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Tanmoshi Vol 1 Review

"You will be my assistant."

These small yet insignificant words in the grand scheme of things carry a heavy weight in a series of convalescing events, until eventually they converge on each other. An ever-revolving narrative.

Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru, also known as The Detective is Already Dead. Or more colloquially to its mainstream audience, Tanmoshi, is one of those encounters in the world of light novels you just can't explain.
A hidden gem in the mass stockpile of more relevant material.

A far-fetched duo, paths unlikely to ever cross, scouring the entire globe.
... Opposing ideals, confrontations against a worldwide calamity known as SPES.
Solving crimes and battling the underworld, a force so committed to destruction.
Happy and sad times over scant numbers of years. Until out of the blue, with no amount of fanfare at all, Siesta, a much beloved, well-known character unceremoniously dies, vanished from the collective memory from the rest of the world.
Kimitsuka, her assistant, left behind by someone that's meant a great deal to his well-being.The Watson to her Holmes, a year prior to this point in the story.
Now in grief, somewhere between loose ends and coping.
Their three-year long companionship against this supernatural entity that took up most of his adolescent life.
Present for most of his existence.

Listless and wandering a world with no ounce of motivation, a chance confrontation with one who bears a strong resemblance to his teacher.
Uncanny and unsettling, at that.
His destiny irrevocably changed, his fate left up in the air as to what next step in his adventures entail.
Some elaborated realizations over Nagisa's entire being provides a sense of closure for his ample experience with Siesta.
She isn't gone, far be it from that.
She's still with him, however small, reassuring his many doubts were not in vain.
It gives him the bearing to move on.

A fast-paced segue into another sequence of events with an abrupt presence.
Yui Saikawa, one who should not have anything to do with this new partnership.
A popular and well-known personality.
Both coming from different worlds altogether, her intentions hidden but also revealed. Slowly-unfolding backstories, side-by-side with actions that fall in line with Kimi's sense of deduction reveals his complacency for not pursuing loose ends.
Entirely unfounded depths disclose his true nemesis.
Their demise assured, only now come crawling out of the woodwork.

Now a trio, their final destination aboard the cruiser heading to who knows where, finally Kimi is face to face with one who shares a troubled but fractured history with him.
Charlotte and him both, deeply intertwined in their past, chained to the existence known as Siesta. Her shadow lingers over them, a constant that keeps them from moving forward.
Char, who fancied herself an apprentice, a stark contrast to Kimi's designation, consigned to just one mention of her Detective.
Moving onward so as to move gently toward the person she so admired.
Kimi as well, unable to view himself as anything but an assistant, a veil of unwavering doubt that binds him.
Despite the fact he's entirely confident and able to hold his own, he can't shake off the feeling of working as someone's support, or right hand man. Siesta, very obviously at that, taught him just enough to keep himself independent of her, to strike out on his own for no recompense to again making himself inferior.
He's now the protagonist of his own story, rather than the associate that occupied the main portion of her life.

It all comes to a head in a resolution so tantamount to Kimi's progression as a character.
One final goodbye, a parting that feels earned, when his Detective once again comes out of the fray to protect and nurture him and his comrades' future in the present day. That one instant in his ongoing clash with SPES once again gives him and Char their sense of closure, the bearing to move forward, while contending with the fact of what exactly could have erased their time with Siesta, however faint it was.
Questions, more than answers.

Due to the out there nature of its obscure title, one might be aghast in assuming a story such as this to involve a kind of mystery, but it doesn't.
A major positive to its benefit.
I can't really explain without spoiling, and/or divulging certain elements I haven't already. The way the author, Nigozyu-sensei, implements and starts connecting various plot beats across a span of chapters is an impressive job in and of itself.
The many hiking trails make a believable amount of sense, the main impetus to making us care, getting involved with these people.

It's also a major plus to keep Siesta, a character already absent, to drive most of what goes on this volume.
She is entirely present the entire time, even though she's deceased.
She's the one most of, if not all think about and refers to. The memories she's left behind form the main portion of everyone's circumstances.
For Nagisa, a more literal meaning, owing to their shared cognizance with each other.
For Kimi and Char, ones who have already lived in another's chronicle of their life.

