Urasekai Picnic

If you think the premise and characters are interesting, drop this anime immediately and go read the novel or even the manga. It's at least a 9/10 novel but the anime is just.. wow this is extremely disappointing. The entire feel of everything is so bad except the voice-acting, I'm quite enjoying voices and some of the music here and there.

Whereas the novel is a supernatural thriller with some shoujo ai, the anime feels like a slice-of-life comedy adventure romp.

The long-distance shots of CGI are OK but it is far too low quality to be used for the supernatural entities, the scene loses all ... credibility when they close up on poor CGI models. Movement in general, even in 2D shots, is quite janky. When things aren't moving the art is passable, but again doesn't capture the atmosphere portrayed by the novel at all - some things look completely different to what they're supposed to.

It really is a shame how a fantastic series can get pushed into obscurity by garbage adaptations.

Urasekai Picnic is proof that attaching a competent director to good source material doesn't necessarily result in a good adaptation. For whatever reason, the anime adaptation of Urasekai Picnic is plagued with issues through and through. From the moment the first PV dropped I should have been alarmed, the audio mixing was completely messed up, and the animation quality was subpar at best. Still, I tried to convince myself that it's just a bad PV, surely the actual show would be at least decent right?

I gotta start with the first thing that came to mind when I started watching the adaptation: Audio. The audio mixing ... is awful. I think I get they want to do a creepy vibe, but even that doesn't work and most of the time the whole experience ends up being uncomfortable, like having loud sound effects drown out important dialogue or background noise overriding the whole scene. Music placement is also baffling at times, not that the score is any bad, but the placement truly leaves much to be desired with the BGM sometimes starting too early or too late, or ending too early or too late. The OP and ED are fine though. Maybe a bit too cheerful for my liking, but the days of having an actually scary OP for your horror anime has long past. (Even Higurashi has some generic pop OP now) The animation is subpar at best. The monsters are all janky, but not in a creepy sorta way, more in an ugly PS2-era CG kind of way.

I honestly don't know what production troubles the studio was under (perhaps doing 4 different shows in the same season counted towards it), but some of the creative choices can't be blamed on a rigid production schedule alone. Very odd choices like rearranging chapters beyond their intended order, which results in many plot holes as well as strange lapses in character development and pacing, really make this such a mess. Especially since they've added a few anime original chapters to compensate (?) for the gaps in between. I don't know.

If there's anything that's salvageable in this mess, it's the voice acting. Not because the performances are particularly groundbreaking or anything, it's a thoroughly average performance from your usual gamut of A-list seiyuu, but it's because you can now imagine in your head how the girls would sound like when reading the novel or manga.

The reason I'm being generous with my score is because
1. Kozakura is super cute
2. The anime introduced me to the (far) superior novel and manga, of which I am currently enjoying.
3. Watching this and Tatoeba Dungeon and contrasting the mains is hilarious.
4. The end of episode skits where Toriko and Sorawo goof around in a bar is the sole good anime original thing.

There. 4 points. Done and dusted.

Thing is, in this relatively packed season, there is nothing Urasekai Picinic does that isn't already better accomplished by a different show. If I wanted horror-mystery, I have Gekidol. If I wanted yuri hijinks, I have World Witches. If I wanted something with weird monsters, I have that Yuuki Aoi Spider Anime. If I wanted comedy, I have Higurashi GOU.

If I wanted a show that airs on Monday night made by Lidenfilms starring Kayano Ai and Hanamori Yumiri as the mains with the former playing a more confident foil to the latter's lack-of-self esteem character and both being in a romantic relationship...I have Tatoeba Dungeon.


4/10

Fantasy animes in my opinion are crazy. Both in a good way and a bad way. There is so much the creator can do around with fantasies and can make it as "crazy" as possible.

Urasekai Picnic is an anime about traveling to an alternate world called "Otherside" where they fight off weird creatures while searching for their friend. I watched this anime since it has the "Shoujo Ai" listed in its genres because I love Shoujo Ai and it is one of my favorite genres and I expected somewhat romance but I didn't get it, even though I felt it. The CGI used here is ... somewhat decent, the studio made long-distance shots with the main characters in CGI for the first 6 episodes then stopped for 2 episodes and went at it again.

One of the policies I like to follow while rating animes on this website is how much I enjoyed it and how much I enjoyed the plot. Some of the parts in this were scary. Even though there were monsters/ghost-like figures in the "Otherworld", it is almost weird that almost none of them completely creeped me out.

One more thing I noticed is how the US Marines in the anime spoke english in a Japanese accent, it felt very weird to hear them say their mother tongue that way.

The characters were really cute and interesting and they made the most out of working with each other. One of the things I would like to say is that the two main girls say that they're second years in college but they look like they are not even third year in high school which I found kind of weird.

The OP gave me a vibe of Naruto for some reason and the ED is amazing, my favorite ending of Winter 2021. The song used in the ending, "You and me" was very touching and pretty nice to listen to after watching a cliffhanger episode.

