Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Well I’m a little on edge this week so what say we go easy on me. What anime am I reviewing next?
*Isekai Cheat Magician*
Why God! Damn it! I said go easy on me! Isekai Cheat Magician is another one of those animes that many people say is the worst isekai of all time as well as one of the worst animes ever. The anime is based off a light novel written by Takeru Uchida in 2013 and still continues to this day. The anime was produced by the incredibly small studio Encourage Films. How small is this studio? According to Wikipedia this studio only has 9 active employees and this anime shows it. In all my years of watching anime I have never seen one this lazy and had so little effort put into it. Like, they don’t even try to do anything special with this anime. It does nothing to stand out from its predecessors and was just made to make a quick buck. It’s a terrible anime and if I had to sit through this than the least you can do is listen to me rant about it. This is Isekai Cheat Magician.
Opening and Ending Theme
The opening is “PANTA RHEI” by MYTH＆ROID the masters of isekai openings. Savor this moment, this is one of the few things I actually enjoyed about this anime. In fact, this may just be the only reason to check out this anime. The beat is awesome, the lyrics are awesome, it’s MYTH & ROID, I would expect nothing else.
The ending is “Chiisana Omoi” by Rie Takahashi. This is another good song. It’s beautifully sung, it sets my mind at ease, and creates a very peaceful atmosphere. This ending just goes to show how the anime would have been a little better if it focused on another character.
Episodes 1-4
The anime begins in our world where Taichi voiced by Kōhei Amasaki (Otto from Re:Zero) walks to school with his childhood friend Rin voiced by Rie Takahashi (Megumin from Konosuba). As the two are walking, Rin nearly gets hit by cyclist but Taichi saves her (asshole). After saving her a magical circle appears beneath him which transports him and Rin to another world (you know it may just be because I’ve watched a lot of isekai anime but this has to be one of the laziest ways to transport someone to another world). They wake up in the countryside where Taichi believes they were transported to another world but Rin doesn’t believe him (okay, let me ask you these questions. Do you have cellular service? Do your surroundings look anything like Japan? Can you give a logical explanation how you got to the countryside so quickly? If the answer is no to all these questions, you’re in another world). They get attacked by a giant horse (what say you now Rin?) and I have to give Taichi some man points here as he willingly sacrifices himself to keep Rin safe (he didn’t even hesitate or think about it. All that mattered to him was keeping Rin safe even if that meant losing his life. I also like how he came to the rational conclusion that he was in another world and didn’t panic). Luckily, some adventurers were nearby and beat the horse thus saving them. The adventurers take them to a nearby town where they both decide to become adventurers in order to get by (opening up a store or pastry shop is for noobs). They go to sign up at the guild where they do a magical aptitude test only to discover that their skills are immeasurable because they’re so strong (https://youtu.be/SiMHTK15Pik?t=10). The two get taken by Myura the elf fencer, to Lemiya the mage (Lemiya: I will be your wet dream for the remainder of the anime. Please read my doujins when they come out) who evaluates their skills and comes to the same conclusion as the guild, their skills are immeasurable. Lemiya decides to train the two to end the episode.
In episode 2 Lemiya explains the basic elements of magic to them where she reveals that Rin is a high-class mage so she can use all 4 of the elements (she’s the Avatar). Taichi on the other hand is a sorcerer which is different from a mage. Mages borrows magic from the spirits while a sorcerer actually uses the very spirit themselves to use magic by forging a pact with them (I think I like the sorcerer class better). In truth, Taichi has the potential to be the strongest person in the world and have anything he wants (if he only had ambition). The two are quickly put to training. Myura trains Rin in the ways of magic where she easily masters it thanks to her knowledge of science (makes sense, magic is just unexplained science when you think about it). Taichi gets trained by Lemiya on how to manifest his magic into his hand. He struggles a bit but perseveres thanks to Rin and a mysterious loli voice. Within weeks, the two are fighting and killing monsters with ease and are ready to set out on their adventure to find the sorcerer who summoned them and hopefully find a way home (*laughs* you actually believe you can go home).
Pretty boring story in episode 3. Two weeks have passed, and our two cheaters have become adventurers in the city doing mundane jobs until they get called in by the guildmaster for a job. There’s been a string of shortages in the city as wagons have been attacked and pillaged by monsters and bandits. Taichi and Rin are called in to investigate where they start at a bar and don’t get much information. They are attacked by assassins (who seriously need to go back to school because they suck at their job) who face their opponents head on instead of attacking from behind (Yin-Yang: Amateurs). They capture one of them and just lock her up. Taichi and Rin soon form a party with Myura and go on a job to retrieve some fruit from farmers where the farm gets attacked by orcs and Taichi suspects one of the farmers might have orchestrated the attack. Myura thinks so as well and they decide to plant a trap for them.
