Introduction: 

Honestly, I looked at Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? as a shallow knock off before the winter 2012-2013 anime season started. I mean, we have seen our fair share of “hero gets brought to a new universe to help out” series with Zero no Tsukaima and Dog Days. I am probably missing a few, but those are the ones that I have seen. Honestly, I didn’t care for Dog Days and Zero no Tsukaima really lost steam after Saito cheated death for the first time. However, the fact that I watched those series meant that Mondaiji was going to be assigned to me for the first season of our anime coverage. However, after watching all ten episodes of this series, I can say that this series from Diomedea is definitely not a knock off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

Have you ever thought that the life you are living now is boring? Do you have gifts that are squandered in a world that does not appreciate them? Are you looking for a greater purpose in life? Well, our three problem children have asked themselves these questions quite frequently. I guess it has happened often enough for me to say that there is a standard way to do this. You take some people from our world and throw them into a new one that needs their help. Given, Izayoi and Asuka are from different time periods and I have no idea where You is from exactly, but you get the gist of it. The three have extraordinary gifts and they were called upon by Kurousagi and Jin to help out their community in a world that is much harsher than it appears. After a forced altercation with a demon lord, the newly dubbed “no names” are in a state of disrepair. They have lost their flag, members, and community stability. How did they lose all of this you ask? Well, in the world of Little Garden, people form communities that help sustain the life of its citizens. The communities can engage in gift games which are challenges that pin people against each other with stakes that are determined by the participating parties. This sounds tame enough, but the demon lords can force communities to participate in games that are meant to function unfairly and the consequences of losing could cripple, if not destroy, a community. Obviously, the demon lords have to be very strong in order to force fear into the people of Little Garden, but they are not the only bad guys out there. There are larger communities that have been corrupted by power and, outside of in-game parameters, there are very few universal laws that people must adhere to. People are traded as slaves and the weak are crushed. Lower level communities may not even be able to sustain the lives of their citizens because you need resources won through gift games in order to handle things like agriculture. In a world full of corruption, can the problem children help a defeated community rise up from the ashes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characters:

We get to meet quite a few important people in the span of ten episodes, but the story focuses around six recurring characters. Izayoi Sakamaki is a delinquent that was brought from our world in the present. When the three new kids got their gifts evaluated, his was left as a mystery because it was too powerful to be evaluated at the time. You could call him the power house of the group because Izayoi possesses super strength that allows him to move around and attack with great force. Although we don’t know everything about his abilities, Izayoi has shown the ability to destroy other gifts even if they are strong enough to be wielded by a demon lord. You could call him the main character due to his exposure which has told us that he is more than just a muscle head. Even though Izayoi is extremely over powered for a good portion of the series, he is also very quick-witted and knowledgeable. The life that he left behind boring for the most part and Izayoi was looking for some excitement. Asuka Kudou is a rich girl from the mid 1900’s of our world. Her abilities allow her to control others as long as they are not drastically stronger than her and she can also bring out another gift’s true potential. Asuka’s tough exterior begins to shed as the series progresses because she got it from her very captive life. Back on her world, she was kept locked up so that others could use her abilities in order to gain great wealth. Even though she starts out as the weakest newcomer, Asuka soon learns of her true potential and she begins to achieve her goal of gaining control over her own life. You Kasukabe is a girl who is from a place that looks fairly futuristic and is most likely Earth due to the animals that she was interacting with. You’s ability comes from a pendant that her father gave her which allows You to use the natural abilities of animals that she befriends. She can also communicate with animals. You is a very quiet and kind girl with a surprising knack for battle. Although her life wasn’t really lonely, You is looking to make friends with people. Kurousagi is a bunny girl and a game master. She can officiate gift games because her ears are connected to Little Garden’s network which will give her rulings regarding games. Kurousagi is a member of the no names and one of only two members that could participate in gift games after the community was defeated by the demon lord. Although she is normally a game official, Kurousagi is very strong and can fight on par with Izayoi with her amazing hopping ability, ridiculous spear, and skirt that has the ability to give you everything but the upskirt moment. Our favorite bunny girl is very kind-hearted which can lead to her being bullied by the kids, but she is also very strict at times. Also, Kurousagi’s hair color changes from blue to pink when she fights. Jin Russell is the young leader of the no names who has yet to show off any gifts. Although he lacks confidence, Izayoi has helped him show off his ability as a strategist and he is starting to come into his own as a leader. Shiroyasha is the floor master which means she has jurisdiction over a large part of Little Garden. She is friends with the no names even though she is a demon lord because not all of them are bad. Although not a lot is known about her true abilities, Shiroyasha can appraise gifts and she represents the sun. When it comes to major figures like demon lords and large communities, they always represent things from our world such as the black plague and the hero Perseus. The no names have made various allies and enemies with demon lords, floor masters, and big time communities since the arrival of our problem children. Residents of Little Garden can fall under many different types. Obviously, there are regular humans, but there are also things like vampires, fairies, and cat girls. Supposedly, the members of Little Garden hail from all of the known universes and this makes for a very diverse populous. Apparently, the natural abilities of a person’s race can be taken away because they become quantified as a gift in Little Garden. A vampire could lose its abilities as an example. This is one crazy place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impression:

I really enjoyed Mondaiji because of the serious nature of the show. Although the series seems like a story full of games and bunny girls, it is actually one about fighting corruption in a world where people have to worry about their livelihood everyday. The oppressive nature and unfair power of the demon lords has forced the citizens of Little Garfden to live in fear. The weaker groups are stamped out of existence and rebuilding is so difficult that it almost seems unnecessary. The tension that is felt when the group has to deal with providing water for the community and saving their friends from human trafficking is definitely felt by the viewer. I was not expecting to get any of this, but we did get a bit of the comedy that I thought we were getting. I will say that they kind of messed up the action to an extent. The abilities that the characters have are cool and the fight scenes look nice, but they are way too short. During the final altercation, I felt like I couldn’t blink because I would open my eyes and the fights would be over. This is mostly a complaint about wasted potential. I know that the series was only ten episodes long, but they could have made it eleven or twelve and truly flesh out the battles. I am not asking for Dragon Ball Z, but maybe something that has some up and down to it. Not just a few punches that end the fight in such a short amount of time that it looks one-sided regardless of the content. Aside from that, I really enjoyed everything else. The character designs are a personal favorite of mine because I really think they did a great job with the art in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Say:

Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? definitely did the heroes from another universe thing right. In a season that lacked action, this series was a gem that appealed to people who wanted to see some punches get thrown. I guess the major talking point is the need for a second season. The universe that was introduced in this series is far too complex to only get ten episodes worth of exposure. Add that to the fact that the ending was quite open-ended and you have yourselves the perfect case for continuation. The show is quite popular, so I assume that we are going to get one. If Dog Days is on season two and Zero no Tsukaima got four, then I think that Mondaiji is in a good place. I am actively excited to see more from this series.