It's an incredible experience being relayed to the audience, managing to pull in elements from various works but still carving an identity for itself.
Managing to smartly use humor and serious, dramatic moments together along with changing perspectives and flashbacks does wonders.
Also, it's not a harem, anybody's reservations about that genre notwithstanding.
Each individual only expands the plot and enhances the direction the story's headed to in conjunction with Kimi's overall future path.
Their most important moments drive the next main arc.

It's absolutely worth it to forgo the anime and getting hooked onto the actual source.
Making the novel your first experience with this franchise is the best recommendation.
Compelling characters and enticing worldbuilding only further interests my inquiry to its next destination.

MIERUKO-CHAN
What do you think would happen, when one day, you suddenly had this otherworldly, supernatural abilty to see the unknown?
Would you run?
Cower in fear?
Or would you simply ignore, for fear of being tormented endlessly, your life a living hell, unable to confide nor escape this sight of horrors?

This mishmash series of horror, slice of life, and comedy integrates these elements against the backdrop of the paranormal. These many constituents in a normal series would normally drag and become a lesser version of itself. Mieruko-chan, on the other hand, deftly balances all these components together and works wonders in delivering a fascinating experience to view through ... a mere diversative glance.

Miko Yotsuya, an ordinary, yet rather complacent high schooler, living day to day with her best friend and merely enjoying the niceties of life. A chance encounter irreparably throws her world upside down.
Not even she herself knows what ramifications forced her to miraculously obtain the sight, the power to walk into the world of spirits, ghouls and malevolent apparitions.

It's interesting to see a real, and insightful take on what would actually happen if you really were able to witness these specters, lingering about as they were.
Instead of exclaiming in shock or reacting in an obvious manner, it's more understandable to disregard their existence, lest they themselves bring harm to you or something worse.

Her daily life with Hana, loved ones and acquaintances does an exemplary job in exploring many concepts not usually explored when it's interspliced with the small but not heavy comedic bits sprinkled here and there.
They're not downright weighing down the material, but make the story even better.

When the eventual jumpscares, and/or scary, frightening moments happen on or offscreen, they really sell on the scare factor, as some of them elicit a reaction out of the audience.

It also deals with relevant subject matter that is not at all distasteful. In fact, it merely provides a real and materialistic existence for itself. Topics that occasionally are handwaved in other recent fare of media, this series treats them with the amount of respect it deserves.
These integrated moments greatly develop Miko and her worldview in terms of how she should approach this gift of hers. Whether she should confront the surroundings that mess with her psyche and stand up for herself.

It implements some usual well-worn tropes that dont't necessarily drag the story down, but provide an enjoyable experience.
The back-half of this season instantly segues into an emotional and satisfying story arc that benefits Miko as a character.

There's a main theme running throughout that lingers besides her environment.
You shouldn't judge people's overall character based on the impression they give, the features they exhibit on a surface level. Rather try to reach that middle ground, inching closer to deeply connect with them, without fear of repercussions.
This becomes an entertaining experience, and a major selling point in our overall enjoyment.

The visuals are breathtaking, courtesy of Studio Passione. While their usual animation techniques are present, i.e. their ecchi and erotic traits, it sparingly applies them in favor of an emotional backswell that rewards our patience.
The more important plot beats endear us to Miko's progression as a character, as she ploddingly advances toward confronting and moving on from her initial fears and takes a stance to being true to who she is.

This series isn't for everyone.
If you can't stand the perverse closeups sometimes, or meandering interactions, it's understandable.
The terror, scarily presented in equal quanities of fright and comically unknown measure, are also a utility to this adaptation of a special blend of themes.

Fantastic voice-acting sell on the fright and malice sometimes exhibited during these episodes' run.
With clean and sparing animation-styled frames, it's managed to keep me invested throughout, regardless of its reserved plot beats.

If you're aching for something a tad different from your usual fare, give it a shot.
The mix of genres shouldn't at all deter your enjoyment of it as a whole.
It can surprise you without any reservations.

