TENSEI SHITARA KEN DESHITA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL ActionTensei Shitara Ken Deshita
MANGA ActionTensei Shitara Ken Deshita
ANIME ActionTensei Shitara Ken Deshita 2nd Season
MANGA ComedyTenKen 4-koma Gekijou: Fran to Shishou no Nichijou

REVIEWS

• 

  Mcsuper

  70/100
  A Fun, Above Average Isekai

  Isekais are a dime a dozen these days, and it’s not every day you find a really special one. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this one, but what I will say is, it’s above average by isekai standards for sure, with good animation and lovable characters that make this show very chill and easy to watch. It has some good concepts, but the overarching video game aspects do hold it back a little. There are also some very unnecessary aspects of the show other than the game mechanics, such as the telepathy, which I’ll highlight below.

  STORY:

  It’s pretty basic, but it doesn’t really do anything very wrong, or step out of their lane. The one thing that stands out is that the person who gets isekai’ed isn’t really the main protagonist, but the helper to her. I really wish that the way people get isekai’ed get a bit more creative, but perhaps no one really cares about those few minutes of the plot. The levelling up mechanic is one thing that I can never really get behind in most shows, because it’s just a plot device to skip any sort of training, or more meaningful character development. The characters just get stronger by gaining materials and slaying enemies, not by genuine training.

  ART:

  Genuinely way better than I expected, but seeing that studio C2C adapted this was already a good sign, given some of their previous work, for example, Majo no Tabitabi, which looked very solid. Some very sharp sakuga in some episodes that could even rival shounen fight scenes, but also some parts weren’t that well animated, especially near the end. Overall, the animation was still a big highlight to this show.

  MUSIC:

  The OP and ED were very good, although the OP would hint that the show would potentially be pretty dark, which didn’t necessarily hold true. The soundtrack itself was pretty basic, which very video-gamey sound effects and music that didn’t really stand out.

  CHARACTERS:

  Fran carries this show on her back, and anyone who has watched this knows it. She’s adorable, and just a little cinnamon roll. She has her moments to shine, though I wish things got a little darker than they did. The relationship between her and Shishou was very wholesome as well, though I don’t really get why they talked in telepathy mode, especially since a lot of the time, Fran is talking out loud. I do understand using telepathy to speak during battles, but when they’re just talking normally, the telepathy was quite unnecessary, and because of that, Shishou’s voice actor, Shinichiro Miki (voice of Kaiki from Monogatari and Kisuke from Bleach) had that filter over his voice which made it a little strange hearing it for the whole episode every time.

  The side characters are alright, but other than Amanda, none really stood out, as they just kind of existed. As for the villains, once again, they fall into the category of “evil just for the sake of being evil”. They’re just simple bad guys, with no real motives, which is a bit underwhelming but expected, for the nature of this show.

  Overall, other than Fran and Shishou, quite a forgettable cast of characters, but it was still enjoyable to watch their shenanigans.

  ENJOYMENT:

  For the most part, I did enjoy this series, other than a few segments near the end of the series. Very cute and wholesome.

  THEMATIC EXECUTION:

  I really wish the show emphasized more on the darker themes. We saw shades of them, with the whole slavery aspect in the beginning, and when Fran was killing the villains, but I think the show would have benefitted more from extending those scenes and really fleshing out the world a bit more, because from what I saw in this show, there were definitely a lot of dark elements present in the world.

  OVERALL:

  Not the most unique show by any means, but a good effort here for sure. Pretty great animation, and seeing Fran and Shishou’s wholesome relationship develop was a nice treat to see. I would definitely be happy if a Season 2 ever was announced, because Fran eating curry is life!

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• 

  DanjiSan

  85/100
  Finally! An Isekai that doesn't suck?

