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It's not got the fanciest animation in town, but it's still lovingly rendered, and funny as all hell, a lot of that coming from the complete opposing force that is Laios, secret weirdo that wants to eat monsters, and Marcille, the elven mage of the group who couldn't be more repulsed by the idea.
What I love most about the way it presents cooking is the way that it encourages experimentation. The first episode introduces a dwarf called Senshi, an odd fellow who knows a lot more about cooking monsters than Laios does, thanks to his years spent figuring out how to do so. Laios, new to the whole thing, simply relied upon a guide telling him what was and wasn't safe to eat, and while I love a good cookbook, it can only get you so far.
There's also a good lesson to be learned about foraging, too. At one point in the first episode Marcille starts to prepare a spell that will kill a bunch of plant monsters that they want to eat, but Senshi interrupts her, teaching her that you should only ever take as much as you need. This is a genuine rule of foraging too, as whenever you do forage, you should never take it all, and you should especially leave behind anything you can't physically reach.
With lessons like these, what we're left with as a viewer is the idea that food is something to be respected, particularly the preparation of food, and the steps we take to even get to the prep part. Cooking definitely isn't for everyone, we all have our own skills, but it's one I'm really glad I have, and seeing the joy of it translated onto screen in such a fantastical way lights up my metaphorical kitchen hob.
What's that I hear you say? The idea of eating "huge scorpion and walking mushroom hotpot" grosses you out? Well, fair, but the show does make it look pretty tasty if you ask me, and really the important thing to learn here isn't what you make, but that it's worth putting in the time to learn how to make it. It's fine, you can make a regular hotpot, but when you do, make sure you really put some time into thinking about why you're adding what you are. It might just make the food taste better.
Netflix has greenlit a new anime entry called Sakamoto Days, which will be available for streaming worldwide in January 2025. The series, which is an anime adaption of the manga of the same name by author and illustrator Yuto Suzuki, follows legendary ex-hitman Taro Sakamoto as he bands with comrades to face off against the looming thread of assassins to ensure a peaceful life with his beloved family.
The official logline: The greatest hitman of all - his name was Taro Sakamoto. The man who was feared by all villains, and revered by all hitmen - one day, fell in love! When Sakamoto met Aoi the convenience store clerk, it was love at first sight; and just like that, he retired. Sakamoto got married, had a daughter, opened a mom-and-pop store in a quiet town, and completely transformed... into a plus size! To ensure a peaceful life with his beloved family, the legendary ex-hitman takes on a relentless stream of assassin attacks. This action-packed story of the ordinary and extraordinary begins here!
Each episode keeps its promise, delivering a twist on the tales you know so well. However, they take care to never move too far away from the original, making it easy to identify the fairytale it is based on.
I had high hopes that the episodes would be more solid, especially due to the episode length. The episodes run anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, a bit longer than the standard 20-something minutes for most anime. Unfortunately, that extra time often went towards credits and interactions between the Grimm siblings at the beginning, rather than giving the story more room to grow.
Netflix has added some incredible titles to its anime library in recent years. In addition to quintessential series, there is also a substantial amount of originals that are holding their own against titles already well established in the canon. The streaming service took care to introduce a variety of genres: there are plenty of action, comedy, and romance series to choose from. If you are ready to explore even the weirdest corners of Netflix to find binge-worthy content (and you should be), we are here for you.
Below, the Paste writers have catalogued the best anime series on Netflix (starting with our favorites) that are sure to hold the attention of both experienced weeaboos and anime first-timers alike.
By now, most people have at least a cursory awareness of Neon Genesis Evangelion, whether it be from the overwhelming amount of branded merchandise or the consistent references in popular media. But for a show as ingrained in the animation canon as Evangelion, how we discuss it is in constant flux. Initially touted as a meaningful deconstruction of the mecha popularized by Gundam and Macross, the franchise later became bloated and rife with superfluous content much like the melodramas-as-merchandise they lampooned years before.
The reach of anime goes way beyond Japan and the U.S. Google Trends shows that anime is searched most in Japan, followed by the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, El Salvador, and Peru at two through five. The site OtakuPlayPh.com, a resource for Filipino otaku (the Japanese word for geek), lists over 70 anime or cosplay conventions in 2019 in the Philippines alone. And Saudi Arabia has held a few anime conventions since 2017, despite protestations by religious Saudis.
Showrunners Matt Ownes and Steven Maeda had a Herculean trial on their hands. They had the task to adapt a wacky anime that has over 1100 episodes out and is ongoing. They made the smart decision to cover the first 61 episodes and focus on the main story beats.
The cast shines with actors who are so charismatic that they feel as charming as their animated counterparts. Iaki Godoy was incredible as Monkey D. Luffy, so optimistic that it was genuinely inspiring. The endlessly entertaining characters of Nami, played by Emily Rudd; Usopp, played byJacob Romero Gibson; and Sanji, played by Taz Skylar, play off of Iaki and each other so well. The only actor and character who felt lacking was Mackenyu, as Roronoa Zoro, who felt wooden, with an underdeveloped shift in motivations later on.
No hero would be anything without a good villain, though, and the show sores with a good villain gallery. The clown pirate, Buggy, played by Jeff Ward, was a highlight for being hilariously crass and rude. The intimidating fish pirate, Arlong, played by McKinley Belcher III, elevates the climax by making him so evil that the audience wants to see him defeated, but also so powerful that they question how our heroes could do it.
While the action stylishly shows off, many audience members may feel put off by how unrealistic it looks. Fights will often seem like they are too staged. Characters will punch an enemy so hard that they fly through a wall, but not enough to leave a bruise.
The anime take on the franchise comes from the iconic studio behind Ghost in the Shell and lands on Netflix very soon. The latest trailer is the most comprehensive look at the series yet, and gives us a hint at the very dark tone it will have.
"Malcolm, what makes you think humanity is worth saving?" the voiceover begins as we see our protagonist reckoning with the knowledge about Skynet's nuclear future. The eight-part show focuses on a soldier sent back in time to try and save humanity from this grisly fate.
The new trailer also introduces us to the full voice cast of the new series as well. We hear Moonlight star Andr Holland as Malcolm Lee, Ahsoka's Rosario Dawson Eiko, and House of the Dragon's Sonoya Mizuno. The Mandalorian's Timothy Olyphant also voices the Terminator and The Handmaid's Tale star Ann Dowd plays The Prophet. The Batman 2 writer Mattson Tomlin also acts as showrunner.
Netflix only launched in Japan in late 2015 and released its first anime feature film, Blame!, in 2017. Fast-forward five years and the streamer says that half of its estimated 222 million subscribers watched some anime on its service in 2021. Globally, the company also saw a 20 percent increase in the total hours users spent watching anime last year.
Calling all Terminator fans! Judgment Day is coming and Netflix is giving you your first look at a new chapter in the Terminator saga. From Skydance, Production I.G. & Mattson Tomlin comes one of the most anticipated anime series of the year, TERMINATOR ZERO. Join us for never before-seen footage, meet the new characters and discuss the action-packed and heart-wrenching future of TERMINATOR ZERO.
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