Falin: How Dungeon Meshi Gets Female Characters Right | Delicious In Dungeon Video Essay

[@dmgurei]

Sorry if your fave girlie landed in my opening hitlist. I promise I actually LOVE shonen girls, which is why their writing tends to frustrate me a lot. There were some more controversial ones that almost made it up (cough Mikasa cough), but I didn't want that smoke LOL. Anyway, I hope you like this one! I feel like Falin almost gets overlooked in the conversations of good character writing in Dungeon Meshi, but it's honestly really impressive as to HOW Ryoko Kui makes us care with relatively little screentime. I'll keep making Delicious In Dungeon content as long as y'all want to hear it! I have a few more essays in the pipeline, as well as finally covering some other series! 🖤

[@half-bloodviewer3766]

yeah no sorry I usually tend to just leave when I don't like a video but that intro was way too mean-spirited and lowkey full of misogynistic buzzwords, you may want to rethink how you open this topic, I am usually really excited by your videos but I couldn't go past the minute mark

[@Chris-hs7vx]

You are correct about so many female characters being poorly written as the man's accessory or plot device. Some authors seem to forget to treat female characters as human beings with their own lives, thoughts, struggles, goals and dreams. Instead, the classic anime love interest's entire personality is "she luvvvvvvvsss the main character" and nothing else, yikes indeed. I am so glad to see modern anime and manga are getting a little bit better in this area.

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Too good

[@immerwish]

? Can you clarify what spots you mean by mean-spirited and misogynistic? I'm a woman and I share the same frustrations (down to annoyances with the same characters,). I guess the most you could object to are the words pick-me and girlboss, but in this context I don't see how that could be offensive. And trust me, because of recent events I'm pretty sensitive already. I just don't see how anything in this video could possibly be off-putting in the way you describe it.

[@queenlolo1384]

​@@Chris-hs7vx Anime and manga have always had well written female characters. Y'all just don't watch anything outside of Shonen.

[@burntbeanies7886]

'Whether you want to believe they're in love or you're wrong-" SOOO BASED

[@jaydedepato6995]

REAL

[@deerteethcthonic]

SO TRUE i paused my drawing to like the video after Specifically This line

[@Corey-pn1vv]

Fr the Best part of the video so far hahahaha

[@LadyRobinLockheart]

we laughed at the same time and it made it better

[@memsesosmo5084]

I think what I appreciate about Falin is that she is allowed to be goofy in an unsexy way. She has a lot in common with Laios, including his (from other's perspective) skewed priorities. In the manga we see she isn't just relegated to the female coded activities of healing and protecting, she is an enthusiastic mace wielder, like a true cleric. We also see how she helps and cares for Laios. Even with the role of damsel, we know she isn't helpless before the twist. I think another really important element to not make it a damsel story from the beginning is that not everyone in the party rushes to her aid. Two members quit the party and while there are some feelings about this, when we meet Namari we understand that it's not that she is heartless, but is in a tough situation herself and choose to prioritise her own wellbeing. Even more groundbreaking: That's shown in a sympathic light. We all want to believe that if someone we loved was in danger we would do anything for them, but in reality we all have limits. In fact, making sure you are not in danger is the first important step to helping. Otherwise, you end up like Falin! Even though the situation is urgent, having the party split grounds the situation. In a black and white narrative everything not rushing would be villainised. (Also what I think about Chilchuck: Remember that he says he went down because he was paid in advance? I would guess his contract was either for an amount of days or until they get back to the surface. He could easily have spun this as another time to get paid. Divorced girl dad barks a lot more than he bites!) Final thoughts: the central theme of dungeon meshi is eating. Falin has eaten alone a lot but remember what else we see in the last episode? Falin catching a walking mushroom and being forbidden from eating. Eating is sustenance, sharing a meal is comfort... and she is cut off from it. (As a teaser, I think Laios notes this already: her whole body is at least 5 tons. The only mouth is her small human one. Realistically she can't eat enough to sustain the body. How do you think Falin the chimera feels?)

[@princessthyemis]

oh my gosh i never thought of that!! Barred from eating!!! It's true their reactions "grounds the series;" i never thought of that before!

