I loved this anime. It's one of my favorite kinds of anime. Relaxing and chill, Animal Crossing like vibes. Lay back and forget the world is burning beyond your doorstep while a cute reincarnated kiddo runs a laundry service and makes friends. Has it's dark moments, but, it's all about finding peace after chaos and heartache. Very lovely and heartwarming. Not too shounen or too shoujo. Just a good wholesome anime to help you forget your troubles for a short bit. I expected it to be like "That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime" but, it's even more chill than that. It also reminds meof "Ascendance Of A Bookworm" a bit and "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear". Bringing knowledge from his world to make this one better. Major feels about the great care he has for his employee's wellbeing. He so scared to hurt people. Amazing show. Just amazing. Some of those leaving a negative review. please look into at definition of "Slice Of Life". "Slice Of Life - a character's life is presented, often lacking plot development, conflict and exposition, as well as often having an open ending." You walked into this acting like this was an action anime. Adventure does not mean action. Slice Of Life is the opposite of action and drama, bro. Chill.

Isekai has come out in full force recently giving us a lot of different isekai adaptations, many of which appeal to the same sort of video game inspired wish fulfillment sort of set up. And while there is nothing wrong with this on paper, it does end up feeling very samey when these wish fulfillment isekais hit on the same notes over and over again. Endless power, lots of cool video-game like abilities, and a harem of cute girls. I get the appeal but it often leaves a lot to be desired to me. On the other hand there is Kami-tachi. Don't get me wrongKami-tachi is certainly still a wish fulfillment anime, and even includes the overpowered MC that everyone is in awe of. But it also provides something unique and valuable. Release from the oppressive modern day working environment. Ultimately I think this is the shows biggest appeal and I think it works with it well. It shows you the pains of modern Japanese working society and gives you good backstory into the main character and what he had to go through. The many tired nights he had to spend working. The lack of progress or happiness because of these shackles. The early episodes do a good job of setting up this environment. And that combined with our knowledge makes a strong basis for the change that he'd want to see and his initial worries when it comes to authority and work in general. And then we get healing. While isekai certainly isn't normally made to be an iyashikei, I do think the idea of isekai can make a great setting for iyashikei and that certainly is the case here. To me Kami-tachi is a very effective iyashikei because of that set up, and because the idea of having a nice peaceful life where one is appreciated and builds up their life is pleasant. We see the characters around Ryoma care for him and give him praise and basically give him all of the things that he missed in his former life. We see him appreciated for his work. We see him get joy out of his work and out of helping others. We see him make bonds with those around him and have them support his growth. This may all seem normal, and it really should be. But when placed with the backdrop of toxic environments, it feels nice to have one that is normal and caring. And that's what makes it so effective to me. That's what makes the healing so effective. It's just so nice to be able to remove someone from these negative environments and put them into a good one and see them grow and become happy from there. It makes me feel warm and happy inside and I think that it does a good job of showcasing this theme of good working environments and also shows how much life can be better with a good working environment. This theme is actually pretty well thought out throughout the whole show. One notable point of it relates to the many slimes that he has tamed. While slimes are often unimportant creatures, and they are in-world here, Ryoma has tamed many of them and cares for all of them. He treats them all as pets and sets up an environment for them to be themselves and enjoy themselves. These slimes can probably be comparable to a company work structure where the slimes are the peons at the bottom of the structure, usually nameless in the eyes of the company and there to do the dregs of the work. And slimes fit that as they are nameless and faceless, the way that companies can often view lower-level employees. But all the same Ryoma cares for them and treats them like they matter. It just adds to the theme that's there and the positivity and pleasantness of a good environment. I do also like the bonds between Ryoma and his new family. They take him in and give him a new support system and care for him. And again given the context it just makes it that much more pleasant. I also like the bond between him and the princess as they seem to get along well and have just genuine care and interest for each other. One thing that I quite like about it that is different from the typical isekai formula is there is really only one potential love interest for Ryoma, and that is Elia. And Elia also happens to be quite capable and skilled in her own right. Their interactions with each other were quite nice and I enjoyed the two of them supporting each other. Let allow Elia enough room for her to stand on her own and I think overall she is a good and endearing character. While I wouldn't really describe any of this as special, but it's pleasant and cute, and given everything it's quite nice. Granted, as nice as this is I do think the show has it's downfalls. There are other plot-lines in the story that go more towards action and battles which in my opinion don't work as well. The overpowered MC aspect of isekai is still at play here and while I think it's mostly fine, the major battles is where it suffers the most. Simply put the show doesn't have the animation budget to make it look good and the action tends to distract from the novel aspects of the show, and it's iyashikei atmosphere. The art itself is pretty weak and there is some pretty bad CGI at times, most notably the horses. That said ultimately I do think Kami-tachi has something big to offer, it's positive working environment and iyashikei moments were very pleasant to watch and were something I quite enjoyed. Overall it's nice and pleasant and generally a good time to be had with a nice theme and some healing. So I do recommend it to fans of such a theme, or people that want to relax. Personally I think it's worth a watch for that at least.

