Oct 2, 2017
NOTE: In this review I will be talking about the ANIME, not the manga or the LN. I only have some vague ideas as to how the story unfolds in the other media forms but not enough to be a certified expert on the content of the manga or LN. So my review is based solely upon my experience of watching the anime.
Isekai wa Smarphone is a simple and easygoing fantasy adventure anime. It's not an anime of the year let alone anime of its season contender for me. It has its flaws but even in its flaws I still enjoyed the anime for
...
what it is.
The premise of the story itself is your basic guy ends up dying in the real world and is resurrected again in another world, bringing with him only the clothes on his back and his smartphone. Now if people are familiar with the Isekai genre and have watched other series, you know exactly what you're getting into. For this anime, that's basically it. Story revolves around the adventures of our MC wandering about in this new world, making new friends and allies. Nothing too serious, no demon king needing to be defeated, no saving some princess or a kingdom under siege, just your typical dude ends up traveling in the world.
Artwise there isn't much to see her. The animation itself looks uneven at places, with character models appearing uneven at times and assuming rather odd poses, such as the certain weird tilts of the faces and facial expressions seeing too static at times. To me the animation is reminiscent of early 2000s anime. The overall aesthetic of the fantasy world did help me to believe that the MC is living in another world, and to that I'll give the anime and its animators some credit. But the unevenness of some of the animations are a bit jarring and shocks me out of my suspension of disbelief.
The music and sound of the anime is generic at best. Your symphonic melodies when a fight scene happens, to the relaxing tones when the characters are walking around in the towns, to the character themes. Personally I enjoyed the piano theme of a certain character. Other than that the sound does convey the right moods at the right times, but don't expect anything too epic.
Now onto characters. The MC himself is the fish out of water who with a kind heart and willing to help others when necessary. Apart from that good guy personality that he has, that's just basically the depth of his character. I don't seem him grow to be a braver or stronger character up to the series's end, but his simple good guy persona grew on me as the series went on. The other characters your basic fantasy trope characters, who unfortunately lost more of their personality except for some small bits here and there.
Out of all the characters I've seen only one character I really liked was the MC's main (the series seems to portray her as thus) love interest. You can see by her subtle motions and movements that she seems to genuinely love our MC. She constantly does her best in conveying her emotions to the main character and the concessions she makes for the sake of her beloved and the people around him made me admire the character that she had. In a show where the characters are cookie cutter bland some form of character in the show is better than none.
Overall I did enjoy this anime. Sure, story isn't as deep as the ocean, artwork is questionable and the characters showed little or no character at all but I enjoyed it for what it is. I found it to be a relaxing experience, of a guy who basically just ends up living a second life in a world filled with magic and monsters.
Just because an anime isn't as grandiose as some other better well animated series out there doesnt make it any less enjoyable.
If you want a very chill anime involving a protag in another world, then I suggest watching this anime. If you're looking for an anime with a meaningful story and deep characters than this anime isn't for you.
Personally I'd suggest it's worth a watch or two. I enjoyed the Isekai wa Smartphone for what it is, a simple anime of a guy living in another world.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