I'll summarize the main aspects of this in some sentences -

Story (8/10) - Pretty good pacing and nice episode cliffhangers. I love how they make it super clear - what they are doing, where they are going, and what they will do. The decisions taken by the main characters in this are agreeable and lead forward to a better story.

Art (7/10) - Pretty but I felt the long-distance CGI shots were a bit lazy but another CGI was pretty well made.

Sound (9/10) - As I said, my favorite ending of the season; this anime has good OSTs and music. Also, the voice acting is on point and pretty good.

Character (9/10) - Characters were very cute and super compatible and they supported each other the most.

Enjoyment (9/10) - I enjoyed this anime a lot and it was pretty fun to watch every week on Monday, starting my new day. Most episodes were enjoyable and very nice.

Overall rating - (8.4/10).

P.S. - if you like fantasies with a cute relationship in them, watch this.

Without many premonitions what “Urasekai Picnic” is about, I watched the anime mainly because of the genre-tag "Shoujo Ai”, one or the other of you may have been magically attracted by this one too. I expected some action combined with sci-fi and of course a lot of Yuri. But I was completely wrong!

The series focuses on Sorawo and Toriko, two young women who discover the “Otherside” of their own world. It is a dangerous world where many monsters from ghost stories come to life. There is always a secret door or item that leads to the other world. Sometimes it could be in an old ... apartment or at other times the access can be made possible by pressing a certain combination in an elevator, even a special item like a hat could be a trigger.
Both of our main characters have different reasons for entering the "Otherside". Toriko, a very beautiful girl with waist-length gold-colored hair, is looking for her missing friend Satsuki. Since Toriko was taught everything about survival as a little girl, she is very good at handling weapons as well. She protects Sorawo in every dangerous situation when the ghosts want to pounce on them again. They met by chance on the "Otherside", but quickly realized that they are a perfectly harmonious team and should therefore undertake the actions together. Sorawo, our shy university student, has always had problems dealing with other people. The only person whom she is comfortable with is when she's with Toriko. She really likes Toriko and wants to be on her on side at all costs. Their relationship is very important for Sorawo who has always been interested in ghost stories. With the curiosity in mind, she also wants to find more what the "Otherside" is all about. Besides their own interest in the "Otherside", both have their hearts in the right place and are ready to save other people who are stucked there. Due to their special ability (Sorawo can detect glitches, while Toriko's left hand allows her to directly "touch" the true forms of the “Otherside's” entities) they are the only ones who can save these people and are even ready to put their own lives at risk.
In addition to our two main characters, there are two other friends of theirs who play an important role: Kozakura and Akari. Kozakura is a young researcher who is very interested in the "Otherside". She buys every interesting material that Sowaro and Toriko bring back for her as a “souvenir”. Before Satsuki disappeared, she and Kozakura used to do research together on the other world. But after a while Kozakura gave up because it was too much for her to handle. Therefore, she also wants to find out what happened to Satsuki. Akari, on the other hand, attends the same university as Sorawo. She is a lively, friendly and energetic personality who is also carefree and sophisticated, not worrying what others think about her. After being relentlessly attacked by ninja cats, she came to Sorawo for help. Later it was also found that Satsuki used to be her tutor.

The art is very nicely designed, especially when it comes to the transition between the two different worlds. While on their "real" world the sun is shining and rather a light color appears, everything is very dark and gloomy on the "Otherside" in terms of color. The contrast is displayed very well. The ghosts are also portrayed in a high quality, their movement and the effects are clearly visible. But I would particularly like to emphasize the few Yuri moments between Sorawo and Toriko. Their special moments always stand out, be it through the light, the background or even the sound, their relationship is definitely something unique and wholesome.

Urasekai Picnic's OP is very energetic and powerful. It is about one of the most important things in our life: friendship. CHiCO with HoneyWorks is a perfect combination, which is also very successful here. The ED "You & Me" is a bit calmer and more relaxed. Back from the dangerous journey from the "Otherside", you just want to end the day. This song is also about another very important topic in life: love and feelings.
Despite the good OP and ED selection, it is again the small details that stand out here. In the scary scenes ghost noises can be heard in the background, in the decisive scenes the tension is built up by the sound or even the up and down of an elevator scene, the sounds are very suitable everywhere.

As already mentioned at the beginning, I went into this anime full of enthusiasm because of the many Yuri scenes I had hoped for. I was disappointed from this side, but the story and plot grabbed me tight. Almost every episode is about a new encounter on the "Otherside". Unexpected things often happen there, but that's exactly what makes this anime so special. You never know what to expect on the other side of the world. Perhaps we also have glitches in our world that lead somewhere else…who knows? Our world is mysterious and so is Urasekai Picnic with all its open questions. As someone who has not read anything from the novels, it would be great getting a second season that could answer all these things. Then it wouldn't necessarily be about the Yuri moments, but what more exciting things we can expect on the "Otherside"!

Where do I start? I’m quite confused as to why this anime exists I guess? I don’t quite get this series. It’s basically combining urban legends and putting it into a title with characters to explore these said urban legends. Oh there’s also a side “B” story where a friend is missing but it doesn’t really talk about that.

