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「問題児たちが白黒はっきりさせるようですよ？」 (Mondai-Ji-tachi ga Shirokuro Hakkiri Saseru You Desu yo?)
“It Seems That the Problem Children Prove Who’s On Top?”
This finale had a bit of everything I’ve come to love about Mondaiji.
Perhaps one of the biggest principles present throughout the entire series has been fun and enjoyment. In the Little Garden combat is a sport, and despite its sheer intensity at times, this always comes across crystal clear in all of the battles. It’s quite comparable to DOG DAYS in that sense. All of the participants seem to strive to enjoy themselves, particularly the core trio. At times, it’s almost as though death is not a risk – to be honest, I half expected that it would be revealed none actually died from the mist and it was merely an empty threat. Everyone appreciates and respects the talents of the adversaries – there aren’t really any hard feelings, even when these opponents were painted as ‘evil’.
Almost all of the characters had their moments to shine in this finale, be they friend or foe. In his almost evenly matched battle of brute strength against Weser, Izayoi demonstrated his raw power, survivability and intelligence – all the key traits he’s demonstrated in the series so far. Asuka showed off the strength of her will and her dominance over others while competing with the equally gifted Ratten in a battle of ‘giant robots‘. And the majority of the cast came together for one final push to take down the Demon Lord herself in spectacular fashion. Each side showed no hard feelings at the conclusion of the duels – only Black Pearcher seemed to feel any resentment. There was nothing but respect and acknowledgement. It certainly felt like a fitting concluding battle for the series – like the culmination of everything we’ve seen so far. It even tied in various threads left lying around since earlier in the season, such as Izayoi’s marketing strategies and Shiroyasha’s dominion over the sun.
I have exactly one gripe with this episode and it concerns what I just wrote about. What happened to You’s place in this finale? It seemed like the perfect time for the trio to come together for the finish and You’s absence, particularly during that final battle against Black Percher, was somewhat disappointing. Sure she was sick and still managed to save one child from harm, but I’d expected more – it feels wrong for her to have played such a minor role in the conclusion of the series despite being such an awesome character. Despite this, her traits did show through – that simple kindness and nobility along with the stubbornness to persevere and take action in spite of her condition. Yet I’m still bothered that she didn’t play a larger part when even Sandora had a chance to shine.
The conclusion of the episode was perfect. I’ve long been a sucker for these types of epilogues, where an ending theme plays over scenes suggesting what’s to come. There’s something beautiful about it – it leaves things open so that we know there’s more in the future, but at the same time it feels like a solid conclusion to the story. It doesn’t have to continue from here. And in the very end, things come full circle – a letter falling from the sky in a brilliant tribute to how the series began. I love it when shows do that kind of thing.
tl;dr: @MoombaDS – #Mondaiji goes out in a spectacular fashion. Truly a worthwhile finale!
Random thoughts:
- Black Percher is so nonchalant about blocking Izayoi’s attacks.
- That rage!
- Weser seems like he would’ve been quite a bro. I would really have liked to see the adversary trio join the no names.
- The moon always makes a spectacular stage for final battles.
- I was kind of touched by the final revelations surrounding the Pied Piper tale. It was nice to see it have a somewhat happy ending after all.
Full-length images: 10, 26, 41, 42, ED 02, ED 04, ED 05.
ED2 Sequence
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ED2: 「ぼくたちの星座」 (Bokutachi no Seiza) by 佐土原かおり (Sadohara Kaori)
End Card
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Final Thoughts:
I’m going to get it out of the way right from the start. If you’re actually reading this you’re probably aware that I enjoyed Mondaiji a lot. I’m pretty sure it’s easily my favourite show of the past season and I’m sad to see it come to an end so quickly. I actually have rather conflicting feelings on the issue of length. It felt right – the series didn’t feel rushed, nor did it feel drawn out as it might have had they adapted the same amount of material into twelve or thirteen episodes. But at the same time, I wish there was more purely because it was such an enjoyable show to watch. No other series in this season has held quite as much entertainment value nor hooked my attention quite so easily as Mondaiji did. It was spectacular right from the start and it held to its high standards for its entire run – there was never a dull moment.
