If you're loving Delicious in Dungeon as much as I am, then you need to check out this incredible fantasy series

Delicious in Dungeon is having a little bit of a moment, and I'm personally thrilled to see it. When it comes to things like merchandise, you won't really see a series get any until it's in anime form, and a plethora of merch and things like collaboration cafes are typically reserved for more popular series - luckily the fantasy series from Ryoko Kui is being treated to both and more. It's refreshing, as Delicious in Dungeon is such a unique take on fantasy that the genre has sorely needed for the longest time. But it's not alone in revitalising fantasy.

While it is yet to receive an anime, there is another manga I really think you should check out if you like Delicious in Dungeon: Witch Hat Atelier. Rather than eating monsters and diving into dungeons, Witch Hat Atelier follows a young girl, Coco, who lives in a world where only people born with the ability to use magic can do so, making it a pipe dream for most, including our protagonist. Except, that's not quite the truth, as Coco discovers, accidentally petrifying her mother, thrusting herself into a world of magic as she searches for a cure, all the while getting roped into a wider conspiracy.

Excellent hook aside, it's actually the worldbuilding I love the most about Witch Hat Atelier. In Delicious in Dungeon, there are regularly explanations for how each of the monsters work that are often scientific, making them feel like they could be real creatures. Whether it be dragons clicking their tongues to light the spark for their fire breath, or living armour that's actually molluscs, there's clearly just so much thought put into every aspect of how the world works.

Witch Hat Atelier is much the same, albeit with a much bigger focus on magic. The way that spells work is through drawing them, a not wholly original concept, but it's the specifics of it that feels special. Most spells are made by drawing a circle, with various glyphs presented somewhere inside, outside, or alongside it, resulting in different forms of magic. It's important to draw these carefully and precisely, as a wonky spell can have disastrous results.

But the fun part is that it allows for so much creativity. A big part of the series is Coco, an outsider unfamiliar with the world of magic, using her naivety to her advantage, often bringing a perspective that results in wholly unique spells. It is quite literally about the essence of creativity, and thinking outside of the box when it comes to making art, something that hits all the harder given the fact it's a work that is made by being drawn itself.

I think in turn it makes a really powerful, though inadvertent, case for being against AI. Witch Hat Atelier frequently espouses the idea that it's worth making spells just for the simple joy of creation, but even more importantly than that it's saying that learning how to get better at a skill is something worth putting time into, even if it's difficult, and even if the whole world is against you.

Fantasy is one of my favourite genres, but for the longest while I felt like I haven't been able to enjoy it due to a lot of works being a bit stale, if I'm to be a bit mean. There's only so many times I can see a story about goblins being evil just because they're born that way, after all.

I mentioned that Witch Hat Atelier doesn't have an anime, but it is getting one, even if news on that front has been quiet for a while now. You could wait for that to arrive, but honestly, the best time to hop on is right now, so that you get to say "I read Witch Hat Atelier before it was cool." And more importantly, you get to read a fantasy series that's about being whisked away to a world filled with magic that's actually worth your time.