With each new season I like to read the synopses of the new isekai shows, not because I think they’ll be any good, but instead to see how the “standard isekai protagonist” has aged with the audience. It used to be highschoolers getting hit by trucks to enter the magical anime fantasy realm. Then it became college students, and now we have people in their mid-to-late twenties working soul-crushing IT jobs before biting the bullet. I can’t wait for the day when otakus are all geezers and we get to watch a show where an 80-year old dies of cancer and is reincarnated as amagical sword boy who gets into hilarious sexual encounters with girls 60 years younger than him. For the time being though we have the first isekai I’ve seen with the protagonist pushing middle age: Kamitachi ni Hirowareta Otoko. Ryouma Takebayashi is a 39 year old salaryman working for an exploitative company and experiencing the generally garbage life of a pre-isekaid isekai protagonist, when suddenly he dies of a heart attack. Some gods in the afterlife decide to send him to a generic dragon-quest-esque fantasy world for reasons I can’t remember - probably something to the effect of “you were loser Japanese guy who died unexpectedly and that’s just what we do with your kind”. Now as a newly reincarnated 8-year-old with all the memories of his old life, Ryouma proceeds to sit on his butt in a forest and do jack-all for three years. Well actually he trains a bunch of slimes, because isekai shows always seem to require some sort of gimmick to let them say, “see it’s not completely a generic isekai show!”, though I feel like this gimmick is one-upped by that other isekai where the guy actually becomes a slime. In any case a few years later some locals find Ryouma living as a child hermit and invite him back to their town where he continues his current lifestyle of doing jack-all. Now as other reviews point out, the low stakes and slow pace are certainly intentional: the show is a combination of the isekai and iyashi genres – the two ultimates of otaku escapist fantasies. It’s supposed to be a nice charming slice-of-life about a jaded man experiencing a wonderful magical world in juxtaposition to his terrible previous life. And to be honest I have nothing against either genre in principle – I enjoy shows like Konosuba and Non Non Biyori. However the key component those shows have that Kamitachi ni Hirowareta Otoko lacks is characters that are fun to watch. Kazuma, Megumin, Aqua, and Darkness may not be particularly complex characters, but they are at least distinct and play off each other well. It doesn’t matter that the plot of Konosuba mostly involves the main cast bumming around one city, because their dysfunctional antics make me laugh and want to keep watching. Kamitachi ni Hirowareta Otoko’s characters have no such uniqueness. Pretty much the only defining feature of all of them is that they all love Ryouma and think he’s amazing. There’s a noble family, some guard people and staff for the family, some adventurer animal-girls that appear at some point and just join the pack of people following Ryouma around, and some staff Ryouma hires for his free slime labor laundry business. Beyond their appearances and roles I don’t think I could explain any of these people. They all just stand around spouting expository dialogue or more blandishments about Ryouma and his amazing magical abilities. The other character that gets the most screentime is probably the noble family daughter, which the show uncomfortably sets up as a romantic interest for Ryouma. They do try to justify this by saying that Ryouma’s mind is degenerating back to that of an eleven-year-old, which is pretty damn terrifying if you think about it. All the girl does though is fawn over Ryouma and talk about how she wants to “do her best” like any generic anime girl. I felt no connection to her or her relationship with the main character. As for Ryouma himself, there wasn’t much hope for his personality. Being your average isekai protagonist means he can’t manage anything beyond generically “nice” or passive, lest the audience loses the ability to self-insert themselves into him for even a second. There’s some stuff about how he’s dealing with the traumatic experience of his previous life, but it’s only ever briefly mentioned and never gets explored as much as I wanted. Every so often it’d cut back to scenes of Ryouma’s previous life to show how it sucked compared his new one, and I’d actually get a bit more invested. I’d have liked if the show jumped back and forth between his two lives more often, but instead we had to watch him scrub a sewer or walk around some mines or something. It reminded me of Youjo Senki – where I was all on board for the theological pissing match between a cynical salaryman and “God”, but the show kept interrupting that with the forgettable magic WW1.5 stuff. I feel like my biggest frustration with the plot was how procedural everything felt. There’s like three episodes spent on Ryouma setting up a laundry business with his slimes, and it all just happens without any narrative twist or anything. We watch him go to some merchant lady to get funding, acquire a building and renovate it, open the business, hire some staff, and so on. It’s about as interesting as watching someone actually start a laundromat. I know you can say it’s slice of life, and that it’s not supposed to be some sort of edge-of-your seat Death Note thriller, but again I go back to the issue of the characters. Non Non Biyori is just a story about some girls going to school, but I like the characters and their interactions, which is what makes it a successful slice-of-life show. In Kami-tachi for the duration of this “Laundry Arc” we mostly just hear characters tell Ryouma how great his business will be and how they can’t wait to use it. I get no sense of characterization or desire be a part of this world where everyone seems to exist only to praise Ryouma. There’s not much to say other than that. The world is uninspired, of course, though they do sometimes decide to bore us with pointless lore factoids about the different slimes and such. The music was forgettable, the art and animation was serviceable but bland – with the notable exception of the crappy CGI horses – and the voice acting was similarly generic. And I mean I don’t think anyone was expecting otherwise. It’s a generic isekai with slice-of-life elements, of course it was gonna be bland. I only watched it because the main character was 39 years old and I had a friend to laugh at it with. So now I have to wonder why the show compelled me to even write a review of it. In the end I think it has to do less with the show itself and more the fact that it exists, and the depressing ramifications that it brings. There was a part where Ryouma gives a speech and everyone smiles and listens to him, and then tells him how wonderful he is again. This makes Ryouma cry and remember when he would give speeches in the office in his previous life and nobody would listen. I realized then that you could remove all of the magical aspects from this show. The true fantastical element – the reason this show was made and why people would want to watch it – is the concept of other human beings caring about and praising you. The showing is saying to its audience, “Ryouma is you: someone who has a miserable life of loneliness and torment. Your mother will die and you’ll work non-stop for bosses that abuse you. Your life will not improve. Instead you will get to suffer for nearly forty years then die alone. Only then will you experience paradise. Or maybe not, all we want is for you to watch our show where you can pretend this will happen to you, you pathetic wretch.” It’s trying to sell the idea of love and positive human interaction to people who don’t get to experience it, or maybe do and don’t recognize it because they want the perfect happy world of anime-land. The problem is the interactions of the show become so saccharine that it pulls me out of it, and I just see it as a heartless product trying to take advantage of depressed people. I dunno maybe I’m being a little hysterical about it, there’s plenty of other things in the weeb media sphere that have just as pathetic implications. On the whole though I’d say this show doesn’t function well as a story, or even as a self-indulgent human affection simulator. If you want that experience just listen to a Japanese ASMR video where a girl whispers positive affirmations to you for a few hours then sucks your ears off like she’s trying to eat her udon noodle lunch right in your face.

