「やっぱり異世界」 (Yappari i Sekai)
“This Really Is Another World”

This show is bad for my health. The amount of hilarious hijinks coupled with heartwarming moments, hints at the growing plot and a harem lead who actually deserves his harem all combine into a perfect storm of hilarity and awesome!

Class Is In Session

The classroom sections were a bit of a mixed bag this time. First of all, the first classroom scene wasn’t very good. Shinichi being a colossal otaku is something we’ve all seen before, so this added nothing. I’ll watch a rehash of something if it’s sufficiently funny, sexy, or otherwise entertaining, but without that it feels like a waste of time.

On the other hand, the other classroom scene was great. It added something new, which was not only funny but significant. While the children were still throwing around rather unkind words, this time it was not out of the pure hatred of institutionalized racism, but the pure nerd rage of a bunch of fans. There’s a twisted kind of equality among fans, because while they – okay, let’s call it like it is, we – will argue vehemently about whose fandom is better or why this or that work is amazing, there’s a certain level of equality inherent in arguing. People who truly feel they’re better than others don’t argue with them, because they’re lesser beings, and whose argues with a lesser being? I certainly don’t argue with a dog or a fish. Simply by arguing, they’re tacitly implying – probably unconsciously – that they’re all individuals worth arguing against, that they’re all equals. It’s not a matter of who’s better or worse, it’s a matter of who’s right, and that’s a whole different beast entirely.

Plus it was just funny. Having that group of dwarves admit that all dwarven men are eternal lolicons? HAH! Though I mean who can blame them, when their women are like this. Bonus Romilda-chan picture, because she’s awesome!

No Immunity Against the Disease

The idea that the Eldantese people don’t have an immunity to otakuism is an amusing one, though seeing as there’s no particular cultural or sociological reason why they should be any more predisposed to it compared to any other society, it’s something you have to take on faith. Sakaki-sensei only rarely requires us to take his plot points on faith though, so I’m willing to follow along, especially when it leads to Petrarca trying to act tsundere any failing to raise a Shinichi flag, or Minori converting Galius to otakudom via BL!!! Hilarity was once again not in short supply this episode, and I loved it!

It Has To Be Shinichi

The nice thing about the dual serious/silly atmosphere of this show is that when Elbia got all scary, I actually believed something might be going on. A good troll doesn’t work if you don’t think they may be serious, and they had that down for sure. It was only during the dream sequence where Myuseru-who-turned-into-Elbia talked about liking Shinichi’s smell that I realized what was going on. It was even foreshadowed – Elbia talked about how she suppressed her hunting instincts through drawing in much the same way as Discworld Black Ribboners (vampires) suppress their compulsion to feed through replacement – sorry, I had to make the Discworld comparison because I love those books so damn much. Deal with it – which implies that her animal instincts have a strong hold on her. Really though, it was just hilarious to see Minori and Myuseru rush to the rescue only to find a scantily clad Elbia crawling all over Shinichi HAH! And her speaking like it has to be Shinichi-kun, followed by Minori teasing Myuseru ohhhh man!! This show is going to be the death of me!

There still might be something up with Elbia though, if all those dirty clothes of hers are any indication, andif the preview tells us anything, they probably are.

A Harem Lead Who Deserves It

The thing I like about this show is that, unlike shows like Infinite Stratos, all the girls that have fallen for Shinichi have really good reasons for doing so; Myuseru because he treated her like an equal and she has seen his kindness, Petrarca because he doesn’t kowtow or try to take advantage of her and treats her like a normal person, and Elbia because he also treats her like an equal and his kindness saved her life and gave it purpose. Rather, they all have good reasons for taking notice of him, and then his personality, passion, and kindness won them over from there. Shinichi is a harem lead who actually deserves his harem (as much as anyone can deserve the love of multiple women, that bastard), which is refreshing to see.

Bonus: Shinichi doesn’t get all the girls. This is important! The fact that Minori hasn’t fallen for him makes her the exception that proves the rule, because unlike the others she knows how Japanese men are and doesn’t see anything especially attractive in Shinichi (other than as a match for Galius). The other three fell for him for Eldantese reasons, but they’re good ones and he is a nice, principled, and passionate (and his hobbies) guy at the end of the day.