Story (3):
It’s quite episodic. Every episode we get a different urban legend and our two MCs explore said legend. The formula is the same; somehow the MCs get themselves into these situations naturally and they try to find their way back to their own world.

And that’s literally ... it. The MCs go back, the legend is done. Now next episode move on to the next one. It’s eh.

Art (6):
It’s a typical, production type anime art we’ve seen for the past few years. It’s nothing new. It’s not astonishingly great or horrible. Just fine.

Sound (7):
The OST does fit with the situation/environment well though. I quite like the ED when the episode ends. OP is quite forgettable for me.

Character (4):
Characters are pretty weak in my opinion. We don’t get to see much backstory, I guess. The characters don’t really grow. It seems they treat each urban legend a bit like it’s business as usual; the MCs aren’t scared at all. Even though the directors tried to put in that the MCs are scared and stuff, it doesn’t feel that way. It feels that the characters will get over the challenge and return home safely. There’s no twist or anything.

Enjoyment (7):
Regardless, watching this every week was bearable. It keeps my attention span long enough and it’s interesting to see the characters explore. However, this anime is not something you can binge as you’ll probably lose interest pretty quickly. Unless you’re into this kind of genre, I don’t see how one can consume all of the episodes in one sitting.

Overall (6):
It’s fine. Big plus on sound, meh on basically everything else.
I haven’t read the source material, but I have an inkling it’s better than what’s presented in the anime.

Uraseki Picnic is a rather interesting show, for all the right reasons. Dealing with otherworldly stuff, or as they call em. Wiggle waggles. As we follow two girls that have come together through meeting each other within this strange world, for their own reasons, one of which wanting to find their missing friend. As for how it's done, and how I am enjoy it? Let me tell you.

Story:
The story follows two girls exploring a strange world, both having a reason for doing such of course, as their backgrounds tie into it, but it's the interest and variety of differences within each time that they go, ... is what makes it spooky, and leaves the watcher curious, and wanting to see more, to see where else it goes, but also how these two characters, and anyone else that comes in, progresses, and how the story unfolds. Following a different kind of version week by week, all the while letting us getting used to the characters, getting used to how things work, and it's well done there.

It's very enjoyable and curious. The creatures that come up within the show are certainly terrifying, and the world gives off a very strange and spooky vibe. It does it's job so far, to make it very tense, along with having the feel that the characters are very much in danger each time they go in. It's no walk in the park after all. It almost feels like the characters could be trapped in that world at any moment, with how terrifying it can make itself out to be.

Characters:
As for the story itself, as I said, it follows these two girls, each with a different backgrounds and personality, and reasons that they have to go to this otherworld, but it's thanks to this, and thanks to that, that a friendship, and possible further bond is formed. As both develop in their own way as the show progresses, from how they feel to one another, to bringing out more out of another. It's cute, but also can be very concerning, in terms of what happens that is. But that brings interest into what could possibly happen later in the show. But it's how they mesh well together that really help shows the characters the best. Sorao can come off as sometimes calm and composed, but other times, she can come off as concerned and very protective of those she is with, which this other world plays on a lot. While Toriko can come off as a small bit of an airhead, but also someone whom is focused on her goals and very spirited. Great chemistry between the two.


Art and sound:
I already touched on the art a little bit, along with the sound, as the anime does a real good job of making things look spooky and terrifying. It's done through how everything all sounds and looks. From being quiet, or low sounding during certain scenes, to looking like a mysterious and foggy place in general. They also seem to make outside of that world a bit dark too, as if it's treating this show with a serious tone, but it can be bright in areas, really good mesh of colours here.

I'm certainly gonna keep watching Urasekai Picnic, and you should too!

TL;DR: Urasekai picnic, simply put, is a mystery/adventure anime following the tropes of an isekai style anime, with a monster of the week format whereby each episode focuses solely on one so-called enemy that’s wrapped up in the single episode. The show follows two girls who, for varying circumstances, visit the other side in search of something- for Toriko, her friend that had introduced her to the other side and for Sorao, what seems like social interactions. The other side doesn’t exactly follow the rules of the world we know, with creatures dubbed by the duo as wiggle waggles to be present who essentially make ... you disappear from there. The wiggle-waggles take inspiration from what seems like ghost stories with those abilities being used from said lore's. Really and truly, this anime is focused around the interactions of the main two female leads as they explore and expand their knowledge of this weird world and its constituent rules. The chemistry between these two is quite electric at times with a decent level of intimacy being shown at times and both show that they care about the other party enough to want to travel with them into the other side consistently. They each understand the other quite well from what I could understand but not enough to make it seem like their reading each other’s minds and thus be too intrusive. The art changes between the worlds, with more down to earth styles being realized on earth and more foggy and unclear styles being utilised on the other side. It's good enough to warrant a watch if you have the time, but it's not something as of yet that I'd give priority watching.

More in-depth---

Story - Quite normal all things considered, feels like a most mysterious version of pokemon with how the show is structered and the absurdity that happens each episode. The rules aren't exactly well explained so raises a lot of questions and at some times straight up doesnt make sense but if you disregard these the story is fine I guess FOR THE MOMENT. Pacing for the episode are improving as some questions are being answered but not enough in my opinion. Clearly some inspiration for this story is taken from Roadside Picnic which uncannily has a similar name.