As a manga reader, this adaptation was both nice to see and a bit disappointing. The manga is full of world building, lore, character growth, and some pretty good action that all get cut for the anime. They had a clear goal in mind for what point to end the season. It's a logical one, and they keep the pace pretty consistent. However, to get to that point, the show skips so much that it feels like parts and entire characters are missing. For example, the manga has a mini-arc and fight scene in the mines that's completely skipped. It's one of the only times the protagonistactually gets angry, which is also shown through his brutal attacks, and you learn more about him through the interaction. Skipping that fight makes him seem extremely bland and emotionless, and it's like if Dragon Ball skipped the first time Goku got angry and wrecked his opponent. Thankfully, the anime does keep most of the important and slice-of-life aspects, such as his relationships with the ducal family and learning magic. It also keeps a calm pace throughout, as opposed to rushing like most Isekai, due to all the story skipped. Long story short, it's a decent show if you want something more relaxed. If you want more, or are at all intrigued by the premise, consider giving the manga a read as well.

This is the usual isekai where he has all the powers, literally all the magic, and he figures things out that no one else in the world managed to despite only having been there for three years. Everyone is always impressed by him, by everything he does. He's shy and always embarrassed about being praised, which is constantly. The praise goes further because he's a child, even though he's a forty year old japanese business man. The usual thing. Although it's extra weird because they seem to be pushing some romance with an actual child and, again, he's a forty year old japanese business man. Althoughthe guy isn't some pervert and there's nothing sexual about it, so your choice on how weird you find it. He also starts out with super strength despite being in the body of a small child, to the point where he can kick through a big tree right when he gets there. We also discover that he's not just figuring things out, he created two new species without even knowing it. This is explained by the literal god who created them, who is surprised by what he did. He's immediately praised by noblemen and gods. He starts out with three gods, then by episode three we're told even more gods are taking interest in him. Despite these gods generally not being interested in isekai protagonists, he's just that good, even better than the other isekai protagonists. He receives more blessings from more gods. Also after hunting for three years he's a master archer and is basically legolas. He can just do everything pretty much from the start, and there's always people watching him and praising him for it. Despite being given this power, and despite not even knowing what he's doing when he does things like create new species. It's that kind of show. It would've been more interesting if he was at least just given the ability to use every kind of magic, with a a focus on taming magic, he'd still be overpowered but it wouldn't be so boring. There was really no reason for him to be so physically strong, or to be an expert archer, he doesn't even need it. Everything's just kind of thrown on there despite the redundancy, seemingly just for the sake of making the self insert character stronger. The protagonist is also boring, he's just a generic polite guy. That's it. They give him some kind of sad backstory about being abused as a child and working for a black company as an adult, but none of it really matters. Once he's a child he's basically just a blank slate. There's almost no reason to even make him an isekai protagonist, other than an explanation for why he's so overpowered. Although there is at least an interesting use of slimes, depending on your definition. You see, in episode one, we're introduced to his slimes. One of the species he made is shit slimes, which eat shit. In episode four he gets a quest to clean communal bathrooms that are full of shit, so he has his shit slimes eat the shit. This is an important mission that only he can do, because the shit has created a miasma that only he and his slimes can deal with. I'm not joking, this is a whole episode. He has to go in to spray shit off the ceiling and the walls with water magic so his slimes can consume it. While he's doing this there is a regiment of adventurers outside guarding the toilets, making sure no one goes into the dangerous communal bathroom. They're out there praising his work ethic and bravery. The shit slimes multiply because they've been eating so much shit, and one thousand of them combine to form a king shit slime. The king shit slime has a gluttony skill that lets it eat more shit. He has over three thousand shit slimes, so he has three king shit slimes going around eating shit while he sprays the walls and ceilings. This is a real episode. If you wanna see an overpowered block of wood get praised constantly, then get embarrassed over being praised, then watch this show. This is validation the anime, except the validation is for external factors that had nothing to do with you really, so even as some self insert fantasy about being praised all the time it fails. Unless you think everything you're handed is something you deserve because you're such a nice guy. I'm not sure why they even made it an isekai, the story he makes up to tell the nobles would work fine for the actual story. It'd also make the character more interesting and make the romance thing less weird. He could just be an overpowered kid, he could even still talk to the gods since he was praying in the cave for years, he could still have blessings, I don't see why they made this an isekai. He pretty much acts the same as the other kid, and he doesn't have much of a personality, so the isekai aspect seems pointless. They get creative with the slimes though, it's interesting enough to hold your attention, but everything else drags it down. At some point they even make a business around the slimes, which I won't spoil, but they go more in depth with the way it works and setting up the business than certain shows like meikyuu black company which are supposedly centered on business. I'd like it if they went even further on these things and had less of the isekai circle jerk shit, but it's still the strength of the show. Although he did basically get a golden spoon shoved into his mouth when he met the nobles, basically becoming part of their family, but it's still okay. Just another aspect that would be improved if he had to struggle a bit more, even with his crazy magic powers.