Myuseru Still Best Girl

All that said, Myuseru is still best girl. I had such trepidation when Shinichi asked her whether she still wanted to go back to Japan with him whenever he had to leave. That’s the point when many stories would, for some flimsy and contrived reason, partially reset their relationship to keep the uncertainty going (“No, because I want to become a meido worthy of your love”…or something like that), but Outbreak Company didn’t do that. Myuseru is earnest and as honest with herself as she can be – she still hasn’t shaken all of her social conditioning off, after all – and that moment was just so sweet. Plus Myuseru calling me sempai was pretty sweet. Calling Shinichi sempai I mean. It’s not like she’s going to do that tonight in my dreams or anything. No siree, no ecchi dreams like that for this blogger, certainly not!

Looking Ahead – Soccer Association Football

Blah blah association football blah blah something shady with Elbia blah blah next episode will probably be good. I don’t say anything of worth in these sections, so this time I’ll just point out the magical kemonomimi end card! Myuseru still and always best girl.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – The Eldantese have no immunity against otakudom, while I have none against Myuseru. Also I’d let Elbia attack me any night, rowr~ #ob_c 05

Random thoughts:

  • Understated comedy is great. The prolonged comedic pauses were good, but I especially like Minori casually asking when they would teach BL, and then quietly getting it put into the curriculum thanks to corrupting Galius. Clever girl!
  • Don’t fire a gun indoors Minori that’s dangerous what are you doing.
  • “I don’t bat for both teams.” No one believes you, Galius.
  • But perhaps the best moment was at the very end when, after teasing Myuseru about Shinichi x Elbia and watching as Myuseru actually let her guard down and admitted she’s after Shinichi–!!, Minori called out the harem route Shinichi is swiftly moving down. Seriously Shinichi, take them all back to Japan and visit Petrarca on the weekends. Just don’t get too close to Galius – a little longer and Minori will make him into a full-blown fujoshi, oh noes!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: My stance on piracy, The three main rules of storytelling, I’ve never regretted any of them, and Great stories make you stop…and just feel.

Full-length images: 01, 10, 13, 30.

 

Preview

End Card

104 Comments

    1. Guess Stilts never read the disclaimer at the end, in super-mega-ultra-fine print:

      Problems can be avoided if you take OUTBREAK COMPANY in an isolated environment. To fully benefit from OUTBREAK COMPANY, patients are encouraged to engage in activities requiring limited mental and motor coordination. OUTBREAK COMPANY is not for you if you have abruptly stopped taking OUTBREAK COMPANY. Side effects of OUTBREAK COMPANY may include bloodshot eyes, reduction in social life, nose bleeds, mood changes, abdominal muscle strain, excessive salivation, hair growth, and terminal smile. Very rarely users may experience a need to change underwear. Prolonged exposure may result in getting that numbing feeling in your legs you would sometimes get when you sit on the toilet too long.

      Talk to your doctor about OUTBREAK COMPANY.

      …But yeah, best show of the season for me :3

      Unlucky Star
      1. outbreak company vs Log-horizon
        male MC: Shinchi vs Shiroe
        lover: Petrarca vs Akatsuki
        maid: Misueru vs Serara

        and there is more. yeah Stilts, it’s definitely good bad for your health 😛

        thedarktower
  1. I have to agree that it is refreshing having a harem lead that has earned rightly the affections of his harem. Haven’t seen that in awhile.

    This show is entertaining and fun. Thanks for getting me into it!

    GoukaRyuu
      1. I saw a good argument that compared Ichika and his harem to a black hole and objects caught in his event horizon respectively. Why a black hole? What is the densest thing in the universe?

        Gouka Ryuu
      2. Agree, though Issei still has his dense moments (he’s getting better about that). Ichika is simply an issue of supply and demand. He’s like the only guy on a deserted island populated by only women other than himself (e.g. Nagasarete Airantou though Ikuto while also dense had done things worthy of the female interest.)

