Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest

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This story is an exploration of hope and despair, a journey to its extremity for those betrayed. Bewarn, our MC is a total opposite from the typical heroes found in other Manga. He is just an average boy with below average ability. But this is what makes the story an interesting read. How is the author going to narrate a story of a bullied victim, ridiculed and harassed by classmates, a below average boy that's abandoned and friendless, who's buried deep in the pit of doom?

I did find the pacing to be very fast, perhaps too fast. ... I don't think enough time was given to develop the character and backstory. Also, the MC not going the vengeance route might not sound logical, but with further thoughts I realize he did found hope in returning home, so it's actually rather appropriate he focus on this positive resolve. In similarity the MC likens more toward Captain America than Spiderman.

When I read a manga after watching the anime, I do so because I want more of the characters, the world or the story. Whether it's because it's more detailed or simply because it's longer - I don't care, I just want MORE. So it's quite frustrating when the manga has hardly any more detail and is even shorter than the anime...

That’s exactly what happened to me when I read “Arifureta.” It's worth mentioning that both the manga and the anime are adaptations of the light novel, but since the light novel is completed and even apparently got a pretty substantial epilogue, I assumed that ... the manga would at least go a bit further than the anime.

Surprise – no, it doesn’t. It ends right where episode 11/12 of the second anime season begins. Additionally, it offers very few extra details; at least I didn’t notice anything significant. Consequently, the manga closely resembles the anime, except that the anime also has moving pictures and sound. So, I can’t really recommend the manga, at least not if you’ve seen or can watch the anime.

However, if you’re thinking that you’d still like a bit more of a review than “it’s like the anime, just shorter and without sound and moving pictures,” here is a revised version of my reviews for seasons 1 and 2 of the anime:

The biggest criticism of the story is probably that the introduction is completely different from the rest. It’s almost like two different stories are being told, but many stories do this. A story has to start somehow; it would be difficult to jump straight into the main events when nothing about the world or the characters has been explained yet. While the difference between the introduction and the main story is immense, in my opinion, it’s manageable because the transition is well done. What bothers me more is that very little is explained. Background stories, in particular, are mentioned but never thoroughly explored – take Yue’s story, for example.

I also want to mention that Arifureta is often criticized for being quite different from its source material. The original is said to be much more mature; for example, I’ve heard about frequent sex scenes that aren’t present in the anime or manga, though there were significantly more hints in the manga.

I like the characters. They’re not particularly deep or complex, but that doesn’t bother me at all. In my opinion, this is because the story doesn’t even try to make them deep. They’re supposed to be funny and entertaining, which they are. The focus is simply on the strengths of the characters, which is definitely pure entertainment. One could criticize that Arifureta started off dark and deep, but as I already criticized, the introduction is too different from the actual story.

While I was critical of the second anime season, mainly because I didn’t like the rather gentle Kaori, I didn’t have this issue with the manga. This could have various reasons – I didn’t have a break between the arcs, I’ve changed since the anime was released in 2022, or the manga simply does it better – but I want to highlight this as a positive here.

Conclusion: I would stick with my rating of the anime and give the manga 7 out of 10 stars. Even though it’s objectively worse—whether because of the medium, like the fact that it has no sound and you have to read it, or because it’s not as long—I only had problems with Kaori in the anime, which is why I want to give it the same rating as the first anime season.

Should I start this manga? That's the question that always plagues my mind when trying to find something to read while waiting for my beloved stories to be released.

-Moderate Spoilers- (If you don't want a quick plot overview skip down to the pros and cons)

The story starts off with MC-kun along with his class being transported to another world (Isekai, who'd have thought it) where they are to be collectively trained up in order to save the world from other beings. Unfortunately for MC-kun, he is betrayed along his journey and finds himself inside what would be a bottomless dungeon, the story follows his grind ... to get out and find out who betrayed him. Sounding pretty good so far for the start-up, looking like a decent isekai lets see how it pans out.

MC-Kun drudges through challenge after challenge with the core idea to survive and be reunited with his allies, during this trip he finds another companion who vows to help him in said quest in exchange for free'ing them from their binds.

They continue on their merry way until they reach the end of the dungeon. This is where the shit hit the fan. Chapter 14.5 quickly wrapped up what should have been 2-4 chapters in only a couple of pages, and from there the entire setting, character design, goals and ideals, just changed. It was really weird when it happened because i re-read that chapter about 3 times not being able to figure out if I'd missed something or it was just poor story telling. From here on it was just your standard bland emotionless MC who finds and saves girls for his harem while one shotting his way to victory.

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Pros:
Interesting start for an Isekai
Difficult and gritty goal set
Betrayal
Dungeon Setting

Cons:
After chapter 14.5 the entire thing just fell apart
Goal was completely dropped
New sub plot was shoved in
Isekai Death-Pit (Where something that should occur over 2-5 chapters is shoved into 2 pages and explains why the MC deus ex machina'd their way into being either OP or not dead, i.e poor writing)


Will I continue to read it?
No, it started out very well and I was reading it eagerly as it came out, but after chapter 14.5 where the Isekai death-pit standard of time leap followed by over-buffing without explanation it became drool, that paired with the original goal and problems being forgotten like they never happened made it a drop for me. I did read on into the "new" plot but it was a major buzz kill for me.