Welp, one more isekai with OP MC, I am getting used to writing reviews for those, as they come out every season. A twist tho: this one is a slice of life, not a power fantasy. Well sort of. Let me get into the details: Art and sound - average in every regard. No horrible CGI, everything is drawn in a consistent way, so I don't have anything bad to say about it. Sadly, nothing good can be said either, it is just ok - nothing more and nothing less. Story - like most other modern isekais - non-existant. At least this time MC does nottry to show the world how cool he is, but he just wants to chill out and live a comfortable life. He gets his set of OP skills (can't be an isekai without those I suppose?) that help him in his "quest" and a mature mind to make a coin in this new world (although having a mature mind and being around a kid that is in love with you still feels kinda fishy). He does not really have any significant problems or obstacles on his way, so this is 100% slice of life type of anime and not one with a story. I would say that it is fine, if we at least got a better written world, but this one seemed kinda pale. Characters - well, everyone around MC is a nice guy. Sadly there are so many of them that they get almost no screen time and development, so there is no real deapth in them, no complex characters or anything similar. Enjoyment - this anime is pretty relaxed, so if you want something laid back just to sit, chill, and have a little fun - you can surely grab this anime. But if you want something captivating or original - it will not be enough to entertain you. Overall - it is pretty cliche, it has nothing new or interesting, but it can still be ok if you are looking for something relaxing. But overall quality is pretty mediocre at best, so I can't really recommend it to anyone.

By the Grace of the Gods - A Cozy and Relaxed Isekai Slice of Life with Limited Impact Rating: 6/10 Introduction: By the Grace of the Gods is an isekai anime that aims to deliver a laid-back and soothing experience in a fantasy world. While it succeeds in creating a calming atmosphere and a likable protagonist, the series falls short in making a lasting impression due to its slow pacing and lack of substantial plot development. As an anime enthusiast, I provide a review of By the Grace of the Gods, shedding light on its strengths and weaknesses to help you decide if it's the right addition toyour anime list. Cozy Slice of Life in a Fantasy World: The anime introduces us to Ryouma Takebayashi, a middle-aged man reincarnated into a fantasy world with a generous gift from the gods. He is granted the ability to tame and communicate with slimes, which ultimately leads to a relaxed and peaceful life. By the Grace of the Gods excels in creating a calming and cozy atmosphere, allowing viewers to unwind and immerse themselves in the fantasy setting. Ryouma's interactions with the slimes and his dedication to creating a comfortable life for himself are endearing and provide a refreshing break from the more action-packed isekai series. Engaging Protagonist and Character Development: Ryouma serves as a likable and sympathetic protagonist. His mature and level-headed demeanor, coupled with his genuine care for the creatures under his care, makes him a relatable and admirable character. Throughout the series, Ryouma undergoes personal growth as he learns to embrace his new life and form meaningful connections with others. The focus on his character development contributes to the heartwarming aspect of the anime, making it a character-driven narrative that viewers can connect with. Limited Plot Progression and Slow Pacing: While By the Grace of the Gods aims for a more relaxed and slice-of-life approach, it struggles with limited plot progression and slow pacing. The lack of significant plot developments and overarching conflicts might leave some viewers craving more substance and excitement in the story. The repetitive nature of Ryouma's daily life, centered around caring for slimes and managing his business, can feel monotonous and underwhelming as the series unfolds. This lack of compelling narrative progression hinders the show's ability to keep the audience engaged throughout its runtime. Underdeveloped Supporting Characters: The series introduces several supporting characters, including other adventurers and individuals Ryouma meets on his journey. Unfortunately, many of these characters lack depth and development. Their limited screen time and lack of meaningful interactions with Ryouma make it challenging for viewers to connect with or become invested in their individual stories. The anime's focus on Ryouma and his slimes comes at the expense of fully fleshing out the supporting cast, leaving them feeling like one-dimensional additions to the story. Art and Animation: By the Grace of the Gods boasts a pleasant art style and animation that aligns well with its laid-back atmosphere. The character designs are charming, and the fantasy landscapes are visually appealing. However, the animation quality may not stand out compared to other isekai series, with some action sequences feeling lackluster and lacking intensity. Conclusion: In conclusion, By the Grace of the Gods is a cozy and relaxing isekai slice of life that excels in creating a peaceful atmosphere and endearing protagonist. Ryouma's journey of self-discovery and his unique bond with the slimes make for heartwarming moments that anime enthusiasts can appreciate. However, the limited plot progression, slow pacing, and underdeveloped supporting characters detract from the anime's overall impact. For these reasons, I rate By the Grace of the Gods a 6/10. If you're in the mood for a low-stakes and heartwarming isekai experience, this anime might be a good fit for you. However, if you prefer more dynamic and action-packed narratives, you may find this series lacking in comparison to other isekai titles.

