Disappointments are really hard to forget and even up until now, there are some that I occasionally remember. One of them is the first isekai anime I watched because it's the first and unfortunately last. Before, I thought all anime series were nice, but that's the biggest misconception I had as a newbie otaku because the moment I watched this anime I discovered my pet peeve themes in anime. If you happen to get to know me, of 'course it will be obvious, and if you don't it's isekai and harem by the way.
I'm not saying all of the isekai with harem are disappointing anime, but yeah, most of them are. Well, I read some good ones, but unfortunately, after I watched that anime, I didn't have the will to try those anymore. However after I saw the quest for this month, this made me remember the first time I watched that anime. I tried to recall why, aside from its genres, I was disappointed in it. And so yesterday, I tried rewatching it and surprisingly I finished it the same day I began watching. So now be with me as I share with you my second experience in watching the isekai-harem anime: In Another World With My Smartphone.
About the Anime
In Another World With My Smartphone (Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni) is an anime series that premiered last summer of 2017. It aired from July 11, 2017, to September 26, 2017, and was animated by Production Reed. It's an isekai-harem anime that has adventure, comedy, fantasy, romance and a little bit of ecchi. This 12-episode anime series was an adaptation of its light novel that was illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka and written by Patora Fuyuhara.
So it all started with the death of Touya Mochizuki. He died by mistake when their god made a bit of a blunder and dropped some lightning on the world below. Unluckily it hit him, and with that, he died. Regretting what he had done, the god gave Touya a wish and another chance to live in another world. Since he couldn't come back to his old life, Touya contentedly accepted the offer and wished that he could bring his smartphone with him. The god agreed to that and so after giving him blessings that would help him survive, he sent Touya off to the magical world where his new life begins.
I didn't want to expound further its story preview because that would be too much give away. Anyway, I was again disappointed when I finished this anime yesterday. I know that it would really be not my cup of tea considering what are its themes, but it's not only the isekai-harem themes that made it disappointing because plotwise it was so bland. The conflicts that were supposed to spice up the plot were so brief and it doesn't have much impact on the characters. Like they're so simple and badly written that it usually wouldn't take whole episode to solve them. Perhaps they didn't want to make the anime heavy, yet at least they should have made it a bit interesting or a little mind-boggling.
However, they're too boring and it's a mystery why I was able to finish each episode. Maybe because I was expecting that their plot would improve, but unfortunately it didn't. Further, the characters! They're as dull as the plot. The MC was introduced in a most boring and unappealing way, but I kinda overlooked that because maybe it's just a slow-burn one. But unfortunately, it wasn't, and the MC was just another flat and bland anime character you could ask for. There are quirky characters, but still, they ended up as one of the usual MC's harem of girls which crushed all my interest in them. I don't know why at some point I liked them before (of 'course that's before I realized it's a harem and dropped it like a hot coal), but now it's apparent that I was just really naive back then.
Their visuals were no different from their boring plot and characters. Their character designs—especially his harem of girls—look like ripped off from the main girls from other anime series. The MC was also no different from them and he kinda looks like a low-quality copy of the character from a certain anime (I forget his name) I've watched before. Almost everything in its visuals looks like a rip-off from other fantasy anime I've watched before. Well, there's nothing wrong with taking inspo, but I guess they should have added more distinguishable details to them. Moreover, the animation looks so sluggish and quite lame.
I tried to find interest in its action scenes, but I didn't feel any spark of excitement in it. Maybe the only redeeming quality of its visuals is Kohaku's cute form which was the only character I always looked forward to seeing in each episode. Also, as for its soundtrack, I somehow liked how catchy their opening song was. Its catchy beat makes it nice to hear, however the ending song doesn't sound that appealing. Perhaps it's a matter of preference, but it's forgettable for me.
Overall, I rate this anime 4.5/10. It's pretty obvious why I gave it that rating and personally, it could have been more lower if I hadn't finished it. Some parts entertained me, but most of the time it really was boring. I don't know if it's something that I can recommend to you all, but if you're curious, then I won't prevent you from watching it.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you seen this anime before? If you have, did you like it? Well, if you have something to share then feel free to comment them down. That's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading through my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.