        Akatsuki Ousawa from Hagure Yūsha no Esutetika is also one who arguably deserves the harem though he does like to play a lot of pranks on the girls so perhaps more of a “gray area”. Ichika reminds me a lot of Yuuki Rito from ToLove-Ru. Both dense (Ichiaka more so), both nice guys (Rito more so – befriends the person “trying” to kill him, Yami-chan) who are willing to “defend the damsel in distress” though Rito usually ends up being beaten up for it more than Ichika. Hard to find a character more dense than Ichika. A black hole is a good analogy IMO.

        Back on point, have to admit that as far as deserving the attention he gets, Shinichi compares quite favorably to most harem leads.

        daikama
      3. Another major difference between Rito and Ichika is that, Yuki Rito actually shows interest in some of the girls and interacts with them in more meaningful ways (especially Haruna and lately, Lala too). Plus, it is implied that he got blowed by Momo in the bath! Rito can get dense too but he already knows that Lala, Run and even Momo like him; Ichika could have gotten all five haremettes of them at his feet asking for marriage and he still wouldn’t get the message.

        Tassadar
      1. Or, they could make one of those ultra-rare beach+onsen episodes. A bonsen episode. Do those exist? You know, where they would visit both an onsen and a beach in the same episode? ‘Cause that would be delicious.

        Unlucky Star
      2. “Or, they could make one of those ultra-rare beach+onsen episodes. A bonsen episode. Do those exist? You know, where they would visit both an onsen and a beach in the same episode? ‘Cause that would be delicious.”

        Idolm@ster (the anime series) did just that.

        paulrenzo
  2. So we got a moe scene with Myuseru, a tsundere scene/act from Petrarca, and a “yandere” event from Elbia. I guess that makes Minori the Kuudere given she’s the only one that “doesn’t care for” Shinichi like that? lol. (I know, she doesn’t really fit the definition.)

    HalfDemonInuyasha
  3. I’m not getting my hopes up… The writers are going to pick some other girl other than Myusial because every dang girl I root for gets the shaft… DARNIT, STOP PULLING MY HEART STRINGS!

    Still best show of the season.

    J_the_Man
    1. I’ve got my bets it’s gonna be a real harem ending :3

      And if it’s not, first girl wins rules will take over.
      Which, litterally, she was the first girl he saw when he woke up in the other world.
      Strong vibes she’s gonna win.

      Geoff
  4. Petrarca’s attempts at trying to be a tsundere kept cracking me up. Hilarious as ever!

    And I realise its really bad to watch Kill la Kill before this. Half of the time I’m expecting Galius to strip off his top and jump on Shinichi.

    Arthuria
      1. Ahaha, I’ve been thinking about it, and I honestly think it’s because Galius doesn’t appear often enough and his maybe-feelings are still usually a punchline. Once he reaches Hastur level he’s in the harem, no matter what Shinichi wants.

        Stilts
  5. Is it just me or Myusel´s face when she saw Shinichi and Elbia in bed was: PRICELESS!!!
    Also when Minori told her to try harder from now on and she said she will without thinking: PRICELESS!!!.
    You´re right Stilts Myusel best girl forever! But when Pretarca finds out what happened that night you won´t to sharp ypur knives anymore, she´ll kill Shinichi with her bare hands! XD.

    haseo0408
      1. I interpreted his statement as a double edged sword: He could also mean he’s full on gay and assuring Shinichi he’s a full member of his harem– fulfilling the fujoshi’s desires.

        Drasca
  6. OMG! Princess Maker! The memories….

    Also now we know Garius is actually gay. Not like that’s a bad thing: anime should cater for all sexes and disposition.

    Female Dwarves are lolis forever!?! Banzai! Also Dwarf-bro is right: protecting lolis from afar is a gentleman’s duty. Heck Nyanta from Log Horizon would agree to that.

