Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig- is about another Japanese otaku pervert turning into something other than human. This time they’re isekai’d into the body of a pig and subjects the first telepathic maid he meets to telepathic sexual harassment.
If you've kept up with anime discourse you’ll have seen this show receiving praise for “innovation” or its “interesting premise”. However, Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig- is the same isekai skeleton with a new gimmick plastered over it. However, unlike say, Reincarnated as a Sword which was a good anime and fun to watch or that one about the reincarnated vending machine which had a more interesting premise but was mid at best, the premise of a man turning into a pig doesn't save Butareba from being just straight-up boring.
Honestly, it’s hard to say anything about this show. It’s a hamster wheel of the otaku pig thinking inappropriate thoughts about Jess the slave and the victim. He must clarify the difference between his thoughts and innermost thoughts to her and which ones to ignore whenever she brings up his crassness. It was a funny fourth-wall-break the first time, but by episode three it had worn out its welcome. Whenever the show tries another joke like, the pig pretending to dance DDR for the entertainment of randoms, the bit goes on for so long that it starts as funny, then awkward, then annoying, and somehow circles back to being funny again… somehow.
The show has some good points. The art and animation are nice and the presentation is overall good. Shockingly for a trashy isekai, there are no levelling systems or overpowered skills that ascend the pig into godhood. Even magic seems to be heavily restricted to little crystals which mostly serve as batteries. The only other magic seems to be Jess’ telepathy, an ability shared by her race of people called Yethma. Hell, there’s not even a “tHe HeRo” or “ThE dEmOn LoRd” in sight. You’ve gotta give credit where credit is due, even if it’s because an isekai showed some restraint by not giving its world video game mechanics.
Unfortunately, there’s not much else to say about Butareba -The Story of a Man Who Turned into a Pig- because it’s such a “nothing” anime. The first paragraph of this review is the beginning and the end of its entire existence. That said, according to the trailer this show is apparently supposed to be “A Lovey-Dovey Isekai Fantasy” so there’s a good chance the story goes into… soft-core beastiality territory… Personally, I’ve had enough shows like Inukai-san's Dog for one lifetime.
3/10 Wasted Potential.
