English Dub Season Review: The Unaware Atelier Meister Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Kurt Rockhans (Ciaran Strange) is a kind-hearted errand boy for a hero’s party, the Flaming Dragon Fang.  One day, he’s banished from the party and finds out he has the lowest rank in combat.  In order to make a living, Kurt picks up various jobs and discovers he has astonishing abilities.  Though he doesn’t realize it yet, Kurt has SSS-rank skills in anything other than fighting as he sets off on a new journey.

Our Take:

The Unaware Atelier Meister is an anime adaptation of a light novel series written by Yōsuke Tokino and illustrated by Zounoze.  It is directed by Hisashi Ishii and written by Deko Akao, known for writing other anime series such as Noragami, After the Rain, and Ragna Crimson.  It is produced by EMT Squared, known for producing anime like Rainy Cocoa, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Beast Tamer, and Fluffy Paradise.  Miyuki Nakamura designed the characters, and Harikemu Wata composed the music.  The opening theme, “FACSTORY”, is performed by MeseMoa., while LOT SPiRiTS performed the ending theme song, “Haru ni Kiete” (Vanish in the Spring).

It’s quite common for an underdog possessing extraordinary abilities to transform an ordinary life into a grand, fantastical adventure for the ages.  Often, underneath a person’s seemingly “useless” skills lies a unique and powerful individual capable of changing people’s lives for the better.  Moreover, they can turn the lives of malevolent forces into living nightmares when they dare to challenge such a person.  It’s unfortunate that someone with such abilities may not realize their own potential, but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of embarking on a grander journey.  The person I’m referring to is Kurt Rockhans, a kind-hearted yet dense handyman who unknowingly plays a pivotal role in a high-stakes adventure after being dismissed by a renowned adventuring party.  This sums up the latest addition to a line-up of overpowered fantasy anime that presents a humorous take on the concept but lacks the intrigue to distinguish it from other anime featuring overpowered protagonists.

The Unaware Atelier Meister is another fantasy anime that draws heavily on narrative elements from other shows with similar concepts to shape its own storyline.  This is evident from the first episode, where Kurt faces abuse and is ultimately expelled from an A-rank party called Flaming Dragon Fang due to his perceived “uselessness”, resulting in his incredibly low self-esteem.  This reference immediately recalls other anime involving a team member leaving by their own will or being kicked out due to the party’s selfishness and toxic behavior, including I Left My A-Rank Party and Banished from the Hero’s Party.  Fortunately, unlike Thunder Pike from the former, Kurt’s former party plays a diminished role as the series progresses, allowing for a stronger focus on Kurt joining alongside Yulicia and the other atelier members.  The team’s leader, Golnova (Christian Thorsen), was last seen becoming a fugitive after causing a scene at a high-class restaurant, while ranger Bandana (Morgan Lea) keeps a watchful eye on Kurt and his abilities from the shadows.  On the one hand, it spares the viewers from having to deal with the Flaming Dragon Fang and their despicable attitudes.  On the other hand, their gradually shortened existence didn’t make the show’s narrative quality any more refreshing or better, as Kurt’s new friends prove to be just as irritating as his former party.

Throughout the season, Kurt remains blissfully unaware of his involvement in a plan devised by former adventurer Yulicia (Erin Lundquist) and court magician Mimico (Sarah Wiedenheft) to establish an atelier.  With Kurt being an atelier master, the magic artifact workshop is organized to draw out those targeting Lieselotte (Hayden Daviau), the third princess of the Homuross kingdom, who serves as the peacekeeper between the two lands.  Along with the members of the adventuring party, Sakura, Yulicia strives to keep Kurt oblivious of his vital role, ensuring he and his profound abilities remain safe from those who would use him for nefarious purposes.  However, this proves to be a challenging task, mainly because Kurt’s low self-esteem and heedlessness often lead him into trouble, almost derailing Yulicia and Mimico’s strategy.  This dynamic becomes a recurring source of humor throughout the journey, complemented by Yulicia’s exaggerated reactions to Kurt’s exceptional skills and her growing attraction to him.

The show sparked plenty of chuckles at first, particularly through Yulicia’s dramatic outbursts and Kurt’s obliviousness.  For the former, Erin Lundquist did a pretty effective job capturing the full range of Yulicia’s wild reactions, delivering each exaggerated response and shriek with impeccable timing.  As for Kurt’s cluelessness, Ciarán Strange’s charming vocal performance suitably provided his innocent and unintentionally humorous persona.  Throughout the first couple of episodes, the quirky and unexpected dynamic between the two characters had shown some potential in elevating the otherwise formulaic plot.  Unfortunately, it was quickly evaporated by the show’s lackluster execution of its narrative choices and character development, rendering the dynamic more tedious than entertaining.  Understandably, Yulicia and the others strive to protect Kurt by concealing the truth about his true potential.  However, their secrecy ultimately made them just as problematic as the Flaming Dragon Fang.  It not only makes their strategy even more complicated due to Kurt’s naive yet generous actions but also further diminishes his self-esteem.  

It doesn’t help that the show’s humor wore itself thin more quickly than usual, with specific predictable elements being dismissed by the characters’ personalities.  While some viewers might find them amusing, the comical moments didn’t quite tickle my funny bone as much as I had hoped.  As previously mentioned, Yulicia’s over-the-top reactions to Kurt’s skills were humorous in the first few episodes, but her one-dimensional personality, primarily defined by her hidden crush on Kurt, lacked much else to maintain that appeal.  A notable example is the show’s tenth episode, “Yulicia’s Date,“ where Yulicia’s date with Kurt is interrupted by Gargel’s scheme to sabotage the food-stall competition.  While Kurt’s determination to help the meat bun stall stemmed from his kindness, Yulicia’s motivation was purely revenge against Gargel for “ruining“ her date.  Initially portrayed as the show’s running gag of Yulicia’s secret feelings for Kurt, the portrayal in this episode made her appear selfish.  This is one of the scenarios where, despite the characters’ good intentions, their actions seem more ungrateful than comical.

The only decent aspect that sustained the series’ low momentum was its animation produced by EMT Squared.  EMT Squared is known for providing presentations that balance its vibrant color palettes with whimsical charm and lovable chibi-like designs, even if they’re not as revolutionary as other classic anime.  The Unaware Atelier Meister is no exception to this case, as it utilizes this balance to deliver some tolerable visuals in its designs and humor.  The visual gags didn’t land consistently, and the action sequences lacked impact due to their underwhelming direction and uninspiring villains.  However, it often compensated for them through the presentation’s charm, especially for the characters’ chibi appearances.  I’m not sure why, but I still find chibi designs adorable whenever they’re displayed on screen.

Overall, The Unaware Atelier Meister became too unaware of the potential it once had in its first few episodes.  While formulaic in its narrative and characters, the show has a few tolerable moments to prevent this atelier from completely falling apart, including its animation and competent voice cast.  However, even with those elements, it is the execution that matters in maintaining the concept’s longevity throughout its 12-episode season.  After the first three episodes, the plot has sadly grown stale in its humor and character choices, particularly in the protagonist’s ignorance of his role.  Some of those choices were understandable, given the consequences of Kurt’s high-level abilities being exposed to the public, but the other ones wound up being more irritating than amusing.  It’s a series that might impress several fans of overpowered protagonists with its genre elements but vastly lacks the narrative skills to build a sturdy atelier for everyone else to join in.