Level E

Why are aliens so attracted to Earth? It's a question that many fans of science fiction have pondered at one time or another, and there have been a number of different answers - vacations, natural resources, food and water, building a hyperspace by-pass, enslaving the population, experiments and general curiosity (to name a few). Of all the possible explanations though, boredom and baseball are two that probably wouldn't spring to mind.

Togashi Yoshihiro is a name that fans of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter will recognise, and as popular as those two franchises are, like every mangaka he has a few skeletons buried in ... his closet, one of which is Level E. The original manga was serialized in Weekly Shounen Jump from 1995 to 1997 for a total of sixteen chapters, and in a very weird irony (or maybe it's fate), since 2003 Gintama has also been serialized in the same magazine, and it's a good bet that Sorachi Hideaki found some inspiration from Togashi's earlier work.

The story begins with Tsutsui Yukitaka, a young man who is due to attend Kisaragi High School in Yamagata in order to play baseball. Unbeknownst to him, aliens from across the galaxy have come to live on Earth, and while they are all aware of each other, humanity has little to no knowledge of their presence (thanks to some fancy disguises). Tsutsui's troubles begin when he finds an elegant young man sitting in his new apartment, wearing his clothes, reading his books and drinking his tea. He is Baka Ki El Dogra, an alien who has crash landed on Earth and is now suffering from amnesia.

What follows is a story about the beneficial relationship built up between aliens and humans by bonds of trust, respect, friendship, and all those other nice things.

...

And if you believe that then you probably watched E.T. instead of Level E.

Now at first glance it may seem like the plot is focused on simply telling short stories over the course of thirteen episodes, and to a certain degree this would be a fair assessment. That said, one of the things that is generally overlooked is the overarching theme of the series as it isn't immediately obvious. The reason for this because there is very little in the way of continuity between story arcs, and even with "subtle" reminders viewers will often forget that this tale is really about boredom, and the lengths to which a person will go in order to be "entertained".

There is a serious side to proceedings though. Level E features some dark topics which can sometimes seem at odds with the fact that it's a relatively lighthearted anime, but like Gintama these act as a foil to keep things interesting while offering the viewer some food for thought (the whole thing with the baseball stadium being one example of this). The apparent lack of any real direction to the storyline is also purposeful as it allows for a style of situation comedy that many shows have attempted over the years, but few have actually mastered. The quirky blend of parody, slapstick and satire can sometimes be reminiscent of a good episode of Blackadder or Red Dwarf, and Togashi's distinctive sense of humour has been retained, refined, and on a few occasions, improved upon.

Which rather neatly leads me on to the visuals.

Level E has had quite a face lift from the realistic designs of the mid 1990s, but this is actually an improvement as anyone who has read manga will know that in terms of looks, it hasn't aged well. The characters are particularly noteworthy as rather than completely re-inventing them, Takeda Itsuko has instead decided to retain specific physical traits from the original design, and simply update clothing, facial structures and features, etc. Now offering praise here may seem counter intuitive to some, as the generally accepted rule for adaptations is that aspects like character design aren't that important as much of the work has already been done. The truth is that completely redesigning or simply adapting from a different medium is easy in comparison to making something look fresh and new whilst retaining key elements of the original work, and that applies to almost everything in this anime, from the characters and backgrounds, to the aliens and their spaceships.

One of the more surprising things about Level E is the quality of the animation, especially the sometimes exaggerated actions during comedy sketches. The irony here is that while the characters generally move very well, it's Baka's cartoon-like antics and deadpan delivery that really steal the show. In addition to this quality of the CG is pretty good, but not without fault as there are a few odd moments that do stand out. That said, special attention has been paid to spaceships and visual effects to create some rather imaginative set pieces that add a different dimension to the series.

The opening theme, Cold Finger Girl by Kuriyama Chiaki, features a decidedly pop art styled sequence that, aside from the aliens, has almost nothing to do with the main theme of Level E. In essence the OP is nothing more than a joke on the viewer as it is designed to make you think this is a serious anime, and in that respect it reminded me a little of the trick played by Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokan. The ending theme, (Yume) ~Mugennokanata~ by Vivid, features a more traditional sequence that focuses on starry skies, planets, UFO sightings, cattle abductions, and close ups of Baka's face as he looks windswept and interesting.

To be honest, there's so much cheese in the ED that you could easily start a business, yet like the OP one can't help but think that somebody, somewhere, is having a laugh at the viewer's expense.

As for the background music, there are a variety of suitable tracks on offer that remain rather subtle, but add definition to particular scenes. The score and audio effects are well choreographed, but it's the acting that takes pride of place, thanks in part to the lack of background music in many scenes. Namikawa Daisuke hasn't had many lead roles in comedy anime, which makes his portrayal of Baka Ki El Dogra truly surprising as he excels not only in terms of timing, but also delivery. The rest of the cast perform to a very high standard as well, but in a very real sense they're nothing more than the stage upon which Namikawa's Baka frolics, dances, and generally amuses himself.

Now given that this is a comedy series one might still expect a degree of character development, but that isn't actually the case. What Level E does have though, is characterisation, and lots of it. Everyone is clearly defined as an individual from the outset, with all the quirks and foibles that come with being a free thinking individual who is subject to no man or alien overlord.

Except for when they're dealing with a certain blond haired, blue eyed humanoid.

Baka is quite simply the dynamo that drives everything in Level E, and his indefatigable spirit, unbreakable will, and towering intellect are ever present in his constant search for something amusing or interesting. In many respects his entire personality (barring the intelligence), is very similar to Guu's (from Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu), in that both really do care little for the people that get dragged into their schemes, and both really seem to enjoy making their closest companions have a nervous breakdown.