Honestly, it's better to think of this anime as a slice-of-life "isekai" anime. As it's not so much "Isekai" as it is "Slice-of-Life" which just so happens to have an "Isekai" type setting. Basically, the focus of the story is following around the MC as he goes about his new life in a different world. But instead of fighting being a main focus, or defeating some antagonist. The main focus here is just watching the MC grow as a person and how they go about their life. So the story itself can be very slow, as honestly, not a whole lot really happens that will draw youin. So if you don't enjoy slice-of-life anime. This isn't going to be tickling your fancy. Story aside, the artwork is generic at best, mediocre at worst. It's not going to wow you, but, it's at a point where it is watchable. The voice and sounds in the show are also doable. Honestly, there's nothing outstanding about this show.. But, at the same time, if you want something to watch to kill-the-time. This will do the trick.

This anime is really good. I mainly decided to write this review because I don't understand MAL's rating for this anime. I see a lot of negative reviews of people saying how "it's boring and nothing happens". It's very unfortunate because, obviously, this anime is slice of life and it should be rated as such and not by action or shonen standards. To summarize this anime best is how wholesome it is. The biggest source of enjoyment that this show gave me was definitely how relaxed, calm and laid-back it is. There is no actual confilct aside from the MC's inner emotional drama from time totime. The whole anime is about characters in a fantasy world being friendly and nice to each other, with no prejudice whatsoever. Something like this really makes you think about humanity's good things and just wish that humans behaved just like they do in this show. The world building and character relationships are very interesting as well as the magic system explanation and so on. I really recommend this anime if you want to relax and watch something very wholesome and chill, and please remember that this is a slice of life anime and not an action one, so you should expect it to be like so.

I'll personally never understand the low score for this one. Let me be clear, this show is by no means perfect, but I'll be damned if it doesn't do a fantastic job at achieving what its main goal is. Just being a relaxing look into the chill side of isekais. This is my first review, I wouldn't have done so without a good reason and lo and behold here it is. The low scores given to this anime are so unfounded it doesn't make sense to me. This show was never meant to be an action packed isekai with bloody and gruesome fights to the death.It's about a protagonist who simply wants to experience a brand new world and live life to the fullest. An opportunist who's taking a rare chance at forging new relationships and acting (somewhat) realistically when placed into such a scenario. I find it so satisfying watching the protag slowing gain more and more knowledge of the world around him. It's so wholesome and refreshing seeing a character genuinly want to make friends with everyone around them and try to understand them instead of your run of the mill, "I see bad guy, immedietely I hate this person with my entire being." Anyways to sum it up, personally I loved it. The soundtrack was great and really fit the whole anime's mood, I also really liked the opening track. The characters are all unqiue and likable in their own way. I love the direction of the story and seeing the unique career route the protagonist chose. It's just a great time. I hope to see more anime similar to this and Ascendance Of A Bookworm due to the more realistic vibes they give off. Please don't go into this show looking for action, but rather a fun/chill story.

by the grace of the gods is a slice of life isekai. the art style is bright and relaxing (it does have some CGI horse that are very out of place). the story center around Ryoma a near 40yld man that died in is sleep after a life of hard so hard that after he reincarnated as a 8yld boy he hides in deep in a forest living is life doing his martial arts from is past life using and studying magic as well as slimes. Ryoma is an overpower MC with a lack of common knowledge of his new world. if you wanta laid back isekai with little to no romance, violence or ecchi this the one for you

I loved this anime. It's a very calming and enjoyable anime that you can watch without thinking about too much. The fight scenes are cool but they don't fight that often. This is an isekai but that doesn't mean it's bad in any means. The main character was isekai'd and got powers but he isn't over powered, he's just strong. The story is okay and not the best but it's the enjoyment for me. The characters are pretty cool and the art is good. Overall this anime was a 9/10 for me and i'm eagerly waiting for a second season.

To be honest, this show is just your feel good show for the end of a stressfull day. It's rather slow paced and doesn't contain much action. It's not bingeworthy but rather digested in small episodes. MC is a guy who is rewarded with a nice second life where he can do whatever he feels like after probably working himself to death in his previous one. He gets to live as a child again and while he has strong powers in all categories, he spends most of his time alone in hte forest. And he choses to collect slimes. But since plot has to happena group of adult adventures find him and take him to the city where he interacts with real people for the first time in years. There he gets interesting jobs, such as... opening a laundry business. There is no depth here, just good vibes. 6/10 good as an antidepressant

This anime is not for you if you are looking for: Drama, conflict, effort, epic battles, or anything more than a relaxing experience. This anime has a mediocre story, but that doesn't make it bad at all since it's not their objective to make you feel chills or sad or any huge emotion other than satisfaction and happiness. That doesn't make it bad as some might think, but it won't appeal to a lot of people that might be expecting something more. This is a relaxing story where you can forget about your problems and live in a world where everything goes perfectly and everyone (oralmost everyone) is a nice person. I recommend this anime as a nice little story that makes you feel good, relaxed, and happy. The music is good and makes me feel nostalgic for some reason. The art style is pretty and nice on the eyes. There is nothing wrong with anime for people who don't want to watch dramatic stories.

