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Welcome to the nth entry in the 2020s isekai/fantasy deluge of utterly forgettable slop that has continued to plague the airwaves (or should I say bandwidths) of anime for what has felt like time immemorial. The twist this time is that the main character was a fallen hero who has reincarnated as a cat. But not just any cat - he's an S-rank behemoth, capable of astounding skills and abilities that can beat pretty much any threat or enemy he comes across, which takes away any cinematic tension (I shudder at even applying that phrase in this context) that builds up during the course of ... the show. This makes him, well, just like any other invincible isekai protagonist, except that his hair (or fur) is brown, rather than black like his brethren of clone brothers from the countless other isekai universes. The supposed "twist" here unfortunately doesn't add much to the story, failing to help it stand out from the surrounding cesspool of crap. There were many interesting ways the story could've gone to dive into the challenges and advantages of being a cat in a fantasy world (like how the video game Stray did it within a cyberpunk world).

Perhaps this story never set out to achieve anything of note - and it was cheap, fun entertainment with attractive female characters playing up ecchi tropes. Wholeheartedly embracing the degeneracy could've been a somewhat refreshing take on the genre. In that case, it could have gone further with the fanservice and spent more time and effort on that, rather than shoehorning in some contrived overarching conflict with an unnecessary level of seriousness. It could've done better to have picked a lane and stuck to it.

In terms of production, the theme songs were somewhat unique compared to similar offerings in the genre, and the voice acting performances were solid. The animation was nothing to shout about.

It would've been a complete waste of time, but at least the show had plenty of bath scenes (I think they had one in pretty much every episode). 1 point for the boobs of the main elf girl, 1 point for the boobs of the cat girl, 1 point for the boobs of the dragon girl.

It's bad not because I hate it. It's bad because I couldn't care less what happens.

Here we have the nth take on the isekai genre - this time permutating an entire class getting transported to another world combined with a main character whose overpowered skill is being able to kill anyone, anything and even any concept just by saying the word "die". If that sounds bad - yes it does.

It's not so much the poor animation, stop-start pacing or even the storyline itself - it's the sheer quality of the characters, or lack thereof, and the sheer quantity of them getting thrown at you every ... other minute in each and every episode. Characters get shown on screen, their names get flashed, their voice actors get to shine with a few lines, and then they die. Like literally within minutes, sometimes seconds of coming across our main character, Sir Kill-a-lot. Those characters that don't die are either bland, annoying or straight up unbearable.

The ridiculousness of it all came across as somewhat funny initially, with our main character possessing a skill as absurd as that and just murdering pretty much everyone he comes across without laying a hand on them. Then it was hilarious because the range of possibilities of what he can kill expands as the story went on, including the very concept of physics itself. There was also a bit of supposed "intrigue" with him being the outcome of some crazy experiment or whatnot.

But any interest one may have in the premise of this show flies out the window once the joke has been repeated a few times. After the first few episodes, there are no stakes left. There can be no threats to the main character. It's just a matter of time before any viewer would lose all investment into the characters and storyline.

At least One Punch Man actually punches something.

1 point for the opening theme, which might be the only redeeming part of the show. Pity it gets me pumped for nothing.

1 point for Tomita Miyu giving great reactions to the stupidity that was happening. She is all of us.

Tonally dissonant and poorly produced, but an intriguing story with some surprisingly hard-hitting emotional high notes.

ButaLiver appears to be a typical isekai of the 2020s (this time the twist is that the protagonist is reincarnated as a pig), but rather than giving him some kind of overpowered skill that allows him to cruise along the plot with ease, the setting puts our hero in a difficult spot with very little to work with. The heroine (unfortunately) still falls back into a stereotypical mold and is way too comfortable to put up with the hero's oftentimes wildly inappropriate inner thoughts. He simply came across as crass ... and his monologues were rough, blatant attempts at meta-humor and self-deprecation. Still, he made the most of the bad hand he was dealt with and became somewhat more likable and endearing with time as he overcame challenges alongside our heroine. I was not expecting this level of character development from the "pig isekai".

The show also felt strangely dissonant. At some moments, we're getting some playful slice-of-life content with bland fanservice, while at others we get some heavier exposition into the much darker backstory of this world. The tonal shifts can be abrupt and offputting. Still, one can appreciate how the story stands out from other similar ones in being crafted to have an overarching goal that our protagonists genuinely sought to achieve while overcoming real crises along the way. The story also remembers that there was a "real world" besides the isekai (what an innovation in this day and age!) and the protagonist remains tied to his pre-isekai past. Without going into spoilers, the ending (which viewers were made to wait for) and how it linked to the real world was a pleasantly surprising twist, if roughly executed.

The emotional high notes in this story also somehow resonated despite the tonal dissonance of the direction and lack of production value. Perhaps it is the bleak setup of the world; the sheer insurmountability of the challenge that laid before our protagonists; and the marvelous talent and skill of the main voice actors.

ButaLiver was a bumpy but interesting ride. It wouldn't hurt to savor a different flavor of isekai among today's bland offerings, even if somewhat undercooked.

What did I expect?