  Okay here we go again! Let me expand my brain so I can write another possibly good/ bad review. I went into this without knowing much about it. I believe that’s when I enjoy an anime most of all. Of course, one could argue that all Isekai anime suck. On the contrary! As I’m on a quest to poison my mind with as much Isekai as possible, naturally this anime piqued my interest. What’s this? A cute cat girl wielding a bad-ass looking sword? Looks like a good time. Sign me up. Overview I was intrigued by the fact that our protagonist, “Shishou” is our ill fated character that gets killed by our good friend Truck-Kun. Fuck yeah I knew it! Never gets old really. The anime really doesn’t spend much time elaborating who he was before he died. We don't know what his name was or what he did for a living. This is a trend I’ve been seeing more frequently in Isekai. I welcome this change as I personally don’t really care and just want to get into the meat of the story. He suddenly finds himself in a world with monsters of all kinds. Typical. But quickly the audience finds out, hence the title of the anime. He was reincarnated as… Wait for it! A sword! Holy shit I didn’t see that coming. We are given a glimpse of the second protagonist of the show. Fran. So confusion as to who is the main character is cleared up quickly. Good. That’s what we like to see. He proceeds to get a bearing on his surroundings and immediately goes to work on leveling himself up. Standard stuff. He develops skills as he goes along and learns how to fly via telekinesis. Great. As he progresses he fights more and more difficult monsters. He absorbs their mana crystals and becomes more powerful. But, he’s still just a sword. Even though he’s sentient, he can’t do all this by himself. And by pure coincidence we see him get stuck in magical ground that keeps him from getting out by absorbing his mana. Unless someone draws him he’s not going anywhere. This is where it gets interesting. The camera cuts to a caravan of nefarious looking dudes and guess what? Slaves! Of course Fran being a beast girl, is among them. She’s a black cat. And her species has never evolved. So she wants to get stronger. Very straightforward. Obviously in the context of this show slavery is portrayed properly and that whole plot point gets put down within the first episode. That can be both a good and bad thing as I’ll explain later. Honestly this show has a strong start and it keeps the willingness to click on the next episode rather easy. Characters “Shishou” The one and only. He walks a fine line between pervertedness and wholesomeness. Because he is a sword he can’t really do anything besides cut stuff up and go on long internal monologues. I believe that’s why his character works so well for the show. The writers didn’t dwell on the creepy jokes that he makes about Fran. Sure, they’re around. But it doesn’t really detract from the rest of the story. He looks super cool. The way he’s animated appears to be CGI but it looks good! I guess it would have to be since he is a sentient sword after all. He spends a bunch of time leveling up for a potential wielder. But almost immediately realizes as he unites with Fran, he has a lot of work to do. There’s a moment later on where he tries to impose his will on Fran when she’s confronted with a mortal enemy. But he eventually lets her decide what to do. She takes the lead in the most epic way possible. I love that! They work well together and he’s just there to help her grow. Overall he’s a decently written character and fits nicely into the story. Fran Okay, I had to look this word up cause I’m not very smart. She is the “checks notes” Deuteragonist. As another Anilist user pointed out, the hard carry. At first I didn’t like her character very much but as the show went on I couldn’t help but love her. She has such a pure personality. All she wants is to get stronger. No matter the cost. Plain and simple. Even though Shishou is with her, she is still capable of thinking for herself. She’s adorable and the faces she makes and the reactions she has to things made me laugh consistently. I’m also thankful that the writers kept more focus on her character as the show went on. Good job writers.

  
  
  <img width='' src='https://www.latestanimenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/RAAS-ep-9_6.png'>
  
  Amanda is a high ranking adventurer that gets introduced later in the show. Some might find it annoying that this anime only has like 3-4 memorable characters but I like when a show keeps its core cast smaller. It keeps my short attention span happy. She is an elf lady who is known as the protector of children. She consistently stalks Fran and Teacher and initially I was creeped out by this. But the writers tried their hardest to prove that she has no twisted intentions. Certain moments where she tries to convince Fran that she is her ally are quite hilarious.<span class='markdown_spoiler'><span> In the final episode she is revealed to have taken care of Fran’s parents and subsequently Fran herself after her parents were killed. I appreciate that type of reveal. It gives her character much needed substance. </span></span>She really has her head on straight and is a perfect secondary mentor for Fran.
  <center>
  
  </center>Garrus<center>
  
  </center><img width='' src='https://image.animationdigitalnetwork.fr/license/swordreincarnated/tv/web/eps3_640x360.jpg'><center>
  
  </center>Of course we need to have a rather gruff and intimidating looking dwarf on hand to provide Fran and Shishou with sweet gear and accessories. This is a common trope in Isekai as we all know. His rough looking exterior is obviously just for show as his kind and caring personality come through almost immediately. Garrus is worth mentioning because his left eye can automatically appraise gear and can sense sentient weapons such as Shishou. He sees right through Shishou's ability to mask his sentient weapon nature. Pretty nifty little skill I must say. <center>
  </center>Conclusion
  
