Here's why:
Kenja no Mago knows what it is— an unoriginal story filled with one-dimensional characters told through average animation, sound, etc. That being said, it does an unexpectedly great job of not annoying me. Our hero Shin is a bit dense, but not excessively so. It has its uncomfortable, ecchi moments (looking at you, bidet scene), but it's no Hajimete no Gal. It even briefly features gore and horror elements, but its overall tone is lighthearted. You'll get one scene setting up for a serious crisis, immediately followed by a PowerPoint transition with sparkly SFX into the next scene. Hell, the OP is straight out of a slice of life, yet the ED is edgy shonen all the way.
"So then it's all over the place! What's it trying to be?"
That's exactly right! It's all over the place, it's awkward, and it's stupid as hell, but it's really, truly fun to watch. If you're looking for the perfect isekai that breaks the mold, run away and never look back.
But where Re:Creators, Slime, and Overlord tried something new and lost my attention, Kenja no Mago is the definition of generic and I'm loving every second of it.
It's a guilty pleasure show. Just kick back, grab some popcorn, and don't think too hard. Maybe take a drink every time someone says how goddamn amazing Shin is.
