To the surprise of probably no one, Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu's anime announcement was about as inevitable as any other popular light novel in these years. Kei Azumi's light novel takes place in a fantasy world inspired by the endless isekai trend. Here, we have a boy named Makoto Misumi who gets summoned to a world by the God Tsukuyomi. After realizing his ugly appearance, he gets banished into a Wasteland realm. The catch is that Makoto is gifted with powerful abilities and it doesn't take long to start gaining companions. The most prominent of them is a dragon girl named Tomoe and the Black Spider of Calamity, Mio.
It appears from the start that Makoto has the average humble personality of an adventurer. There's nothing distingushing about his characteristics although his humbleness leads to gain Tomoe and Mio's trust. This form of trust quickly develops into affection as the two swears to serve him. Watching the three on their adventure almost translates to an JRG-like game with a party of members taking on quests together. The catch is that Makoto starts strong as a protagonist while his companions are also no short of being powerful in their own rights. A supposingly draw for the show is the relationship between these three. However, that ends up being a degrading experience for us. The fact is, these three lack any real chemistry. Makoto's naiveness holds back the trio's character relationship. When you see Mio fangirling over Makoto or expecting some sort of intimacy with him, he rejects it without even realizing. For a protagonist, Makoto is nothing short of being plain and uninteresting.
However, I am almost certain that the author had fun writing the series. You can see how playful the humor works with each episode while also adapting the fantasy drama you'd expect to find in isekai anime these days. Furthermore, the characters he adds such as Ema, Rinon, or Shiki adds some flavor in the show. These include Shiki's character debut that seems to come across as a meme (the 'oh no, he's hot!') or Ema's pig appearance. With each progressing episode, it became more and more obvious they wanted the show to be strictly a fantasy and ditch away its real world references. Does it succeed? From the surface, it looks like so but in reality, the world fiction is what you can find in just about any damn light novel you open these days.
So what does Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu have that other isekai anime lacks these days? Well, we do have a naive straightforward protagonist who takes everything for face value. But, the core relationship in the show isn't carried with a degree of solid writing. There's hardly any creative development between the main cast. I already mentioned about the fantasy world and it's nothing really distinguishable from others. Then, we have the God Tsukuyomi who was the one for Makoto's transportation to the fantasy world. As a divine being, we hardly learn about his main purpose in the show or his background. It appears the show just decided to drop the audience into the story just like the protagonist. It just wanted us to get started right away and absorb everything all at once. With just 12 episodes, it also shouldn't come as a surprise that the anime serves as an advertisement of the novels. Let's face it, the main material far exceeds in length than what we see on TV.
Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu is advertised as a fantasy isekai and the art style reflects as one. The promotional materials and character designs are what you'd expect for a cast of non-human characters. Tomoe has her dragon form who can become a busty woman with cyan hair. Then, there's Mio in a black silky yukata and sly attitude. When the two are near Makoto, they act as devoted companions who wants to please him physically and emotionally. Don't believe me? Just watch their expressions ranging from jealousy, embarassment, to anger. The fact is, if Makoto ever gets harmed in any way, you can expect hell to break loose. On the other hand, the show is incredibly straightforward to adapting Makoto as a plain-looking guy. He's not a hunk or has any princely characteristics. Physically, he looks like an average male with the same stoic look 24/7. And to me, his face lands a spot on a character list I want to punch this year.
I won't deny that the show is fun to watch for some giggles and popcorn entertainment. It didn't take itself seriously as it should and you shouldn't either. What did ultimately hold this anime back from being a success is the lackluster storytelling, its mediocre character cast, and a world that was made without much of a plan. Do I enjoy the anime? Sometimes. Do I recommend this show? Definitely not.