Level E's humourous approach to alien/human relations is something that may initially sound like a straight copy of Gintama, but don't be fooled. While the two bear some similarities, at their core they're as different as chalk and cheese. The irony is that this series actually makes a great introduction for those who want to know how funny Gintama is, but are daunted by 200+ episodes. Then again, maybe it's only natural for their to be some link between the two given the history of the original manga. Suffice to say that anyone who likes comedies about aliens on Earth, or strange little girls who tend to eat, well, everything (and I do mean that), will probably find something appealing in this series.

That said, as enjoyable as this show is, it's unfortunately more of a blip on the radar than a sign of changing trends in the anime industry. Sadly the future looks set to contain more high schools and harems, which is a shame as Level E is a fine example of how good manga, novel or game adaptations could be, especially if the source material is up to standard.

Still, it's better than having Baka in charge, so I suppose we should count our blessings.

'Level E' is based on a short SF comedy manga by Togashi Yoshihiro, the author of 'Yuu Yuu Hakusho', and 'Hunter X Hunter' manga series. The first episode was a perfect introduction to the series. The story begins with sudden appearance of a self-proclaimed alien in the form of a flamboyant soft-spoken blond young man. Baka prince has a strange sense of humor, and everyone around him get dragged into troublesome situations because of his selfish and often reckless actions.

The story development in this series is characterized by its spontaneity. One event naturally leads to another as the premise and character personalities are subtly exposed. ... Great storytelling is capable of conveying messages without blatantly spelling them out, and this is exactly what happens throughout the series. The smooth storytelling gradually paint the world of 'Level E' by introducing the other alien races present on Earth through the prince and his team's activities, slowly developing the prince's character and his troublemaker ways.

You never know what will happen next, the series never ceases to amaze with crazy plot twists in every episode. The scrupulous delivery of comedy in this series will leave you laughing throughout each episode. Story aside, the hilarious humor is enough to keep you watching.

The high quality of animation is apparent with unobtrusive 3D-CGI, detailed background, interesting camera angles and movement, and realistic-looking character designs. Not only that, the quality of art and animation stays consistent throughout the series.

Everyone sound like they should, and especially the prince's soothing voice was done extremely well, jovial yet emotional. The BGM is used very efficiently, played only to change the mood, which made the rapid pace of unfolding of the events viable.
The OP is the biggest surprise of the series. Written by former BLANKET JET CITY guitarist Asai Kenichi and vocal by... Kuriyama Chiaki! What?! In case the name doesn't ring a bell, she's a semi-A-list actress who played the tsundere chick in 'Battle Royale' (2000) and high school girl with mace in 'Kill Bill Vol.1' (2003). OP is a unique rock song that's rather dark. While ED is a generic but catchy visual-kei song, the way it meshed with the ending animation was brilliant.

I feel it would have been better if 'Level E' followed a single story with Yukitaka instead of fragmented arcs and fillers, but everything was summarized brilliantly in the end for a very satisfying conclusion to a roller coaster joyride of a adventure by the carefree prince.

"This planet is full of liars"
"But it gets us a lot of cash"

Shounen anime has continued to experience an unabated spike in recent years, and shounen comedy, specifically, has had quite a few entries recently with more coming up every season. Many of these titles have not been all that great, so when Level E was first announced many people, myself including, were skeptical and expectations weren’t all that high. But after finishing the anime I must say it not only exceeded my expectations but it also turned out to be a pleasant surprise; I mean, the kind of pleasant surprise that makes you feel ... thoroughly trolled, leaving you either somewhat disappointed OR wanting for more, depending on your taste.

The anime adapts 7 of the 8 arcs from the 90s manga of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter, Yu yu Hakusho). The manga has a strong experimental feel to it, in that it seems to follow more of a “stream-of-conscious” approach to storytelling; its as if the author chose some lazy afternoons to just sit, relax and write whatever came to his mind. A direct result is that the story has no central point or anchor to it for the most part, and the mangaka hardly makes an effort to bring any complexity to the characters or the narrative. It just flows freely; employing clever humor, adding flavors of different genres such as romance and suspense/thriller, and a structure that resembles more like a 80s/90s sitcom with strong classic sci-fi “alien” culture influences (for instance, the “E” in the title, was intended by the author to be a direct reference to “E.T”). This has been translated by the anime with strong visuals, a streamlined narrative, more comedy and added dialogues to make it more suitable for TV viewers of today. Failure to appreciate this experimental nature, or a conscious dislike of this attribute, may completely ruin the experience of the show.

The synopsis is highly misleading and could give a warped image of what the show is; and its hard to tell what the story is about without spoiling much. Keeping that in mind, I think there are some things about the show that everyone should know right off-the-bat..

The main character is a blond alien called Prince Baka, who likes to make everyone’s life miserable because, well, he’s a jerk; a highly intelligent, devilish and poker-faced master prankster (to be more precise). He is the only central ‘thread’ that holds the plot, and the supporting characters are more or less ancillary to his existence. Your enjoyment of the show will partly hinge on how much you end up liking his character.

The show does not follow a central story and instead has a episodic story-arc format comprising of 7 story-arcs in total. Furthermore, the cast of characters is huge compared to the short-length of the show and you wont see the same faces in every arc, giving the impression of a lack of central characters at first glance. There’s at least 2 episode where we dont even see the main character and the focus is instead on some supporting cast. This is less of an oversight and more of a natural consequence of the experimental nature and aesthetic inclinations of the show. The cast is a motley collection ranging from alien mermaids, high school students to a elementary school teacher-cum-alien assassin and her students who unwittingly fall for the prince’s impish pranks etc.

A note of warning here; if you’re the sort of person who looks for a central direction or plot to their anime, with dramatic character expositions; and a lack of complexity or central structure bothers you, then you should probably think twice before watching this show. But if you tend to appreciate episodic shows more due to their potential variety than you might feel right at home with Level E. Its a crying shame though, that despite its sitcom-like structure it is a very short series when it could have been much longer.


