Anime Review: "Reborn to Master the Blade..."

Reborn to Master the Blade. Becomes Vegeta instead.

This is more like what I’m looking for in a isekai power fantasy than most of the shows that came out this season, but there were enough annoying things about it that ultimately I soured on it a little by the end. But not THAT soured. Still kinda recommend it if you're into dumb isekai stuff.

The premise behind this one is that of a kind, beloved king, ruler of a prosperous fantasy empire, being reincarnated into another fantasy world, or maybe the same one, just in a different time (honestly I can’t remember which it is because it’s kind of passed over quickly in the early episodes and never comes up as a plot element later on); the king is reborn as a girl, which he adapts to pretty quickly. That plot hook is wasted for the most part and not really played off of at all, though the reincarnated king, in the body of a little girl reminded me of Rudeus from Mushoku Tensei, maybe that’s just me. Since the King isn’t nearly the same level of perv, it doesn’t really feel gross.

The first of the BIG issues I had with this series was its broken promise. The king is reborn to master the blade. The blade!! So, WHY? Does the MC mostly go around punching the crap out of monsters and shooting lasers from her fingers??? What the hell? Did it turn out drawing sword fights was too hard? I simply don’t understand. When she’s a child, there’s ONE really, really good sword fight, which really sucked me in. I thought this series was likely to be really good based on that episode, but after that, the MC barely ever uses a sword again.

The other issues I had with this were mostly just niggles. The plot seemed overly complex. I’m still not entirely sure what exactly a Hieral Menace is, but I think it lets (forces? Curses?) people to turn into powerful weapons??? (wasn’t clear if it’s permanent… or? Idk). Last of my issues was the incomplete plot hooks which are all left dangling. The series ends, but nothing is resolved, ensuring that if we want to see any of this reach its conclusion we either need to buy the source material, or hope that a season 2 gets made.

I’ll probably wait for a season 2 if there is one, but I doubt I’ll be picking up the manga/ln’s.

Wait… hold on, this doesn’t sound like I’m very positive about this anime, but I’m giving it a 6?

Should I reevaluate??

Nah, there was actually quite a bit to like here.

The villains are bad, but there’s a few who are sympathetic and multi-dimensional. The good guys are good, but some are complex and have several facets. The series is never loses its light-heartedness even in the most serious battles, so it’s not dragged into the dreary, meaning even if there’s conflicts they don’t feel depressing. The action scenes are well-done; the animation is crisp, even if the art looks like everything else that’s coming out in this genre these days. Ultimately I felt the personality in this series was strong enough that it’s likable on those merits alone.

So, this one is just barely a 6 for me. Maybe a 6.1.

Anime Review: "Raising 80K Gold..."

This show was my 80,000th Reason Why

On a conceptual level I think this brought enough new ideas to the isekai genre that it was worth watching just for the freshness. Being able to come and go between this world and a fantasy world + having a character predominantly motivated by money + the mc’s super power is a glock = a formula for a good time; sadly the execution here wasn’t great, with some episodes having borderline awful animation. The story had enough bad plot/story developments that it sadly outweighed whatever positive base the premise had going for it. And the worst offender is this series REPEATS. REPEATS EVERYTHING. The MC makes friends with not ONE, but THREE different little girls. The villains in this are almost ALWAYS some random, annoying, greedy old man (literally every single villain except for the monsters is a fucking ugly bastard). I lost count, but I feel like there was at least 5 of them....  thankfully this was a pg-13 mainstream series and not an H title, cus, damn. Ugly bastards everywhere.

I didn't mention this in my MAL review, but the main character is also an insufferable dolt. Like, WTF are you even thinking????? I suppose there's a reason she failed her entrance exams and couldn't get into college in the first place. The real moment this threw me was when she goes out on a quest with a bunch of professional adventurers. Before going to bed she tells them she's off to bathe, then pops out in a bikini... like what in the actual fuck are you thinking girl? You KNOW this isn't gonna fly in his medieval society! Why? just... ugh... use thy brain, please.

I just got so tired of watching the same plot play out over and over that ultimately this series bored the pants off me.

This dreadful anime barely earns a 2... 

Anime Review: "Chillin In My 30's..." [I genuinely can't remember the rest of the title]

I mean, at Least Tomokazu Sugita is in it

This series was hot garbage. It was mildly fun garbage, kinda like finding a really messed up sofa thrown out by the curb, but at the end of the day, still garbage. The best compliment I can give this series is that I didn’t actively hate it by the end, just felt kinda indifferent to it. Not memorable, but I wouldn’t say it was boring enough to forget. I will remember Malika (Marika?) at least.

Tomokazu Sugita [Gintama’s Gintoki], the voice of the main character Dariel was fighting for his life trying to carry this series, but his voice acting alone couldn’t pull it off. I did enjoy his performance though I wouldn’t say it’s his best, or one he’ll probably remember five years from now. Felt a bit like a paycheck show.

