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One of the most delightful and well written manga I've ever read. Never have I seen such a realistic cast of characters bond and learn so much about one another in such a meaningful subtle way.

Obviously that's not the core conceit of the story but it is the most important part of it to me.

I adore arbitrary lists, categorization and just general excessive order of things I like. So, I did a character tierlist after everything was said and done and it hit me that I never found a favorite character! Instead at the highest tier was the entire core cast of characters because I simply couldn't put one above the other!

Even latecomer Izutsumi stole my heart just as much as the rest! It's amazing how well written they are, of course as keen as I am to compliment the writing, their body language, facial expressions and general design are a huge part of their charm.

When one praises the subtlety of a story they often frame it as being ambiguous. And while I think that having ambiguity go over well with the audience takes immense skill, sublety that's blatantly clear in it's intent is far more impressive and enjoyable to me. These characters are full of genuine multitudes and sitting there after each chapter will have you realize something more about them. Yes, you could easily rush the story, not think of it much, and come out the other side with the impression of lovable slapstick goofy characters who display heavier emotions when the series gets more serious. I bet there are a ton of people who think of Dungeon Meshi in that exact way! That's completely serviceable! Yet, the series is all about the emotions and thoughts the characters don't say aloud, the way that future events so heavily recontextualize every prior scene with them. The way that even side characters are just as full of motivations, history, relations but strong and fraught. It's ridiculous that this story has the best fantasy story I've ever read before with the best and most filled out cast in one of the most thought-out realistic worlds that can still indulge in the gamiest tropes and cliches! How crazy that a story this good was suggested to me so off-handedly under the lens of being a funny comedy manga?

You've said it, your friend has said it, your ma and pa have said it. "I can't believe this comedy manga made me cry" It's not a new sentiment and it seems weirdly damning to the genre, well, I just plain can't believe this comedy manga made me cry!!

The sheer emotion and humanity of the entire story. You can feel the mangaka's compassion in how she writes the world and it's characters. It's such a wonderfully complex and simple story with so much love, just so so much love in every detail, line and word. I can't be more in love with this story. When you start reading it you'll dumbly just think that the idea seems fun and, maybe jaded by prior fantasy manga, worry about when it'll inevitably start being unbearable. Engrossed in the story, it'll surely be far later in that you'll realize that you've been completely wrapped around Ryoko Kui's finger and that she's a total masterclass writer who has legitimately changed you. Can not praise it enough.

There's so much more to be said and to praise in this story, it's high variety of body types, the way it handles fantasy races, the very exciting lore, the way the comedy persists in serious scenes not by undercutting drama but coexisting with it. I really don't have all that much time to dedicate to writing my thoughts here so I'll wrap up here but this story is seriously amazingly good!

Please please please please please please please read it now!

There's a really well done anime of it too! It's on Netflix!