Not only is the show episodic, but it also dips its beak in a wide variety of themes; if you’re under the impression that Level E is an all out comedy than you have to know that that's not true. To borrow a famous movie quote, Level E “is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get” next. Comedy is a major part of the show, but the mangaka/writer takes full advantage of the episodic format and delves into other genres such as drama, thriller/horror, mystery and- yes you guessed it- romance. Each of these themes are explored in at least one story arc.

Again, this is a double-edged sword, as some might not appreciate how the show does not stick to one genre, theme or story. But others might like it for exactly the same reason. A natural downside of having an episodic structure and a variety of themes is that some episodes aren't as good as others or some people may like a particular arc that others don't, and vice-versa.

Humor, is a highly subjective aspect, and depends a lot on taste. Level E’s humor has certain attributes; Its basically a sitcom approach with a clever running-gag, spontaneous plot-twists, somewhat restrained bursts of crazy antics and devilish escapades, and the occasional spoofs thrown in for good measure. Besides the obvious nod to “E.T” in the title and the first episode, the series has strong references to 90’s JRPGs, Power Rangers and, among all things, Lion King. People more acquainted with the Alien sub-culture before its death at the hands of vampires, zombies and werewolves would also pick-up some occasional X-Files and Men in Black vibes. As such, the manga has a distinct 90s feel to it that is clearly discernible in the anime adaption despite the modern production values and techniques employed.

Speaking of production values, the character designs and art of the manga have been revamped and presented with top-notch realistic art style, atmospheric backgrounds and a handful of scenes with dazzling experimental visuals that are sure to stand out long after you have finished the show.

The background music is not anything stellar, but its quite decent and fitting. Its the Op/Ed songs, however, where the music really shines.The punk and alt rock influenced Op song with its galloping riffs and catchy vocals, sung by Chiaki Kuriyama (of the Kill Bill fame) and animated with some brilliant visuals, is easily one of the most memorable OP songs I’ve heard in recent times. The Ed song by ViViD is a fiery and energetic Alternative/Progressive JRock more reminiscent of “Abingdon Boys School”.

The Seiyuu cast has done an excellent cast and delivered their punchlines with natural ease whenever needed. Special mention should be given to Takehito Koyasu (Kraft) and Daisuke Namikawa (Prince Baka) both of whom have had a considerable experience and have lent their voices to some of the most recognizable anime characters in recent memory.

To sum-up, Level E has some interesting tricks up its sleeves; its variety, strong visuals and charming characters are some of its strongest points. At the same time, its short length, lack of central direction/structure, sudden plot-twists and its artistic inclinations can be potential downsides for some, depending on tastes.

Think of it this way. This anime is good enough for someone to join specifically to add flesh to the reviews for it.

I saw this floating around on the net a while ago. I saw the word 'sci-fi' and ran. Came back once or twice but the other reviews recommended Yu-yu hakusho and Gintama (both animes that didn't impress me all too much).

Then, yesterday, I ran out of stuff to watch so I decided to give it a go.

Turns out, IT'S FANTASTIC. Think hilarity, outrageous humour, an occasional dirty jokes and funky twists and turns that have you cracking up in no time. The ... first episode really had me hooked. You might THINK it's your average Aliencomes to Earth ET stunt, but you should think again.

The Prince of Daruga is an outrageous douche-bag, with a fantastic sense of humour, intense imagination and a sheer determination to make everyone's life hell.

It's hilarious, a little horrifying in some places, and downright genius! Each episode will have you surprised and pissing yourself laughing.

Admittedly, the parody element of this show is like Gintama --BUT, in my opinion, the humour will also appeal to those who loved the crazy randomness of the likes of School Rumble and Cromartie High School. It gives you an intense serious atmosphere and then flips it around to slap you on the ass with a fish!

Give it a chance and you'll be hooked.

Level E is a series comprised of short story arcs that traverse the themes of paranormal sci-fi. Secret coexistent of different cosmic entities shrouded with mystery, whether they are peace-loving or aggressive warlike species in our daily human lives. From the horrors of invasive species struggling to survive total extinction. Political issues of small scale planetary crimes and up to the massive intergalactic crisis. Prepare to be mind-blown to the sophisticated brain-numbing twist and turns for Level E has it all.

[Art & Sound 7/10]

Aesthetic and audiovisual defines Level E identity as paranormal scifi. By listening to the soundtrack you already have an idea what ... the show it's all about. The soundtrack serves a fitting design, for it gives off an eerie and unsettling atmosphere, it delivers an uncanny valley effect, that adds up to the mystery of the story.

Character design is noteworthy. The staff did a good job of updating the art style of a decade-old manga for the modern audience. The animation is fluent and the use of CGI is alright. Spaceship, alien, and high tech technology design is never given in-depth details for reason it’s not the primary focus, to begin with. For a young studio at the time, David Production did a good job in the animation faithful to the source material.

[Story 8/10]

Level E is rather one of those few titles that tried the experimental approach. It combines two separate elements in a single entity that blends well with the narrative. Serious paranormal sci-fi and light-hearted comedy is something that is very hard to imagine that it could even exist. Sure we have western movies that made a parody and satire over the paranormal genre but its more comedy than a serious story. Level E manages to put an equal balance between unlikely elements. It establishes a solid paranormal story while at the same time create a fascinating built up of a comical impact. The show takes advantage of it to establish paranormal tropes to disguise its intellectually well-crafted humor. There is a good amount of foreshadowing in the story that justifies the means of its bizarre and unexpected plot twist. Even I was constantly fooled and trolled by the unexpected solutions this show came up that was well thought out. For comedy, I say Level E has a well-constructed parody and satire of the paranormal genre.

(This section might contain possible spoiler)

[Character Section 7/10]

When it comes to characters, there are only a few them worth mentioning in the series. Prince Baka and the Color Ranger Boys. For me, they are the most memorable in the entire cast. They have the most exposition and got some interesting development before the end of the series.

