The first of many titles that are way too long and are stuck in Isekai fantasies.
Ryota is a Salaryman stuck at a toxic company, after working himself to death, he ends up isekai'd to another world as an item drop in a dungeon in which he meets pint sized hammer wielder Emily.
He finds out his stats and abilities are dreadful except for his drop rates which are perfect and since the economy of the world he's in is so reliant on item drops for humanity to function everything from food to money, Ryota takes his business mind into the fantasy world along with Emily and a few others, sets about living the life Ryota always deserved for his hard work.
This is a power fantasy but not quite as in your face as other isekai are, this sounds more like a cry for help from a creator who has been through Japan's twisted business culture, there are many subtle references to subjects like, work place bullying, working employees into the ground, dealing with corruption, addiction if bunny girl Eve is anything to go by and straight up dirty competition, I'm guessing the Western names were not to call anyone out.
Then you look at Ryota who can solve all the problems, think of clever solutions, has overpowered tools at his disposal and is the talk of the town, makes a solid income and even has a companion who cooks nice meals and friends who feel valued when no one else did, it's not a challenge at all for Ryota and it plays into the whole Power Fantasy feel but considering recent news about places like Mappa and NijiSanji, can you really blame the creator for wanting that kind of reality especially when you have characters like Emily who are playing the most ideal of waifus.
Dub is fine and I guess it was a pleasant enough anime to watch mostly for Emily.
Final Verdict: A power fantasy which may or may not have manifested from a really touchy subject in Japanese culture today, it's hard to ignore the themes but on the bright side you have a cute girl with a giant hammer.
Let's end our Dirty Pair feature trio with Flight 005 Conspiracy.
3WA headquarters have given the Dirty Pair two missions, find a missing scientist and discover the circumstances behind the space liner flight 005 disaster, the two are linked as the scientist was supposedly one of the missing passengers, however the more the Dirty Pair get involved the more dangerous it gets as attempts on the duo's lives become frequent leading to the discovery that a notorious crime syndicate is involved.
This is the strongest story wise of the three features as much of what I associate with the Dirty Pair universe are present in the feature, the crime syndicate Lucifer and missions being selected by the central computer along with the chief's reluctance to send Kei and Yuri are staples I first discovered even in the newer Dirty Pair Flash, it also feels like an actual investigation that's been given time to breath and develop something that often makes Lupin the 3rd features fun and finally it's the most vibrant with it's design for Kei and Yuri, Project Eden may have had the best budget but Flight 005 is definitely a close second, it's also aged the best of the three features.
Dub is still competent, nothing more to add.
Final Verdict: This feature is proof Dirty Pair can exist in pretty much any era as anyone can write a story for it, there's a reason why it remains in my top 5 all time best anime and this feature proves that it's not because it's my entry into anime, it's because it's the best sci fi anime ever created.
Get ready as these reviews are coming in thick and fast.
The Dirty Pair are assigned to protect a young girl named Missiny but before they can even do anything, Missiny's carer is assassinated and Missiny has fled to an unusual eco zone called Nolandia, Missiny has psychic powers and frequently causes illusions to disrupt the Dirty Pair until they change their approach to bait her out by not being hostile, this causes her to be captured by the very group who were previously preventing the Dirty Pair from investigating Nolandia.
It's revealed that Missiny is a creation made from alien DNA, this causes a rebellion within the enemy group which triggers the final chase.
The plot rehashes typical sci fi tropes of the time, in fact the whole playing god thing was explored in Project Eden so you kinda feel a bit underwhelmed by the story, especially when Missiny is involved, I also feel the Dirty Pair are held back a bit personality wise along with art style as this is the most unique among all the various series and OVAs, Flash not withstanding.
Dub is competent at least.
Final Verdict: Easily the weakest of the three features, the climax at least makes up for the messy plot and weaker character writing, it didn't even need to be feature length as this could easily have been an episode of the series.
For something I wrote off as nothing more than a lowly harem series, this anime gave me alot to talk about.
Tomozaki is the best gamer in Japan of Attack Families, a Smash Bros style game of which he puts alot of effort into to the point of obsession which makes him believe life isn't worth much, when he finds out his main rival is Aoi Hinami, the two argue with Tomozaki calling out Hinami for taking life in easy mode while Hinami calls out Tomozaki for not even trying, Hinami wins the argument by saying, "don't blame the game for your failure" which prompts Tomozaki to try the game of life, with Hinami coaching him, Tomozaki discovers a side to himself he didn't know he had and with a colourful cast of characters, Tomozaki is on the fast track to being a normie.
I was wrong for calling the anime a harem as it suits romantic comedy better but with the female cast prominent in the marketing it's hard not to see Tomozaki not falling into the harem protagonist role especially with how well he adapts to socializing leading to the satisfactory climax of Tomozaki Uno-reverse carding Hinami; it's hard not to see Hinami as being incredibly manipulative as it's obvious she has serious issues as she refuses to drop her mask even once, this creates friction with Minami who is competing with her and especially Tomozaki, Hinami completely abandons him when Tomozaki calls out the morality of her methods, season two will likely resolve the conflict holding her back but it's hard not to see Hinami as being nothing more than a petty control freak who gets off on the fact that she has emotional control of her biggest rival, there's layers to this anime waiting to be found and it shocked me to find out how deep it goes, even if the messages they want to give especially when explained in a gaming context are completely off the mark.
Dub is competent but there is an over abundance of current generation terms that break the immersion somewhat.
Final Verdict: An anime I expected nothing from ended up giving me alot to talk about and explore even if I don't necessarily agree with everything they bring up.
Quite a few months in the making, it's Love After World Domination.
The Elite Hero Team Gelato 5 are forever at war with the evil organization of Gekko, that is until Fudo, Red Gelato falls in love with Desumi, Reaper Princess. Due to the nature of their teams being natural enemies, the two date in secret avoiding their colleagues constantly whether it be love rivals, enemies or even monsters, nothing can stop Fudo and Desumi's love.
Desumi absolutely steals the show by the nature of her being so incredibly wholesome and adorable, every scene she gets just makes everything feel warm and fuzzy, it's hard to believe she's on an evil team but said evil team is closer to Team Rocket rather than an elite terrorist group.
As for Gelato 5, Fudo makes for a good match for Desumi with his clueless take on social situations, the rest of the team may as well not be there as they contribute way less than the Gekko princesses.
The story is balanced enough as a comedy and a romance story to keep your attention and you'll definitely fall for Desumi for her sweet personality and adorkable takes on dating.
Dub is decent, but sounds way better in Japanese.
Final Verdict: A sweet take on the forbidden love story with great characters and sweet moments especially from Desumi who easily steals the show.