On the surface it might have originally appeared to be a generic absurdly-titled light novel adaptation. It turned out to be anything but. The story was definitely a little generic at first and never quite broke out of the mould in general, but it was the characters that really shined and carried the series all the way to its conclusion. There’s really something about over powered individuals and the way the trio were portrayed as being extremely different despite all sharing an almost equivalent capacity for sheer brutal force. While the plot was simple, it was definitely handled well – threads were tied up nicely and there was a lot of clever thinking in the use of themes and how everything was brought together for the conclusion. There was no complexity for complexity’s sake (there wasn’t really much complexity anyway).
The incorporation of myth and legend into the storyline and its role in the Little Garden was a nice touch. I’ve always been quite a fan of the subject and many fantasy works like to draw inspirations from it, but I felt that Mondaiji handled it exceptionally well, especially in regards to the latest arc and its use of the old tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It made for an excellent method by which Izayoi could make logical deductions about the abilities of adversaries and how best to combat them while also providing a stronger connection between the individual worlds. Not once did it feel like lazy storytelling as can sometimes happen when you’re utilising large parts of pre-written material.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects I should comment on given that this was a show which prided itself on action is the art and animation. Diomedéa did a fantastic job – there was always impact in the battles and the visual effects were spectacular and imbued with a sense of awe. There was very little in the way of ‘quality’ either – none of the terribad in-between (or keyframes either) animation that has been cropping up so frequently in so many other shows this past season. Perhaps this is yet another beneficial effect of creating a ten episode series as opposed to drawing it out for a full season! There was never a moment that Mondaiji was not pleasant on the eyes.
On the audio front, high quality was maintained. Hamaguchi Shiro brought us a spectacular soundtrack complete with all manner of cues which never failed to bring out the best, whether in combat or the more playful and light-hearted moments. The seiyuu excellently fulfilled their roles in bringing out the personalities of each of the characters too, with special mention going to Sarah Emi Bridcut for doing so well as Asuka despite it being her first role in anime! Every casting choice felt perfect.
Throughout the entire series, it managed to keep the comedy fresh – even if the main centrepiece for it tended to be Kurousagi, the jokes were never re-used to the point of feeling stale. There wasn’t an overreliance on fan-service either, which is a little surprising given how things often played out. Perhaps the most unexpected, yet most welcome deviation from the current trend was the complete lack of the harem aspects you usually expect in this kind of light novel adaptation. It was rather refreshing that the only romances hinted were straightforward and that Kurousagi and Izayoi made a fantastic implied couple. All in all, it was a series that didn’t play out quite the way many might have expected before it aired. I for one am quite satisfied with how everything played out! I can only hope for a second season sometime in the future!
The best way to describe this show is exactly what the main characters are looking for: fun. This show was really fun to watch, and despite the story never being anything super amazing, the characters really shined, and made this experience really fresh enjoyable. Sad it’s over, but it was great while it was around. There better be a season 2!
Well said. This series was just all around fun to watch. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit, and I can only hope for more.
That Vasavi Shakti..
Second season pls!
On the episode, I kinda thought Black Percher acted out of her character that was established in the last few episodes. Lost all that cool in her storytelling mode for some reason.
She lost her cool when Ratten and Weser died. Understandable because they were the only people supporting her, and they remained faithful to the end. No matter how calm she normally is, there is no way she could remain silent after that.
Even Izayoi hinted the same at the end. He mentioned had anyone he cared about died in this incident, which was planned by Salamandra, he would have gone on a murderous rampage as well.
Hopefully a season two will come around! This has easily been my most favorite anime of the season!
s2 is a must
anyway, is there manga version of this
Good series. A real surprise.
Real episode was best episode 1, it’s not a surprise, unless you mark down all new shows without waiting to watch at least 1 episode.
wow i messed up that first sentence for no reason.
replace “Real episode was best episode 1″ with ” Episode 1 was best episode one in a long time.”
Although I’m sad this series is over so quickly, I really loved the ending! It wrapped up nicely and watching everyone work together was adorable. I agree that the characters were the best part and always brought something fun to the table. Overall, this series was pure entertainment and it always put a smile on my face week after week. I love when shows like these surprise me. I’m really glad I decided to watch it! I can’t help but hope for a second season!
