Overview (Spoilers Below):
After an accident, teenage delinquent Takeru wakes up to find the literal girl of his dreams standing there.
Our Take:
We’ve got yet another isekai anime to endure, though this one appears to be more recent compared to others. This is because it was adapted from Fujiko Sakuno’s manga, which began in February, with its first tankōbon volume being released last month. Usually, an anime adaptation would’ve come out around a year or more after the manga’s release. So seeing an anime adaptation released in the same year as the manga, let alone five months apart, was something of a rarity in my years of anime watching. I suppose they were so proud of what the manga had offered so far that they immediately put the fast track on bringing it to the screen, which raises the question of whether it affects the quality.
Judging from the anime’s first episode, Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse provided the usual traits we usually see in other isekai anime shows. However, the plot did seem to stand out from others I recently viewed regarding the isekai trope. Instead of being isekai’d into a fantasy world or a video game, this series involves the protagonist, the teenage delinquent Takeru Narihira, getting transported into a parallel retro-historical city, Denji Heian-kyo, where his dream crush, Tsukimiya, resides. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem very fond of meeting him compared to the dream version of Tsukimiya. Regardless, Takeru strives to keep his promise in protecting Tsukimiya despite the odds stacked against him. Of course, those odds include the ferocious armored creatures called the “Oni”, who appeared whenever the black mist is summoned. However, besides his mysterious power, Takeru also gained an unusual ability after being killed by the Oni.
The first episode provided clear indications that this series would be another “been there, done that“ scenario regarding the traits associated with isekai, an overpowered protagonist, and Power Rangers-inspired mech battles, especially with Takeru’s powers. However, it did offer a big surprise that could help the show in its favor. Along with its retro-historical setting, the series also receives the “Edge of Tomorrow“ treatment, with Takeru seemingly getting stuck in a time loop after his demise at the hands of the Oni. Given my enjoyment of that film, it would be interesting to see how this time-loop element could be translated into the show. Despite its rushed pacing and familiar tropes, Onmyo Kaiten showed enough potential in its idea and surprisingly decent presentation to warrant my curiosity towards the later episodes.