(12ish episodes ?)
What’s it about ?
Adaptation of a light novel series attempting a romance/harem comedy setup in a RPG-style fantasy world.
Characters
The high concept here is that the gods of the setting have gone down to mingle with mortals and enjoy normal life ; the only power they have left is to empower some normals so that they can go and adventure into dungeons. Not that the writers care too much about verisimilitude ; all monsters drop generic “crystal” loot for some reason, and adventurers have even got stat sheets.
Enter Hestia, very minor goddess with a grand total of one follower, the both of them living in obvious poverty. Not that she minds that much being alone with him, really. The way she’s so possessive and clingy rubs me the wrong way, to be frank.
Bell, said follower, is still a newb and can barely adventure enough to bring food on the table (Hestia helps by working part-time at a food stand). He’s got some enthusiasm, but is very weak indeed. “Should not be adventuring below level 3 of the dungeon” weak. But he wants to get stronger, not only to gather better loot, but also hoping to become a good enough prospect for the likes of…
Aiz, an elite member of the Loki house, who saves him from a minotaur. She’s so taciturn she barely gets a couple of lines in the whole episode, but I get the impression she isn’t as inaccessible as everyone likes to claim. (Wait, what’s with having her only level 5 ? For that matter, how can Bell still be level 1 despite his stats improving twice in the episode ? How does this system even work ?)
Rounding up the cast are the rest of the Loki house (including a loudmouth asshole who enjoys disparaging noobs, to the exasperation of his pals) ; Eina, a support guild worker who’s mostly there to provide a good chunk of exposition ; and Syr, a waitress who manages to trap Bell into eating at her expensive inn.
Production Values
Quite good ; the fantasy town feels more lived in than average. On the other hand, the camera loves to perv, especially when Hestia is giving it a hand by multiplying the risqué poses.
Overall Impression
Well, this is definitely a romance/harem comedy set in a RPG world. The setting is mildly interesting, but not enough to overcome my apathy over the near absence of a plot (Bell somehow now levelling faster whenever he thinks of Aiz barely counts) and nearly everyone involved’s lack of charisma ; Bell is just way too bland, and Hestia actively annoying.
I’m trying to be slightly more selective this season, and this is too mediocre to make the cut.
