6. Shangri-La Frontier (2023-2024) by Toshiyuki Kubooka
The first of the basics that SLF goes back to is to present the video game and the “real” world as coexisting. While the gaps between their appearances are big, they overlap in one way or another. Rakuro’s schoolmate, Rei Saiga, has an unrequited crush on him and is always too shy to approach him. Rei gathers up the courage to approach him when she learns from the store clerk that he is also going to play SLF. In the game, Rei approaches Sunraku as Psyger-0, a member of one of the most renowned guilds in SLF. (Epoy Deyto)
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7. The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019) by Takao Abo
“The Rising of the Shield Hero” is filled with intricate comments and motifs, which were the ones though, that also brought much controversy about the first episodes, and particularly the way slavery and the rape accusation are framed. In my book, however, these elements are quite well portrayed in their significance for the story, since Naofumi resorting to the help of a slave trader shows how desperate and essentially, how angry at the world he was, while the rape accusation highlights the villainy and cunningness of Malty in the most eloquent fashion.
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8. Uncle From Another World (Shigeki Kawai, Atelier Pontdarc)
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.
9. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (2018) by Yasuhito Kikuchi
Yasuhito Kikuchi directs a series that functions much like the anime version of an RPG, since all the elements of the particular category of video games are to be found. Starting with the predator ability, and the fact that the more things Rimuru consumes, the more he levels up and the more abilities he learns, continuing with the founding of a base (country in this case) and the recruiting of more allies which strengthen its overall power (“Suikoden” anyone?) all of which come to him after various adventures and battles (much like quests in the RPG games), everything points towards a video game. Add to all that a bit of slapstick humour, some elements of fan service that become particularly intense upon the appearance of Shion, a bit of drama, and you have the backbone of the narrative.
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10. Saga of Tanya the Evil (2017) by Yutaka Uemura
Yutaka Uemura directs a series that unfolds around two axes, which actually run parallel to each other. Tanya has a desperate fight against God, Being X as she calls it, who appears in sudden moments in her life, only to put her into situations that will force her to either die or ask him for help, thus proving her faith to her omnipotence. Initially, Tanya seems to be losing the battle, as her efforts to get an office job away from the war front are met with failure, both when she succeeds and when she purposefully fails. Realizing the fact, she decides instead to become all-powerful and dominate over everyone with her cruelty and unparalleled magic power. This change of tactic bares better fruit for her, as she quickly gets promoted repeatedly, while also allows her to speak and occasionally influence the higher up decision makers.
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