Art- Art is done quite nicely, and as mentioned above switching the art styles up to distinguish the worlds is much appreciated and is probably on par for animes released in the winter 2021 season. The wiggle-waggles are quite unsettling which is a great addittion however the CGI at times can be off putting but when used discreetly is quite nice.

Characters- Main duo have good chemistry and feel like their actions make sense even if their characters haven't been fleshed out incredibly well as of yet.

First things first - this show's been mistagged. "Mystery" is something that is unknown but at least logical and can be eventually reasoned about and figured out. Instead of that, this show should be tagged "dementia" - not describing the character's mental health (tho sometimes I wonder), but instead the whole world's rules. There is no logic or reason, just random shit happening and no hope of ever making sense of it. Yet the characters continue to prance about, acting like they understand it and get through each situation with what they pretend to be a sensible decision while it's just one deus-ex-fantasia after another.

That ... really kills the thrill of the show for me. When you know there is no limit to what nonsense may happen next and no logic to how the characters are supposed to deal with it, it just becomes pointless to worry about anything or try to empathize, predict or even borderline care for them or the world anymore.

The only reasons I keep watching is because I'm already "pot-committed", I'm a bit curious if it'll remain so nonsensical till the end, and there is not much else to do anyway. So I'll probably still finish the show. It's looking up to be the worst show I've voluntarily finished so far.

Ooh now this one interests me and not in an expected manner. We got Urasekai Picnic, one of LIDENFILMS packed offerings for the Winter 2021 anime season. And compared to LasDan, this anime is more interesting to watch, albeit more risky and more confusing.

It seems that LIDENFILMS is putting a respectable effort to make this kind of show work. The production quality is decent but not that great, and first we go to the visuals. The art is bleak and almost grounded with backgrounds depicting a ruined and uninhabitable "Other World". With the use of distortion and unorthodox visuals, it can already put the viewer ... on edge and pique the said viewer to its story. Though one thing that I am not fond of is the use of CGI. This is mainly provided by the co-studio, Felix Film, who is credited alongside LIDENFILMS. The 3D models looks so bad and using them interchangeably throughout the show's 2D drawings doesn't help a viewer to fully immerse itself into the anime

But what I did like in the anime is its music, and it is a very commendable part of the anime. I don't praise the music much in anime, but in this title, it is very marvelous. The background music and sound mixing helps further present the setting of Urasekai in a surreal and unpleasant feeling. Once the music hits in a thrilling scene, it gives the viewer some real tension rather than just forgettable BGM. That's how good the music is in this anime. In the case of OP & ED, nothing really that remarkable though. They are just decent enough songs for the show.

From what I saw in the first four episode, this has managed to barely encapsulate me in its world. It can just potentially degrade itself as a poorly-executed SoL adventure show. But I'm not gonna cross out the possibility for this to become a mystery thriller show with some supernatural action to boot. I'm hoping that LIDENFILMS and Felix Film will execute this. But from what I've saw for the first 4 episodes, the show is not yet near at its true potential. Which is a shame because it has the interesting story and the capabilities to actually shine strong. But as of now, it is currently dragging itself down.

A LOT OF CARE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO NOT WRITE SPOILERS BUT THERE STILL MAY BE SPOILERS, BE CAREFUL

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Not gonna lie, I started Urasekai Picnic for the cute yuri couple that I've been missing since Adachi to Shimamura ended. But wow, this is so good and so unexpectedly good at the same time, but so unexpectedly unique, while still keeping that yuri feel afterwards. But you have to ask yourself What is Urasekai Picnic? Why is it a 6.5 on MAL? Why have I rated it highly and much higher than other ratings on this site? I feel Urasekai Picnic is Wonder Egg but more ... realistic with yuri and not as good art. If you asked me what would happen if a normal yuri couple of the shy girl and the beautiful/cute girl were suddenly thrown into an anime where they had the option to go into another world where they had to defeat unknown monsters and retrieve their friend? This! This is the closest thing you can find to that answer. It's the perfect thriller yuri, in my opinion (not that there are many out there).

Story: 7

So yall might grill me for this, but I feel the story is VERY unique, it's not an isekai but u don't exactly have monsters in your own world. The fact they can alternate within the worlds is also very unique. I wouldn't say it's the most well written, but it's certainly not bad enough to deserve a 6.5 on this site. Also, the story is not everything, there are other aspects that make this anime amazing. Some of the story that has been animated was a little rushed, not gonna lie, but thats the reason it's a 7. The Urasekai part of it is amazing, and the overall premise is very unique.

Art: 8

The HAND DRAWN art is AMAZING. The girls are amazingly drawn, the monsters which are drawn are amazing, the scenery is AMAZING. A lot is amazing, this art would be a MASTERPIECE, apart from the CGI. The CGI used is the only downfall of this anime. Even if the camera pan isn't far away, u can tell the bad CGI used. The monsters which used CGI are also not the best either. I would have given this a 9 but I have to be honest.