The Prince of Dogura

He's the main antagonist of the show, well he’s the protagonist but the way he antagonizes every single character in the series for the sake of his mess-up self-enjoyment might as well make me believe his the main villain of the show. But aside from all I said, he’s a good guy. He is a smart, athletic, and reliable. The problem due to his playful nature being another level annoyance, people around him call him the devil. But in Outer Space, Prince of Dogura is well known for the title of "Baka Prince".

The Color Ranger Boys

They might be the funniest and inspiring group of characters in the entire show. They have nice synergy to each other and their bonded friendship is very remarkable. Each individual ranger has unique abilities that reflect their personality. I support their adventures in kicking the forces of evil, especially the ass of our Baka Prince and it felt satisfying to see.

[Final Thoughts] [Enjoyment 6/10]

Level E is an unexpected show of 2011. It’s an old manga that got modernization treatment upon its adaptation. It’s aesthetics blends well with modern audiences, it is good service to have that Death Note design. The OSTS is good, special mention how it brilliantly parodied the sentai or power ranger series. It hit me hard especially when the Baka Prince sang the Color Ranger Song. Love the voice acting by Koyasu, Takehito, very hilarious and comical in giving impact to the Baka Prince antics. It offers a nice combination of serious paranormal tropes with unpredictable humor. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. The effort place when it comes to the scientific biology of alien species is a treat. It has a solid ending that terminates the status quo of most paranormal scifi endings.

You know, if you put aside you’re human dignity a bit, the show is fun to watch even though it feels like it is made by a guy who randomly watches a few stuff in the T.V and decided hey let’s combine all this element into a story.

Togashi you Madman!

Overall Score [7.3/10]

Story – Imagine if aliens resided on Earth in disguise alongside us humans! There would be aggressive aliens, peaceful aliens, and aliens that are on the verge of extinction. Not noticing their presence, they would be right under our noses living with us in harmony. That’s until Prince Baka shows up in baseball star, Tsutsui’s apartment…

Characters – There’s a huge variety of different aliens in this series and it’s certainly interesting to watch them! From flesh-eating aliens to alien assassins, new species are always being introduced to the show. The little backstories created for each alien race were also all different and exciting.

Our main character, ... Prince Baka, is a prankster who lives for tricking people. He’s very playful, light-hearted, and not too very bright. He’s also quite annoying at times. His poor loyal henchmen must have such a hard time always having to be by his side. They often play the victim of his antics and are all fun to watch. Tsutusi, the baseball star, has a love/hate relationship with Prince Baka and it’s great to see their interactions. The entire cast of this show were portrayed wonderfully.

Art/Animation – The artwork for this anime is very shounen and that’s understandable because it was actually created by Yoshihiro Togashi of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter. I often found that Tsutsui’s facial expressions and actions were very similar to Yusuke from Yu Yu Hakusho, so I wasn’t surprised to find out that Level E was by the same man. The artwork isn’t very complicated and there aren’t too many details; it’s simple. It worked perfectly for the anime because the animation was able to come out very smoothly. Fight scenes were very clear cut and you could see every single movement taken. The animation was very strong and enjoyable to watch.

Music – The music was fairly weak for this series, unfortunately. There were a couple of suspenseful songs used for some serious moments, but otherwise there wasn’t anything extraordinary. The only memorable song was the jazzy opening, sang by Chiaki Kuriyama,

Pros – Level E is a master of storytelling. Its ability to fool you into believing something is actually happening in the anime is extraordinary. I was deceived almost every episode because the layout of the episode was so believable! The producers of this anime did such an excellent job in directing this show by properly generating the moods that certain situations took place in.

Level E also has a fantastic sense of humor, as it actually made me burst out laughing pretty frequently. The material used was spot-on and had perfect timing. Tsutsui and Prince Baka actually reminded me of a manzai duo; with Tsutsui being the tsukkomi and Prince Baka as the boke. They constantly had epic interactions and their “fighting” was more hilarious than anything else! Seeing them argue back and forth with each other was very amusing to watch. Although the humor can be slightly random in some episodes (Prince Baka appearing out of nowhere was random in itself!), the comedy can be at its best when you are least expecting it.

Cons - If you don't like having your leg pulled, then this anime isn't for you. There are tons of "troll" moments in this anime that sometimes even I would actually get annoyed. Imagine watching something like Attack on Titan and finding out it was all a dream. It gets frustrating! Level E isn't as serious, of course, but many events in this anime turn out to be hoaxes or experiments that Prince Baka conducts for his own pleasure. He may be having fun, but it's annoying when you’re watching a whole episode about something mysterious and it turns out to be a tv show. Kind of makes you think, "What's the point of watching if everything turns out to be fake?"

Another downfall is that Tsutsui disappears for a few episodes. His interactions with Prince Baka were priceless and that is where the best comedic moments stood. The lack of his presence was very risky and the anime felt like it was missing something. The anime still had funny scenes, but they just weren’t as amusing. Plus, I really enjoyed seeing Prince Baka getting punched and kicked around.

Overall - Level E is definitely something I haven't seen any anime do in a while! It’s not everyday that I see a comedy mixed with some drama and sci-fi, so that’s pretty awesome. It wasn’t a perfect anime, but after the last episode, I was kind of seeking more. Too bad the manga is only 3 volumes long. Prince Baka may have won a spot in my list of “Most Annoying Anime Characters”, but Level E’s comedy and storytelling were spot on.

Rating - 7.5/10

I'm a little hesitant to pick up new series but this was a nice surprise. Usually the first couple eps of any anime are quite lame and end up giving you a wrong impression about what the anime is about. Which is why I usually read reviews. However, the only review on this was something about "Yu Yu Hakusho" or something dreadful like that, so I decided to step in and help out.

Basically its just like Gintama, its both episodic and contains mini arcs. However, Gintama is aimed at a slightly younger crowd than Level E, at least that's my take. ... So far, it's been all about the comedy, though its far more subtle and mischevious than Gintama. In fact, it compares to Gintama only on the surface.

Little to no plot so far, it mainly jumps around. And I usually do not like episodic anime, at all. But this is very good for this show.

