The Dungeon of Black Company

 This Halloween, I read the first volume of The Dungeon Of Black Company manga series. Having not had much experience reading anything remotely affiliated with the Isekai* genre, I had no expectations but I was intrigued by its premise.

Kinji Ninomiya is the spirited overbearing hero of the manga. He is a NEET* living a comfortably wealthy life in his penthouse and spending his free time mocking everyday individuals who work and struggle to make ends meet. Then one day, he is magically transported to the parallel world; Amuria, where he is forced into slave labour alongside demi-human monsters, goblins and vampires in the Detmolt mines. The only way out of his plight in this twisted world is to make his fortune whatever the cost.

I found the animation of the humanoid creatures in this manga to be very expressive and enjoyed the moments of light humour, such as Rim’s constant threats to eat Kinji. The characterisation of Kinji is very anti-hero. He’s not likeable or relatable nor does he represent the ideals one would normally attribute to a hero, such as justice for example, but it was interesting to see him forced into living the life he previously taunted and have to come to terms with it. I really enjoyed the novelty of this manga and its unusual animation. It’s very fast paced and action packed to the brim!

Isekai – A genre normally attributed to light fantasy graphic novels when the main character gets transported to a parallel world.

NEET – Not in Education, Employment or Training. Normally refers to socially introverted people who don’t want to work.