[@Walmartbag199]

I ain’t reading allat

[@czarnoksiezhnik]

@@Walmartbag199 thanks for letting us know?

[@KazeTheCursedOne]

The big thing about Dungeon Meshi is that it doesn't 'get dark' it was never just a 'light hearted cooking show' it just reached a point where it sat you down as a viewer and hammered home that you are not immune to the circle of life. You are not some divine untouchable outsider harvesting the gifts of nature, you are made of meat, you are as much food as the things you've been hunting. Their lives are not lesser to yours, you don't just eat for the fun of it, everyone and everything in this dungeon is fighting the same fight you are just to survive. You winning this time doesn't mean you can just leave the circle of life. You will need to eat until you die and in the dungeon that often means kill or be killed. Super psyched for season two and all the awesome videos that can be made about it. If you thought season one got dark season two will take the training wheels off and still make you laugh.

[@OhPamcakess]

Who knew a woman author could write women so well.

[@Sootielove]

tbf the number of female authors I've read who can't seem to create a female character outside the madonna-whore complex is wild. Ryoko Kui clearly put so much thought into her characters and their designs I really hope it inspires more creatives to do the same

[@OhPamcakess]

@@Sootielove You are so right about this. Ryoko Kui is just an incredibly talented human. Her art, world building and writing, everything feels real. Also, I did love this video, DMPUNK is great 😄

[@Chris-hs7vx]

Another classic example of great female characters: Full Metal Alchemist.

[@KennieKennie70]

ryoko kui's such a great writer in general. anyone can fail at writing and writing women but not just anyone can succeed and flourish

[@genericname2747]

Look, being a woman doesn't explain how good she is at writing women. Lot of women have internalized misogyny. She just puts effort into making actually good characters

[@jj_the_ent]

"tolorate her older brother" [LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER] id say she is just as batshit insane and their insanities play off each other wonderfully- shes quite possibly THE ONLY person who is excited without provocation about the dungeon food Marceille tolorates laioa falin love the bs-

[@moviemoment247]

I was thinking the same thing! She loves her brother and it's because they're pretty similar! Honestly one of the best written sibling relationships I've seen in anime.

[@ThemermaidPearl]

Yes I hate it when people ignore that she's just as autistic coded and weird as Laios. She doesn't tolerate her brother, they have similar interests and have always had similar vibes. Her being socialised as a woman makes it, that present stuff in different ways but they are such mirrors of each other.

[@jj_the_ent]

@@ThemermaidPearl similarly- we see him have some ability to see the ghosts, and falin is noted as having a special talent for ghosts- WHY DOES NO ONE POINT OUT THAT MAYBE THESE TWO THINGS ARE RELATED ??? LIKE?? MAYBE LAIOS CAN SEE GHOSTS- FOR THE SAME REASON HIS SISTER GOT SHAMED FOR TALKING TO THE PEOPLE IN THE GRAVEYARD ?? idk seems weird to me that thats seemingly never brought up-

[@DelRae]

Fallin even was just as silly as he was at a young age when it came to weird interests, it’s just she had a different perspective on how people viewed her weirdness and their actions (he saw his parents as being actively hostile towards her, whereas she viewed her parents as tolerant and a little confused)

[@ThemermaidPearl]

@@jj_the_ent some ghost in the world are visible. So I think everyone can see ghosts. The problem is how she knew things about the ghosts and seemed to be able to communicate with them. That's why everyone was creeped out

[@u3pxx]

7:07 "falin, a character who was alone her entire life, is alone again." GOD. beautifully put! orz that made me rightfully emotional... great video essay 🥹👍 GODDD

[@happySalad413]

I BUILT THESE KZbin RECOMMENDATIONS BRICK BY BRICK AND OH BOY DID IT PAY OFF!!!!!

[@aweirdlookingcat3707]

people should comment so it get into the algorithm!

[@somnium7875]

WOOOOOOO

[@mothralord1709]

For the algoooo

[@starling1773]

^

[@ribs.6683]

SAMEEEEEEEEE 😂

[@moviemoment247]

Falin was the first "damsel in distress" that I actually cared about. Her personality shined through with every flashback they had of her, so I was actually curious to see her interact with everyone. What makes it better is that everyone has a different opinion on Falin too. The damsel in distress character tends to be portrayed as perfect and loved by everyone, but it was just Marcille, Laios, and Shuro who cared this deeply for her. It was refreshing to see a character that needed to be saved and wasn't just reduced to a walking trophy at the end of the journey.

