This Week in Anime

Once More Unto the Isekai Breach

Coop
Seeing as I've edited a light novel or two in my day, I won't say no at another chance to whip out the red pens, Lucas! I'm glad you shared a photo of our dragon friend here, because the series he hails from is a good place to start.

The Water Magician is an adaptation of the leisurely paced light novel series of the same name. However, the books are so lax that our colleagues, Chris Farris and Rebecca Silverman, didn't exactly find them to be a riveting read. Which is a shame, because I felt that the story presented here would work much better on the page.

The series follows Ryo, a kid who decided to move up to the mythical country and live the slow life after a deadly encounter with our friend, Truck-kun. The first episode takes its time showing how Ryo becomes the titular mage while learning to survive in a new world. Maybe not the most engaging watch, but I could see this being a "lofi anime to sleep to" for some, given that relaxed atmosphere. As I alluded to, this more meditative sort of plot works a touch better in text, generally.

It doesn't help that the "lunch date with god before I'm reincarnated" is an extremely well-worn setup across all forms of isekai media. The Water Magician made me a little drowsy, but the opening has a catchy tune and some neat visuals. As you said, Lucas, it's not the most egregious first episode we watched this week.

I have to say, that's probably one of the most "I'm the edgiest 13-year-old ever" titles I've seen in a while. There's a cool angle of the main kid, Takuto, being seen as a mass of pure evil by everyone but his best girl. But they sure end up sitting around way more than Ryo does in his show. Other than that, Mynoghra has some meme-able moments worth a screen cap for the occasional joke. However, this first episode didn't do anything for me otherwise.

If some studio made Sid Meier's Isekai, I'd probably be way more into it than this. I've seen the first two seasons of Overlord, guys. I know how this goes.

Speaking of isekai series that've gone on for at least four seasons, how about that Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4? As someone who knows more about the series' controversies regarding a false sexual assault accusation plot (which we will get back to later in this column) and weird, plot-justified slavery (isekai writers just need to stop doing it in general), I wasn't thrilled about checking this one out.

Having an opening that blatantly apes the visuals of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' own intro didn't exactly leave me with a great impression either. But more than anything else, I feel conflicted about Shield Hero because the series' continued success has undoubtedly allowed Kinema Citrus to pursue spectacular original projects like Revue Starlight. As much as I didn't care for what I saw in this episode, I understand that when you're running a studio, you have to find a way to keep the lights on. I'll admit, perhaps I'm not giving this series enough of a chance, but I don't feel as if the plot in motion cares if I do or not.

At least our favorite Pokémon starters are here.

If I can take a silver lining out of this experience, it's probably that it allowed the folks at Kinema Citrus to make the upcoming Goodbye, Lara a reality. What a stunning trailer.

I'm going to say, "No, sir. Never in a million years." The idea of a character purposely debuffing themselves in an RPG world in exchange for immense power could be interesting. However, putting the fulcrum of that character's life on a false sexual assault accusation setup isn't it, chief. That element is used so carelessly here, when a story like that deserves so much focused care and attention, especially when one considers that real-life offenders regularly use this ploy as an excuse to get out of any consequences.

Not to mention that this behavior dissuades victims from filing a report, along with undermining the perceived credibility of the victim and anyone who is actually in Shigeru's situation here. Like I said, this is a deeply sensitive subject that shouldn't be carelessly whipped around. An element like this can very easily be twisted into a misogynistic pretzel.

What infuriated me the most about Uglymug (and a good chunk of the titles we're going over) is that instead of pressing forward and living with their choices in life, these characters escape to another world. A little escapism is beneficial after a horrible day at work, when you're trying to end your night on a positive note. However, trying to escape life entirely is just incredibly unhealthy. We all go through rough times, but the only way to get through them is to move forward.

More importantly, Lucas, Turkey! comes to us from Susumu Kudo, the director of Momentary Lily and Darling (yes, THAT Darling). People have razzed on this gentleman's work for a good long while now, but I know this for sure: whatever he creates might be incredibly disorienting, but it won't be boring.

Despite that notoriety, the series looks quite nice and utilizes Kudo's penchant for overanimation rather well in the bowling sequences. His flourishes provide an interesting spin on the sport, gesturing at angles that couldn't be explored in live-action.

It's a late 80s movie plot for sure, but the concept of an ancient bowling ball getting hit by lightning and sending a local high school team into the past is a surprisingly refreshing hook.

As is an ice-cold bottle of tea from your neighborhood vending machine.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, Now I Wander the Dungeon Season 2 is more or less the joke about isekai titles you've heard for years now. While it's a pretty standard tale in this sort of fare, I appreciate how hard it commits to the bit, one that gets even funnier when I realized that Boxxo can transform into other machines. That element makes for some dynamic and imaginative action that ended up making me grin like an idiot.

Don't make Boxxo go all Powerwash Simulator on your behind.

It's telling that even with a good central bit, Vending Machine walks many of the same narrative trails other series do. Though I think it goes a long way when you can tell that the crew behind this seems to be having a good time with the concept. The font work and presentation of credits in the intro are great examples of that.

My summary of New Saga might be more memorable: After defeating an evil god in a high-stakes encounter, some dude named Kyle discovers a MacGuffin that has taken him back in time so he can make the stakes less high. He gropes his childhood friend first thing after waking up in the past.

The concept of Kyle struggling with post-traumatic stress from events that have yet to happen is compelling, but my gut tells me that New Saga doesn't have the proper bandwidth to deftly explore it.

Speaking of shows that had only one (maybe) standout element and a questionable moment involving groping, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 2 was certainly one of them I watched. I like the idea of a gag anime in the isekai space, but there are elements around the edges that squicked me out. For example, the titular seventh prince, Lloyd, seems to be designed with some sort of gaze in mind...and he's a child.

Best to move on to Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse. This one follows a delinquent with a heart of gold who is spirited away to a world that blends Japanese mythology with cutting-edge technology.

As a robot enthusiast, this series is fairly old hat to my eyes. However, this is possibly the only title on this list that made me say, "If I were fourteen, I'd probably eat this up." I'm thrilled that Onmyo Kaiten could become "that one show I dug as a teen" for some viewers. I definitely couldn't say that about Shield Hero or Uglymug, as those two are constructed for the fatally cynical twenty-something. Even if Onmyo Kaiten isn't going to win any awards, I'm glad to see more "not amazing, but earnest" shows being made alongside the sludge.

Takeru's little lesson in hubris here might be hard to broadcast, but I thought to myself, "This could be a show on Toonami."

And don't forget a little Amazing Digital Circus to taste!

I'm right there with you, Lucas; Necronomico is my favorite pick of this entire bunch. It's both making fun of and commenting on influencer culture, while also using that subject matter as a springboard to play around with different animation styles.

But for as much as the series has won me over with its characters and visuals, we have to talk about the elephant with five trunks, two thousand tusks, and forty nails in the room.

I wouldn't be so excited...

The ANN news team has already throughly investigated this story, but I'd be lying if this incident wasn't in the back of my head while watching this episode. I'm thrilled that all parties involved have seemingly made the necessary adjustments, but if this hadn't been caught in the first place, no one would have known. I find that terrifying. As we talked about a while back, AI tools could speed up processes, but it should be a person doing that in-the-trenches work. It's almost like the sense of terror you'd feel while staring down the Old Ones.

Talk about a case of COSMIC irony, am I right?

And that's it for Coop, Lucas, and the Summertime Isekai Horror Show! If you're on the hunt for more opinions on these and other new shows, check out our latest seasonal preview guide!