Delicious in Dungeon: Jumpstart Questions

Forget "Major Dramatic Questions," just start with a simple one.

Preface!

People talk a lot about the food in any given Studio Ghibli film, and for good cause. That’s some good looking food. Enough to get any stomach rumbling. But while there are Ghibli cookbooks aplenty, there may never be a Delicious in Dungeon cookbook, though it may be the only cookbook I ever purchase.

Delicious in Dungeon leans heavily into the food visuals as well. Only their food is… monsters. Which creates this really fun visceral reaction where you can’t decide whether to salivate or avert your eyes. Sometimes you’ll do both. It was the mandrakes that did me in. Couldn’t decide how to feel about them.

I like food as much as the next guy, but the reason I didn’t dig into Delicious in Dungeon sooner is because I don’t gush over food. But it turns out all this food stuff is just the thread that holds the story together. What you get along with it—the nutrition, if you will—is the truly delicious part.

Preface over.

There’s a narrative principle that every story has to have a “Major Dramatic Question” that drives the plot, or a summary of what motivates the main character, as Google defines it. (Thanks, Google.) This principle suggests that without knowing your MDQ, you can’t properly tell your story.

If you subscribe to that principle, that’s great. Go for it. But if you just want to get a story started, you don’t need that. You can keep things simple. You can ask one simple question, and see where it goes from there. Stories can be outlined to death, you can know every beat before you get there, or you could just step into this wide open expanse and explore a little, build some things, create some people, have some fun. Start simple, create an open door, and see what happens.

Without knowing exactly how Delicious in Dungeon was formed, it still embodies that idea. “What do dungeon explorers eat?” is such a silly, simple question that may not feel like the basis of a sprawling manga, but—as we’ll get to later—it doesn’t need to be. It just needs to get you started. The question and the story evolve from there, but that central question never leaves. The feature of seeing what they eat next is never overcooked, it’s always perfectly broiled. I’ll try to stop the food puns, but no guarantees.

At the start of Delicious in Dungeon, Laios, the main character, sees his sister get eaten by a dragon. Is it fatal or not? Unclear. Sure seems like it should be, but it really doesn’t matter, because this is about food. Monsters as food, to be specific. And once that unique angle sets in, there’s no turning back, and what happens around the meal preparations may be super important (it is), but you’ll just be dying to see what they cook next. Maybe you’ll even forget about the sister. I did. It doesn’t matter (for now). Similar to Frieren, the story seems to happen around the meals. The traditional action sequences are still there, but everything begins and ends with the search for sustenance. With the next recipe.

Throughout Delicious in Dungeon, this crew unveils new recipes, shows the ingredients, throws up some stats like protein, carbs and fat content, and it’s a good laugh.

See?

Fun, right? Dare I say hilarious.

Since we brought up Frieren, “what happens after the hero’s journey” is another great example of a kickstart question. It still explores so many other wonderful things, and there is plenty of familiar tropes, but that simple, singular question drives the entire narrative.

Thinking more mainstream examples, Jurassic Park could well have begun with “what if we brought dinosaurs back?” It probably didn’t, but for the point of this exploration, it could have. Stories don’t need to be built on a foundation of narrative masterclass. Delicious in Dungeon isn’t, and look at how much fun I’m having. And you will too.

But Delicious in Dungeon sprawls from that kickstarter question. For instance, bigger questions start popping up about the effect of taking food from an ecosystem, and keeping said ecosystem’s balanced. Question about what humanity really means, and the grey space in between the poles of morality. There are lessons of moderation and being a responsible inhabitant of this world and the integral role food plays, not just in our existence, but in our social lives. In no way will you necessarily need to think too deeply, but hey, it’s there if you want it. And it balances the silliness of the series in the same way that makes Frieren stand out.

In Jurassic Park, you start with bringing back dinosaurs and you spiral into the effect of corporate greed, the flaws of upper class tourism, and so much more. But it all starts with one simple jumping off point. And, frankly, the more approachable stories tend to have simple questions to spiral from. What would happen if a meathead muscle man got into magic school? What if a dainty English estate had a demon butler?

What makes Delicious in Dungeon so addictive is exactly what makes Frieren so addictive, and what I talked about last time I explored it. It’s the framing of the story. The backbone of Delicious in Dungeon, the refrain, if you will, is food. Remember how we talked about “the same, but different” in regards to Kaiju No. 8? The same applies here.

Same: the dungeon crawling, action-packed, monster-slaying heroics.

Different: focusing on the one thing that no other dungeon crawling, action-packed, monster-slaying manga focuses on — the food.

Sometimes, that’s all it needs to be. Sometimes it really is that simple. If you want to write a modern horror, learn the genre, see what’s out there, and then pick one small thing that isn’t, and ask a question. Could be any question. Start out your story with the goal to answer that question. And you could answer that question on the first page. Delicious in Dungeon certainly does. That’s okay. The goal is to keep asking questions. See how it expands. There are no wrong questions.

Delicious in Dungeon is so refreshing. It’s silly and serious, delicious and deep. It’s everything you’d want in a dungeon crawler and a constant reminder that stories can start an infinite number of ways and play out an infinite number of paths. In the end, that’s all up to you, you can do literally whatever you want, even if you choose to grill giant bats and sauté walking mushrooms.

For creative writers: When you’re stuck, or can’t figure out what to write next, ask a simple question. Find a gap in your story and ask what happens here.

For Delicious in Dungeon fans: What’s your favorite recipe? I shared mine above, because it’s ridiculous, but would love to see yours.