Summer 2023 Impressions: Level 1 dakedo Unique Skill de Saikyou desu, Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru, Eiyuu Kyoushitsu

Level 1 dakedo Unique Skill de Saikyou desu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Satou Ryouta, a salaryman working for an exploitative company, suddenly finds himself inside an unfamiliar dungeon in a strange world where monsters drop all sorts of items as loot. With the help of a girl he happens to run into named Emily, he’s able to check his own stats… and finds that all of them, both physical and magical, are at rank F (the weakest)! What’s more, his level is stuck at 1 (the lowest)! Ryouta is on the verge of utter despair… but then he learns that he also has “Drop Skill: All S,” the most powerful unique skill there is! Can Ryouta manage to survive in this bizarre world?! The strongest and weakest adventure of all is about to begin!

Amun: Hey, I think that’s a very long barrel Colt Python in the poster! That’s crazy, since you normally see S&Ws used as the revolvers in anime. What’s weird is the manga predates the Python re-release (which was in 2020) – that just means the mangaka is a fan of that gun in particular. Except he’s got a S&W grip on it…oh well. The episode? Yeah, I didn’t finish it.
Potential: 0%

Lenlo: Ah yes, another seasonal isekai, though one of the more uninspired of the season. In fact I would go so far as to say it’s one of the most basic, dull, boring isekai I’ve watched in a long time. The premise, the characters, the world, it’s all just so incredibly… bland. Like not a single shred of creativity was put into any of it, not even how a random bunny girl in a playboy outfit shacking up with the MC goes down.
Potential: 0%

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru

Short Synopsis (Anichart): It’s springtime at Kimberly Magic Academy, and new students are beginning their first year. Among them are a skilled and studious boy, Oliver, and a headstrong samurai girl, Nanao. They soon form a unique bond in the halls of Kimberly, but this picturesque school isn’t what it seems. Dark secrets and endless danger lurk behind every corner. Can these wizards make it to graduation alive?!

Amun: Woah – this was loads better than I expected. Coming off last season’s “Mashle”, maybe this is a new wave of Hogwarts anime? I don’t hate bringing a samurai into a clearly Western magical school, and there’s obviously a ton going on behind the scenes. I’m sensing something of a “Eminence in the Shadow” type show here – but probably a lot less self-aware humor. That said, the visuals are okay and the characters are interesting enough – I’ll give this at least a few more. There’s always at least one show per season that surprises me, and “Nanatsu no Maken” might be it!
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: Ok so I went from Kakegurui to Harry Potter, complete with a Ron and Hermoine. What a leap. Similar to Amun, this was shockingly better than I expected, but that isn’t saying much. I was expecting something on the level of The Irregular at Magic Highschool or something, which this is most certainly better than. Still I can’t say I was excited by it. Something about the random samurai/sword focus just makes it feel… Well like a generic anime fantasy. Like they can’t bring themselves to separate from the basics of anime in the pursuit of something different, like say Little Witch Academia did. I just feel like I should be watching that instead of this if I wanted a Harry Potter clone. Least the samurai girl is kinda jacked.
Potential: 30%

Eiyuu Kyoushitsu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story is set in Rosewood Academy, a school that trains future heroes destined to protect mankind. The school accepts only those with the most potential. Arnest Flaming, a girl who boasts the top record in the academy, is assigned to guide a mysterious but cheerful new student named Blade who rivals her own power.

Amun: Woah – this was way worse than I expected. Unlike the above “Nanatsu no Maken”, “Eiyuu Kyoushitsu” is er, shit-su (har har). It’s a typical reincarnated hero (though I guess he’s half demon lord or something?) meets a classroom of unsuspecting normies. That’d be great, if this was 2018 – we’ve seen this formula before. There’s really nothing that special here in terms of characters, visuals, or story, so I’d say this one’s probably going into the bin of forgotten seasonals for me.
Potential: 25%