Now that I know and understand isekai animes (well, kind of understand), I am seeing them everywhere and they take all shapes and sizes and rather bizarre methods to get from where they are to where they are going to be. At least no one had to be murdered for this one (see “Slime”), but that was a reincarnation, not merely a time-and-place transfer. And so we are at the doorstep of another monstrapatiously titled show, “High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World” (“Chōjin-Kokoseitachi wa Isekai demo Yoyu de Ikinuku Yōdesu!”) Yeah, try putting THAT on a t-shirt. (more…)

I had resisted this show for some time. I have a hard time with music genres and sports genres, as they are quite similar in their approach: someone wants to make it, but the odds are long and the opportunities are short. The road before them is littered with the bleaching bones of those who went before and failed. (“Fortune favors the brave.” No, it doesn’t, Matt!) But, somehow, through diligence, talent, commitment and a bit of pixie dust, they can achieve their dream. Am I right? Right? However, the offering before us, “Ya Boy Kongming!” (“Paripi Kōmei” or “Kongming of the Party People”) tells this story in a most charming and interesting way. (more…)

This is another show that had a bad capsule description and that description made it a bit of a coin flip to want to watch. And since it was ANOTHER isekai, that made it doubly undesirable to want to catch. But it was a show that I could catch (I am having serious problems trying to track down my anime without getting the Red Box of Death), so, I did so. And we get to watch ”Ascendance of a Bookworm” (“Honzuki no Gekokujō: Shisho ni Naru Tame niwa Shudan o Erandeiraremasen” or “ Lover of Books: I Can’t Choose the Means to Become a Librarian”). (more…)

There is a special name for this kind of show: isekai. This is where the main character finds themselves transported to another land, whether it is a real land or some kind of video game land. For the most part, they are treated as comedic. Some are a bit rough (like “The Rising of the Shield Hero”), but this one, “How Not to Summon a Demon Lord” (“Isekai Maō to Shōkan Shōjo no Dorei Majutsu”, or “The Other World Demon Lord and the Summoning Girl’s Slave Magic.”) is deliciously stupid. (more…)