r/DungeonMeshi

Just saw this announced in the morning!! I'm seeing their official accounts @dun_meshi_us getting populated with this rollout. Im so excited as I'll be in LA for Anime Expo at the same time hehe

1. This is the most solid evidence in my opinion: the earmuffs page in the extra materials (adventurer’s bible I think) specifically uses Thistle as an example of someone who can wear elf earmuffs without it being embarrassing on a page saying elf earmuffs are for children and it’s embarrassing if you’re an adult. I think this gives heavy implications about Thistle’s age that indicate that he is a minor.

art from adventurer’s bible, I believe, but this may be a fan translation rather than the official

Why else would Ryoko Kui choose Thistle specifically to wear the earmuffs and be fully okay with it on a page all about how elf earmuffs are for children?

(and young women/people — the examples of which are Pattadol (82, which is around 16 in elf years) and Marcille, who are only just about okay with it and still a little embarrassed, but if she was trying to say Thistle is a young woman/person rather than a teen/kid he’d be grouped with Marcille and Pattadol. yen press says ‘young woman’ and this is a fan translation I believe which do tend to be more accurate sometimes due to

I have seen some suggest that perhaps it’s because Thistle didn’t grow up around other elves, but if we think about the author’s intention… why would she make it all about the ages if the point she is making is a cultural difference? Why wouldn’t she mention at least a quick line referencing how elves who grew up around tallmen don’t get it?

2. Marcille calls Thistle a child when she first sees him in the manga (interestingly this is cut out of the anime). Less strong evidence imo because of her tendency to call people kids when they are not (see: chilchuck). However! She calls people children when they are short-lived races, and Thistle is an elf like Marcille. Furthermore, when you add this to the evidence of the earmuffs, I think it makes it very clear that the intention is for Thistle to be perceived as a minor.

https://preview.redd.it/33qscbjhlg2h1.jpg?width=1881&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5d00a14357697a389515ddac29623655d1f3964

Elves age 5x faster than tallmen and their age of majority is 80, which is 16. tallmen are also considered adults at 16. this means that for Thistle to be considered young enough to wear elf earmuffs without it being embarrassing at all (since when you are only just around 80 it is still only juuuust okay) he would need to be 79 (15) at the very most but probably younger.

I would put him at 60 (12) at the very youngest (any younger would be pushing it too much given Thistle probably is at least 20 years older than Delgal and Delgal was old enough to have a grandson who is a teen). edit: I think 70-75 (14-15) is the most likely age for him

It is kinda irritating if you try to do the maths, though… because if thistle stopped aging when everyone else did then for him to be under 80 he’d have to be like 25 (5) at most when Delgal was born and he doesn’t look 5 years old at all in the birth scene he just looks the same age as now but with short hair…

so yeah that is why I think interpreting Thistle as a teenager is more canonically accurate than interpreting him as an adult!

My brother was convinced Falin x Marcille was canon because of the fandom, like he actually thought this. He didn't realize they weren't canon and didn't believe me at first when I told him. I find it so funny how much his VERY VERY LITTLE interactions with the fandom managed to convince him otherwise. He told me he always thought of dungeon meshi as the "lesbian elf medieval fantasy cooking anime"

anyways I just wanted to say this cause I find it hilarious

Edit: Was not expecting this to apparently be such a big problem within this fandom. While it is sad that many people go in with false expectations, the draw of the ship is something that draws many people in to read, which means that many who would not have read it otherwise will now go ahead and dip their toes in. Now you have a possible new fan (even if they are surprised and maybe a tad disappointed) who can support the author.