Isekai, right? If you don't have an open mind for this genre turn away NOW, no need to lambast negative reviews without bearing. Now, that said, here's my review: (This is as spoiler free as possible, with mostly vague or really vague descriptions and it's difficult to tell unless you've watched or read the story already.) First off, this isn't a "I got hit by a truck and wow I'm OP in another world let's make a harem" kind of Isekai, it's more of the "My previous life was miserable but now I've been given another chance I want to do my best!" kind. These kinds of Isekaitend to be super slice-of-life-y and focus on character development rather than overlying major plot. (Think of developing modern tech in medieval times, those kinds of development happen instead of the "I'm gonna level-up Shounen Manga style" kind of development, though the MC is OP in his own right.). This Anime is derived from its manga (which I haven't read yet), which in turn is derived form the light novel (which I did read), so you have to understand that A LOT of minor details were removed to fit the form of media. It starts off at the early parts of the light novel, and as a reader before watching I'm satisfied with what they gave for the first season. It gives enough detail for the MC's previous life and it makes it so that the whole premise of the story, the "Picked Up By The Gods" part, is hinted at, though not fully revealed yet (They show a barebones explanation of his transfer, but the reason is much deeper than that and is put into light at a later point in the story, something like a season 2 reveal and not really fit for the first season). The anime then establishes MC's new life and what he did with it at the start of it. This is where the character development and minor plot starts, and this is also the point where the cutting of minor details happen and we see the anime start rushing things (it itsn't bad, it's acceptable really, but it still irks me since I know those details as a reader and those details helped me appreciate the story more). He starts off living alone for three years, completely alone, without human contact/interaction. He does have his slimes while living alone in a pretty dangerous-for-a-10-year-old forest + cave house, but the main issue presented at this point is that, because his social skills were unused for literally 3 whole years, he has difficulty interacting with the first humans he meets (rescues). The rushed part of this interaction is how quick the MC recovered his social skills without us being informed of significant timeskips of/or development to make it seem more natural (It took a few weeks in the novel compared to the few days in the anime). [This part I wrote to give you a glimpse on how "rushed" or jarring it might feel to watch this without being open-minded that this is an adaptation of a novel with many minor details.] You might feel misled by the title based on this first season alone (or not really because the gods do really pick him up but it isn't given much detail within the 12 episodes), but objectively this anime isn't bad. It has details here and there scattered throughout without being deliberately explained, but overall it's a decent, calm, and really nice slice-of-life fantasy anime with a strong focus on the MC "doing his best" after being "picked up by gods" from his sad past life. Simply focusing on what is presented to you by the show and reading between the lines a little bit is already enough for those who like the genre (slice-of-life at least) to enjoy the anime. Now plot aside as for the presentation this isn't really stunning art-wise, but it gets the job done. (The only thing that irks me is when the characters become caricatures or chibi-ish, since from reading the novel I know that there is a, minor spoiler,-- dark underlying plot despite all the smiles and cheers the "main" story presents, and those overly "cartoony" moments seem to paint the show as a comedy, which it is not.) In comparison to "Ascendance of a Bookworm" (Another great lightnovel turned anime that is also fantasy/isekai slice-of-life), "The Man Picked Up By The Gods" is inferior in a lot of aspects. Music is mediocre, Sound is mediocre (The guitar at the last episode sounds... off), Voice Acting has no special moments to mention (though that's the script's fault, not the actors). Art is low-budget-ish but decent and not horrible at all (unlike a notoriously horrendous example I think you may have heard of). Presentation-wise I'd say it's decent and easily watchable. Now back to plot, I'd say the big things you will miss from the light novel are the character bonds developed by the MC (they are explored in much more detail, such as with the humans he rescued/the duke's family), the whole process of the things he does (some redundant, some interesting. Mixed bag really, just like all the wikipedia logs you'd read in development-focused isekai novels, but MC's way of explaining is somewhat cool I guess.), and his detailed Slime Research (The slimes are a BIG aspect, like, really, with slight exaggeration. They might be even a metaphor for something or have a special purpose. They are just SO relevant in most of the major parts of the story even if only by a background aspect). If the synopsis interested you, I'd suggest you read the Light Novel or Manga first, if you like details. If not, then the anime is more than fine for a quick and digestible runthrough of the early parts of the MC's development, just be aware of missing or non-explicit details that may lead to misinterpretation if ignored and you just take the anime as-is (though there isn't really much that might be misinterpreted, maybe the "romance" subplot, but that's it.) Overall it's an 8/10 for me because I appreciate it for what it is and what it should be (and could have been). The way it presented itself wasn't anything stunning, but it showed a good premise and I look forward for a Season 2 (Light Novel-->Anime adaptations tend to get them with enough traction) NOTE: I'm basing all my Light Novel related opinions on the REBOOT ver. The original Light Novel has a slightly less organized structure so I read the Reboot instead as it had a better flow (and was made both lighter and darker in certain points compared to the original, which I liked a lot as it helped portray the story better).

tl;dr no antagonist, no challenge, no development = no good I am an isekai fan. You can hate on me all you want but I've seen more than my share of them, and unfortunately this one ranks among the lowest. I finished it out of spite so I could write this with a clear conscience. Here's why I hated this anime. The MC is overpowered and faces no significant challenges. Everything works out somehow with minimal effort.There is no villain, handicap, or clear goal to overcome. If this were a slice-of-life that would be fine, but... This anime spreads itself too thin. It never truly focuses on eitherthe merchants, the adventurers, or the tamers, and that does it a great disservice. Each path is left half-developed, and probably would have made a decent slice-of-life on its own. Indeed, similar to Hachi-nan tte, nothing actually develops. MC of episode 12 is the same as episode 1, simply with more friends and more junk. Nothing happens, nothing changes. That's no good no matter how you bill it.

I definitely think this story could be on level with other anime like Mushoku Tensei or above with improved art. A similar feel, but without a thirsty otaku for the reincarnation. Definitely some very good call backs to the previous life as well without having a completely OP protagonist. The art is rather par for the course, without some of the flourish or detail seen in some other isekais with less compelling characters. The character also tends to follow good reasoning and is overall very wholesome and appreciative of his new life. The sound, specifically some scenes focusing on music playing is very nice, but thebackground music could be a bit more compelling. Overall, I believe the foundation here is very strong, and most improvements here could be accomplished with a higher budget, so I hope they're able to get that.

