Well if this is one of the first you see, get ready for a slaughterhouse of reviews.
There are basically 2 camps for this anime.
The first is people saying this is a child molesting , rape-ish, sexual and what not, kind of anime.
There are so many terms people will use to describe this anime and shoot it down to its very core.
Then there is the second camp that look into the characters more and their situations. They try to place themselves in a similar situation and ask "what would I have done" or "could I understand why character X is doing this".
These will, in general, have a good reviews on the series.
For me, I am part of the second camp.
First a small synopsis.
The story in season 1 is mainly aimed at the way a guy of 40 is bullied beyond believe (like being tied naked to the school entrance fence and slapped and kicked) and basically shutting himself off from society.
Just playing ero games at home without any friends, he has no experience with what you can and cannot do in society.
He doesn't trust anyone anymore after overhearing lots of talks about him from his room and doesn't even go to his parents funeral.
That pisses off his brothers and family who kick him out of his room onto the street. Now homeless he sees a girl in a bad situation, as a truck is coming in for the kill.
The guy thinks about it and does 1 final good deed and pushes away the girl but than gets hit himself and later dies in the hospital.
Sounds innocent enough up till now.
He is then reincarnated in a fantasy world where he decided that he will try to make the best of this second chance.
In this second chance, you follow Rudeus Greyrat as he is born to the first time he can use magic and beyond.
Still not worried ? Well here it comes.
What would you do, if you never felt any love from your parents or family for that matter, never had a experience with girls other then ero games and hentai magazines, no social skills to speak off and you suddenly got a second chance at life.
Well sure you would probably make the best of your second try. But then mom comes in and puts a boob in your face.
Yes what now? Or what if you are 10 years old and you get a really cute tutor who teaches you magic. would you try to catch glimpse of here undressing? (remeber you are a 40 year old mind in the body of a 10 year old)
This is probably the part many feel weird about.
And though I can understand why, I also feel that is the thing the author of the manga and the creators of the anime did well including it in the story.
Rudeus Greyrat is basically a 40 year old trying do all kinds of stuff he can get away with as a child.
Witch again isn't surprising for a guy who lives as described earlier.
Don't get me wrong though, trying to undress a girl while she sleeps or taking the panties of someone and using it as something holy is ...... weird.
But the guy as a 40 year old was weird. he is just living out some otaku fantasies he has.
You can decide yourself if you can understand or detest that behavior.
And better yet if you detest it, does it still make for a believable character or do you suddenly hate the anime for it?
Story: 9
To me the story of a guy with a messed up life being reincarnated and having a second chance was really nice.
it is not unique but I believe but it certainly was well done.
You see Rudeus grow up, meet a friend, go through some tough times and see him beat his trauma's from his past life.
The world he now lives is very vast and very full of lore. They even went as far as to give all kinds of races, different languages and have a complete family tree of the Greyrat family.
The lore is really extensive and you can really feel a real world around Rudeus.
Also, this is one of the little anime's I have seen that explain magic and where it comes from and how it is used.
Art: 8
The art is really good.
I love how the magic looks when cast and the way the landscapes look.
The animation is really nice as well.
The characters look really nice as well and the outfits make every character stand apart from each other.
Sound: 7
Music is nice and a bit above the normal.
Sound effects are good as well.
Character: 9
All the characters in the anime are great. They all have their own personality and even their own lore. There is one character that comes from a beast tribe that lives somewhere else.
there is a whole backstory about that 1 character that you don't get to see until season 2. The main Character Rudeus has a really good written story and transformation as well as the story goes on.
Some are of course based on certain tropes but to be honest they are not over used or don't fit the scene/anime. There weren't any characters that were out of place in my eyes.
Enjoyment: 9
If you are able to look past some parts where the anime can be a bit cringy with responses by the MC or side characters, you will definitely stay in the story and keep going from episode to episopde.
The enjoyment for me especially comes from the growth that Rudeus has throughout. The way he goes from an infant who grins when mommy feeds him to the being in tears when his mentor leaves after he finishes his magic lessons and really appreciates the people around him.
Overall: 9
As said there are some things that happen every now and than where I think "did you have to do this?" but those are not much and mostly predictable.
Rudeus is a very well written character no matter if you can look past what I discussed before or not.
The growth Rudeus has throughout the series is really amazing to follow and makes you understand more of his traumas from his past life and how hard some things are for him to change.
The other characters all have their own stories and it is really cool to see not just Rudeus having to deal with hardship but the other characters as well.
There is a lot going on in the series and you really have to stay alert to all things dropping as many hints will come back later in season 2. If you read the manga you even know there is more coming back.
The really big step happens with season 2 where Rudeus is really confronted with the world and how his behavior can upset the balance and turn friends into enemies.
