Objective rating: 7/10 (as of episode 3)
Personal Rating: 9/10 DnD + Isekai = Awesome
Alright sound, Decent-Great animation, unique story, interesting cast of characters, interesting narrative format
Long review:
Handyman Saitou certainly belongs to a top 15… OR even a “Top 10 Best Isekai Anime” list. If we’re basing the rankings off on production, story, and innovative qualities, then without a doubt Handyman Saitou is one of the greatest isekai’s released so far. Of course, this show is still currently airing, so take this all with a grain of salt.
If you like comedy, adventure, and a bit of romance or wholesome stuff…then you’ll surely be entertained by this anime. But beware, the romance or wholesome moments are genuine yet they can be a tad mature. Of course it’s a fantasy, but unlike others before it, I believe this is show is a rare example of D&D representation in anime. It isn’t completely Dungeons and Dragons, but it isn’t completely generic recycled content either. Or if it is, then it’s done splendidly well.
The biggest downside to this show for many people might be the format it presents itself. The story is decentralized, meaning that it’s broken up into pieces and is presented in a faster-than-average manner to the viewer. It strongly resembles its manga counterpart by following short scenes as one of the many segments which fill up the whole episode. Each segment lasts for about a couple minutes before switching to another scene, which could be in a different location, time, or with another cast of characters somewhere else in the world. When you don’t see our main character, Handyman Saitou, then you’ll likely be seeing the other cast. What’s great (or maybe not great) about this is that the show switches to side story with those different characters. These short stories don’t directly connect with the main story, but they aren’t completely arbitrary either. So far, in the first three episodes none of the side characters have interacted with the main cast, but once they do, I’m sure it will become a satisfying progression. Plus, the side characters are interesting on their own.
I enjoy pace of this show. It might be too fast for some people(like Lucky Star skits), which might make it hard to follow, but I still enjoy that, why? Simply because more content is shown, due to its short segments. There is extra fulfillment in this iskai that some other isekai shows lag behind in comparison. Handyman Saitou offers good story progression and wonderful world building. Also regular narratives of some other isekai can sometimes be too long, dull, or give room for boring 'empty space’. Handyman Saitou doesn’t do this, so that’s why I think this show excels at being a good isekai anime. It takes advantage of its manga-style presentation by directly touching the main point of every scene it presents, and then swiftly moves on. However, it doesn’t forget the previous information it had left behind. Whether a minute ago or a few episodes ago. Instead, as the show moves on it continues to build upon itself one way or another. Usually either for adventure, romance, or comedy or all three. When the show comes and goes, I believe it indirectly provides You with the sensations of seeing and feeling this otherworld in a way which lends itself for both the viewer's character progression and Saitou's as well. Because just like Saitou, we are also new to this otherworld.
Yet, because the story takes place about half a year after Saitou’s transmigration, he’s more or less become assimilated into to this otherworld. He is a participatory subject inside that world, just like his native teammates are. And that’s why he’s an interesting MC you should care about. Not because he’s an overpowered unrelatable cool guy with amazing magical powers (leave that to Oldman Morlock), but because he’s a foreigner, with foreign skills, and a foreign mindset. The WHY and HOW he interacts with the otherworld IS the interesting part of his adventure. And luckily, he’s a handyman. A jack of all trades, but a master of none. His skills aren’t literally overpowered, but they can become powerful because of the setting he’s in allows for him to become a valuable member for his adventuring-party. His skill? Lockpicking, and more. Just like the whole show, Saitou and his activities are fairly reasonable and realistic. Especially for an isekai.
Some other things:
-It’s not a generic isekai. But it’s a GOOD run-of-the-mill dungeon-fantasy resembling D&D sometimes
-The MC is generally not overpowered. The only overpowered thing about him is his power to conquer Raelza’s heart!
-Interesting parallels between the otherworld and modern Japanese trends, like marriage consultancies and “more women adventuring” also equals to “the dungeon-economy has become less profitable because there’s more women adventuring”
This is a poor review because I probably haven’t mentioned the things that deserved mentioning… Just watch the show! I think it's super underrated, especially since it’s a great isekai which has its own soul and style. The creators ought to be rewarded. Oh, and did I mention that its art style SLIGHTLY reminds me of Mushoku Tensei, or is that just me?
