Twelve Days of Anime 2013 – The surprise that was Mondaiji-tachi
December 16, 2013 2 Comments
When I first saw the summary of Mondaiji tachi ga Isekai kara kuru sou desu yo (another light novel title) it looked like another light novel adaptation that could be potentially entertaining, but perhaps not much more. However, as the series progressed I began to truly enjoy watching these characters as they adventured through this strange land. What I found particularly fascinating was how overpowered the main characters were, especially Izayoi, who seemed capable of taking out the gods that ruled the world of Little Garden without even breaking a sweat. In some series this ‘power creep’ could easily get boring as we watch the main characters simply blow through all obstacles as if they were made of cardboard.
However, Mondaiji Tachi freely embraces the overpowered characters, and we are instead presented with a world where they fit rather neatly. Izayoi’s ability to singlehandedly destroy gods and monsters never ruins the story or invalidates other characters accomplishments. Instead we are presented with a world of mystery, intrigue, and riddles, one where all the main characters have to work together to get the desired result. Even with some slightly odd dialogue, and a few pieces of exposition the world of Little Garden never seems out of place or strange, rather it is almost more natural than the worlds that Izayoi, You, or Asuka come from. Add in the brilliant characters of Kurousagi and Shiroyasha and we are left with a wonderfully entertaining series that was sadly incredibly short. If anything my one complaint about this series was its length, ten episodes barely allowed us to get to know these characters before it had finished. It did however have a great ending sequence.
About illogicalzen
illogicalzen 
‘Ello,
I fully agree that this series, in my world of choice, should have been allotted more episodes, but I would make the case that its short duration was a cause of part of its charm.
The animation studio focused on making a show that relied on its characters to carry it. I expect that if Diomedéa had a second cour or a possibility for a second season, the studio would have tried to pull more plot from the LNs (it’s there), but since it was given a small canvas, it chose not to tell a story, but to entertain with a story. While this approach isn’t exactly unheard of, it is certainly rare and is a breath of fresh air to a jaded anime-watcher like myself.
Cheers,
Cyclium
While you have a point about the short duration of the series meaning it had to focus on very specific aspects of the story, namely the characters. But at the same time the ending feels more like the halfway point, a simple break in the action before another part of the story is told. So it is both positive and negative, but still remains a memorable, and enjoyable series regardless.