This anime is pretty much one big ego stroking exercise and there's pretty much no actual story or plot. Pretty much the entire show is just everyone gushing over this kid and how amazing he is and how he can do all these things they've never even seen before, he even has three gods watching out for him. I rated it a 5 but only because it's easily bingeable. I wouldn't say it's boring per se but there really is no plot. People find kid, take kid to a city, people leave. That's literally the entire plot. Everything else is just messing about like 12 episodesof filler. The protagonist has no real goal, is doing nothing to work towards that non-existent goal, has no real challenges to overcome, everyone loves him and is super kind to him and is friends with him. From that perspective I would understand people that think the anime is super boring. To me it seems sort of like a fantastical fairytale trying to appeal to the super overworked office workers in Japan constantly on death marches to try to convince them if they're good little workers and try their hardest they'll be rewarded by the gods by getting isekai'd into a fantasy world with no worries where everything's perfect and they're amazing. Blegh. Don't get me wrong I love me some completely overpowered protagonists. But at least have a freakin' story and goals and actual character development and challenges to overcome. Every character in this anime is forgettable. Know how many names of the characters I remember? None. Literally none. Not the protagonist, and not anyone else either. They're instantly forgettable. And it's not because the MC's an OP Gary Stu. Anos from Demon King Academy is too, but I really enjoyed that anime and actually remember the character - and that's just one example of animes with OP Gary Stu MC's. To understand my rating, for me 5 is completely average. That means it's pretty meh but it's easily bingeable and has a decent enough enjoyment factor. A similar anime that isn't bingeable that I just feel absolutely exhausted trying to watch, that will get a much lower rating depending on the extent of combined factors in addition to that sad reality. In many cases I'll end up dropping them entirely if it's exhausting enough. 5 is pretty much mass produced garbage but easily consumable. You're not gonna like it all that much or even remember it or ever even think about it but it gets the job done. Also I'll say this anime seems super predictable. I'd be really surprised if the MC doesn't end up with the cute little girl. Well, that is if it ever even gets another season. I wouldn't give it one if I were a production company, personally.

If this anime were a food, it would be a single slice of bread. Not toasted, or buttered, or anything else. Just the plainest, most boring stuff you've ever watched. You can't really call it horrible, because there's barely anything there at all. Looking for a decent anime? This isn't that. Looking for a laughably horrible anime? This isn't that. I would only recommend you watch this if you like characters with very little depth succeeding with minimal challenge. While it is an isekai, this is one of those that you could entirely remove that part and nobody would care. The protagonist is just a generic middle aged man who works allday and has nothing else interesting about him. It's actually quite surprising that such a simple character is so rare in anime. Overall, this is probably the blandest, simplest, most uninteresting anime you'll see for a long time.