The art is nothing spectacularly original, but its consistent and gives the show a deeper feel.

Sound is amazing, I love the op/ed songs and the FX mesh well.

Characters are not really the strong point of the anime, and so far not much is known. This may seem like a draw back, but its a comedy show fundamentally. So it works.

I don't know how many eps this will run for, but it gives you that same feeling that this could turn into an epic show at any time.

Yukitaka has just left Tokyo, eager to transfer to Kisaragi High where he's been recruited to play baseball. However, upon entering his new apartment, the boy is met by a man with long blonde hair who claims to be… an alien?! After initially scoffing at the notion, Yukitaka discovers that the alien – Ouji – is for real, has amnesia and, what's worse, now wants to live with him in his apartment. The fact that scientists and mysterious guys in black suits are after Ouji becomes the least of Yukitaka's problems as his new guest turns out to be more than a handful to handle!

Story ... (7/10)
The best thing about this screwy comedy is that we never know when it is lying. The direction is a massive exercise in sleight of hand, the script a riddle within a puzzle, and guessing what the hell is going on becomes the most compelling reason to keep watching.

Level E smells suspiciously like Men in Black, with a backdrop of aliens who immigrate to Earth for various reasons and live among unsuspecting humans. But instead of counting down to an epic intergalactic crisis topped with macho laser battles, it narrowly follows the social chaos that occurs when one self-absorbed and utterly brilliant alien, Ouji of Dogura, throws misadventure and misfortune in everyone’s way. Indeed, this is comedy played any way but straight, and it relies mostly on the Prince being a complete dick while the rest of the cast try not to implode with frustration.

With no substantial stories and just a string of misadventures and non-sequiturs, there is really no point to Level E except to give Ouji a platform to fuck around. Veering from parodies of Power Rangers to moral parables on the ethics of poaching before swerving back to dubious character arcs, Level E simply relishes its moment in the viewers’ attention to do whatever the hell it wants. Any uncharacteristic sober lapses, for instance, quickly dissolve in the face of troll jokes.

This is a delightfully creative work and one of the most intriguing uses of aliens I’ve seen in recent years (although the manga is from the 1990s when this topic was trendy). But Level E is also a textbook case of fizzling out. Between the stunning introductory episodes, which arguably deliver the biggest laughs, and the final episode, which has the most fulfilling surprises, there lie a few misfires. One oddly sentimental diversion follows a mermaid-alien as she fights nasty poachers with the help of school children, while another has the heroes trying to prevent a nasty alien race of insect-like females marrying a human. These instalments do not, frankly speaking, make the grade, although they act as tolerable padding for a show this short and eclectic.

Art (7/10)
Level E doesn’t deserve the animation it gets - with such frenetic, schizophrenic content, I would have assumed a lackadaisical cartoon style to match. But Studio Pierrot has given it a sober, clean appearance and borderline bishounen character designs that seem altogether too pleasant. Admittedly, the budget doesn’t stretch as far as sassy-looking action or intriguing environments, but it looks deceptively sophisticated.

Sound (6/10)
The soundtrack is modest and barely noticeable; apart from complementing scenes or adequately book-ending the content, it makes no significant impact.

Characters (7/10)
If Level E can be said to be about anything in particular, it would be Ouji. His eccentricities not only dictate much of the comedy but also set the tone for the story. Simply put, things happen in Level E because the Ouji wants them to. It’s always gratifying to observe a narrative so wholly absorbed by one personality (the last example I remember is Light’s performance in Death Note). What makes Ouji a powerfully attractive protagonist is his enigma: all his words are lies nestled in truths or just plain lies, and sometimes he will speak the truth in a manner that looks suspiciously like a lie. The source of amusement (and his co-stars’ frustration) is the act of detangling his speech and behaviour to minimise collateral and psychological damage. In one sense, Level E becomes an extended character study of this individual so utterly removed from our reality not just biologically, but also mentally.

Ouji’s only rival for attention is the long-suffering bodyguard, Kraft. Kraft’s eye-reddening, vein-popping, twitching rages as the Prince systematically ruins his life fill in the gaps of relatable emotion where the Prince has no reach. As for the others, don’t get attached to them; none make any significant contributions except to get caught in Ouji’s madness and often exit the story as inexplicably as they enter it. Yukitaka Tsutsui is a particularly curious case as he appears to take the role of half of the comedy duo from the start only to be pushed aside two episodes down the line as the show runs in new directions.

at first i wasn't sure if this anime was worth waching, i mean baseball? not really my thing. but the more you see the more addicted you get, the crazzier and funnier the stories get and then you get to the last episode which is probably the best and by then you're begging for more.

Anime Review #3 – Level E

When I heard of this anime, I read up about its storyline and was intrigued. At first glance, it resembled Gintama in the sense that it consisted of humans and aliens living together however, in this circumstance the humans don’t know that they are sharing the Earth with countless aliens.

“In the present day, hundreds of extraterrestrial species walk the Earth. Some are pacifistic, others violent. Some are here for research purposes, others are career criminals. However, humans don't know they are here.” – MAL

The quote is literally the introduction in each episode and is a constant reminder of the situation ... occurring in the anime.

So basically, the storyline revolves around an alien often called “Prince Baka” and follows his ‘adventures’. The plot in a way is also similar to Gintama as there is no fixed story. In total, there are about 5 or 6 mini arcs, some consist of 1 episode and others consist of up to 3. I guess you could say that this kept my attention to the anime as it wasn’t being dragged on like the mainstream anime we watch e.g. Naruto, Bleach etc.

There is a general pattern you will notice in the anime and that is the arcs consisting of a serious plot which unfolds to be something quite hilarious.

Prince Baka, is a character of royalty but doesn’t want responsibility. He is a character who is constantly toying with people to entertain himself and will often come up with the most random ideas and solutions to problems. However, he is not stupid unlike his name suggests, he is quite the opposite as he is generally the person to find the solutions for every problem that occurs.

