Let's all be true to ourselves: Isekai, in the traditional sense, can be easy to write. It's the creativity portion that is the hardest to keep the entire story consistent and interesting and can even send authors scrambling for the next plot device that no matter how orthodox the story can go; it must remain entertaining. And this is what happens when you encounter a work like novelist Buncololi's Sasaki to Pii-chan a.k.a Sasaki and Peeps, the LN series where the mundaneness of one leads him to find new entertainment, and that entertainment spans worlds and characters of many proportions alike, with the work winning the first place in the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! a.k.a This LN is Amazing! 2022 rankings in the tankobon (i.e. independent/standalone) and novel categories.
Sasaki to Pii-chan is the result of plot devices like treasure boxes opened after one another to reveal surprises of gifts that never stops giving. And this journey starts with the middle-aged blue collar worker Sasaki, who finds his corporate work rather mundane (and who doesn't feel drained after work?). To fill the empty void in his life, he visits a pet shop on a whim to find a pet companion who could keep him company. What he does not realize that the pet that he eventually bought, a small gray Java Sparrow who has an affinity for Kobe chateaubriand beef from learning of humans in the pet shop, is actually a renowned sage from another world who is using the bird's body as a vessel for its exploits. With Sasaki more or less coming into terms with the bird he names Pii-chan a.k.a Peeps, the Star Sage grants him access to its world, revealing the other world where Sasaki can commit to interesting things, like making a trade business and most importantly, a restaurant as a source of income for Peeps's obsession for chateaubriand beef.
But one of those benefits of the otherworldly things, is that Sasaki is granted magic powers as a sort of medium if danger comes towards at his corner, which back in his world, is picked up by a secretive government-independent Bureau who handles all matters pertaining to psychics residing on Earth. Sasaki being forced and tested to join the Bureau to apprehend any rogue psychics going loose, from criminals...to even Mahou Shoujos or other entities who are seeking refuge to the Bureau? Hell, Sasaki earning his powers for the purpose of peace and comfort, but with all of the colourful characters popping one after another, the salaryman's life is becoming more taxed than his mundane life would allow him to live and breathe life anew.
So first out of the docket, the character relations bracket:
- Peeps's world: the Otherworld faction, where Sasaki and Peeps mainly do business with at the start. His business trade of bringing over modern items to the otherworld to be sold for exact in profit, it involves Marc, who reports to Viscount Mueller as the overseer of the city's trades. On the other end, there is French, a chef kicked out of a resturant, whom Sasaki chances upon as the best person to open a restaurant business to help finance for Peeps's chateaubriand liking. When it comes to the crunch, the royal family will be involved, with Prince Adonis only interferring when there's serious consequences.
- Sasaki's world: the Modern Psychics Faction, where Sasaki does dealings with the Bureau, his division led by the secretive Chief Akutsu who always has him and his subordinate of high school student Hoshizaki under close survelliance, the latter of which who always dresses like an adult for her professional business etiquette. Sasaki's role in the Bureau is quite the extension: from random Mahou Shoujos like Magical Pink, to even the high school girl Otonari living next door to Sasaki, but someone who seems to also keep said salaryman on close toes, even to the point of overhearing Peeps being able to speak human terms. Otonari is an enigma, though her real intentions and role hasn't been seen much in the anime, but just as someone who develops an interest in Sasaki.
Characters when created and used right (within the extension of the anime's content) can create impact. But the way that novelist Buncololi does it, gives a feel that with each subsequent episode, the story gets bigger and more bizarre, which seems to be the case that the LN translated into the anime, just isn't integrated all that well, outside of the traditional fantasy plot elements.
And speaking of the adaptation, Silver Link does have a lot of resources mixed between the 3 projects they have this season: the continuation of Ragna Crimson, this show, and Dosanko Gyaru wa Namara Menkoi a.k.a. Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!, the latter 2 series this season of which senior in-house director Mirai Minato is overseeing both projects, with the latter series (Dosanko Gal) thankfully being part of the studio's push to collaborations with studio Blade under rookie director Misuzu Hoshino, who co-directed and debuted with Summer 2022's Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii. But back to Sasaki and Peeps, the push for Mirai Minato to train up new directors while spanning his own project, he may have been in the major directorial role since Winter 2017's Masamune-kun no Revenge, so he has the expertise to still sufficiently allocate resources within their sizable staff in order to keep the final product consistent, and it's decently produced as a whole.
Sound-wise, it's as decent as the whole show can make its psuedo-Disney-like fantasy to play out with many gears clicking together like clockwork. Madkid has seen better days, though their OP song "Fly" isn't one of their best songs. And as for Aguri Oonishi's ED song, it's fine, though the totally 3DCG visuals are trippy at best. At least this is the extension of creativity in a bizarre sense that doesn't look bad at all, you've got to admit that.
When it all comes down to the important decisions, Sasaki to Pii-chan a.k.a Sasaki and Peeps, stand in a position where it's pretty hard to recommend, and that's where if you only desire Isekai in a different sense and taking into account of the back-and-forth between real life and fantasy worlds. It's definitely an interesting LN to pick up and read if you have the time, though the anime's in a very tough spot of pacing issues and coherence to keep its interest running.
If you're keen on trying the anime, even if it's just for the sake of know-how, go ahead, it'll show you a world of infinite proportions.