[@dogvoter9973]

I love that Falin is just as strange and off putting as Laois. It felt like she was allowed to be just as much of a person as Laois. Also the way she haunts the narrative throughout all of season 1 is soooo 🥰

[@PaulyPop]

No way you laughed at your own joke the same way I laughed at hearing the line at 3:33 lol

[@that1sprig]

He’s got a point

[@PaulyPop]

@@that1sprig 💯

[@PatientSqueaky]

I paused the video to laugh only to find him laughing once I un-paused it

[@Sootielove]

Dungeon Meshi has so much... thought put into it, it's hard to describe it another way. It takes so many stock fantasy tropes and styles, but really cares about fleshing them out beyond it. The way she designed Falin from this archetype of the sweet, benign healer girl + dead sister to kickstart the plot and not only had the twist of Falin's monster form, but even without that takes so much care to make her a human being with her own thoughts on her situation and the people around her is leagues beyond most anime (or stories in general) Falin could have just been the sister or the healer, but I'm so glad she's more. I've been running into more and more stories that use tropes because it's easy without feeling any need to elaborate, and honestly, that's one reason why female characters get constantly shafted. There just aren't a lot of stock character tropes people default as female and it requires active thought to gender flip them

[@genericname2747]

Dude I completely agree with everything you've said, but honestly, I think deconstructing typical fantasy female archetypes can work. 1. Kidnapped princess. Easy. Show her struggle with being kidnapped. Struggle with the idea that she's not a person. She's a way for an evil overlord to get power. She's something that motivates knights to fight evil. She's a new treasure in a dragon hoard. 2. Dead wife. Simple. Bring the wife back to life. How does it feel, knowing you died because your husband is a hero who angered the wrong villain, or you and your husband are just average people, but YOU are the one to die instead of him? 3. Boring background character. Imagine you're in a fantasy world, there's magic and monsters and gods, but you're just at home. You're raising children. Your husband gets to experience the world. Your son will experience the world. Your father experienced the world. But not you. Never you.

[@Sootielove]

@@genericname2747 Yeah, it can definitely work, but that's the thing, it requires work to make interesting and often more work than with male tropes, which a lot of authors can't be bothered with

[@genericname2747]

@Sootielove Yeah it sucks there aren't many good female tropes.

[@PatientSqueaky]

One of my biggest regrets is that I knew Falin turned into something before watching the series. That seems to happen to me a lot where a big plot point is spoiled for me in some way (specifically with Zelda games for some reason) but despite that I was still shocked to see what she had turned into and I'm very glad they didn't hold back on making it a monster.

[@guila5637]

Honestly most people around me don't even notice the shallowness of female characters in media which is admittedly just sadder, so seeing a video like this made me feel seen, if that's the right wording. I hope to see better written female characters similar to Falin in the future, the series touches upon so many incredible subjects that it honestly should be studied, I'm saying this as a English Literature student but the problem stems so much deeper and works like Dungeon Meshi, Witch Hat Atelier, Madoka Magica, The Apothecary Diaries and Land of The Lustrous are more precious than anyone gives them credit for.

[@dmgurei]

I just read Witch Hat Atelier this year, and the writing is FANTASTIC. I hope it blows up when the anime’s released!

[@1SadSoul1]

Chilchuck did a LOT, it was first time he actually attacked agaist something, when they fought red dragon!

[@Quandtuniverse]

It will be interesting to see your thoughts on Falin as the story develops! A lot of people seem to be of the opinion she's nonexistent as a character. I strongly disagree. It's true we mainly get to see her from the perspective of others (and thus, in one way or another, biased and emotional about their opinions of her) but I think that leaves a lot of room to read between the lines and see what else could be there....

[@whiskyconmayo]

Hell yeah, new Dungeon Meshi essay.

[@mofffy586]

When I first watched the scene at 6:33. I felt disgusted… and it was such a powerful feeling. The way she’s animated in that scene is just so wrong given the situation and it’s great. It is a literal perversion of the character into something horrific.