I’m gonna miss Kurousagi’s “yes.” Also Moomba this is 2 episodes late but I wonder who voiced Jack O’ Lantern. Another source say it was Jouji Nakata, and I thought it did sound like him.
The credits and Japanese wikipedia actually claim it was Hayami Show it seems.
The official site also says it’s Hayami Sho. But really for a while there I thought it was Nakata-san. Anyways, sorry for the confusion..
Yep, Izayoi is quite smart,
if Jin = chibi
then Merun = ultra chibi
makes sense.
And the ship everyone forgot about won in the end, Calico CatxWaitress.I just love this show.
That Calico cat is such a smooth talker. ^^
Favorite series this season. I love how Izayoi was deliciously overpowered.
Kinda wished they would end the series with the regular ending theme “To be Continued?”. But the question mark would probably give us too much hope…
Anyways, i had a real blast watching this series, and i sure hope another season sees the light sooner or later.
I completely agree with everything on this post. I missed You in the final battle, but she did play her part, and everyone else was amazing in their fights, even the “bad” guys. The insert songs were wonderful to hear, and this definitely turned out being my favorite show this season. I really appreciated how this wasn’t a harem but still had humor and a bit of fanservice. I do ship Izayoi and Kurousagi like there’s no tomorrow, though.
I’m really going to miss Mondaiji. Praying for a season 2, but even if it doesn’t happen, this ending was great anyway! If Dog Days could get 3 seasons, this deserves 5, in my opinion!
This was a very entertaining finale. It was a shock to see that Izayoi has a darker side to his usual carefree self, what with the way he told Mandola that he would have killed (well he said “taken out” but i think we all know what he meant) the entire salamandra community along with Sandora had any of his friends gotten hurt. I guess the friends Izayoi has now made are like is world. Im assuming with how powerful he was in his world, most people stayed away from him, pretty much making him a solitary person, so the friends he has made are very precious to him. And i could have sworn that there were victims in this game; didnt Izayoi state that that a good number of salamandra members died?
I kind of like the fact he’s not a typical saint-like good guy or hero, seen too many of those already – you mess with him you don’t get away unscathed.And he did say there were victims but it seems like they intentionally took the risk for the future well-being of their community so it’s more like self-sacrifice.
Apparently the only people who died were members of Salamandra, and all of them except Sandora had volunteered for Mandora’s scheme to lure a demon lord to the ceremony, knowing they might die as a result. Since they’d known what they were getting into, Izayoi decided not to blame Mandora for their deaths.
Too bad You’s developement is in later volumes so in the Anime, she don’t leave much impression…
I also wished Leticia received more development.
How can you not like a snarky loli vampire maid?
I love how Izayoi sees right through Weser- “Darn it, you’ve got a death weapon. Don’t hesitate, just use it already!” There’s some fun satire in this anime that I really enjoyed, as well as great and entertaining characters. Awesome anime, and I will be shocked if this doesn’t end up getting surprise of the year.
Not having a sd preview made me double sad. Not only did I love those but it was a reminder that this really was the last episode. Guess now it’s a matter of hoping the blu rays sell. Though there was a decent if not great bump in the novel sales so that helps a bit.
Already having kurousagi withdrawals though 🙁
Aw, man, I’ll miss this show. In the end, it became my darkhorse of the season – I went into this with virtually no expectations, but got a show with the strongest fun-factor I’ve seen in a long time. Because really, this show knew what it excelled at (uncomplicated fun) and decided to play to its strengths without trying to be something it’s not, to great results. It never really took itself seriously, but did take the time to avoid obvious pitfalls (like a harem element – there was none) and kept improving throughout (the second arc was even better than the first, and the conclusion was awesome).
The whole thing feels like a videogame or a D&D game that’s gone off the rails, and actually manages to portray that feeling better than most actual videogame anime. It’s why the characters are so easy to root for too – they’re relatable, funny and all a bunch of badasses (and yeah, sad that You didn’t get to do much in the conclusion, but at least Kurousagi got a chance to shine in this arc) that you want to see succeed – watching them stomp villains into muck never gets old. I think they worked well with their 10-episode constraint too, as the show has a quick pace, actually gets a lot done every ep and even manages to build a nice conclusion that nevertheless makes you crave for more. I’m hoping for a second season – while the show didn’t do stellar in BD sales, it did give the light novels a huge boost, so there’s hope there. And there’s an OVA coming, at least.