    TheMoondoggie
    1. Don’t go lumping Nyanta in with the dwarf bros. He’s a true gentlemen, while they’re pervy gentlemen ala Issei. Nothing wrong with bein’ a little ecchi, but Nyanta is too much of a cool adult for that, me thinks

      Stilts
    1. Btw, how in the world did Shinichi not pick up on tsundere Petraca? After her “It’s not like I wasn’t waiting for you! Hmpf!” I was like, is she acting tsundere?

      Too bad that was the only Petraca scene this episode. All the characters need more time…then again, I guess you can only fit so much within ~20 minutes…

      1. I think it’s because he’s not used to anyone actually acting tsundere. He does seem to differentiate between 2D and 3D pretty well (usually), so what she was trying to do didn’t connect.

        Stilts
  7. Forgot to mention Minori’s relentless pursuit of bringing BL to a classroom near you. That and the “flat chest is best chest” comment made me wake up half the house. All they were missing was Garius blushing upon his statement of not batting both ways, that would have been the cherry on top.

    Not surprising either the otaku bug caught on so fast. Consider any form of entertainment which you come to like. You literally marathon it (for shows) or play it to death (for games) to satiate the interest until it’s either over or it becomes boring. Anime, manga, and associated games become unique here, however, because there’s so damn MUCH that it’s hard to find boredom with 30-50 series you haven’t seen/read/played yet still waiting. Safe to say our reluctant harem MC will have a stable job into his mid 30s at minimum.

    Pancakes
    1. Bear in mind that your marathon / play-it-to-death comment only holds true for those with a certain kind of disposition. To many people, even if they’re interested in something they don’t dive in that hardcore. Whether because of their personality or because they’ve been socialized out of that kind of behavior, they just don’t give themselves over to an interest the way those of us with a strong “fan” bug do.

      Nothing wrong with that, I’m just saying – that’s a bit of a generalization there.

      Stilts
  8. The discussions those kids were having get all the more disturbing when I remember that they’re still just ten years old.

    In other news, while the maid whose name nobody can decide how to spell has first-girl rights as the official love interest (and is both adorable and awesome enough to earn the official love interest title anyway even if she wasn’t first-girl), I have no objections to adding a sexy/cute wolfgirl to the harem.

    Wanderer
    1. Kids probably grow up earlier in their culture. After all, adolescence lasting until the late teens is a relatively new phenomenon in human (much less elven, dwarven, or lizardmen) culture.

      Myuseru is definitely best girl, but something tells me she might be okay with sharing :3

      Stilts
    2. @Wanderer: …the maid whose name nobody can decide how to spell…

      LOL at that. So true :D. My vote is for the easiest to spell/type.

      Agree entirely with your post. I get that the “10 year olds with beards” was played for a joke, but when you factore in the lecture material…

      Lastly, no problems at all adding Elbia to the harem. 😀

      daikama
    1. Doubt it. She looked more like she was shocked and didn’t know how to react – after all, she’s probably never fallen in love with anyone before, and especially not someone like Shinichi. She’ll need a lot more self-confidence before she can get angry.

      Stilts
    2. Werewolf girl IMO is the one with yandere potential…especially when she drew Shinichi like his head was cut off or something…in read ink. Gives me some “Nice Boat” vibes.

      paulrenzo
  9. Minori is starting to remind me of Mafuyu from Seitokai no Ichizon with her BL obsession…
    Its rather scary in its own way….

    And Myusel is simply the best girl! With her around, u don’t even need a harem!

    Euzio
  10. great episode.
    we can really feel that the plot is somehow linear and from ep to ep it is stepping forward. it’s interesting, funny, wild, crazy, bizarre..but above it’s pure fun.

    Elbia is indeed wild beast. but the shock in Misueru’s eyes..lol.
    so finally Shinchi got himself a harem. this pervert!

    thedarktower
  11. I wanted to comment to say how adorable Myuseru looks with her hair down and in her pajamas 😛 All of those blushes, and having no hesitation to follow Shinichi to Japan…seriously where is the marriage proposal from Shinichi?!

