Drama Digest
Kinji Ninomiya has attained his dream of a self-sustained NEET lifestyle after working industriously. Now, Ninomiya looks down on the people of the lower economic strata going about their day during a typhoon from the comforts of his penthouse. However, all his perseverance and labor go down the drain when a portal transports him to another dimension. Ninomiya now has to work for a mining company that does not care for the well-being of its employees. Adamantly refusing to survive in these conditions, Ninomiya begins scheming and devising ploys to make sure that he gets rich quickly and avoids slaving away at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder. Will Ninomiya be successful in his attempts to restore his financial freedom? Watch The Dungeon of Black Company to find out how things play out in Ninomiya’s future.
The Feel-Good Part
This anime is a gem when it comes to the Isekai genre. A satirical portrayal of the brutal nature of Japanese corporate culture, it combines dungeon crawling and the evils of capitalism into a 12-episode anime. Calling it a typical Isekai anime would be incredibly reductive, because this anime jumps from genre to genre, navigating through post-apocalyptic settings and corporate training and the misery that follows, all the while maintaining a comedic tone that makes this anime highly watchable.
The protagonist is given no redemption arc, and here lies the masterstroke because Ninomiya is a conniving jerk who prioritizes no one but himself. You are left cheering him on, while simultaneously praying for his downfall. The anime does not give Ninomiya a perfect success rate but instead fill him with the indomitable urge to get back on his feet so that he never runs out of schemes that perpetually fall apart. This portrayal of the protagonist leads to the formation of a chaotic dynamic with the viewer, which makes it all the more exciting.
The comedy in this anime is incredibly edgy, a product of fantastical and long-suffering corporate slave humor. It catches the viewer completely off-guard by striking at completely random occasions.
The Disappointing Factor
One of the problems with this anime is the low production value. The production seems like a throwback to the mid-2000s anime style, but not in a good way. The background music fits the show but is not anything significantly remarkable. The secondary characters are primarily generic Isekai characters, with character arcs that are not fresh.
In-Depth Analysis
This anime is an underrated gem of the Isekai genre, something that does not conform to the expected standards of the stereotypical plotlines that assume the viewers are all horny and have the most bizarre (and sometimes illegal) kinks. With sharp comedic delivery and a strong script that keeps you hooked throughout, this anime packs a punch. The satire is on-point, and the protagonist has an unpredictable journey. Overall, this show delivers perfectly in almost every aspect.
Star Power
The voice actors are boons to this anime, and they alleviate it majorly, and the casting director deserves props for that. Katsuyuki Konishi and Misaki Kuno make this anime into what it is, and their performance is incredible.
Overall Opinion
If you overlook a few technical aspects, this anime is close to perfection in almost every aspect. Even if you are not a fan of the Isekai genre, you should not miss out on this one.
