English Dub Review: Dungeon People “Exploration and Cooking”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Despite the abundant ingredients at hand, Clay and Belle are indifferent to cooking.  Rangado proposes that they take cooking lessons.

Our Take:
Let’s face it.  No one likes to work on an empty stomach, and neither does Belle and Clay.  But learning to cook can be as hard-working as their jobs, at least in their eyes.  After a few episodes of working and exploring the dungeon, this week’s episode offers a more random, slice-of-life approach in showcasing Clay and Belle’s perspectives on cooking.  Clay only eats bread and dry meat and drinks water to survive, and she only boils and grills food with her knife instead of cooking utensils.  As for Belle, she only eats one or two of the fresh products from stock every so often.  It doesn’t serve much of a purpose to the overall plot since it’s just the protagonists learning how to cook meals from the thieves’ guild’s assistant chef, Furin.  However, it did provide a lighthearted and comical lunch break that explores the characters’ different perceptions, especially Clay’s viewpoint on cooking as a survival technique.
Unfortunately, as much as I would like to see more of these cooking shenanigans with Clay and Belle, they don’t take up the entire episode, as its second half continues Clay’s exploration of the dungeon.  However, it didn’t take long for her to realize how tough the later floors may be following her encounters with a humanoid flame monster, a plant spirit, and a metal-covered golem.  Amid the exploration, this segment takes a comical stab at women’s armor, known by many anime enthusiasts for showing more of their skin for fan service.  Considering the amount of fantasy anime we have, it’s nice that we have one that acknowledges this element in a comical manner.  Thankfully, Rangado made an armor for Clay that wasn’t too revealing for her to wear for her dungeon exploration.  Despite being seen as a filler episode at first glance, “Exploration and Cooking” managed to make this lunch break more enjoyable and humorous than it should’ve, further showcasing the show’s ability to improve in each episode regarding its plot and charming tone.