Sound: 9

One of the very best things about this anime is the sounds and the flipping OST. The soundtrack is AMAZING. This would be a 10/10, but tbh I don't give 10/10s to a lot of things. The soundtrack is literally one of the best I've heard in anime, the amazing job it does at setting the "thriller" mood and the dramatic, scary mood is AMAZING. The OSTs make the scenes about 10x better because they generate so much emotion, it's amazing, simply put, the closest thing to a masterpiece you can get.

Character: 8

The characters, in my opinion, are VERY well written. People don't seem to think so because it's not the generic characters you would get. The characters may seem generic, where we have the shy one and the beautiful one, the norm in the yuri world. But what happens when you throw normal yuri girls into a world with unknown monsters and a world they choose to go into? That's an amazing though, and for that reason, I feel the characters are VERY well written. Not is it unique, but I feel the characters react realistically as if a yuri had some monsters in a different entrance. I feel like not enough props goes for the realism of this anime in general because its not the normal friend group/couple.

Enjoyment: 9

Oh my god, this is one of my most enjoyed weeklies this season, with the OST, the unknown monsters, the characters, everything is just so unique in that situation itself. It's so enjoyable, it's literally a guessing game as to what's gonna happen next. Not gonna lie, a lot of doesn't make sense, but neither do a lot of shounens. The enemy system isn't really explained or known, anything can happen in the Otherside, and that's what makes it so enjoyable, you can't even know what's gonna happen next. This anime is so refreshing with a season of an isekai, a shounen, and AOT (not that any are bad, just this is refreshing). Whenever the dramatic OST hits, the monster comes in, it gives off this unique dramatic feel you can't get in any other anime because of the mix of yuri. How's it gonna pan? What's there? What will the yuri couple do? What's going on? With the OST hits, its AMAZING. On top of that, the yuri couple is just cute as hell, and they deserve the world when they're together, I love it, even it is more of a thriller

Overall: 8/10

I can't understand the hate at all, people ask for unique anime, and when they get them, they don't like it? I don't want to hate on people's takes, but this is one I just can't understand, I love it and it has to be one of the most enjoyable anime this season. Was it expectations? Did people expect a realistic thriller with no yuri? I don't know man, but I have the same brain watching this as watching a shounen for example, just enjoy it, it's a hella ride, and if you like yuri, you'll love this.

Starts good with great premise but dissolves into a series of disconnected "ghost story of the week" episodes, losing world building, lacking logic, romance, character development and, most important, story.

The show starts with "Roadside picnic" world building, you have a whole another world with its own logic, creatures and traps to explore, make a map of, learn about, find ways to use it.

All of it goes up in smoke in the later episodes. All due to a "ghost story of a week" format. The other world is used only as an excuse for the heroes to be spirited away into a setup of one another ... ghost story or an urban legend. Because the show is a patchwork of the different urban legends, there is not even an attempt to make the other world somehow connected or whole. The research of the world becomes a joke, any attempt to use it becomes a joke because the characters have lost any resemblance of a life and life goals to use the world for.

The show starts with interesting characters with complex backgrounds. Sorawo is a broke student and an avid urban explorer. Toriko is from Canada an military family with some military training, deep previous connection with the new world, knowing scientists who research it. And Toriko was close to a girl who she has lost in the other world and tries to find.

All of this goes up in smoke in the later episodes. None of the background is used later in the show. Most shocking, Toriko forgets about her love, who is probably dying in the other world, and goes drinking, playing on the beach and having fun. Both of the characters have no life outside of the other world, no life goals, they are making no life decisions.

Basically they become a placeholders for a character in a random ghost story. Like "one day two girls were drinking at the bar but when they have exited the bar they have realized they are in some strange place". This is it. Both main characters are reduced to "two girls", a protagonist whose life is totally irrelevant after she/he got into a life-changing situation. While this is a point in the urban legends, exactly no matter who you were, it all doesn't matter when you encounter the unknown, in this show the characters are supposed to shuttle between the other world and the real life. Which they have none.
The fact that "two girls" are the same girls from one disconnected urban legend to another comes across more like a laziness of the authors who do not want to create a new character for the new urban legend.

The show starts with the hint of an intriguing sprouting romance and a potential love triangle.

All this goes up in smoke. The characters have no life and making no life choices. All their choices are tactical. The third girl is dropped and forgotten like an old toy. Where is no character development there is no love story progress. And there is no love story whatsoever. You see no chemistry, no revelations, no growing connection. They go eat and drink together but this is it. You do not see why Sorawo likes Toriko, you do not see vice-versa. All yuri is: Sorawo occasionally sees Toriko half-naked and blushes. Or she has been driking too much and in the morning she is like "we woke up in the same bed and Toriko is naked but I'm fully dressed with jacket and stuff. Did something good happen?"

The story.
The story is a patchwork of the random urban legends with a weak attempt to connect them through the heroes. The attempts to connect, or rather attempts to extract the heroes from one another urban legend of the week are forced and defy any logic.
Like, to leave the place where nobody leaves according to the urban legend, Sorawo "uses her eye" and tells Toriko to "use her hand". And whoops, one girl reaches to the passing ghost train and jerks herself and her friend on board. End of the episode. Next episode they are already in the other ghost story.