The title for this series is total BS. There is virtually nothing “Chill” about this series. Dude goes from one conflict to another and gets absolutely no rest, because the girl of his dreams hits like a truck every time she runs in for a glomp. And glomp she does. So even in his down time, he’s dealing with broken ribs every times he catches a hug.

The BETTER title for this series would be “Nobody will let me chill, even in my 30’s”. Dariel gets expelled from the Demon King’s army’s only to end up busy as hell even in his early forced retirement. The characters here were all pretty standard; same tropes we’ve seen a million times before. Demon King, Four Heavenly Kings, overenthusiastically-here-to-train hero, big-boobie oneesan waifu (that would be the aforementioned Malika). Etc. Etc.

In the end, I found it pretty boring and repetitive, but not in a way that made me fast forward, or skip episodes. Not entirely sure why I stuck it out with until the end, but I think it had something to do with Malika. I just can’t quite put my finger on which part.

A year from now, I doubt I’ll remember this series, just like Sugita won’t, but, that’s ok. Not every anime can be Mushoku Tensei, even if Tomokazu Sugita is in it. (Have I mentioned how much I like Tomokazu Sugita? Is that coming across?) We need 1’s in order to really appreciate the 8’s and 9’s. They make the 10’s feel even more incredible. This show wasn’t THAT bad though. The art-style and animation were cookie-cutter and manufactured, but they weren’t dreadful, or copy-pasted, like an ExArm or TanMoshi. I did get a couple laughs out of it; plus… Malika. So, thank you, “chillin in my 30’s” for at least not making me hate you. With that in mind. 30 / 10 equals 3, so you’ll be getting a 3 stars.

Anime Review: "Handyman Saitou in Another World"

This is a STRONG 7. Like... 7.99

I'd say this is well above average in terms of quality isekai series. I generally dislike it when an isekai with a ridiculous premise, such as this one, gets serious, but somehow, I wasn't overly bothered by it here. The plot of this show is pretty much right there in the title. A handyman, named Saitou, ends up being transported to a fantasy world; he joins a party of adventurers who’re exploring a dungeon. He’s good at picking locks, disarming traps, kinda fulfills the role of a rogue in general ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ terms, but without the stealthy backstabbing. I bring up D&D because I could definitely see this entire series being played out on a table-top. It felt like a really whacky campaign, designed by the world’s weebiest DM. For example, one of the biggest, plot-centric turn of events involves a Roomba. So, even when the anime is at its most serious, those bits were balanced out well with laughs and general silliness. It gets precarious, but not bogged down in a dark, depressing way. I really liked the cast of characters too. Saito’s party of adventurers includes a bad-mouthed fairy, a blushing maiden of a fighter, and a lecherous old wizard who can’t remember his own spells. Definitely reminds me of a D&D group generated with quirkiness in mind. Each of them gets a great backstory, some even having entire arcs dedicated to resolving their past conflicts (I cried during the wizard’s). Outside the main party, there’s also a really diverse group of side characters who add their own unique flavor to the show, and here is where I think the series really shines because they’re all so vastly non-standard, that you’re always in for something special when someone new shows up. Even the villains are given their own time to shine. This series was a delightful little piece of isekai popcorn, and I’m glad I stuck with it, even though the start was a bit rocky.

Anime Review: "The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady" - 5/10... oof

 
Viva the Yuri Revolution!!

Or that’s what I’d say if this series left me feeling excited about it. Sadly I didn’t really enjoy it as a whole.

I enjoyed PARTS of this show, but way, way too much of it was bogged down in seriousness and depression. Why can’t I just have a cute little yuri isekai slice of life series???? I dislike series that can’t pick a tone, and this series definitely had that issue. It started off with the hilarious antics of this bloody, wild princess, who steals away her brother’s fiancé to take for herself. It’s very comedic. I was legitimately laughing at how the princess shows up the first time. I need a good laugh these days. Life’s too serious to be serious all the time.

But, the problem comes after this, because all of the important obstacles in the story are TOO big, and TOO serious. Really killed the mood.

The titular ‘reincarnated princess’ is from our world, by the way, which is never really used as much more than a B-side subplot device to give her a reason to come up with various magical inventions that look like stuff from our world. Not that that’s a bad thing, but this series definitely puts me into the frame of mind where I’m questioning what the point of this series being an ‘isekai’ is in the first place. The origin world stuff really doesn’t come up that much whatsoever. Could have been default fantasy without a problem.

This is a problem because on the one hand, we have a ridiculous princess who makes flying brooms and magic swords, and there’s vampires and dragons, etc. and on the other hand we have a very serious plot with characters being worried about rites of succession and having to bear offspring that will carry the royal bloodline. There’s a serious divide here. Ultimately it led to me feeling pretty bad about the series in general.

In the end, this series became one I completed mostly for the sake of not leaving something unfinished, but I couldn’t really bring myself to care very much about it. The visuals were stunning, so it certainly wasn’t a drag to watch, but I don’t think I’ll think about anything aside from it having a cute little yuri couple. I ended up buying the manga after the first episode, and with the dramatic tone shift, I actually felt pretty baited. Not likely to continue to buy volumes of this, or watch a season 2 if they make one.