The animation never had any hiccups and the OP and ED were awesome, but the voice acting does deserve special mention. Asuka is pretty well done for a newcomer (seriously, didn’t expect that) and Nomizu Iori did a good job as Kurousagi as well (especially considering she usually voices characters like Haruna from Zombie desu ka – that’s quite a range she has).
This is definitely a show I can see myself rewatching from time to time, hell, maybe I should get a friend into it, then I can rewatch it right away…
True dat. I personally love the 10 episode format (as long as there are more seasons to come) because it prevents a series from dragging and it helps budget-wise cuz then you dont have to worry about stretching your budget across a 24-episode-or-longer span. This allows for studios to deliver coherent material and consistent animation throughout the entire run. Plus with each break, the studio has time to cook up another well done season without any hiccups. Imagine if long running shounens like naruto and one piece had 24 eps per season with breaks in between seasons; then they would never have to worry about catching up to their manga counterpart so quickly, they wouldnt have to rey on boring fillers so much, and they wouldnt suffer from huge animation drops and would have larger budget to animate their shows. I never understood why those studios that produce these shounens dont take that into consideration .
A very nice surprise I wasn’t expecting this series to be. All the main cast were endearing in their own ways and made us come back week after week. I have grown attached to all of them (Especially You)and will miss watching their antics. I’d add my vote for a second season.
I really have to hand it to them of how they made this series happen. The first 2 volumes of this LN was just plain boring in terms of plot & character development yet they turned it into something pretty damn interesting w/o cutting it up. Heck, the true character development doesn’t even start until mid-way through volume 3 (Izayoi’s past – they would go & make him first) but most of the plot & character development in volumes 3-5 was Leticia, hehe.
Oh well, onward to season 2.
Don’t forget all the awesome power ups in vol.4… I found Asuka’s and Yo’s revelation of their powers quite fun to read… Izayoi of course is being Izayoi xD
huhuhuhu its over the best surprise series of the season
The only new series I watched in this winter season and, I enjoyed it. I really want to read the novel. Looks like many parts were emitted from the original LN when making the anime(Like they did with Campione!)
Hopefully, someone at BT would pick this up.
And Moomba, Thank you very much for covering this series for us. I really enjoyed your posts.
many parts were omitted*.
actually, as an LN reader, I can tell you that very little was omitted… only some jokes and inner monologue that doesn’t affect plot in significant ways were cut to safe time. In fact they have added some minor details that happened in the later volumes because it is logical… but I do agree, the LN will be even better than the show itself. Hope for a season 2 xD
Thanks for the kind words and you’re very welcome!
I really like Deen, even though all he does is punch and roar. He fills in for the brute strength that Asuka lacks compared to Izayoi and You. Also, he serves as a source of entertainment just by being there, like when the children cheered and he cheered along with them.
Basically to sum up Deen:
“I dig giant robots! We dig giant robots! Chicks dig giant robots! Nice!”
hahaha megas xlr…nice
Ah Megas, a gem in a sea of utter garbage that is western animation since the fall of the golden age of western cartoons, any kid who grew up in the ninties will tell you that. Megas was just a fun show, and I loved it. Ah the good old days. At least not all the cartoons since the ninties have been bad.
izayoi give figure out which is story call out full attack from big stick guy is connected to story due to river name while asuka with giant iron man vs flute lady got own’s & for last request asuka let her play the flute.
bunny girl & sandra battle little black plague that she don’t like sun & taken over 80 million lives in her story then izayoi big stick guy going full charge attack.
after asuka hear flute sound yet still ok while flute lady accept her defeat & gone while same give izayoi got blood arm still standing yea big stick also accept the defeat and gone.
now black plague going full mist to rid of everyone til bunny girl got idea which everyone distract plauge bunny girl summon everyone to the moon!!!
which black plague is no match for space with have asuka give giant iron man the spear to rid the plague.
all good everyone fine, asuka keep giant iron man & little fairy, izayoi & dragon commander had some talk all patch up, everything move on give back to fix it while more invite keep coming.