Overall - 3. Random empty illogical stuff. By episode 8 you regret the wasted time

Honestly, it had a lot going for it at the start of its running (the first 3 episodes or so). However, the longer the show goes on, the more it starts to leave all the setup and buildup it introduces back where it first popped up.

Especially the second half felt just completely dragged out and it seemed like it was constantly dancing around the things it set up - Satsuki mostly. With the buildup the show has around her, you would expect her to pop up at the end as some kind of challenge to the way Toriko and Sorao have been going about ... the Otherwold, or some connection to Sorao because of the comments Akari makes about her kinda looking like Satsuki, but nope - the only glimpse we see of her is by an apparition in the Otherworld that isn't even her. That's it.

Pacing is a complete mess, artstyle is kinda bland but not bad. Sound was good and did its job in creating very eerie atmospheres. Voice acting felt kinda 'off' sometimes and don't even get me STARTED on the Engrish with the American soldiers.

Overall, if you like creepy and unsettling shows this one is great, but don't expect a satisfying or logical ending, because you won't get it.

Ura Sekai picnic is one of the most unique shows I’ve seen in some time. It blends Sci-Fi, mystery and Shoujo Ai romance in a way that I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, the show on its own merits felt like a teaser for something greater.

Ura Sekai was enjoyable throughout, but it was obvious that like most LN adaptations, the purpose of this anime was to get you to buy the books. Over the course of the one cour series many storylines are set up and never fully explored. The show has a rather unique storytelling method where it’s both monster of the week, as well ... as an overarching narrative. Unfortunately, I think the monster of the week elements of the show take up a few too many episodes that could have been dedicated to tying up loose plot ends. In fairness, this is probably just the way the books are written, therefore the studio can’t do much about that.

I did really enjoy the two main characters’ chemistry and their personalities are different enough to make them unique, while similar enough to make a cohesive team. The series is listed as Yuri romance, but we were really only teased in the anime. I’ll have to check out the LN to see how they ultimately develop.

The anime also does a great job of creating a mysterious and tense atmosphere throughout. Several episodes, particularly towards the end genuinely made me uncomfortable with the eerie OSTs and direction. Hats off to the studio for pulling that off. The art and animation are really good in the series as well. There’s not a ton of fights in this show, but when they happen they’re well done. My only gripe is the CGI, which may look fine to others, but for me I always find jarring.

Overall, Ura Sekai picnic is definitely one of the two most unique shows this season. The other being Wonder Egg. I really think it’s worth a watch and at the minimum will introduce you to an interesting setting and concepts. Ura Sekai picnic gets 7 creepypastas out of 10.

*Spoiler warning!*


Alright, to start off, this Anime definitely takes a way different approach to romance and Yuri. The story is very persistent and doesn't tend to go off track for more than 1 episode. I love the story and the way there relationship slowly and realistically develops from a simple friend, to a romantic love. The art style is very similar to most recent Animes, being very sleek, modern, and simple. The world design on the other hand is very detailed and eye catching. There is a mild amount of CGI in the show, and I think they use it in the perfect moment ... and the perfect way! The personalities of both the main characters are very different, yet they are very charming most of the time and I love both of them! Though, one complaint I do have about Toriko is she can be self-centered at times, and she doesn't really pay attention to how Sorawo feels. But, even though I say that, there are some points where she is nice to Sorawo and I love her for that, even though her being rude can be a little annoying. Overall, at the time of writing this, I enjoy Urasekai Picnic a lot and can't wait to see where the story goes! :)

*Review update!*

The show has finished, and I will say I am very satisfied with the ending. I loved the fact that it kind of kept the story open ended, just incase they made a second season, yet they still made it to where if there isn't a second season, it's kind of completed. I kind of expected a love confession, but I'm not complaining, they ending was still pretty good. Overall, it was a really enjoyable anime, and I'm happy they gave us a pretty good ending!

This Yuri slow burn is gonna be so good and I can't wait to see it animated.
I think episode 6 was the best so far. I'm really loving the music in the background and the phone call scene. I like how the show's monsters are all based on actual stories, copypastas, urban legends and everything else. Each one can be searched online too, I really like that aspect of the series.
I completely understand why manga and LN readers are let down, as an LN and manga reader myself I understand far too well, but I realized they adapted the anime more into like ... a lighter adventure sol sorta show. I guess they wanted to adapted something a bit different maybe they thought it would appeal to a bigger audience.

I do wish they would've followed the raw material exactly because thes could've been one of the best shows since the story is absolute genius, and the horror is so graphic in the raw material. There's a ton of dialogue they left out like how Sorao describes each legend/myth and a lot of scenes they cut out from the original work.

The Light Novel and the manga show a LOT more horror, and uncensored scenes, as well as lots of internal dialogue and I want to say these parts are what make it a masterpiece.
Honestly I give those both easily a 9.5/10. The pacing for the raw material is thousand times better as well and you become immersed just reading it. The way they drew the monsters in the manga is so creepy and good that I have to take a minute to actually process what I'm seeing since there's so much detail.