[@genericname2747]

I think its interesting how there's only 2 scenes in the anime that have female characters used for fan service, and both involve Falin. Her and Marcile share a bath, and then this scene. Even Izutsumi being naked is portrayed as normally as possible.

[@fexarii]

⁠@@genericname2747 It can even be argued that the bath scene is a relatively normal interaction between two very close friends (cough). Usually those bath/hot spring/sauna/etc scenes have men gawking at women or some other perverted joke, but here that's not the case. Sure it's a bit Queer but it's still played straight (haha). Somebody somewhere definitely explained this way better before me and it's been a while since I've seen that episode but yeah, it's not bad for the usual anime standards is what I'm trying to say lol There was no reason for Falin's tits to bounce like that tho damn, that was def fan service (though it's insignificant to the glorious amount of Senshi panty shots LMAO)

[@genericname2747]

@@fexarii I would definitely complain more about the boob scene if we didn't see Senshi panty shots

[@Jai_dinn]

Dungeon Meshi is great in terms of showing all types of characters in different ways and expressing them as none lesser than the other

[@2byz3]

Love the analysis, love your laugh to "or you're wrong" - indeed they are :D

[@thequasipancake4303]

I think it would also be fitting if he was laughing at the next immediate sentence he says "the flashback comes" but interpreting it as innuendo.

[@NexusVFD]

"Tolerates her older brother," I dont appreciate you underselling one of the best and most wholesome sibling relationships in anime to date.

[@misakistalker]

oh yeah female chaacters especially when written by men are as you described, they're exist just to support the man, being useful in combat/to be rescued or be the lover, but girls deserve their own personality and be memorable as their own person not like the protagonist's wife, ofc this isn't bad but these girls aren't my faves, that's why I don't like female characters unless they're villains, but Dunmeshi changed my perspective, Marcille wasn't always in positive mood that's I liked about her, Izutsumi too and she has great lines, and Falin supporting her brother bc she's weird like him was so nice to see.

[@_reign_027]

The constant shipping of Falin and Marcille is so funny😭

[@alec9934]

the way that I snorted out LOUD at 3:42,, I'm still watching but so far so great

[@KLinh-br9tn]

its been a miserable week for women all over the world. thank you for your video. your content is refreshing and hopeful in this now cesspool of rancid anger and i take comfort in that

[@scoopy_banoopy]

The chomping sound effect at 1:37 omg

[@MooshieRoomy]

this video is so spot on ,from the weight felt in their adventure with Falin missing ( i am reminded of Laios saying how conversations would be easier with her there) not only in utility but also in dynamics, like how you say, Everyone has a different relationship with her and it shows in how they worry and how they act on the mission!

[@JP-ve7or]

5:45 body horror, the feeling of our own body betraying us and becoming something unknowable (nodding in perimenopause)

[@Fakan12]

I can't wait for the next part of the manga getting adapted. No spoilers ahead, but it really continues to show Falin's importance to the characters and to the story. She's really one of the main characters, even if she's the one we see interact the less, and her impact on everything is huge, not because of what happens to her, but because of who she is, and how everyone loved her enough to go on this crazy journey (love the manga's bonus where they imagine what would'have happened if the dragon had eaten someone other than her)

[@mothids]

AHHH LOVE THIS!!!! IM SO GLAD YOURE STILL MAKING DUNMESHI VIDEOS

[@jemleye]

This makes me hope for that manga reaction now :D Can't wait for one panel about the depth of Falin's character 🤫

[@rambbler]

The girl problem in Shounen is the main reason I despise the genre, and is also the main reason I love Fairy Tail. Lucy IS the main character, and while her writing has it flaws and she does get rescued all the time, the narrative is so deeply aware of this that it even says so, she's told upfront that she has to make a sacrifice to save everyone else, and she has to get up and do it. She's no where near as well written a character as Falin, but I adore her. Neither will ever beat Kagome in my heart though. Shoujo supremacy.

[@A.x.o.l.o.t.lB.i.t.e.s.]