Kami-tachi is a bit of a difficult show for me to review. Overall, I was impressed with the show and, during the early stages, was even convinced it'd be one of my favourites in the last year. So then, "why is it difficult to review"? Well... You know that feeling you get when you really like a story and it's turning out way, waaay better than you could have ever predicted or imagined, but then after becoming disillusioned, it starts to resemble what you initially expected & seemingly drops the ball for inexplicable reasons? You know that unreasonable spite you feel towards it, no matterhow self-aware you are that it's not the story's fault for any resentment you feel from the resulting emotions? Well yeah: Kami-tachi did this to me, so despite me being really happy that I got way more out of this show than I ever expected - especially after reading the source-material recently by coincidence - I'm still left this this bitterness & confusion over how exactly an 8/10 piddled down into a 5/10 in such a smooth and effortless manner. Welp, let's break this down~ The show started off extremely strong - and I really mean that. By rephrasing the source content in an extremely-proficient manner, it managed to even out-do the manga by how it maximised the advantages of a medium with sound, colour, and flowing visuals at its disposal. The show started off so strong that, up until the 5th weekly release, every episode had me either shed some tears or just outright cry from how expertly and convincingly they delivered the backbone of our protagonist's hardships - including the caveat for the show's title. By this point, I was honestly giving the show an 8/10 and even defending its criticisms online (boy, did those memories age well...), thinking "this show was hand-moulded for adults like myself who have overwhelming sympathies for the regular & mundane stresses of a soft-hearted & well-adjusted (for better or 'worse') man's life". Wholeheartedly, I was singing praises for the entirety of the production through these episodes as they felt like not a single element had been overlooked nor neglected - be it the music, the sound effects, the simple gestures often overlooked in cheaper productions & the body language in even mundane scenes, the choreography, or even just 'ambient music' in the background. Of course, even if the production was making many subtle changes to the source material by this point, it didn't feel like there was cause-for-concern yet as it'd all worked out for an impressively-articulated story thus far--but ya know, there was a commonality between all the "artistic liberties" made thus far, and that was called 'Family Scenes', which brings us to the crux of both 'what this show did well' and, simultaneously, 'what this show really needn't have done at all'... You see, the whole backstory of our MC, going by the 'source material'*** [NOTE FOR LATER], is that: here you have a guy who's pushed by society & those close to him (with the exception of his mum) to conform to a life that generally contradicts his nature as a person - often as a result of mistreatment from either the people around him that are meant to care for him, or from society itself misjudging him as a result of all the metaphorical "scars" that he's built up from the bombardment of [not-so-much "his"] life. Honestly... this may as well be hand-crafted to trigger male-adults as it's pretty hard not to empathise with one aspect or another of his tumultuous journeying (and thus why I found myself with a wet eye or two by the end of every early episode). The thing to note here, though, is: 'his Redemption journey' and 'his character growth' aren't strictly related to just the 'Family Scenes' in the source material, but more the product of everything he's meant to experience. Due to this somewhat "oversight", though his Redemption Arc starts off strong, we aren't yet to know that it'll run into some troubles down the line. Still though, by this point, the production and staff had really shown off exactly how "well" they understood the source material and how invested they were in telling what should have, by all rights, been just a 'mediocre isekai'. The music, scoring, and sound effects were, as I said earlier, on-point and fit the scenes and themes perfectly, right down to even the ambient music that was only meant to function as a sort of "glaze" for binding visuals and dialogue to the 'fantasy-paradise theme'; the scenes that weren't meant to have much going on in them even had subtle embellishments like facial movements to indicate 'body-language', along with a certain-amount of attention even paid to sprucing up exposition or mundane dialogue; heck, I could even tell that a decent amount of work had gone into the pacing of the Story-Boarding as there were a lot of subtractions and additions from the source-material that didn't feel arbitrary in the slightest. All of the aforementioned was certainly above-and-beyond what anyone could expect from what anyone was expecting--but, sadly, the part where I say "all good things must come to an end" unfortunately is occurring well-before the finale of this season... What started as 'revisions of the source material for perfecting delivery' soon turned into something more likening to... "the departure of a muse"? Honestly, if I was told that their director and/or the majority of their scripting team was switched-out at around the mid-way point of the series, I'd buy it without question. Changes to the source material began to be detrimental to the story, the pacing of the show shifts from 'something akin to Redemption' into "Anime-Wholesomeness Incarnate", and the Story-Boarding very-obviously takes out much of the in-dispersed "Pallet-Cleansers" that the inherent story used to balance all of the themes in order to keep things fresh. Here's some examples: one of the consequences of readjusting all the focal points to be on the "Kami-tachi ~Family Experience~" is that, our protagonist comes off almost-entirely as a 'reactive' person who's incapable of being proactive let-alone accomplishing anything on his own. See, even if the narrative phrases his past-life as an overall negative experience, it still uses it as a justification for why he's so "physically-capable" - something that was lost with the adaptation here. This omission doubles down on itself as a 'mistake' when most of episodes 6 through to 9 repeatedly shows an "awkward protagonist" who is shaped by the words of those around him without anything but exposition and awkward, deflective chuckles leaving his mouth. With all the 'cannon' action/adventure scenes relinquished from their significant roles of demonstrating both independent decision-making & consequences for such, it instead feels like a protagonist that's being led by the nose into wholesome environments rather than someone who's earned the life & connections they wanted--which normally would be a forgivable oversight in most stories if it wasn't for the fact that this entirely contradicts the essence of the core narrative, "to live your life the way you want to - being yourself, your best self". Even if this adaptation is more 'concise', it really suffers for it. Another example: remember those *** I left earlier? Yeah, those were because the anime leaves out the entire latter-half of the MC's backstory, that which outlines a rather significant part of his relationship with his mum as well as how his life turned out the way it did in the long run--they entirely left out his dad. Even till this point, I'm wondering if I'm somehow just mistaken about the order of events in the source-material, because "suuureely they wouldn't just skip probably the most significant part of his life's tragedies"? Like I said, just as how they omitted nearly-all of the 'combat-orientated' events and character-building of our MC, I got the impression that they swept the entirety of the source-material with a biased lens of "wholesomeness & family", as all of the material subtracted from the show all pertains to 'combat', 'emotions of aggression & healthily resolving such', & 'being an independent functioning member of a fantasy society who is capable of independent, proactive action'. Vice versa, they pulled in later chapters that involved 'in-adverse socialising' and 'family'. Although I can see why they did this, the problem was that the original story never opted for this pathway because of how imbalanced it made the development of our MC--so even if I can "understand", I also "absolutely disagree" with the final concoction. ... Speaking of final results though, I might add: none of my critiques are really aided by the fact that the 'finale' of the season, the last 2 episodes, essentially feel like a single episode that's stretched over double the time. Especially regarding the final episode: the tone, humour, pacing & patterns of dialogue, even the fundamental story-boarding, it all feels completely unlike all 11 preceding entries. Heck, if I were to use one word to describe the final episode, it'd without-a-doubt be "ham-fisted" - be it the entire script, or just the sudden appearance of 'romantic humour' that hadn't been apparent anywhere else in the season. If I wasn't immersed in frustration during Ep 12, then I was cringing - there wasn't much between, unfortunately. Terrible way to conclude an-otherwise decent season... All in all: The changes that were made did lead to a tidy season that finalises our MC's Family Arc, but since it neglected so much of the "hand-in-hand" maturing-elements of our protagonist as well as a the alternating tonal themes that were meant to keep all of the narratives fresh & away from repetition, we instead got the metaphorical equivalent of a "circular sculpture that used to depict a detailed face, 'refined' merely to resemble a perfect sphere" - sure, things ended all nice-and-tidy, but boy did we lose a lot in the process... Final Results Story: 4 Art: 7 Sound: 8 Characters: 4 Enjoyment: 6 Overall: 5.5 By Isekai standards, this show is decent and it's still worth a watch, especially if you're not familiar with the source material--but certainly, even if I remember this show fondly, I'm still going to be upset in imagining exactly how great of an Isekai Masterpiece this could have been.