The Heike Story
A sprawling epic relayed from ages past, in nothing but musings from biwa players of distant memory and up to the current now, this take of the downfall of a once revered but eventual ruined family tugs at your heartstrings and never stops churning along.
Excellent voice acting, overall atmosphere and tone does wonders to immerse you into this fictional recollection into a period in time that might've been forgotten in the annals of history.
Based on the literary work, the original "Tale of the Heike" spans untold generations.

Similar in vein to other epics of the same ilk, this foretells of the prosperous family, the ... Heike, or the Taira clan, as they eventually disappear with no remorse during the Genpei War. Viewpoints of different characters invariably shift as they reach the aforementioned climax.
The mainn character, Biwa, is a conundrum in the many aspects of this production.
An entirely original person not beholden to the source material, her input and camaraderie with this infamous family creates a new comprehension but also conundrum with her overall feelings.

Originally slighted by their unknown retainers, she has the ability to see the ill-begotten ruination that comes for them in an unkown number of years from now.
It's a tossup as to when this ghastly and deadly prophecy will occur, and that uncertainty plagues viewers throughout.

Directed by Naoko Yamada, of A Silent Voice fame, this series immedately caught my interest. As a concept it's unheard of for an anime to delve into topics heavily steeped in a narrative as vaguely understood as this.
International audiences, for example, can barely understand.
It's been made apparent that this record was made with its Japanese audiences in mind, so the whiplash watchers feel when it doesn't cater to us could possibly alienate others from enjoying this work.
It expects us to know whatever happens already, a fact we don't appreciate.
However, if you take that consideration out of the window, itis an enjoyable piece of entertainment that can surprise you with the many nuances taken to keep us invested in whatever perils and emotional heft these characters take us on.
You're rewarded with a sense of finality.

Rushed pacing in its latter half, I necessarily felt hurried along, but I could also get the gist of whatever happened on screen.
The political intrigue interspliced with the main family's connections with Biwa intrigued me just enough to empathize with them as they're humanized.
Her berth to the story allows us to sympathize and connect with them one by one, an approach in the narrative that was beneficial to caring about them as a whole. The story beats that occur enhance our belated knowledge of this turning point in history as it educates us greatly.

There's a major payoff in the end, as Biwa's many ventures with ot without this found family of hers leads to a segue, or possibly, a fate for her that is blatantly obvious from the ending credit's visuals.
She recites passages from the tale by playing the biwa instrument.

She herself is based on biwa hōshi players, lute priests, known for basically reminiscing the passages told in the Heike Monogatari's hugely pronounced tellngs and this compelling art has endured for hundreds of years.
Aoi Yuki's stellar performance as Biwa excellently delivers.
Whenever she sings, it's uttered with a sense of melancholy that sells on the dread and dreary take that plagues the ever declining series of characters.
She outdoes herself time and again, an incredible positive to this adaptation as a whole if you're apprehensive of watching.

Well-choreographed battle scenes and overall charismatic vibes persist throughout. Beautiful sceneries and deft grace while depicting certain events pertaining to what is left open-ended.
The epilogue leaves with questions as to who the overall victor is but it doesn't matter.
This won't be for everyone, as even viewers with historian-like backgrounds might nitpick discrepancies between the real and fictional counterparts and settings.
But if you enjoyed it as a piece of anime, I'd say this adaptation has done its job in rousting your endearment of it.

MUSHOKU TENSEI: JOBLESS REINCARNATION
One of the most controversial yet equally amazing series to grace our screens in this year alone, this atypical narou-kei, fantasy-isekai story has a heart and uplifting narrative about the pitfalls of growing up and bettering yourself.
The protagonist, a ne'er-do-well forsaken by society, forever hitting rock-bottom.
Squandered second chances and opportunities of embetterment without an ounce of improvement.
Cast aside after a slight against his own family irreparably damages their already damaged relationship.
There's something appealing about the exact nature of second chances. The heavy-handed approach of how he regressed to this pathetic mass of self loathing and contempt against the world does wonders ... to allow the viewer to theorize just how this unknown can find a way to live.
Getting to tolerate his character and overall being requires the utmost patience, so that when we're rewarded with his development, all these instances will feel earned and you're glad this adventure you're on takes massive appeal to you.
Roxy, a person that gently, but sternly allows him to grow from his trauma, slowly coming to terms that this world is peaceful at the moment.
Not one body is out to demoralize nor demarcate his fragile self ego.
He is loved.
To take that first step into the outside lights him up.