Falin is the best and no there is no other correct opinion. Especially when you find out how unhinged she is about protecting those she loves. They are all such real characters!! With super deep connections and the passion to keep people safe!! Ive never seen more of a real interpretation of depth in human emotion!! And relationship dynamics!!

[@queenlolo1384]

Read more manga

[@chengkuoklee5734]

No, she's not merely tolerating her brother... She embraces his shit.

[@NangkeDrawsstuff]

7:31 I feel like this is a stealth reference to the anime Dragon Half... the ending theme of which is called "My Omelet"

[@tossingturnips]

I'm so glad to see a new video! It's felt like ages since I've consumed (pun?) any DM content. Falin is wonderful. I love how she feels like a complete character despite barely appearing in the present narrative (not as a chimera, anyway). She is so sweet, almost to the point of angelic, which makes her "end boss" status so impactful. I laughed at the line "whether you want to believe they're in love, or you're wrong." Marcille and Falin are THE couple of this anime. I always cringe when I see people trying to pair Marcille with Laios, when he's never expressed any interest whatsoever. One little bit of a nitpick, and this may be just me watching this on mobile, but the music overpowers your voiceover a bit. One of the side effects of having such a soothing voice, I suppose 😊

[@genericname2747]

Manga Spoilers ahead. Laios is confirmed to not be attracted to her because if he was, he would've fallen for the succubus pretending to be here immediately. And its not like he doesn't feel love. He canonically likes boobs and big butts

[@Chiriri123]

Love this vid, Falin is my fav character cause the rest of the cast is fantastic and we just spend so much time with them too, but I couldn't help but find Falin incredibly endearing. Many mostly talk about her with marcille which I do love the ship a lot but I appreciate more conversation about Falin's character herself.

[@liesoaditlemo2474]

something about the way you speak about this already very beautiful story made me so emotional, your editing is really precise in conveying both what you mean with your words and the emotions relating to them, I really enjoyed this video! Subscribing and wishing you the best of luck

[@zFrizzi]

I'd love to see you talk about Frieren

[@buttermoon4300]

I finished the manga last year and I'm so excited to see your reaction through

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

I will never look at a plate of curry the same way again...☺

[@Liketaknoww]

"whether you want to believe that they're in love or you're wrong" LMAOOOOOOOOOO

[@baptistenormand2723]

3:32 : I had to stop the video too x) Thanks for this moment !

[@NangkeDrawsstuff]

Your content helps me keep patient for 2nd season 😊

[@ceravian]

Great video, as always! Loved the points that you made. However, could you consider making the background music a bit quieter next time? The dramatic effect of your words near the end is lost when the music is louder than you. But overall, very good. Excited to see you back!

[@bowtiefox]

'Whether you want to believe they're in love or you're wrong-" *subscribes instantly* 10/10

[@gem9535]

Thank you for keeping that wheeze after you said "or you're *wrong.* "

[@ravenartistofficial]

3:39 I wheezed with you bro, I really did. They are CLEARLY IN LOVE AND YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE!

[@testerwulf3357]

SO TRUE!!! 😤😤

[@tntchoco4433]

I swear falin is the first female characters that I actually like and love

[@Talia8pie]

YEAHHH AUTISM DRAGON!! I really, highly suggest you read the manga if you can because the anime does miss out on a lot of smaller things that happen in the background that really characterize the characters. Also! You get to see daydream hour, which is full of little doodles from Ryoko Kui, some of the stuff there is cut content as well.

[@dmgurei]

@@Talia8pie I’ve read up to where the manga ends on the channel!

[@deeksha611]

Honestly Dungeon Meshi got me back into anime, I really appreciate the way women are written in this story even just the simple fact there isn’t so much overt (hetero) fanservice made me really enjoy the story. I love the way women are treated in this show as equally as competent as their male counterparts while still having faults. The fact they and all Dungeon Meshi characters are written with so much humanity and respect makes me really love the series

[@piroshk1968]

Anime made by women are peak series I've come to notice

[@Fragmatic88]

I loved falling for Falin! Gotta save the girl!! 😂

[@Irrelevant402]

@0:36 "unrealistic." Hm yeah like a single roided guy could carry that thing.

[@hundike]

FALIN VIDEO FALIN VIDEO !