I think the luckiest person in this series is the cat, for getting himself a cute kitty girlfriend.
It’s important to note that what the 130 fairies/children told Asuka (another version of the Pied Piper tale) is also another theory on what really happened. The emigration theory says that townspeople left to colonize Eastern Europe and that “children of Hamelin” doesn’t necessarily mean youths but rather people from Hamelin.
Also, really hoping for a 2nd season as Mondaiji is one of this season’s series that I really enjoyed.
really need 2nd season…
can’t wait to see Black Percher/Pest as Maid….
I thought she was dead…
Nope,she will show up later.
My complaint about this episode: What happened to the game winning conditions? Shouldn’t Izayoi have won the moment he revealed Weser was the true Piper?
Why did it turn into a slugfest?
two reasons: 1. he only figured out who is the real “piper”, but the winning condition is to shatter all the glasses with the fake “piper” on them… when Izayoi is fighting Weser, not all fake glasses are shattered yet. Also when Pest starts to use that death fog, nobody could go and shatter all the glasses…
2. clearing more than 1 conditions will come with bonus xD
of course, to save time, the anime didn’t get into these details (they are included in the LN though)
Not exactly. Simply knowing the true legend or saying it out loud wasn’t the winning condition. They had to “shatter the false legend and make the true legend known.” They had to destroy all the stained glass with the false legend on it, then do something unspecified with the ones with the true legend. They were interrupted before they could manage to do that, and Pest then turned the whole town into a deathtrap, so there were no further chances to simply win ordinarily. That just left the basic method of winning by defeating the game master.
I was a little confused too.
All I can reason is that defeating Pest was also part of the condition. In addition to “revealing the true legend” they also have to “shatter the false legend” and entails not only destroying the stained glass artworks, but also the physical manifestation of the legends: Pest, Ratten, and Strom.
At the end was Pest killed by that spear ? Show Spoiler ▼
about Pest: Show Spoiler ▼
So basically…
Show Spoiler ▼
Guess I may have even better news for you: Show Spoiler ▼
But if you like loli only, I guess the twin tailed fox girl also counts 🙂
@jrj
Show Spoiler ▼
Well, I can only speak with certainty for the first 4 volumes since vol.5 and 6 are still in translation process. But at least Deen is male (if robot has gender). And from what I gathered about vol. 6, Show Spoiler ▼
Oh also I forgot to mention Izayoi: Show Spoiler ▼
Thanks to jrj, I knew what to look for. So I will share what I found here.
Show Spoiler ▼
@jrj
thanx a lot that info made my day i kinda felt sad when i thought pest was gone
@master
yup gotta hope for a season 2
NEED. SECOND. SEASON. NOW!!!
I have to say, as an LN reader, the anime sure did not disappoint. The great characters from the LN are portrayed here as they were in the LN, many of the funny moments and good fights are reproduced here. Even though not every good joke is included, the series has done a great job and it deserves a season 2 or translation of the LN so more people can read about it!
having said that, I am slightly disappointed about the final episode… the transition between different fights was not as smooth as it can be, the LN had Izayoi’s arm completely broken instead of only injuries in the anime (so anime made Izayoi even more overpowered), Asuka had her family in her dreams while listening to the song, and in the LN black rabbit wore that Sun armor… of course these are only minor complaints… I am happy it turns out the way it did!!! xD
ps. Moomba, thank you so much for the coverage, I am really glad you loved the show and spread the love around as well! Also I am glad you provide a venue for us to share our thoughts about a great series xD
Thanks for the LN comparison! I like to hear adaptations being faithful to the source material as nothing pisses me off more than an adaptation butchering source material. I certainly enjoyed Mondaiji even as a non-novel reader because, to reiterate, the characters are plain fun. I guess it is understandable why jokes were cut given the 10 episodes for this season.
As Moomba mentioned, the pacing wasn’t too bad. I was surprised by the amount of stuff that happened each episode. Every time the ending credits showed up, I was like “was that really 20mins?”
Well, here’s to hoping for another season or two!
jrj – thanks again for helping to clear up some questions during the season.