If you're interested in this show then I HIGHLY recommend the manga and the light novel as well!

I will try to keep this short, but my feelings about this anime are complicated.
I knew of the story before the anime adaptation was announced, but I only read the first chapter of the novel, knowing the anime would come out made me mildly excited as I really like the concept for it.

Unfortunately, now, after the anime finished airing I am very conflicted.
The world is incredible and the depiction is amazing. How do you even visualize something that is described as so otherworldly that it makes a person mad just by looking at it, but somehow they succeeded better than anyone could have expected.
The otherworld ... itself seems to be a success as well as it oozes the vibe of unique difference to the normal world.

The other thing that is exceptional are the characters, sure some might say they are stereotypical, but I think they are unique enough and have great synergy and if you like Yuri you might even give bonus points (it never gets explicit though).

The problems start with the structure and flow of the story itself.
It is incredible hard to understand the actions the characters take. This might be part of an issue due to it being an adaptation, but that can't be all, the flow is just plain weird.
(Very mild spoilers)
For example the girls go out drinking after coming back from a trip from the other world and suddenly end up in the other world while on their way home.
The stay is dangerous and they barely make it back, just to go back to drinking to celebrate that they made it back alive, just to get transported to the other side again, this time in a more peaceful place, where they continue to drink until the dangers catch up with them again.
That whole sequence doesn't make sense, sure the girls grow more confident in their abilities to survive in the other world, but that whole sequence is more a showing of zero learning and near suicidal behaviour. A normal reaction would probably be to find out how they end up on the other side after the first incident and make sure that it can't happen again on accident and celebrate that instead of just repeating that incident and even continue drinking while on the other side.

There are multiple instances of inconsistencies like this and it kind of takes you out of the experience. It doesn't make the rest of the show bad, but it puts a damper on things.

In general, I would say the show is an amazing watch and give it an 8/10, but if the inconsistencies and logical holes irk you the show might as well be a 3/10. If you really like psychological horror, the subtle horror in this show is one of the best and way more horrifying than some show that pride themselves on their shock value.

The summary and premise is boring on a surface level. Honestly, I went into this anime because I thought it would be something light and a little trashy. It is not what I expected, and not for the typical reasons.

This show is not a deconstruction. This show is not over the top. This show is nothing special in any way, and it makes sure you know that... Rather, it is the stark normal of its setting that leads into the uncanny. This entire show is uncanny in all of the worst ways.

An atmosphere of perpetual existential dread lingers in every episode, choosing to indulge in ... the sophisticated aspects of horror. Jump scares and gore are extremely rare and understated, the absence of them making the whole thing all the more terrifying.

The story is simple in premise, but deceivingly so. There is a mystery surrounding the world, where every question leads to an answer that leads to more questions. Questions that are never answered, and probably will never be.

I really appreciate the understated nature of the action scenes. Normally writers are driven to break past the limits of what is possible, but this story chooses to do the opposite and make those limits painfully present...

This show is easily a 10/10.

As for how this show was crafted, I can say that there are a couple minor issues. Episode 6 in particular is one of the most technically challenging episodes to animate and pace.

The main characters are a pair of know-nothing girls that make bad choices sometimes. That really isn't a problem, but sometimes it leads to a strange unfolding of situations because they make an unusually dumb choice. I think this is because the someone could not resist the temptation of showing something cool happen, and needed to force a sudden plot change. It might have been the studio, though. There were some changes between the anime, the manga, and probably the novel also.

Sometimes plot-essential objects appear out of nowhere without explanation, and do not match technically with the rest of the scene. These are continuity issues. I counted 3 instances, and they all happened in episode 6. I think this was because that episode is one of the most difficult to make and they had to cut corners on scenes and outsource a little too much to keep in budget.

The sounds occasionally fall to the generic and break the harsh realism of some scenes to remind me that I am indeed watching an ANIME specifically.

The anime is still a 10/10 in my book. They might want to look at remastering some scenes if they put it on bluray. Would be glorious. Episode 6, for all its flaws, is my second favorite episode.

Urasekai picnic immediately throws us all into the mysterious yet frightening world of unknown as if the author wants us to be fully immersed into the absurdity of the situation, where we share the same confusion and emotion with the characters.

There was not much about this anime that grabbed my interest when I first saw the title and cover. I just saw a hot blonde chick holding a Makarov. And that was just enough for me to take a peek at what this was all about. I was expecting your average junk food Isekai copy-and-paste story but boy was I wrong. I understand that there ... were many plot holes in the first episode but I don't really mind it at all because I think the story will naturally place the puzzle pieces together and solve the unknowns as the story and character progresses together.

I think this is gonna be somewhat of a mystery, Adventure, and a little bit of horror mixed with dementia type anime. I absolutely do not crave for dementia genre anime but I don't hate or avoid it by any means.