[@marude]

i need to know the last two tracks you used before the outro because wow the emotions that those two tracks evoked really elevated the delivery in their respective segments

[@sur7969]

finally, someone who gets it

[@bennett2873]

Maaan, thank you for pointing this out. I literally had to drop "The misfit of demon king academy" for exactly that reason. And I've seen A LOT of fanservice out there but that one was just so unnatural I couldn't take it anymore. I think another anime that gets it right is definitely BNHA. It's as if the author learned from all the other shounen mangaka's mistakes, corrected them and added a bit of marvel spice to it lol.

[@fuzsyskunk4252]

I love Falin and Marcel so much I could cry... I hope they get to live happily ever after as an adorable married couple and possibly run the dungeon together as a giant restaurant/wildlife sanctuary 💞

[@AuroraPaintBrush4444]

Would the Dragon meat taste more like Alligator or chicken? And yes, people eat alligator 🐊

[@JeanneFeisont]

“Anime has a girl problem-“ No? Shounens have a girl problem. This misunderstanding is pretty common, wish you’d have done a bit more research on this topic

[@queenlolo1384]

Isn't it weird how people like this constantly complain about the lack of well written female characters in anime and manga, but they never read demographics aimed at girls and women? None of them will so much as touch a Shoujo or Josei series. I. Wonder. Why.

[@starstorm1267]

@@queenlolo1384 How many demographics are aimed at women and girls in anime though? There isn’t a lot, especially not compared to ones aimed at men and boys.

[@queenlolo1384]

@@starstorm1267 Yes, there's not many Shoujo or Josei adaptations because people don't read a lot of Shoujo and Josei manga. And that's on the audience. For all their complaints about how they want an action/fantasy manga with a female lead, they actively avoid two demographics aimed at girls and women. - Snow White with Red Hair - Yona of the Dawn - Queen's Quality - Darker than Black - Sailor Moon - Magic Knight Rayearth - Cardcaptor Sakura - Red River - 7 Seeds - From Far Away - Tokyo Crazy Paradise - Kaze Hikaru - Sakura-hime - Full Moon Wo Sagashite - Basara - Shinobi Life - Ooku - Revolutionary Girl Utena - Rose of Versailles - Colette Decides to Die - Life - Love of Kill - Gokusen - etc. There's even been a trend of Isekai series in Josei and Shoujo. Also in Manhwas. The Villainess Isekai is a very popular subgenre of fantasy nowadays. "Apothecary Diaries (Seinen), Dungeon Meshi (Seinen), Witch Hat Atelier (Seinen), and Frieren (Shonen) are saving fantasy! They revived the fantasy genre!" Shoujo and Josei fantasy series: 👁️👄👁️ Like... Here's some simple math... Roughly 49 million women bought the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. That's roughly 49 million women buying 28 volumes, which is about 1.75 million buying every volume. If even *half* of them had bought Yona of the Dawn, it would have a total of 53.5 million sold. If even half of them had bought Queen's Quality, it would have a total of 24.5 million sold. Y'all complain about a girl problem in anime/manga, but actively refuse to support series with girls/women protagonists, *unless* they're aimed at men. 😵‍💫

[@testerwulf3357]

@@queenlolo1384 The PROBLEM is there isn’t MANY and even ones aimed at girls depict women in a forced distasteful manner..funfact women can have inner misogyny that gets put into their art!! Just because it’s targeting women doesn’t mean it’s good (female ghost busters anyone?) Acting like there’s no problem because “oh a few do it right” is PART of the problem!!! There’s not enough anime that depict women appropriately without having sexist undertones or making their entire character just “I am woman”, this INCLUDES anime directed at women (which isn’t many as there’s a stigma women don’t really watch this stuff). It’s also SIGNIFICANTLY HARDER to find anime directed towards women BY women, than anime made for men..as funfact quite a bit of anime for women is by men which usually ends in it being sexualized and the characters having no depth because they’re women 😒 There’s a DESIRE for well written characters (even for male protags! There’s an ongoing issue people joke about with most lacking a personality and looking much plainer than other characters); it’s just hard to find people who can ACTUALLY write BOTH male and female characters well and tell a GOOD story.