As for Izayoi, while it may not have been illustrated as such, Pest (Percher/whatever), did point out that Izayoi “could only use one arm” so I don’t think the anime exaggerated in that regard. Frankly, I was a little surprised that Izayoi was injured to that extent.
I am happy it turns out the way it did!!! xD
I’ll second that statement enthusiastically. I’ve been disappointed more than once by anime productions of LNs I’ve read because of ad-hoc material cuts & new material added. Still, I think the show could have been even better with a full 12 episodes. It would have been cool to see Kurousagi in that armor, Asuka’s thoughts of her family during the song along with the jokes and other things that were required to be cut due to time limits.
One last (?) question. Did Asuka borrow Kurousagi’s Spear of Indra gift or did Kurousagi actually give it to her permanently? Deen + Spear of Indra + Asuka’s own gift (read some spoilers :P) = massive power up for Asuka.
haha, I enjoy talking about these stuff since I love the series xD
So thank you for all the kind words!
As to your question, black rabbit only temporarily lends her Indra’s spear to Asuka for this one fight. There is a reason Asuka has to ask Deen to fire the spear instead of using it herself… In the LN, Asuka’s power alone is not enough to control Indra’s spear just yet (at the end of vol.2), so she had to use Deen to actually operate the spear. But you are right, Asuka’s power (post vol.4) + Deen + legendary weapons = almost Leticia’s demon lord power…
Hope English translation of the LN comes soon so more people could read it 🙂
ps. who knows, maybe we will get season 2 xD Plus there is still the OVA with vol.8 of the LN xD
jrj:
Thanks for answering. I figured that might be the case. That gift is probably only supposed to be held by moon rabbits. Plus, it’s too valuable just to give away.
Yeah, I’m going to miss this show. The OVA is nice, but really we need a Season 2 – a 12/13 episode season. The anime & LNs seem popular enough so if this doesn’t get one, I am at a loss to understand what it takes.
I’m hoping for an LN translation, but despite interest, nothing so far concrete. I feel like I’ve read the first half of the first book of a great trilogy novel. Just enough to become interested in the story, but so much left unknown. Worst case scenario, I’ll probably suffer through OCR + machine TL. It’ll be a whipping, but good enough to get a general sense I hope.
I finally trudged through volume 6 & all I can say is that Izayoi was “Who We Thought They Were!” ala Dennis Green. Unfortunately even if there’s a season 2, they won’t touch any of that with a 12/13 episode season. Powerups can only take you so far, until you run into god-like opponents, far stronger than demon lords. Then you just have to be god-like.
The more I review volumes 3 & 4, the more I realize that those 2 volumes could easily make up a cour & 4 would be an excellent place to end another cour. The 1st part of vol 5 kinda puts a little closure on the events of vol 4, just like vol 3 does to 2 with Pest.
@Megas, I am assuming you are reading the original JP text?
I only knew bits and pieces of vol.5 & 6 since the Chinese translator was on break and I didn’t want to touch 6 till 5 is done… the whole talk about what Izayoi really is, as far as I can tell, is still speculative from that demon lord’s perspective. Remember, even the gift card by that mighty demon from thousand eyes couldn’t read Izayoi, I won’t say the case is settled for Izayoi just yet. Guess we will have to wait for vol.7 to really see what is up with that… (if the preview is any indication, vol.7 is mostly Izayoi and black rabbit anyway)
but yeah, vol.3 + 4 + Lily’s adventure side story could totally make up another season. But I have to say, the most fearsome aspect of our main trio is their ability to evolve and their connections with little garden… who knows, maybe they get trained by people like faceless? or they may even win some games against some gods to achieve god status? The possibility seem to be endless xD
@jrj, Yeah, although I’m not too much of a stickler for details as you can tell. I’m not too good at the upper-grade Kanji though – most of it is translated but it really slows me down. I started it right after the show ended 🙁
Anyway, there was nothing new revealed in 5 & 6 about Izayoi that you don’t already know.
Show Spoiler ▼
How powerful is leticia suppose to be? If i remember correctly, she’s a vampire, which is pretty much on the level of elite status when it comes to demon lords; but she isnt as powerful as she use to be. Is it ever revealed how strong leticia was back in her prime?
