OP Sequence

OP: 「DT捨テル」 (DT Suteru) by ゴールデン・イクシオン・ボンバーDT (Golden Ixion Bomber DT)

「-DT- Dimension Transfer」

I think it’s fairly safe to say that Ixion Saga DT isn’t trying to take itself particularly seriously. Based on Capcom’s upcoming online game, Brain’s Base brings us an anime that seems closer to a comedy than your typical fantasy anime. There’s always a shortage of fantasy anime these days, so it’s nice to see some more additions to the genre, and the lack of overt pretentiousness makes for a much needed change of pace. This is certainly not an anime that requires a lot of deep thought.

The story focuses on Hokaze Kon (Eguchi Takuya), an avid gamer (perhaps most notably a player of Monster Hunter) who, after promising to help a girl within a game, finds himself falling into an alternate world. With his crushing defeat (har har) of Variation (Kaji Yuki if anyone deserves it he does) he saves the eight year old Princess Ecarlate Juptris St. Piria (Mikami Shiori) and her two retainers, the Fukuyama Jun voiced trap, Mariandel, and Steel Sainglain (Nakai Kazuya), the muscle guy with a big sword. After claiming his reward for saving them in the form of a new pair of boots, they escape through the town, fight off the ridiculously named Erecpyle Dukakis (Kamiya Hiroshi), and continue onwards on their journey, now in possession of a hard won magic sword.

For a comedy anime directed and written by the two guys who directed and wrote Gintama – apparently the best anime of all time if MyAnimeList rankings are to be believed – I expected the humour to be a little more… well… humorous. There are certainly some funny jokes in there, a bit of meta humour, and it’s silly and it knows it. But the majority of the jokes seem to fall flat and I didn’t find myself laughing all that much. That’s not to say that there’s no possibility someone else would find it funny, but I feel like I’ve passed the point where a kick to the crotch is outrageously hilarious. Although, in a certain sense, that scene was clever in its hark back to the battle at the start of the episode and its central message – long names are stupid please stop using them Capcom.

There’s definitely entertainment to be had from other avenues, namely in the references to other games, though the Final Fantasy namedrop probably wins a prize for its lack of subtlety. If nothing else, while the plot may not be particularly original, the fact that it falls just outside many typical fantasy tropes could prove interesting. Our cast is perhaps a little more colourful than the fantasy norm with a bratty young princess, trap maid, and brawny guardian (okay that last one is pretty normal) to contrast with the usual beautiful females and shining knights. Depending on the direction it chooses to go from here, things could certainly pick up.

tl;dr: @MoombaDS – Take some frequently low-brow jokes, video game references, and warped fantasy tropes. Mix ’em together and you get #IxionSagaDT

Random thoughts:

  • Getting crushed by a chair is certainly not the most noble of defeats and possibly one of the more humorous moments of the episode!
  • Guns did not surprise me. Rocket launchers, however, did.
  • I’m pretty sure I noticed at least one instance wherein the wrong character’s mouth was moving for the seiyuu that was speaking at the time.
  • ‘Sorry, that was a lie.’ Potential catch phrase? Or was it just coincidence that it was used twice?

Full-length images: 03, 20, 31, 39.

*There are currently no plans for regular coverage of Ixion Saga DT here on RandomC.

 

Preview

28 Comments

  1. I have to say that the artwork (other than the character that asked for that favor perhaps) is pretty unappealing.. the humor is flat.. and the plot is predictable.

    I expected more. Maji on the other hand (which I hope is reviewed here) was a pleasant surprise.

    dimasok
  2. Now THIS was hilarious and downright campy! (the hairstyles of the bad guys LOL) Amusing to hear Jun Fukuyama as a tranny (or okama), when his character looks like C.C! Not expecting much but some laughs and some shout outs here and there. Definitely surpassed my (very low) expectations!

    1. Jun using his semi lelouch voice for the Okama is quite funny. What’s more amazing is how many voices he can do… Girl’s voice, retarded harem lead voice, comedy protagonist voices, and that Tall Dark and Handsome voice.

      Those spiked lizard skin boots give +3 to the Low Kick skill.

      Suppa Tenko
  3. It’s hilariously lame which makes it even better than if it were trying to be serious.

    Though I’m just wondering if anyone who gets transported into another world would be a complete idiot.

    Shadiic
  4. It was slightly funny but not quite. Will probably give it about 2 more episodes and then drop (unless I hear amazing things about it later). Really the first show I have watched this season that I have real doubts about.

    Gouka Ryuu
  5. I found it fairly amusing, simply because it acknowledged itself as a campy, kinda stupid show and ran with it. It also did some great things that I didn’t expect (that little Princess is NOT cute! That look on her face! xD ), and those shoes were WIN! This is not a show for those looking for substance, but for a watch where I can turn off my brain? Perfect.

    Sweetpea626
  6. I’m putting it on my list of shows that I don’t particularly look forward to every week but I’ll watch when I have the time. At least for now.
    BTW the design of the princess reminds me of a Powerpuff Girl.

    Roguespirit
  7. I liked it because I found it more imaginative and colourful than a lot of anime at the moment, which try to take themseleves too seriously. It’s nice to see a fisheye like character again.

    Leella
  8. “Getting crushed by a chair is certainly not the most noble of defeats and possibly one of the more humorous moments of the episode!”
    You’ll note the guy never explains how exactly he lost.

    moridin84
  9. Who else would probably not have given this a second glance, if not for the fact that Jun Fukuyama voices a trap/transexual green haired maid?

    The fact that the maid lapses between Panda-kun’s voice and Lelouch’s voice entertains me to no end.

    Kentaiyoshimi
  10. It’s understandable some won’t laugh to a literal kick in the crotch.

    But I could see why it was done; you’d expect the hero to do something “unexpected” (but expected, in a sense); such as maybe throwing a sword, whipping out a roundhouse, or even just run. Something that is not-quite-standard for a fantasy-setting (and based on an RPG no less).

    However, the protag doesn’t do any of that. Instead, he just goes for a literal kick to the balls. Probably a first in awhile too.

    LOLWAT

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