[@sweeetjuicetv]

i promise yall who who haven’t read the manga will love the finale (that’s all i’ll say)

[@vice-cent6639]

im not going to spoil anything but directly but if you dont want theming(?) spoiled then dont read this lol when Laois said fallin was haunting him he really meant it but I feel like it applies better to marcile, failin feels like the embodiment of all of her fears and ambitions but she still docent just become a thing for marcile to chase over her own self, she's not a plot point but a character that exists without others and thats something we rarely see in anime! I really hope we get more failins and marciles and other amazing female characters!

[@DiyaCh-u6n]

no cuz i loved her so much when she dissapeared again i was like “ *NO NO NO NO* “ and then i find out that’s gonna happen a bunch more

[@mikado_m]

It took me over 7 minutes to realize i was watching on x1.5 speed-

[@android19willpwn]

NONSPECIFIC SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE MANGA AHEAD Dungeon Meshi is one of my favorite manga ever, maybe my absolute favorite, but Falin is the biggest dark spot I can point to with it. It's not like the series ever "ruins" her, but after the point where the anime leaves off she all but entirely disappears as a character. What we get in this first half is good, but on its own it isn't enough for Falin to stand as her own character instead of a macguffin. It does what it needs to. It makes us care about her and it makes us want to see her restored to the rest of the party, but she never becomes someone I can care about or find interesting on her own, only ever in her relation to the actual characters in the story. Maybe it's unfair, in a story with as many great characters as Dungeon Meshi has, to ding it for *one* character not rising above her narrative function, but... as the story gets wider and the stakes get higher, it really feels like Falin gets lost in the shuffle, and they only remember to dig her out again once the story is already over. And it stings because the seeds of a wonderful character are there but they're never given space to grow.

[@genericname2747]

That's fair, but the ending itself does kind of bring this up. Vague spoilers ahead: Laios mentions that he thinks his greatest desire is to resurrect Falin. He tells his party and they're like "...No." He's a good brother, he cares about his sister, but Falin has never been his main focus. His main focus was alwats monsters, and so, Falin is never the stories main focus. Her plot line is resolved AFTER the real plot is.

[@genericname2747]

Dude you're gonna love how Falins story ends. Its absolutely perfect. Edit: no spoilers but there is some divine punishment in the ending. Not from the dragons though

[@Vv1x3n]

help ik what u mean and the reference is so funny

[@genericname2747]

@Vv1x3n hehe

[@ZellyJP]

Great video

[@xx0124xx]

I like your puns, funny man!

[@wondrousgamer3930]

"Marcille probably needs a stepstool because Falin isn't there to get things from the top shelf anymore, the perils are endless" He's not wrong though, when there is no stepstool and nobody tall enough to use my head as an arm rest I'm cooked when I need to get something down from the cabinets. My only option is to return to monke.

[@MsFlyWhale]

Great female characters tend to be created by female creators, because they obviously know better about being a female. They are also good at writing male characters. On the contrary, many male creators who make shonen manga tend to be good at creating powerful protagonists, doesn't matter of the gender, so they look shallower.

[@HarPaelTheMessenger]

SPOILER WARNING Snape kills Dumbledore.

[@ellebarron7112]

I only watched a few episodes and I'm honestly kinda baffled that people think it was a cozy anime prior to falin becoming a monster. I had friends posting manga caps for ages and it looked super cozy and fun. But then when I watched the Anime I was completely turned off because it wasn't really cozy. Some scenes kind of were but the whole race to make sure someone isn't boiled alive by stomach acid completely killed any cozy vibes for me.

[@testerwulf3357]

It’s not SUPPOSED to be entirely cozy 😅 So you’re mad you made a false assumption. It’s got cozy moments for sure! But it’s always been about saving someone

[@josepineda8902]

Nice video

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

Another example is Frieren , Fullmetal Alchemist and many more like even Demon Slayer hehe

[@AshValle-z3o]

CHILCHUCK CHILCHUCK CHILCHUCK CHILCHUCK

[@esuterunokitsune3556]

Ah yes, dungeon meshi, or as i like to call it "and nothing can go wrong!- OH NO IT ALL WENT WRONG!" How dare you call Laios insane! He just has autistic swag. (honestly i think Falin also has the 'tism, but due to her being a girl and being encouraged towards different behaviours presents differently. Think 'if i don't say anything I won't fuck up'. A lot of time Falin is reactionary, she doesn't take action of her own and i wonder where her development can be taken from that.)