In a sense, Prince Baka, probably wouldn’t be considered a protagonist but an anti-protagonist similar to that of Light (Death Note) as he is the main character but acting as a villain. In Level E, this is not very explicit and the character doesn’t go to extremes, his actions are more like pranks which will entertain you throughout.

Because of the various arcs, there are also a multiple of characters available. Some arcs re-use characters from previous arcs and this reminded me of Higurashi no Koro ni.

The bodyguards of the prince are probably in almost all the arcs and there are 3 different characters all with completely different personalities. There is Kraft who, if he could, would probably kill the prince and he is probably toyed around with the most. Then there’s Sade who tends to diagnose the main problem in each arc (if he’s in the arc) and is obsessed with bugs and insects. Finally, the third bodyguard is Colin who seems to be the one who is easily fooled and believes things as he sees it.

The list of other characters consisting of aliens and humans will take forever to explain but there are a bunch of them and each one of them is used to progress the narrative. Probably the most noticeable human characters are Tsutsui, Miho and the five elementary school kids.

The aliens are shown disguised as humans. To me, this representation suggested that some people are different to each of us and may seem “alien” to us. Whether, I may be indulging in the representation a bit too much is a different story but it seemed to me that the aliens represent humans in different ways.

What can I say about the soundtrack?
There were a few slow piano pieces which are pretty melodic and tend to come at serious moments in the anime or when a problem is found in the arcs. The opening of the anime didn’t really get to me so much but I found the ending to be a bit more suited to my taste in music. In terms of language, the aliens and humans communicate in Japanese and this is the same for aliens who can not speak the human language so the audience can understand but an echo has been added or the voice is slightly auto-tuned to differentiate between them.

There were a bunch of intertextual references I found in a few episodes. Firstly we have the parody of Power Rangers which is then blended with a parody of Dragon Quest which mimic the whole RPG genre of gaming. In the same arc, we have the skyboard as an attainable item which is a spoof of Eureka Seven and during an explanation, a Weedle (Pokemon reference) was used to graphically explain the problem.

I don’t know a lot about art but the art displayed in the anime was constant and never compromised. The art was standard and wasn’t placed too dark like Death Note or on the other hand to childish like that of Pokemon or Digimon. The tones and shadows used very moderate and there was no exaggerated parts.

It was a really fun anime to watch and the mix of apparent humour and serious humour really expressed itself in this anime. I am glad that the anime is only 13 episodes because it’s a nice anime to watch which doesn’t drag on to have a million arcs, making the anime easy to follow.

To those interested in this anime, I think you will enjoy this if you have seen stuff like Gintama. However, don’t take my word for it because the humour may seem a bit more serious in Level E.

Enjoy!

There's a lot of sci-fi anime out there, most with creatures that has supernatural powers, and some with aliens. But out of all that I've seen so far, this tops them all in terms of the combination of reality vs fiction and humor.

The short stories are all well-paced, with enough action and suspense. The characters are all very interesting. The best part for me though was the dry sense of humor of Baka-ouji, along with the typical teenage Japanese baseball guy, Yukitaka's reactions, and of course, helpless "pet", Craft. Some episodes I laughed so hard, I had to pause or rewind to continue watching. ... I guess I enjoy this so called "black humor" type comedies.

The only aspect that didn't strike me as much was the sound. It didn't get in the way of the anime, but it didn't make too much of an impact on it either, meaning with or without the sound the anime would still have been hysterical.

Overall it's a very entertaining anime, I would recommend it if anyone's looking for good laughs.

(I try to keep my reviews short and sweet and straight to the point without giving away spoilers with that said lets get this show on the road)

This anime is totally different from the cliche predictable ones. No heart stoppers or tears here just straight comedy

This anime has
1. Comedy (Comedy is probably the biggest focus in this anime)
2. No Blood (Nothing major a couple splats here there)
3. Action ( A little piece in each episode)
4. Romance (Nothing huge not the main focus of the anime)

Overall 12+ can watch this anime pretty good Good anime to watch to pass the time by. Or just to watch ... something different. Nothing huge or little its just in the middle.

Somebody, write me an anime.

Have it be a sci-fi that's totally hilarious, where the main character is a gorgeous guy who is a deadpan utter jerk. And he knows it. Oh, and ALIENS! Let there be aliens who wish to mate with the human race. Let there be aliens who try to protect earth at the cost of their lives, and who get strokes and ulcers in the process. And let it have cheesy homages to Super Sentai. Make it so I'll laugh and sometimes feel a little sad. The Twilight Zone on another level. Let ... it be delicious and utter chaos. Throw a curveball every 30 seconds. Make me befuddled. Strike me dumb.

And let the animation and music be decent.

Oh, wait, somebody already DID write one. And it's called "Level E."

This series is my crack-up. This is my ha-ha. The one that I realize I've been grinning all the way through because my face hurts when it's over.

But don't watch this JUST because the guy who wrote the manga also wrote this other inconspicuous little series called Hunter x Hunter. After all, the mood and art are totally different. But they are both brilliant. The way that two sides of a gold coin are equally shiny, even if the pattern is different.

I'm picky about my comedy shows. Gintama makes me yawn. My Bride is a Mermaid is amusing. Beelzebub at least gets me grinning. This….this makes me bellylaugh for its utter unexpecititivity. It's like, no anime would get away with something so DUMB, so it's funny. Nobody else dares to try it. Comedy of its own caliber.

And how many animes have retro-era alien music? Totally awesome. And melodramatic piano that keeps looping through my head, darn it. Oh, the OP. One of the few OP's I watched consistently every episode. It itself is like a tribute to...cheesy awesomeness, while being cool at the same time. Campiness galore.

It's only 13 episodes, but you can break it up into 6 or 7 arcs, each being 1-3 episodes long. Do not fear that we leave Yukitaka after the first arc is over. We see him again at the end. But meanwhile we have to swim through the woman-eaters, mermaids, schoolkids-turned-color-rangers, RPGs, lesbians, snowmobiles, and grasshoppers. And did you know that aliens like baseball? That's why they keep earth safe. It's the only planet with baseball.

