Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Recap

Just a Recap. Nothing to see here.

But in all honesty this Recap was probably needed a lot more than you would think because even though it was only five episodes, I can fully say that this anime covered a lot more content in these first 5 episodes can some series can do in 12 episodes.

So all in all this Recap was quite good and even though this anime gets a bit of shade thrown at it for being rushed or having a case of beserk CG, it is fun to watch. And let's be honest you're mostly here for Yue.

While I did see some announcements about Arifureta here and there, I didn't pay too much attention to it till it finished airing. Since it got confirmed for a second season, I decided now would be a good a time as any to watch the show. I haven't finished watching the whole series, and this review will only discuss things that have happened in the first 5 episodes. So, is Arifureta good? Well, let's hop on and find out!

Story
After being trapped deep within a large labyrinth filled with monsters, Hajime Nagumo tries to do his best to survive. We also get scenes that focus on ... Hajime's classmates from high school as they cope with Hajime's disappearance. The most affected of them is Kaori, who seemed to be one of Hajime's closest friends back in high school. Personally, I found Arifureta most enjoyable when it focused on Hajime and Yue's struggles and the scenes with Kaori and the other high school kids often detracting from the main story. I'm not saying they're bad, it's just that I found them distracting from the main characters' battles and the bonding between Hajime and Yue. (5/10)

Characters
Anime adaptations of light novels, for better or worse, have this reputation of featuring OP protagonists that never lose a fight and are always looking forward to help anyone in need. Hajime breaks trend by not being overtly selfless. He's almost perpetually angry, suffers defeats aplenty and the only person he cares about is himself, at least before he meets Yue. I get it, he is trapped in a cavern filled with ferocious monsters, but we don't even get to know the person he used to be before he got trapped in the labyrinth. According to the flashbacks, Hajime used to be a shy and awkward kid who wouldn't even hurt a fly, but that characterization gets thrown out of the window as soon as the main story starts. It's as if Arifureta is telling us "you shouldn't care about who Hajime used to be because this is who Hajime will be from now on." The change in personality is so sudden that it's bound to leave viewers confused to.

That said, his relationship with Yue has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of Arifureta, so far. Despite enduing similar circumstances, Yue doesn't seem to have become as bitter and cynical as Hajime and functions as his moral compass. If it wasn't for Yue, Hajime would completely lose his morals and the only thing he'd care about is survival. Their relationship gives the series so much pathos and a much-needed emotional anchor.

Aside from Hajime and Yue, there doesn't seem to be any other major characters in the show. Sure, there's also Hajime's classmates, but the only one who gets any substantial characterization is Kaori. I guess Shizuku is important too, but most of her screentime is devoted to provide Kaori with emotional support.

Since we're only 5 episodes in, there's still a chance the supporting cast can evolve, but as it stands right now, only Hajime and Yue seem to be the only memorable characters in Arifureta. (6/10)

Art
The visual quality of Arifureta is fine. It's not the best, but it's not bad either. The character designs are passable, the fight scenes are average and the backgrounds only have enough detail to avoid coming off as ugly and lazy. Also, I liked the symbols and circles used to indicate the activation of magic and superpowers. (6/10)

Sound
The opener was amazing, the best thing to come out of the show, in fact. I also liked the saxophone music. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of saxophones but Arifureta used this kind of music to great effect. I'm not familiar with Matt Shipman's work but he does a fine job as Hajime. Not great, just fine. His voice often sounds a bit rough sometimes, as if he's trying too hard to make Hajime sound badass. Tia Ballard is one of the finest VAs of her generation and I don't think there could have been a better choice to voice Yue. Some people think that Tia is being typecast as small, cute girls, but let's face it, if she wouldn't be typecast if she was good at it. Skyler McIntosh also deserves props for her performance as Kaori. (8/10)

Overall
I'm not the biggest fan of clips shows or recaps. They tend to break the narrative flow and frustrate the pre-existing viewers for halting the story just so that new viewers can catch up, not to mention they remove a significantly remove a lot of content just so that the episode can fit into a half-hour format. Watching this recap felt like a chore to me, I only watched it because I had nothing better to do. It wasn't bad, but I definitely recommend the full episodes over this. (6/10)

Don't worry people. This is not a recap episode. No this is a Re-crap episode.

But you know what? It makes sense. This proves that the production is at least aware that their work is so crappy that neither the characters nor the plot was able to catch the viewers interest. They knew that most viewers probably forgot what happened in the episode before even the end credits began. Actually, I think this was more to remind themselves of what they were working with. I think even they forgot what they were doing and put this episode up to get the time and get their shit ... together.

Yes, that's it! Positive Thinking. Positive Thinking.

Hah! As if. The anime is shitty and will probably remain shitty.