Episode 4 is a pretty decent episode. We get a fight between Cassim the farmer who set them up and his bodyguard the battle-crazed warrior Grammy (who gets off fighting people). Rin and Myura fight Grammy where they actually display a bit more creativity and strategy when fighting their opponent as opposed to Taichi who prefers to just smash stuff and lose (wait, you’re OP and you still managed to lose. You suck). With Taichi beaten and the girls in danger, he gets help from a wind spirit named Aerial who helps out by giving him immense power. Using that power, he defeats an elemental wolf and slices off Cassim’s arm with wind magic before passing out. Cassim and Grammy escape, but they vow to return for another fight.
Episodes 5-8
In episode 5 Taichi wakes up a week later in Lemiya’s house (that’s a good thing in my book) where he tells her what happened to him and she comes to the conclusion that he’s a summoner, someone who can harness the power of spirits who are on a whole other level. Taichi returns to the city where he runs into Anastasia (or Ana) who was the assassin he captured a few episodes back. They find a lead on the group Cassim is working for and enter an underground lair (https://youtu.be/4F4qzPbcFiA). Meanwhile, Rin and Myura go to a festival where Myura gets kidnapped by Cassim’s group and saved by Rin. The leader of the group reveals that 3,000 monsters are about to attack the city and Rin will have to protect the city herself as Taichi will have his own battle underground.
If you weren’t hoping for an epic battle in episode 6, take comfort in the fact that this episode lives up to your little expectations. So Taichi and Ana meet Milo and Melo, two lolis who are earth magicians and twins (wow, these two are walking tropes) who unleash a bunch of red goblins (quick, call Goblin Slayer). Of course they can’t control the red goblins and just when they’re about to be attacked, Taichi protects them and keeps on fighting off the goblins into the night single-handedly. Meanwhile, Rin combines the elements to unleash a powerful attack on the monster army which takes out a majority of their ranks. The rest of the adventurers come in along with Lemiya to take out the rest and save the city. Of course, the villain unveils even stronger monsters and just when one is about to smash Rin, Taichi comes in to save her.
At the start of episode 7 Taichi joins the battle and takes on some red giants by himself as Cassim and some other guy (who they don’t bother telling us who he is. His name is Lodra by the way) watches from afar. Back in the city Ana gets put under some hypnotic spell which sends her out to the battlefield (yeah, she dead. I spot the cliché a mile away). As Taichi begins beating up the red giants and everyone watches his back it seems like the tide of battle is turning in their favor until a two-headed dragon emerges from the ground shocking everyone as dragons don’t normally get involved in the affairs of humans and monsters (Dragon: This anime sucks. Stop being lazy and actually give a damn). As Taichi prepares to fight the dragon by himself, Ana appears on the battlefield (and nobody tried to stop her why?) where she gets blasted by the dragon’s fire and dies in the arms of Taichi (basically making the relationship and time with Taichi earlier pointless and a waste of time). An enraged Taichi calls out to Aerial where she apologizes to him for not helping because a contract hasn’t been formed between the two yet and thus Aerial couldn’t do anything to help. However, thanks to this emotional outburst, a contract can finally be formed between the two and Taichi officially becomes a summoner. With Aerial giving him a power boost, Taichi is able to outpower the dragon who admits defeat and takes its leave but not before warning Taichi that it was told to fight him as a favor from a mysterious individual who wants to use his power to control the world.
