We have seen shows before where people are trapped inside a game world such as Sword Art Online, .hack//, Log Horizon, etc. If you think this one is going to be any different, then, well, you are sadly mistaken. It takes elements from Sword Art Online, mixes them with Log Horizon, and offers one small twist to try and set itself apart. This is Hai to Gensou no Grimjar.
First Episode Impressions
I have not read the source material, but from those who have they already cut out a lot in the first episode, such as how the party was formed and even a whole character (although it was said that character wasn’t even around long anyway.) So our main character, Haruhiro, wakes up in a fantasy world and has no idea why he’s there or how he got there. The twist in this show is that everyone that is inside this world has a touch of amnesia. They blurt out words such as cell phone and game, but then they stop and wonder what those words mean as it seems familiar to them, but yet, foreign at the same time. So right away you can pretty much understand that they came from the real world and were brainwashed or something along those lines.
Outside of that, it’s a typical RPG meets Real World anime. If you die in this world, you’re pretty much dead. People have to learn different classes (such as Thief, Mage, etc) and kill monsters and turn in the loot for money. Typical RPG fanfare. The cast of characters are all pretty shallow as they are your typical tropes. You have the voice of reason in Manato who is a priest, Haruhiro is a Thief and our seemingly naïve and weak protagonist, Yume, who is a Hunter and your classic “I’ll do my best” female lead, but she, in reality, just sucks as a player, Mary who plays the Mage and is not sure if she’s fat or not (yes… that is a real issue for her), Mogzo the Warrior who can’t even control his own sword, and Kikkawa who is your snarky, tell-it-as-it-is pervert.
These are the type of groups I ninja leave in World of Warcraft when they wipe on trash. They’re all just terrible. The anime even states that when Renji, a man who they met when they awoke within the world, took “higher skilled players” and left them to fend for themselves (which instantly makes him my favorite character… seriously… Darwinism needs to work its course with some people.)
With people already complaining about stuff being left out and the fact it’s an ongoing series (in print) with only 12 episodes, I can see red flags all over the place. This is going to be average at best.
OP & ED Impressions
The opening theme served as the ending for episode one. “(K)NoW_NAME” by Knew day is the song and it’s pretty decent. I like the chorus a lot better than the verse and it’s something I could get used to after a few listens, but it’s nothing that makes me go “OH MY GOD WHY ISN’T THE FULL VERSION OUT YET!?” I don’t know if the ending we saw is the actual ending, art-wise, but if it is then holy hell A-1.. how lazy can you get? The ending is literally a camera panning around a still piece of artwork and then pulling back to reveal the full picture.
Since the opening served as the ending, there is no ending theme to review.
Worth Watching?
NO – Just based on the first episode, this is run of the mill. You can probably skip this one, but I’ll keep watching because I do like fantasy-style RPG animes.