    AzureNova
    1. Well, at First there will be a Culture Shock, even if she tries to Hide it, for not worrying her “Master”. If they are to Animate this Step, they should also think of living in Both Worlds. because of the “Viewers”…

      They are Watching this Anime, thats base first on a Fantasy World. Even if the “Master” came from “our” World. I dont think, that most of them would keep on Watching a World without “fantasy”. Well they are Watching a Anime to Distract from the Real World after all

      So, consider it. Make Both World the Home. but mostly stay on Fantasy

      Yeah, i sound like a Old Gezzer

      Germanguy
  12. its interesting to know how this two anime, log horizon and outbreak company (branded as MODERATE EXPECTATIONS) have more discussion on going than those in the MODERATELY HIGH EXPECTATIONS. i mean, the fact it is much more talked and discussed than most of the anime titles listed above it means, its making much more bigger waves than the anime above it.

    LITTLE BUSTERS < OUTBREAK COMPANY? oh lol what a joke.

    or maybe we can say, this titles are possibly among the hidden gems of the season… this or that.

    — TGI

    TheGreatIdiot
      1. In a Fantasy World, you know this is not real. You are at Ease with your “conscience”, because it knows that this is Fiction

        In a Real world Anime, you are just “coping” some things, that happen to be also in your Daily Life. There is no “Dream World” where you can lose your “conscience”.

        In a Fantasy World your dive deeper into the Dream World, then Real World based Animes

        Hope, my Explanation try was okay for you

        Germanguy
    1. Bear in mind that A) the preview expectations are subjective, so it’s not surprising that we get some wrong, and B) just because a show isn’t as “good” doesn’t mean that a lot of people won’t watch it and it might not be wildly successful. Fanservice shows tend to get massive views even though the plot is usually…well, yeah.

      Basically, popularity does not equal quantity. Though for the record, I pushed for both of these shows to get higher expectation levels and lost, so HAHAHA, STILTS WINS AGAIN BITCHES!!

      Stilts
  13. Im starting to fear for our beloved Stilts life. Take your vitamins man…. its gonna be a rough season ahead.

    On an unrelated note: Lineage 2 dwarves have made their mark on the world. Eternal lolis FTW!

    Ginobi47
  14. She sees your…

    And I liked that little gasp that Miusel did after this part when Minori asked Elbia about Shinichi. So cute.
    I’m still feeling awkward when watching this but I’m still enjoying the show. I had to pause the show a lot though to stop myself from giggling at the jokes. I lost it at those lolicon dwarves and Galius’ comment.

  15. Shinichi is brilliant. He totally feigned like he was hating it but getting a hand full of Eliba’s side boob the whole time.

    Truly a worthy successor to Issei’s as harem MC of the season.

    Tez
  16. Does anyone know how long the school has been running in the other world?

    The thing that’s been bothering me is how on earth are the kids getting their culture fix? Unless the Japanese government’s been going overtime in translating games, books, and anime, it really doesn’t seem likely that the students would know enough Japanese to really enjoy the material. Especially since the teachers seem more concerned with forcing their preferences down the students’ throats, as opposed to language lessons.

    On top of which, the translation spell seems to work more on a basis of telepathy, as opposed to actually translating. So things with no minds or intentions, like books and games, should remain cryptic without manual translations.

    Rasen
    1. I think its been going for a good while if they’ve already developed such well thought out opinions on games and whatnot, even if the Eldantese do seem oddly susceptible to the otaku virus. Plus they’ve already stated that it’s necessary, and it doesn’t ACTUALLY take that long to learn a language, provided you speak it a lot or are really interested in learning it.

      Stilts
      1. And I’d have to go rewatch things, but I swear a few month time-skips have been explicitly mentioned. Plus a number of these kids were taking classes at his manor before the school was completed I believe.

        KaleRylan
  17. Somehow, watching certain scenes in this show when Shinichi decides to assist Myuseru with her tasks reminds me of that one line Kaede says early on in the Shuffle! visual novel. “Please don’t take away my reason for living.”

    Lazuchi
  18. Never realized it while watching this episode until l looked at these screenshots, but I didn’t know when Erubia was on top of Shinichi he was feeling her up during that bed scene. lol

    mrdaftpunk

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