[@lea_eal_lea]

i suck so bad at retrospectives, and just general analysis. but i believe an anime that treats female characters so well is NGE.

[@Seranov]

Go finish the manga. It's peak.

[@TheGoldenPhoenix-nm8qe]

As an Author, I enjoy making deep Characters. But, when I make a shallow or one dimensional Character, I never name them.😇

[@davicossamuel1911]

7:20 gotcha

[@kyoyameganebereznoff]

I love when women get to be weird and gross. Being a person is frequently weird and gross and it irritates me to no end that most women characters are seemingly barred from being those things because they have to idealized love/sexual interests.

[@queenlolo1384]

Then you'd love the manga Pink by Kyoko Okazaki, along with: - Kimi ni Todoke - Princess Jellyfish - Helter Skelter

[@tynnfoil1146]

You are NOT using erza as an example of a girlboss woman power character bruh her entire character arc is that she is not that😭😭

[@tynnfoil1146]

This ain't even the point but she DID NOT have a whole ass character arc about it to be used like this

[@testerwulf3357]

TRUE, she is strong but we see she’s only like because she feels like she HAS to be 😭 she has so many flaws, gross traits, and she just feels..like an actual person. I love fairytale so much, she is my favorite!! Probably the most developed character

[@tynnfoil1146]

@@testerwulf3357 she was genuinely so fucking weird I love her so much🙏

[@KanemiX3]

Every time there's a popular anime came out, some one like this dune make videos like these as if as it's the first time in their life watching anime.

[@amazinglyaverage412]

I’m sorry but this video being titled “why falin matters” while the pfp is marcille 😭😂 …

[@FTSFBS]

Goatttt

[@94sweetmochi]

read the manga and ull know.

[@willgegg8601]

❤

[@averagejoe455]

Falin matters, but Chimera Falin almost made me quit the show.

[@jordangrail9639]

3:37 BROTHER EHAT 😂

[@Rex_Cosmos]

Somehow I was unsubbed wtf

[@queenlolo1384]

Another person complaining about women in anime, while never bothering to read or watch anime aimed at girls (Shoujo) and women (women). 🙄

[@alittleofsomething]

>seeing two girls hanging out and they're close friends OMG THEY HAVE FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER IT'S A SHIP EVERYONE please no

[@Vv1x3n]

but guys there gay... (its not confirmed but theres lots of things people can use to support the gay claims)

[@alittleofsomething]

@Vv1x3n if it's not confirmed in the source material then it's fanon. I don't know personally, but jumping to conclusions like this just makes me think about how obsessed some people are about gayness and see it everywhere.

[@N0k4hara]

@@alittleofsomethingyeah, it’s fanon. No one was saying it was canon, just let people have fun with a series

[@alittleofsomething]

@@N0k4hara you can believe what you want, but it sounded like it was being pushed pretty hard as canon

[@N0k4hara]

@ I didn’t watch the full video, so maybe the creator was pushing on it, lol

[@MazuiLakon]

Farlyn is horrible lmao

[@jukori]

not a big fan of Falin - getting to know a character through flashbacks feels cheap and she is so freaking nice and pure that it borders on mary sue territory. She is a glorified MacGuffin.

[@genericname2747]

She is NOT Mary sue. She is not even overpowered.

[@IndominusRex-wc1ey]

​@@genericname2747i'd wager becoming a god damn dragon is overpowered In the good way because dragons are cool as fuck objectively

[@ohhithere8562]

“Farcille video!!” Said a stranger into the wind…

[@bananabanana484]

Me, a manga reader, holding back my ravenous need to talk about this series: *rashchjekridnemek*😤🫠🤬

[@genericname2747]

Me too man

[@ConsueloReinoso]

Same!!!!! Specially at the end, like wjirjjfjsjcjdejfkdkf the dragon thing sjfiekfskdjjdjs also talk about Mithrun but that's all in next part so nothing is known in the anime about him yet besides being cold and wanting to know about the Dungeon's "nutrients" 😩