In episode 8 Taichi, Rin, Myura, and Lamiya have been summoned to Wennifex the capital of Eristein to aid King Gilmar against his brother Dorteshiem. Dorteshiem is leading a rebellion for the throne and Glimar wants their help in the upcoming war (sure, it should shake things up in this anime). Once the group arrives in Wennifex (sounds like window cleaner) they get a private audience with Gilmar where it gets revealed that he’s the one who summoned Taichi and Rin to this world in order to fight his battles for him (you’re tools. Pawns in a game of chess played between brothers). Actually, in truth, Taichi and Rin find out that they were really summoned by Charlotte the daughter of Gilmar. Charlotte has the power to manipulate space and time and was asked by her dad to find a warrior from another world (preferably a teenager with attitude). During the summoning an assassin tried to kill her and messed up the summoning resulting in Taichi and Rin being summoned to a random location instead of the capital like she intended. Charlotte originally was trying to only summon Taichi but Rin got caught in it as well (2 for the price of one). Charlotte goes on to say that once the spell is used it can’t be used again (you bitch) and she apologizes profusely swearing that once peace is returned to the country she will do everything in her power to return them to their home. Surprisingly, Taichi and Rin forgive her (that’s a little sexist. Earlier you guys were ready to give the king of a piece of your mind) and say they want to protect the kingdom as they’ve made some really good friends here. After this, Taichi gets summoned to the arena to fight against Sumella, supreme commander of the king’s army (and my type of woman. Dark skin, red hair, strong, beautiful, and smart. Alright, I give this anime credit, you deserve a point for that). The soldiers have doubts about Taichi and the others since they’re outsiders and are worried that they’ll only slow them down. So, Lamiya arranged for an exhibition match between Taichi and Sumella to show them that they can hold their own out there. Taichi manages to beat Sumella and win her heart as she wants to marry him or be his mistress (scene here: https://youtu.be/Mu5s3Eop5uo). As the episode ends we see that Lodra is a high cardinal of the church.
Episodes 9-12
Not much happens in episode 9. Once Dorteshiem hears about Taichi and Rin he sends an assassin after them. Luckily, everyone sensed the assassin’s presence and got the jump on him. Before the group can capture him he kills himself to avoid being caught (a noble death for a dishonorable man). The next day the war begins where Dorteshiem’s first attack is a small force of knights who have magic stones which they use to perform long range attacks which drains their life. With quick thinking, Taichi, Rin and Aerial combine their powers to unleash a lightning strike to knock them all out while their leader gets assassinated for his failure. In the post credit (don’t know what possessed me to stick around) we see Cassim and Grammy have snuck into Wennifex to settle the score with Taichi.
Once again not much happens in episode 10 as Taichi and Cassim fight against each other where Cassim evens the odds by using a magical effigy given to him by Lorda to block Taichi’s powers. Taichi manages to pull through and defeat Cassim, but to everyone’s surprise a dark spirit emerges from the ring trying to kill Taichi (of course there’d be a sneak attack). Through the power of teamwork Taichi, Cassim, and Grammy destroy the effigy to restore Taichi’s powers and he banishes the spirit (go back to the shadows). Cassim and Grammy take their leave where they’ve gained a newfound respect for Taichi and we get to see Lodra’s mistress, Lady Shade (are you a Bond villain?).
In the final two episodes the war finally begins (and it is boring and lazy. Imagine in Dynasty Warriors instead of playing the powerful one-man historical figure you instead play as an unnamed soldier. Who would want to play a game like that?). Taichi and Aerial make it into Dorteshiem’s main camp and confront him where Taichi tries to get him to surrender but he says no (okay, we tried. Kill him). Dorteshiem’s right hand man Inimicus reveals that he’s a devout follower to Lady Shade and orchestrated this whole rebellion by her command. He unleashes a spell across the battlefield which turns all the dead soldiers into zombie berserkers and begin attacking everyone (bah! Ains does it better). So Taichi prepares to use all of Aerial’s full power to save everyone, but Aerial stops him and evolves into her true form Sylphid the Queen of Wind Spirits (so where the hell did this come from?). Taichi than fights against Inimicus who transformed into a demon and destroys him with ease. With this the civil war is over, Dorteshiem is executed for treason and despite Taichi not knowing who his enemy is or what they have planned for him, he resolves himself to get stronger so that he can protect everyone.
Final Thoughts
And it’s over. Thank God! This whole anime is horrendously bad, bland, and lazy. It does nothing with the characters, the story is clichéd and predictable, the fight scenes are a bore, the animation and music do nothing for me, and worst of all it’s lazy. It’s got to be the laziest anime I’ve ever seen as it doesn’t even try to stand out or separate itself from other isekai anime that have come before it. This anime literally has no identity.
Final Score
The final score for Isekai Cheat Magician is a 1.5/10. The only thing stopping it from being a 1 is the fact that I did like how selfless Taichi was when it came to protecting Rin in the first episode. That was pretty much the highlight of the entire series for me. Don’t bother making a second season it is completely unnecessary. Well guys we’re almost done here, what’s next?
*Nitsuj’s doorbell rings. Nitsuj gets out his phone and checks his security camera app to see who’s at the door*
Oh no! Not you!
*Lying at the door is a DVD of the anime Kenja no Mago*
*All videos, clips, and music are not owned by me and belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved*
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