For those with dirty minds who can only laugh at dirty jokes, and can only drool over ecchi: stay away. You won't laugh here. Not much for you.

I would give it a score of 10 in this review if it weren't for 2 episodes that weren't funny: there was one color ranger episode too many, and the baseball episode. I guess they included it because it was in the manga.

Except for that, the comedy stays fresh. I've watched it through twice, and re-watched individual episodes several times. And for some reason it's STILL funny.

Watch it....FOR THE ALIENS ARE AMONG US!!!!!!!

*cue eerie sci-fi music from the 50's*

Level E is like a hidden gem for me because I love Yoshihiro Togashi. This show seems like everything he wanted it to be. After creating two smash, semi-predictable shounen hits (Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter), he just checked out and made something utterly crazy and wonderful.

If I had to sum of Level E in one word, it would be: Trollin'.

This show trolls you constantly from every angle, and that is quintessential Togashi who shines when creating puzzles and convoluted situations. The premiss and first episode--a beautiful alien prince shows up in a baseball player's new apartment--are the set up for a shounen ... ai story, but that's just more trolling (sorry, no boy's love here). From there, we get light hearted and silly, black comedy, real emotion, and some genuinely frightening scenes. The show runs the gambit. It keeps you guessing and constantly surprised.

It is a little episodic, but there are definite arcs that include, the crazy alien prince getting established on earth, the captain of his guard coming to protect and/or retrieve him, Baka-Ouji (the prince) trapping a bunch of elementary school kids into becoming the Color Rangers a parody of the Power Rangers (he even made a theme song!), a planet set up like a video game, Baka-Ouji's jilted finacee coming for him, and several episodes that seem like one-offs, but ultimately tie back into the story.

I've read reviews that said the Color Rangers arc was weak and went on too long, but it was my favorite. Maybe you just had to have been a Power Rangers fan growing up to fully appreciate those episodes.

The characters are the best part. Togashi always makes amazing casts that are archetypes and completely subversive at the same time. The stand out for me is our human baseball player cum host to alien royalty, Tsusui's neighbor Miho. While Tsusui freaks out, she keeps him from getting killed or arrested for harboring an alien in total stride. This woman is smart and amazing. Everyone else is equally well rounded and despite all his trolling, you even get attached to Prince Baka.

This was the first "newer" (read: not made in 1990) anime that I've watched in a LONG TIME so I was blown away by the animation, but even if you aren't obsessed with vintage shows like me, the art, music, and production are really great. No complaints with voice actors either. Prince Baka's seiyuu is particularly commendable for being about to go from manic to completely serious in the same line and keep a from laughing in every take.

I whole heartedly recommend this show if your looking for something hilarious, surprising, and weird.

Ah, aliens. The never ending ability to instantly capture ones interest in the unknown. Level E does this, by providing an, pretty much, perfect entry arc. However, it leaves much more to be desired as you head farther into this series.

A comedy Level E completes this task well. The way they incorporate the jokes is flawless. There isn't any slapstick, many of the jokes are trash talking or Cile's...Baka's... clever tricks. The world is abundant with aliens in disguise and we watch as a numerous parties interact with them. There is a parties in this show:

Baka's underlings: They try and stop Baka's idiotic pranks in ... people, and usually get the short end of the stick for trying. They appear periodically whenever Baka is causing mischief, and also have their own two episode arc as they greet an arriving princess onto earth.

Yukitaka: He has Baka break in and live in his house for a while. He provides tsukkomi against Baka, and appears in the first and final arcs.

Battle Ranger Kids: The arc that takes up many episodes in the middle is a cruel experiment by Baka. These kids are forced to play power rangers, and go on an multi-episode adventure. They also have a one shot episode that is rather interesting.


The battle ranger kids is cool at first, but the story drags out too long and gets somewhat dull. Despite this bump, the stories for the arcs are rather impressive for this comedy. Aside the school comedies filled with moé, and your typical ecchi shounen comedies and such comes Level E. As surprising as it is, this alien show is somewhat of an outlier from the average comedy and worth watching for a change of pace.

Warning the review may contain spoilers.
First impressions, so we got a show where aliens are on earth and a Japanese baseball player has a close incounter with one of this aliens. Sounds interesting enough.
Quick side the one meme-man joke was made by an Skype frend that goes by name of skullzs.

Story, 7/10

So the story starts off with this high school student who encounters an alien who has crashed landed on earth and has amnesia.
So your most likely thinking that this is going to be a show about this friendship that this alien and human have while trying generally contact generally ... the alien home planet so they can pick him up and there going to be a tearful good bye and maybe a reunion. Well if you thought that then you are 100% wrong.

Because what this story is actually about is this alien prince named prince Baka who mission in life is to relive himself of boredom so he travels to earth with the soul intention of trolling the fuck out of every one.

So level E in a nutshell is pretty much an episodic shounen comedy cented around a character
who can be summarized as one meme-man fucking with a bunch of people.

So You would think that such a simple plot like this would make me loose interest fast.
And for some parts it kind of did there where quite a few episodes that really bored me tears which really make loose it steam and for most part it becomes a bit predictable after a point.

But what really got my attention with this show is how witty it is with its humor because it's pretty rare to have troll jokes in amine. Plus nice to have a shounen story that isn't focused on power ups and nakama bullshit. Plus at the end there is apart where he gets out smarted so it's not always him being the trolling master.



Characters, 6/10

The main character prince Baka was very interesting to me. Because I have not seen many characters like him. His personality can be pretty much be summarized in a few statement for example the king of trolls,one meme-man, lord of meme.


The side characters are pretty much one note.
They are mostly there to react to the Main character trolling.


Art, 6/10

The animation is alright.

The art style is a little different because of the aliens that are in it with the whole aliens forms that shit like that.