More and more chance meetings give him his first ever genuine friend, a rarity he truly appreciated and treasured
However, a friendship this close can prove damaging toward continued development. It's tough to admit when each other's existence shackles you, halting your progress.
Developing Eris as a character beyond her first and middling perceptions takes a heavy amount of work to be done.
Thankfully, it's pulled off with so much gusto her burgeoning romantic companionship with Rudy develops her sheltered and otherwise constrained worldview

Narrative devices are always used to greatly enhance already miraculous takes on source material.
Turning Points, or rather these premonitions of untold calamity.
Proportions that'll weigh heavily upon future individuals and the ones in the moment.
This hurricane of misfortune.
More questions than answers are laid front and bare as to what a stately apparation, Hitogami, forces upon Rudy and his state of panic offers.
Expansive inquiries to this six-sided world offer vast quantities of unexplored regions to consider at length.

Ruijerd, a much maligned slight, an error in the majorities.
A race cursed to fade away in existence. Their innate malediction, an insignificant yet stroke of luck for Rudy and Eris
No home. No idea where they are.
Forever trapped in this isolated place called the Demon Continent.
Understandably so, the menacing aura one as portentous as he is gives mixed symbols.
However, if appearances or overall horrifying visages etched into your memories since time immemorial damaged your perception of him as a character, it shows just how narrow-minded they truly are.
He provides a necessary and interesting aesthetic to our main trio, as their trip back home informs so much of their new story that not only expands the locales and settings we so inquisitively wanted answers for. The good sides contrast greatly against their bad sides.

The characters have some of the best depictions I've seen as of recent that realistically portray what we expect out of everybody's personalities.
Different paths in life are in stark contrast against how Ruijerd lived his life compared to Rudy and co.
By the end of this journey, many facets through which every single character we've ever known of are expanded upon.
We all have hidden sides to us, many disgusting we keep at arm's length.
Being exposed in the worst light imaginable, with all their imperfections on full display.
However, these ugly appearances do wonders to show their eventual growth, as perceivable they are, as they slowly but gradually mature and reflect upon their transgressions and become better than who they were before. To repair relationships they'll alleviate and fix their flaws.

It's something every person should hope to accomplish.
Isekai is a form of escapism in most media, but to see it treated with the actual way a genre should be handled is especially poignant, in regards to benefitting from that second chance.
Striving to be better than previously. Most of the time, a gradual change takes a lot of courage to muster.
We shouldn't give up on someone who actually looks like they're sincerely trying to adapt to this first step.
Recognizing that effort bestows us with an important part in caring for each other.

Death is an ever remaining dreaded manifestation of our deepest fears. It takes hold of us, until eventually it's more of an afterthought.
To see it happen almost out of the blue, with no fanfare, but unceremoniously, violently twists and pulls at our painful admission of guilt.
The aftereffects a tragedy like this leaves anyone reeling. That sense of finality a series like this engenders upon the viewer reminds us of the many perils but also happy and tranquil times these people have gone through.
The aftershocks for those that are left glues us in.

All in all, Mushoku Tensei is an elaborating chronicle that I have never seen at all, in various other of the same craft.
It implements flawless execution in adapting these tropes that are nevertheless groundbreaking, with great enjoyment.
A pristine showcase of excellent character progression, paired with it's up to par production.
This is something that publicly acknowledges the apprehensions topics that otherwise are glossed over and treats it so serenely.

Beautiful and magnificent backgrounds, settings that take you out of this world. Sound design and musical numbers that absolutely immerses us into this world, a series that'll live rent-free in the minds of many for years to come
I'll remember it in my heart indefinitely.