Now, for the animation and audio, I thought it was a solid 8/10 with the audio winning over the animation for the most part. The animation isn't mediocre but not amazing either, sorta average. The unfitting CGI doesn't bother me that much. But the audio and music on the other hand, I thought it was pretty good. the sound effects of the monsters and the OST in the background of different scenes were eerie and mind twisting. Also the OP and ending songs were decent.

Mild spoilers - no specifics, but some general issues.

Urasekai Picnic had the potential to be an elegant "picnic" indeed: ice-cold lemonade, artisan bread, cold chicken, and fresh berries. Instead, its fear of committing to what could have made it great left us with lukewarm drinks and lackluster sandwiches.

Let's start with the anime's strongest point: the characters. Sorao and Toriko both feel pretty fresh, neither so hyperbolic nor so bland that you can't imagine meeting them in real life. The start of their relationship feels a little improbable, though at least that problem is addressed in retrospect. By the end of their ... relationship, they really do make a great pair (both as friends and romantically.) Yet, despite the good start and decent relationship progression, the characters lack sufficient individual progression for the anime to be realistic. To be fair, it would all be fine in most genre, but the Lovecraftian/urban horror here demands more character work than the average anime, which leaves the anime feeling more flat that expected in this realm.

On to the horror aspect. First, the monsters were for the most part very well designed and felt both new and decently thought out. In the moment, they generally generated appropriate tension (though the sound detracted from this more than added.) The problem lies in the lack of consequences. Horror that is always escaped or overcome in the nick of time ceases to hold the power to horrify. Lovecraftian horror without the slow degradation of sanity also misses the mark. Urasekai Picnic's monsters stayed safely behind the screen, giving you a PB&J in lieu of Philly cheesesteak.

The slice of life aspect was similarly lacking. Including slice of life with horror is in my opinion a brilliant move, since the slow warping of the fabric of everyday life makes the horror hit home with devastating effect. Yet here the slice of life was all pretty bland, which may have been fine if that were used as impetus to drive the heroes toward the Otherside, but that didn't seem to be the case. In the end, adding lukewarm milk to the lukewarm coffee still fails to make a better drink.

Finally, all these problems could have been ameliorated by a solid story, but the episodic nature of the show shot that potential in the foot. Further, the few times that episodes end up connected, the links that should have left us eager for more were tenuous at best. The world building also had its share of holes that left some of the stories weaker than they should have been (in particular, the glitches were poorly thought out.)

In the end, Urasekai Picnic is another case of good and great ideas that were poorly handled. The process of putting the ingredients together is what makes or breaks the final dish, and here the final product fell far short of the quality of ingredients.

Winter 2021 has been a great Christmas present from daddy Japan. With Attack on Titan swallowing all the venom coming from the anime fanbase, sequels of well loved shows have been abundant. Isekai came to announce us that it's not dead and slap us in the face for believing it did, and of course that is not to forget Jujutsu Kaisen who keeps earning praise after praise from people everywhere on the Internet.

And yet... something is missing. Something that is meant to fill both my eyes and my heart. Something soft and sweet, yet something that isn't cotton candy. Damn right, where's the cute anime ... that isn't made to make me think, but to make me feel? Where's the beach episode? The onsen episode? The summer camp? The winter festival? Where's the moe anime to make me feel like trash? I know Yuru Camp season 2 is a thing, but I haven't watched the first season yet.

Well fear no more, because this anime does a good enough job to serve as the token moe trash. But before I bring my point home, let me first warn you.

DO NOT watch this anime for the plot! If the rating is anything to go by, far too many people have attempted to watch Urasekai Picnic expecting a horror anime that will keep them on edge, or about the exploration of a new world filled with danger and thrill. But there is NONE of that. The story is nothing that good, in fact, the story is the broken leg of the anime, forcing it to walk on crutches throughout all its episodes.

In fact, taking the plot for what it is is the surefire way to not enjoy the anime for what it offers. Instead, the plot should be appreciated as those events that pace slice of life anime, similar to the election of the class representative, the cooking episode or the date. That's right, running away from creepypasta creatures is as good as cooking with your friends, or at least in this anime.

And you've made it this far thinking, "Mr.Stuff, you still gave this anime a 7/10, what are you, a MAL user?"

Remember the walking on crutches metaphor? Well if I had to define the crutches, it would be the cast, an all girls cast dare I say, this anime may have fooled some of the users of this website, but I'm above that, I can see the true nature of Urasekai Picnic, its nature as a moe anime, and as many other moe anime, the waifus range from good to best girls.

Of course, the setting of the anime means that the dere factor has to be toned down quite a bit, which is quite refreshing in a sense as the characters feel a bit more mature. And in terms of character design and voice acting, Urasekai Picnic doesn't have anything to feel ashamed about, even when compared to the kings of the moe genre. As for the soundtrack, the find that it also feels too ashamed to be all fun and bubbles may be a hindrance for you to feel truly in a moe anime but it doesn't really matter when the anime gives itself away so easily.

What would be Urasekai Picnic in a single sentence? An anime that is too tsundere to reveal it's actually moe slice of life but still does a very good job at it. And if you think the beach episode wasn't the highlight of this anime, then you're lying to yourself, probably one of the best beach episodes in recent anime.