The character designs are dated.
but the alien design where quite interesting.


Sounded, 6/10

The op and Ending themes are quite nice.

Other than that nothing really note worthy.


Enjoyment, 7/10

So for me I believe that level E is probably one of better shounens out there and just to make my point more clear this story was written by the guy that did hunter X hunter. I think that level E is one of those shows that a gem in the rough yes it has problems but it has a lot going for it. Like its humor and its setting which could have more interesting.

Overall, 7/10

So if your into shounen as a whole an want something different then level E will pretty much what you are looking for.
But if you're not into the comedy of the show then this will probably bore you to death.

It's been a while since I watched this one, so I'll keep my review brief. Level E isn't the greatest anime ever, that's for sure, but I feel I have to give it a 9 because it just has such a unique charm to it. Its love of anticlimaxes is incredible, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who'd like to watch a short anime that's a little bit different.

Level E doesnt take take itself too seriously, and yet, you will probably take it seriously at least once or twice. Initially you will think this anime is hardcore science fiction(...and maybe it is) ,but, then the plot twists comes and you realize its not that kinda show....or is it?
Suddenly the show becomes a horror genre and you shake your head in confusion but the plot draws you in again,keeping you at the edge of your seat for three more episodes only to twist on you you agian.

So yea its one of those hard to describe experiances. A paradox in the world on ... anime. Its no epic yet its epic. So give it a go you wont regret it.

Aliens coming to Earth... Why are this aliens so attracted to our planet? What makes our planet so much better for their own alien planets? It's a question that's been bugging me for some time now and after watching Level E, I think I know why. It's based on a 3 volume manga by the creator of Yu-Yu Hakusho! and Hunter X Hunter and it's about aliens coming to our planet for different reasons. Some come for some relaxation, some to have new lives on our planet or everything in between. Later on, an alien named Baka Di El Dogra (that's his full name) comes ... to Earth and he is suffering from amnesia, and he is living with a young man who's a baseball player and they both don't get along well.

What follows it's a deep story of friendship that will shake the balance of the universe for eternity........... Oh wait that's E.T. and other family friendly alien movies. Wrong plot.

The real plot is that the alien prince Baka is a prankster and uses the humans of Earth as his little toys to make them suffer while he laughs at their misfortunes. That's pretty much the plot of Level E. The show is not straightforward and while some viewers might hate this, the approach for side-stories actually work for a reason. You see, the entire series is about a prince who's bored as hell and will do anything to be entertained on Earth. He kidnaps 5 school kids, turns them into hilarious Power Rangers knockoffs and traps them into an RPG game planet that he programmed, make well elaborated pranks to his friends so that everything goes according to his plan and He'll even go as far as turning us into Pop Tarts and survive by not getting eaten by hungry Pop Tarts fans.

Just kidding, the Pop Tarts thing never happens in the story. It could be fun though TWT.

Overall, this approach of telling side-stories allows the show to have more variety. It has episodes that combines slapstick humor with some dramatic moments and they even have episodes that explore some really dark topics, which is strange considering that this is a series about a prince that loves to prank on people but I got used to it and I'm glad that the creators of the show decided to add some variety cause otherwise, they would repeat the slapstick humor to death. The characters are really charming and while they don't have a lot of development, they at least have characterisation and everyone in the series are free thinking individuals rather than stereotypes that we've seen in several anime (*cough* anime stereotype friend who's a complete dunce *cough*). But the best character of this show is simply Baka himself. Sure he's a bastard but that what makes him so lovable. He's a master at pranks and his plan are so well executed thanks to the prince's charming and smart personality that makes you believe that the things he's is saying are true and Baka does a damn good job at it.

The animation by Studio Perriot is quite the visual pleaser. The background art is excellently rendered and the attention to detail in the coloring palette is fantastic. Even the character models are gorgeous and they feel very life-like, especially on Baka's majestic character design (BTW, he does looks like a younger version of Fabio doesn't he?). The voice-acting in Japanese is a solid listen but the dub that was provided by Funimation was a big surprise for me. Vic Mignogna was perfect for the role as Baka and he gives the character the right balance of over the top humor and sarcasm into the role. To be honest when I first heard the dub in the Level E english trailer, I had doubts but after watching in it on English, they did a good job on making the dialogue funny while staying faithful to the original Japanese script but with some additional touches.

Level E is a damn fun series to watch. While it's not the perfect anime comedy and it does have a few problems like some dialogue scenes that felt "meh" at times, it can be easily overlooked. It's such a funny and twisted show that gets better and better the more times you see it. If there's ever gonna be a second season to Level E, I hope that they keep on improving the comedy even further for future installments.

The way this series approaches the topic of the possibility of aliens is interesting, and also unique insofar as not much else done about this subject is usually comedic.

It has episodes made up of arcs that range from three, two, or just individual narratives that are resolved within twenty minutes. The latter do not usually have characters that re-appear in later episodes, and even one of the couple episodes arc do not re-occur, but this is mostly satisfactory because the narrative is usually dealt with, and even if a 'deus ex machina' device seems to be used, it is at least seemingly logical, being devised ... by the mostly comedic prince 'Baka' (Japanese for 'stupid', not because he actually is; it is a nickname other characters usually use due to his annoyance, so it is a cathartic sort of utterance, as opposed to descriptive).

It is a referential anime, both to a 'tokusatsu' series - with a twist, and comedy still central - and video games, particularly RPGs, wherein anime transitions into and from. It is also referenced itself in other series of a similar nature, Gintama in particular, as it also deals with aliens but mostly focuses on its human protagonists' hijinks.

Still, even with these relations this series is mostly composed of stand-alone stories that are worth watching in their own right. The comedy also doesn't require prior viewing of other series to enjoy, as it's mostly about the prince and how obnoxious he can be that even his alien colleagues dream of, at the very least, getting away from him. This is all in done in good nature, though, as except for one or two episodes most characters aren't vicious, or at least only are conceptually.