Reviews

Feb 9, 2013
mdz
A harem done right?

[contains suggestive language, and an extreme loss of interest in constructive reasoning halfway through.]

It's difficult to end a harem. Regardless of how happy the ending turns out to be, only one girl 'wins' the guy over -- the others are presumably meant to cope with the loss. Some series like Mashiro-iro show the externalities of a singular bliss, while series like Zero no Tsukaima, like most others, avoid the topic all together. Isekai handles a harem correctly [as it is the highest rated harem on MAL], but it does so in an unorthodox manner.

It does this by creating a romance so weak, that the very element of it could be miscategorized as simple interaction, devoid of especial sentiments. Every heroine in Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari inevitably and invariably falls in love with the protagonist -- but contrary to a typical harem series, they're all given equal screen time. There are no routes, and each heroine is subject to nothing more than the playful interactions. From the get-go, it was apparent that Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari did not intend for a meaningful romantic ending. To some viewers, that's a let-down; you typically watch a romance for a romantic ending -- a harem is synonymous with the romance genre [girls falling in love with the guy kinda fall under the category]. But, just as Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari is the "highest rating harem on MAL", it's also missing the elusive "romance" tag.

Isekai is not a romance series. As to what the series excels in, it would be the character interactions. In Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, there is an underlining storyline -- the series begins integrated within the grand storyline, and it ends in a similar fashion; yet, the "middle episodes" of the series ignores the storyline development outside of slight mentions to development [prioritizing slice-of-life-esque interactions above hard storyline]. These episodes, which could have been erroneously miscategorized as traditional filler episodes [to a storyline-centric series], were probably the most enjoyable parts of the series. Isekai doesn't excel in dialogue; its storyline is generic [albeit not entirely predictable from the start], and its soundtrack is forgettable -- but, it combines a cast of likable characters and fresh comedy into the amalgamation that earns it score.

We're given a protagonist that's essentially beta in attitude, but alpha in attributes [like really fucking alpha]. He's given a wide variety of females. From oversized breasts, to ample deposits of nature, to nonexistent ones, Isekai panders to every demographic. If you're a fan of tsunderes, there's that -- if you want an overbearing, older sister character, there's that too -- the trustworthy bodyguard? Why the fuck not. How about the silent girl who never does anything but look cute? Sorta. The genius lolicon? Sorta too. Isekai has a vast variety of characters. It's guilt-free in ending because the romance doesn't exist, they're just there to essentially look attractive [who the fuck doesn't like attractive girls?].

Then there's a matter of the art. Thirteen episodes and a year of airing time -- every episode has well above-average production qualities. The art style is likable and the animation is great; the colors are bright, and this section is generic as fuck. Who the fuck actually criticizes art and animation. The art's pretty and shit.

[shit's being used as a noun in this case, not a negative noun, more of a passive noun --

e.g:

A: What the fuck is this shit?
B: It is my Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari review.
A: No shit. ]

Sound: I don't even fucking remember the soundtrack. The opening song was kinda nice. There was an ending theme? Must have skipped onto the next episode before it played.

Enjoyment: Shit was enjoyable.

[I kinda dislike block reviews. I really just wanted to say that Isekai did the harem genre correctly in not creating super serious bonds between the characters. It was simple and likable. It's good because of that.]
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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