Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? - Season 1

 Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか) is a fantasy harem series based on the light novel of the same name by Omori Fujino and Yasuda Suzuhito.  The first season ran 13 episodes and originally aired in the Spring of 2015.

      Bell Cranel is a rookie adventurer in the city of Otario.  For amusement, a number of classical gods have come to the mortal realm, limiting their abilities and started clans of adventurers called Familia.  The adventurers explore the depths of a vast dungeon in the city for fame and fortune.  The inexperienced and naive Bell has become the sole member of the Familia under the dejected goddess Hestia.  The diminutive and buxom goddess is obsessively protective of her sole adventurer and does whatever she can to help him survive the trials of his profession.

 

    One day while exploring the upper levels Bell is attacked by a minotaur who had escaped from a lower level.  While almost mortally wounded, he is saved by the stoic and powerful Ais Wallenstein, instantly earning his affection and gratitude.  Shame of his weakness in the face of the beautiful Ais pushes him to take more risks in his drive to grow.  Those around him, who take pity on Bell, offer whatever assistance they can, but his own latent abilities prove to be his greatest asset.  Even with all of the support and miraculous still the job of an adventurer nothing but peril.

     After being rescued from the minotaur by Eis, Bell pushes himself further.  But Hestia is worried about his ability to survive.  In secret she has the forge goddess Hephaestus craft a special dagger for Bell, in exchange, Hestia has to work for Hephaestus for an indeterminable time.  At the same time the goddess Freya begins to test Bells strength in extreme ways, but constantly putting him in perilous situations.  Bells guild supporter, half-elf Eina, also does what she can to ensure his survival, offering him advice and help finding better equipment.  She convinces him to add other people to his group, in which he hires a small porter, Lilly, who's Familia is about deception and selfishness.  Despite her attempts to rob him, Bell shows nothing but compassion and brings her into his Familia.

 

    Bell begins to gain recognition by those in the town due to his well documented exploits.  This attention brings others to him, but he ends up including the dejected smith Welf, who's problematic family history doesn't cause any problems for the carefree Bell.  Instead he values Welf on Bells appreciation of the armor he has purchased from him in the past.  Now part of an adventuring party, Bell journeys deeper into the dungeon, seeking greater rewards along with greater risks.  But when the new party finds its self having to dive deeper than every in hopes of reaching safety, even the gods themselves come to his rescue.

    Normally I shy away from overt harems and have never really enjoyed many fantasy titles in the the realm of anime, yet something about Is It Wrong... is satisfying.  I can't explain it, but even though the series is overflowing with aspects I detest this show is very enjoyable.  The core of the story really comes down to Bell being the pathetic stand in for the viewer that against all odds is incredibly powerful.  Every available female archetype throws themselves at him out of little more than sympathy.  Bell moves through the series with an ever growing list of young women willing to nurture him into submission.  Yet his blindness for power and success pushes him to risk everything with each journey into the dungeon.

 

    This is true to form classic light novel turned anime fare.  Super long name, over the top characterization and a main character who represents the average under appreciated man yet has all sorts of plot armor.  But for all of the harem tropes the series is literally a Rouge-like game in the form of an anime, which must be what draws me to enjoying it.  Bell has his stats and abilities tattooed on his back, which Hestia updates after each of his adventurers.  Monsters explode into gems, abilities are gained, the dungeon levels are always different, its really hitting all of the marks.  The small world is also amusing and the characters, even though they are mostly stereotypical harem archetypes are lovable in their own way.  Sometimes genres that one has a great distaste for can come up with something to entertain anyone.

    The series and all of its current seasons have been available commercially outside of Japan since the original broadcast, so they are pretty easy to find.