Leticia and her power: Show Spoiler ▼
My point is that Asuka and Yo has gotten stronger as story goes, but Izayoi probably got even stronger xD
good to know; I always knew there was a great deal of potential in Asuka’s gift so i was hoping there would be some development on her part (she is my favorite ad most interesting of the female characters) so thats very good to hear. And it’s also good to hear that You also gets her fair share of power-ups since she is a badass and didnt have enough time to truly shine this season
This was a surprisingly and highly enjoyable series. It knew what kind of show it was and remained consistent throughout. The characters really did carry the show, especially IzayoixKurousagi. The character dynamics between Izayoi and Shiroyasha were truly a joy to watch.
It’s a real shame this was only 10 eps. Really looking forward to a season 2.
And also,
Rattenfänger!!!
Rattenfänger/Merun’s cuteness was certainly at stroke-inducing levels. If she had anymore screen time I think my heart would have failed on me.
Enjoyable series, likeable characters, and fun to watch. I really like You’s character personality, and design. She’s cute. Izayoi was a beast. Asuka was pwning. Black Rabbit, I just can’t take her seriously. Too good, too short. I hope there will be season 2.
I need s2
I need more scene for kurousagi and merun
Izayoi super-battle-fireball-amazing-epic-ranged-beasting-pwning KICK!
” It’s quite comparable to DOG DAYS in that sense”
https://randomc.net/image/Mondai-Ji-tachi%20ga%20Isekai%20Kara%20Kuru%20Sou%20Desu%20yo/Mondai-Ji-tachi%20ga%20Isekai%20Kara%20Kuru%20Sou%20Desu%20yo%20-%20ED2%20-%20Large%2007.jpg
This reminded me even more of that…
This show definitely wins the “Surprise of the Season” award. Season 2! Season 2!
The little fairy saying Rattenfänger was a highlight of the series
Ratten can be brought back; right? Isn’t that the significance of her instrument being left behind?
Id like to see more Asuka if there ever is a season two as she is my favorite female of the bunch; she’s just so interesting and adorable; not your typical ojousama, plus i really enjoyed Sarah emi Birdcut’s performance (sure am glad that she’ll have a role in RDG cuz i really want to see what she’s capable of). i want to know more about her past, i mean she’s after world war 2, id like to know what that was like for her.
Watching Deen throwing that spear makes me realise how the F/Z version of it was badly beaten >.<
On a side note, I wonder if its too late, but I just realised the opening had the lyrics of the songs embedded !
Aww..
Why the loli had to die ;_;
At first, I didn’t even watch it because I thought it was some typical shounen with some harem elements. However, when I picked it up, I was really surprised with what I found. I got a lot of enjoyment out of watching this anime and there is actually some progression in some way or another. It’s been a fun ride and I hope for more, but sadly, looks like it’s selling poorly. *sigh. Here’s to hoping there is a season two.
@Moomba – you’re on a serious “finding hidden gems” roll. Last season, you picked up Girls und Panzer (EP 11 in 2-3 days :D), and now this season you spotted Mondaiji-tachi. Well done!! Thanks for covering another great show. I have no doubt I will be following at least one if not more of the shows you intend to cover next season. However, I take issue with your statement It’s quite comparable to DOG DAYS in that sense. All of the participants seem to strive to enjoy themselves, particularly the core trio. At times, it’s almost as though death is not a risk – to be honest, I half expected that it would be revealed none actually died from the mist and it was merely an empty threat.
Just the fact you have to qualify “At times, it’s almost as though death is not a risk…,” is more than enough to easily distinguish Mondaiji from Dog Days. Dog Days is the most “uber nice” anime world I can recall. While it does have its own appeal in some respects, if I watch a few episodes of Dogs Days back to back, I almost feel like I’m eating a big bowl of sugar – after adding a dozen packets of Equal on top. Forget death, no one even gets injured in Dog Days – not even miscellaneous characters. I doubt you could even cut yourself shaving in the Dog Day’s world.