I'm writing this review because of a "batsu game" that I participate in with a group of friends on a seasonal (anime) basis. We will choose a mediocre anime of the season and randomly select someone in the group to watch it and write a review - just for entertainment's sake. As to what type of seasonal anime gets chosen for this forfeit, you know what I'm talking about. It's the muck that has been clinging to every seasonal anime list for years now, the stuff that's halfway down the MAL seasonal chart, but which still gets a following because people just ... like to have their weekly dose of mindless garbage, almost as if to make the good shows look better.

The fact that MobSekai got selected for our forfeit this season kind of tells most of the story. From the get-go, MobSekai did not inspire confidence, with its questionable character designs, run-of-the-mill isekai plot setup, and mediocre production values. I'm coming into this without any prior knowledge of the source material, but the initial episodes showed me what it was setting out to do. We have a Konosuba Kazuma-esque main character who's meant to be down on his luck and just wants to live a quiet life as a "mob character", but somehow gets a hack (in the form of robot-kun, who reminds me of those Sentinel monsters in Maplestory - a nice dose of nostalgia there) that makes him all-powerful and allows him to come out on top in every "unfortunate" situation he gets himself into (sound familiar?). Along the way, he picks up a gaggle of pretty (and dumb) girls as his harem (though to be fair, only two are really in contention in this series, so it's more of a triangle). His terrible personality is meant to be a driving force of his relationships with a host of one-dimensional side characters (a joke which gets old within the first few episodes), and the central mystery of the plot became glaringly obvious to anyone who spent more than a couple of minutes thinking about it. Supposedly hilarious hijinks ensue during his journey to becoming ever more powerful and influential in his school, community, and kingdom, and we end at a point where nothing "truly" bad happened to anyone, with a typical "read the light novel" ending. Truly forgettable.

Some of the convoluted plot developments and world-building were at least somewhat interesting, if thematically dissonant - we do have a medieval setting with mechas and monsters and dragons and wars with other kingdoms and sky pirates thrown into the mix - but what little entertainment that can be gleaned from this series barely goes beyond the most superficial of sensory experiences. The characters fall into your typical tropes and archetypes, though there were (very rare) moments of brilliance with some of the character writing and acting, particularly for Olivia, one of the main heroines. On this point, the voice actors did a commendable job in bringing out their characters, even if their personalities were one-note. Otherwise, the production values were nothing to write home about.

Was it bad? Yes. Was it somewhat entertaining? Also yes. I've been noticing more shows which have the potential to fall into the "so bad that it's kinda good" category these days, and I'm all for it. We need the mediocre stuff to appreciate the good. Do we need ten of them every season though? No. Ultimately, it will be forgettable, and I may come back to this review years later and remember - "oh! I watched that! What was it about again?"

I was surprised when this anime was first announced. I thought the survival game / battle royale genre has been left far behind in the early 2010s, since we are deep into the isekai era right now (for better or, probably, for worse). So while the key visual and PVs for this anime did not inspire much excitement, I was cautiously expecting an at least somewhat average palate cleanser with a hint of nostalgia. Well, that's pretty much what I got.

I have not read the manga, so I will judge this purely based on the anime. This is pretty much the bog-standard death game anime ... you would see bouncing around the seasonal charts a decade ago (with art and animation quality to match). What makes this somewhat more intriguing is the mystery element - whereby the participants in the death game appear to be recruited as part of a broader conspiracy, instead of having straightforward goals and defined rules from the get-go. This mystery is used to a decent effect to drive tension in the early episodes but unfortunately fades over the course of the show's runtime in favor of more bombastic action setpieces and hastily written and poorly executed character backstories.

Speaking of, I would highlight Akira, the MC, as the standout character in the series. Sure, he isn't anything too unique as far as death game MCs go (and at the very least he isn't a sigh-inducing weakling or idiot as these MCs tend to be). His aptitude for tactical and strategic thinking makes the "big brain" moments in the show's climaxes entertaining to watch. The way he uses his unique ability to gain an edge over the various enemies he encounters is a consistent highlight of the show. Unfortunately, the more mysterious elements of his own backstory receive no attention during this anime's runtime, but I am satisfied with what we got. The other characters are rather bland and uninteresting, and the villains are comically evil with uninspiring backstories. There are slivers of romance in this anime, especially in relation to the female lead, Yuuri, but it never takes away from the core narrative of the show (which I appreciate). Yuuri is plays a more important role as a critical part of Akira's plans, and her spunky personality forms a good complement to Akira's otherwise stoic persona. The focus is directed towards the action and Akira's thought process, from which where most of the show's core entertainment value is derived.

There isn't too much to comment on from a technical standpoint. The art and animation aren't anything to write home about, with terrible CG used during demanding portions of certain action sequences. The music was mostly forgettable, though the OPs and EDs were catchy and fit the theme of the anime well (though I would probably forget them by the time next season rolls around).

All in all, Deatte 5-byou de Battle was a bit of nostalgic fun, a throwback to the heyday of death games in the early 2010s, and a fresh change of pace from the isekai drab that muddies every season these days. You would get some enjoyment out of it if you prefer more "brain" than "brawn" in your survival games. If you are getting bored of the style of anime we are getting these days, this could be worth a casual watch if you can make room for it on a crowded seasonal watchlist. But if you really wanted a good survival game/battle royale anime to scratch that particular itch of yours, I would recommend checking out classic examples of the genre which have stood the test of time, and potentially some more interesting ones in upcoming seasons.