One of the most entertaining recent trends in the anime industry is the intense sense of self-parody that has found its apogee in titles like “Mob Psycho 100” and “One Punch Man”, but can be also found in a number of other titles. Shigeki Kawai, adapting the homonymous manga written and illustrated by Hotondoshindeiru, turns this approach towards the medieval/rpg (isekai) category in a truly hilarious series with “blasphemous” humor.
The anime begins in modern-day Japan, where Takafumi Takaoka picks up his 34-year old Uncle, Yosuke, who recently awakened from a 17-year coma after being hit by a truck, but actually went to another world during that time. All the rest of the family members believe that the uncle is crazy, but Takafumi soon witnesses him performing actual magic, and decides to take him with him to his home, have him start a YouTube channel, and profit from his endeavors. As time passes, though, he learns that his uncle's unattractive appearance had him frequently mistaken for an orc in the other world and treated extremely poorly by its inhabitants, to the point where he had to continuously wipe his own memories to maintain his sanity.
Furthermore, his extremely nerdy nature had him implementing things he learned playing SEGA video games in any kind of relationship he stumbled upon in the Other World, essentially prolonging his loneliness of his own accord. Furthermore, as Takafumi's childhood friend Sumika Fujimiya becomes part of something that could only be described as a trio, it becomes evident that the young man is not that different from his uncle, although neither of them realizes. Nevertheless, the two youths spend their time helping uncle adjust to modern society while also watching his memories from the Other World.
Check out the review of the manga
The most impressive trait of Shigeki Kawai's direction is how he manages to combine a number of elements inherent to anime with social commentary while essentially mocking everything about the title, including the whole concept of anime and otakus. At the same time, the way he manages to retain a sense of lightness and overall entertainment allows the series to flow quite smoothly for the whole of the 12 episodes that have aired until now. In that fashion, the fact that Yosuke looks nothing the “pretty boys” that are usually the heroes of the isekai or medieval anime but his mediocre/much-older-than-he-actually-is looks have the people he meets in the other world considering him an orc is as smart in the way it presents the importance of looks in the modern world as it is hilarious. The fact that he is essentially all powerful but his appearance is what makes most shape an opinion on him moves in the same path.
On the other hand, the fact that there are actually gorgeous women that seem to like him but he keeps perceiving them through the prism of the SEGA video games he used to play, where romance was essentially non-existent, allows Kawai to include the harem element while making fun of the lack of social skills otakus and video-games aficionados are infamous for. This aspect is actually double-fold since uncle and nephew seem to have this ridiculous attitude in common, making the rather appealing women around them quite frustrated, adding even more to the comedy. Also rather funny, and in a testament to the non-PC nature of the title is how the idea that all those who do evil deeds are essentially good but had stumbled upon some kind of trauma, is completely turned over its head, with the porcupine episode being the most evident testament to the fact.
Add to all that a sense of retro and nostalgia which comes from the whole SEGA concept, and the way Kawai shows how fast the world moves nowadays, when 17 years seems like a century in terms of how things have changed, but still a number of things remain the same (video games and anime in this case) conclude this rather layered and smartly presented narrative.
Kazuhiro Oota's character design embodies the aforementioned aspects in the best fashion, both in the modern urban setting and the Other World, with the fact that all the women are rather good-looking and voluptuous, moving frequently into ecchi paths, which are, though, also mocked within the series. The hyperbole regarding Uncle's ugliness is also excellently depicted, while the “silly-faces” so frequently appearing in anime seem to be organically embedded in the story here, in another of the trait of the series. Atelier Pontdarc's animation complements the story excellently, while a number of the battle are impressive to watch, as in the ones where the Red Dragon is present for example.
“Uncle from Another World” is an excellent title, particularly for its “blasphemous” mockery of the whole world of anime and video games, and one of the funniest and most intelligent titles we have seen the latest years
