Outbreak Company

If I have one complaint about this series, it's that it seems almost too well written and conceived for the fluffy and frequently cliche harem rom-com that it is. The premise is clever and requires only a bit of suspension of belief, the characters are mostly realistic, and the setting is coherent and consistent. The protagonist is only mostly clueless, and the affection of the girls who surround him seems based on a genuine regard for his qualities; qualities that are demonstrated in ways that feel natural and not forced. Most of all, there seems to be a valid and intelligent story that is being told. Alas, that story really only covers three or four episodes, with the rest of the show focusing on somewhat-ironic otaku tropes and clever industry self-references. Still, while I can bemoan how much more they could have done with this, there's no real sense of waste...it's a fun anime on every level.

Everything going into this makes it look like any other 'anime about anime' shows that's been produced, but after a wonky start, what comes out is a show that is both genuinely funny and profound in its own way. Don't let the boob-filled poster fool you: this is not just a sex comedy about a sad nerd and his hot friends. This is something special, even if the parody names and references to anime might be a little obtuse for all but the most hardcore (I've watched for 10+ years and still missed about half of them). For a series that feels like it would be lost in translation, it really pulls out all the stops.

Otaku fantasy is a term that was appropriately coined to describe this series. Welcome our otaku protagonist and his mission to spread his culture to a new magical world, and the frequent references slipped in from a vast array of other anime from old to modern. Then follow his adventures done with typical unabashed otaku style while somehow managing to stay in one piece. A very interesting series that looks to have something for just about everyone. Plenty of fan service, romance potential, magic, comedy, fighting, and even social/philosophical forays. I found this to be more than your average fan service show with a surprising level of character and environmental development. Looking forward to a very interesting series. Basics: Japan has discovered a supernatural spacial rift that allows access to a different world filled with numerous humanoid races of magical ability. Their world is still working on a feudal class system, which presents interesting complications for the company involved in trying to expand their otaku culture to this new world. Our protagonist was hired as a representative to achieve that goal, who is a full blown otaku with questionable social skills. He meets up with his half-elf maid, the human queen (16 years old), and Japanese assistant, then the chaos commences.

Story: Everybody’s dream am I right? To get paid truckloads of money to read mangas and watch anime? I know I wouldn’t mind. In this story, Kanou Shinichi is asked to spread the “otaku culture” to a new world. At first I said that I didn’t see how this show would have any substance with the weak plot that it tried to create, however after the completion of the 2nd episode, I could see what this story was trying to do. This story was showing how anime and manga although could be treated as a weird and somewhat childish habit, is actually much more than that. The millions of stories involved in anime and manga serve from a wide variety of themes and anyone could find something relatable with at least one of these powerful stories. They could feel the characters pain through similar circumstances and relate to them and grow attached to the character as they travel on their journey. All the while, you learn more and more of the world and how to deal with certain situation that you have encountered in these stores. One of my favorite quotes of the story is (paraphrased) “The manga in your hand could be textbook if read correctly” simply one of the best lines concerning what is anime and why do we love it so. While in this new word he notices social issues that have been long forgotten in our world. Not being able to contain his frustration on the matter, he moves to try and educate how the world should be through the examples in the otaku culture. Characters: When dealing with a show about being an otaku, it’s only natural to have some of the most stereotypical characters ever. However they are actual not all so stereotypical. They have at least one attribute that could be considered stereotypical anime feature, the characters personalities are not so bland (which I appreciated) with the expectation of one human BL lover. All the characters in this world are used to the system that has been in place for years in this new world but we get to see a development as they learn more of this culture and see the wrongs in their behaviors and strive to create dreams never though possible. Pros: 1) It’s a story made for the amine loving audience as we notice particular amine norms and even Character parodies on the posters on his walls. 2) Pretty well executed animation 3) Almost everything a casual (easy going anime) amine viewer would like to see in an anime. 4) Clever story to show why we love anime. Cons: 1) As of late, the overall message has been lost in favor of some humor of anime stereotypes and hasn’t continued to show the support for why anime is truly inspirational since the end of a semi-climatic resolution. 2) He chooses the “Titan” manga to educate this new world of social issues, however I’m pretty sure they’re reading a little more upbeat manga on the side. 3) The anime review was written after watching through episode 5 so there could still be room for pros and cons so I will be sure to write another review at the conclusion of the series. Conclusion: Although the story has strayed away a little from the initial reason why I started to enjoy this anime so much, I have faith that they will come back to the initial purpose of this story which is to show that the stories found in animes and manga is powerful enough to change worlds. I highly recommend this show as it is actually on of my favorites this season although I feel it isn’t getting the popularity that it probably deserves. Nevertheless, this show is sure to make you appreciate the social progress we have been able to make since our past of ancestors that only saw humans as categories and not as a singular united entity.