Gekai Elise is an anime adaptation of Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp, a Korean web novel that was later given a webtoons adaptation in 2017. My first impressions of the anime were strong enough that I decided to pick up the webtoon and read ahead. I read a lot more than watch anime, so if one has source material, I start by comparing that if I can.
First off, the anime takes a few liberties in adapting the story. The romance is more subdued in the anime and there is greater emphasis on proper medical practices. They even added filler episodes to cover more treatments. The medicine alone makes it worth a watch if only for the sake of edutainment. The era that the world takes place in is hard to place. It reflects 18th century Britain, but with some facilities comparable to 21st century. While there is magic it seems exclusive to certain individuals and can't heal injuries. The focus is definitely on the surgeries. As a result, anything out of place used to justify its use requires some suspension of disbelief. But if you can get by that, it's an enjoyable watch. There's also much more story to cover. For those looking to get a romance fix, that will have to wait until the next season.
The animation quality is normal I'd say. Not at the level to a similar anime released at the same time: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Even so, I would forgive it since there is a lot of talking. And the topics are more intelligent. The opening song [Believer] by Yui Ishikawa sounds nice. I actually liked the credits song [Listen] by Arai Maju much more. It sounds melancholy yet sweet. Enough that I've listened to it many times on Youtube.
This was actually a recommendation from a friend. I went into this expecting it to be along the lines of Parallel World Pharmacy. It wasn't, but that's okay. I think if you like your fantasy stories more grounded in reality, just not in a modern setting, then I think this will be a nice enough watch. That being said, I can't give it a score higher than 7 for the following reasons. We are never fully told what horrible sins that Elise committed in her first life nor the powers that allowed her to reincarnate not once, but twice. It makes sense from a writing perspective since she needs knowledge of modern medicine in order to change fate. But it feels like a needless level of complexity. There's also the aforementioned suspension of disbelief. A handful of scenes felt almost like a PSA as far as best practices. And this is all coming from the word of a girl that hasn't come of age with no background in medicine. Privilege of the upper class I guess? The protagonist is female which is already a win since most of the isekai/reincarnations tend to be male centric power fantasies. The ones that do get female leads often play out like otome games. At least here, the main character is bringing about change through her own efforts, blood, sweat, and tears which is very admirable. I hope there are more isekai shows like this in the future. Here's hoping the next season builds upon the success of the first.