Perhaps not for the main characters, but death does exist in Little Garden (e.g. Salamandra’s losses). Furthermore, significant injury is common place. You was severely wounded in EP 03, and Asuka was kicked hard enough to lose consciousness in EP 08. Even Izayoi lost the use of his arm in this last battle. Also, the anime only covered 2 volumes of the LN. JMO, but I think it’s a little early in the story to start killing off the main protagonists. Besides, that criticism can be leveled against a lot of anime. Sorry for the rant, for me Mondaiji-tachi’s overall “tone” or “feel” is nothing like Dog Days. I wouldn’t like the show as much if it was.
The director and staff deserve much credit IMO. Rather than make ad-hoc adjustments, they put for their effort into faithfully adapting the LN in a challenging time limit, and that effort paid off. Adding to what Moomba said, one of the show’s greatest strengths is its characters. Not only the main trio, but several others such Kurousagi, Shiroyasha – even Melln (~Rattenfänger~) provided a lot of entertainment and depth to the world of Little Garden. Still, good characters are just one aspect of a quality show. An intriguing plot and a coherent story telling just as important, and Mondaiji-tachi delivered there as well. I loved the last arc – strong enemies to battle AND a challenging riddle to solve? Sign me up.
The world of Little Garden has a LOT of potential IMO – certainly more than 10 episodes can portray. I think the show deserves another season without question. Make it two more seasons while you’re at it. Thanks again to Moomba for covering the show, and to jrj for answering all the the non-LN readers’ questions.
I really didn’t have very high hopes for this show after the first episode was so obvious about what was going to happen with the first 3 episodes. But the show did a really good job of mixing it up after that and making it very interesting story-wise. Plus, I’m not really a fan of fighting shows, but this one really made the fights interesting, and that final fight was excellent, with teamwork and strategy.
Lots of fun, and a good length for the show.
Well, time to pick up on the LNs. Wish there will be a confirmation for a season 2, this show’s just too good not to get another run. My weeks are going to feel a bit empty without this show. ;_;
Six seasons and a movie!
I had ups and downs with mondaiji. Sometimes it was boring while other times it was thrilling and exciting to watch. Moreover, the first three episodes didn’t leave me a huge impact which this might be the reason why I wasn’t enjoying the show full 100%.
I could of easily dropped this show however, for some odd reason I wasn’t able to. Maybe I had high expectations for this series?
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the ride and I hope to see an sequel or something similar. I might as well just pick up the LN.
This show had a great premise, and although its execution wasn’t excellent, it truly shone as a dark horse for this season.
This show was genuinely entertaining. It doesn’t need a lot of thinking to watch this, but for nice action, cute/handsome characters, and video game worlds, this is probably a good choice to watch. Not generally world-breaking in terms of quality, but certainly a good pick.
And yeah, the main problem is that it was too short, so there leaves much to be desired, but for a 10 episode series, I can say that Diomedea and its staff didn’t do too bad a job on it. I’m also hoping for a second season!
This show didn’t have the amazing plot that I’ve come to love in anime, but I still love this show so god damn much.
These the are type of shows that only anime can deliver, and it has been one fun season. Better be a season 2!
too short!!!!
There better be OVAs or specials…
I enjoyed this anime a lot…absolutely recommended.
Yeah definitely agree with you.. Im looking forward not ova or extra epsiode but the second season!
Lovely characters with good episodes gratified me a lot
Espacially beautiful legs of KuroUsagi’s…..
Absolutely enjoyed it. It was just fun, fun, fun. Interesting to note how so many of us thought the anime was purely fun and entertainment while the characters are engaged in ‘Games’ of their own.
Hope the same producers will consider a second season. More of Kurousagi and Izayoi wouldn’t hurt. =3
FYI for anyone interested in reading an English translation of the LN. It seems that the translator considering the project is going to do it (thanks again to all who voted) and even has another translator “committed” as well.
No idea when translation will start, but at least we’re moving forward. As for a second season, unfortunately, initial BD sales appear to be not very good from what I’ve read. :< Hopefully sales will pick and a second season announced soon.
FYI for those interested. English LN TL has started on Baka Tsuki \O/. Still hoping for a Season 2 (MANDATORY 12-13 Eps!), but in the meantime, this will do nicely.
Can anyone please kindly tell me where to find the chinese/japanese version of the light novel in the internet? Or do I have to buy it?
Suddenly Narnia came to mind 😛
Would like to see the trio mature and eventually return to their own time.