      I’m going to keep the rest of this review short and sweet. Again, with all my reviews thus far. I wish I had more of an intellectual thought process to more properly convey how I feel about this anime. While there’s only a handful of characters that leave a mark. The rest of the cast serves their purpose. Certain interactions between Fran and Shishou are quite wholesome to say the least. Fran’s encounters with the other adventurers lead to some rather comedic moments. I honestly really don’t have anything horrible to say about this anime. The overall presentation of it is consistent and pretty well thought out. It is predictable at times but it is an Isekai so I can't expect much more. The art and animation are nice. The studio C2C did a fine job and it’s a pleasure to watch. The fight scenes are flashy and build up and payoff are quite satisfying. I do wish the darker elements were more touched upon. Some points about slavery and the Black Cat Clan's rivalry with the Blue Cats for instance. We get glimpses of it but it never really goes in too deep. I would also have appreciated more world building. But that's just me. Nothing about it feels like a waste of time. Certain plot elements and gags don't overstay their welcome I feel. I find the soundtrack to be fun and it fits the show well. I'd say the only other qualms I have is certain scenes might be a tad unnecessary. When Fran wants to try new magic and Teacher tries to stop her from using as to not give away how strong they've become is not needed. She ends up using the new skill later on anyway. It's just like, fuck it. Blow everyone's minds. Show them how bad ass you are, how much potential you have. But as we see Fran ends up doing what she wants which is funny as is. I would also like to agree that Fran and Shishou talking via telepathy really isn't necessary in certain instances. I'm trying to be honest with my thoughts here. I'm a little late to the party I know. I don't want to take credit for certain things because I understand a reviewer before me said it first. I just wanted to add my input. It is definitely above average and I quite enjoyed it.  Nothing too special but a solid effort nonetheless.. I’m glad season 2 was announced because I will for sure tune in for it when it releases! I shall leave you with a few adorable gifs of Fran and allow you to be on your way. Thanks for reading!
  <center>
  
  </center><img width='' src='https://media.tenor.com/rtSS9ITm6tIAAAAC/en-tensei-shitara-ken-deshita.gif'><center>
  
  </center><img width='' src='https://media.tenor.com/4HYVQqvClusAAAAC/reincarnated-as-a-sword-fran.gif'><center>
  
  </center><img width='' src='https://media.tenor.com/6L1X9dreuMUAAAAC/reincarnated-as-a-sword-tenken.gif'><center>
  
  </center><img width='' src='https://media.tenor.com/mqsc4gDWCnwAAAAd/tensei-shitara-ken-deshita-fran.gif'>~~~

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• 

  Reldio

  30/100
  A bad show, lacking creative vision, or a consistent tone, or even any real story to speak of.

  Reincarnated as a Sword is a fantasy isekai lacking any real sense of adventure, any real story, or any developed characters whatsoever. The action is never resolved in an interesting manner and relies purely on decent visuals to get by. The rules of this RPG-like system make little sense. The tone is baffling, going from scenes of a character graphically describing acts of torture and murder to scenes dedicated to making Fran look cute within the space of minutes.

  To expand on the characters, there practically aren't any. They are all very simple and any opportunity to develop them is squandered for no reason. Shishou is a very basic self-aware, vaguely comedic OP isekai protagonist commentating on things that happen. He is reminiscent of Arc from Skeleton Knight in Another World, but lacks the charisma of that character. Fran is a cute catgirl slave, part of a race that is discriminated against and can't evolve, that gains a chance at strength and freedom via Shishou. Her desire to evolve is her primary motivation throughout the series, but ultimately none of it matters. Whilst she is a slave in the first episode, she's soon freed and from that point on the only discrimination, or difficulty based on her race, that she faces is token hatred from mediocre, flat antagonists who are easily dealt with. Everyone else accepts and loves her practically instantly, even though her rapid growth and monumental power should be the source of tons of suspicion given the RPG systems in this setting. But any suspicion of her is light and soon dismissed. Her being part of a 'weak' race and facing discrimination feels token if anything, a cheap plot device to evoke pity. She is not an underdog whatsoever with the power gained in the first episode.

  It's pretty important for a fantasy show to give a sense of adventure. This is something fantasy worlds are primed to do. But this show gives us nothing of the sort. We get literal seconds of some interesting environments in the first episode but after that, the show exclusively takes place in a simple cliché city, a couple of brief simple outdoor environments and some incredibly bland & simple dungeons. There's no mystery to the monsters or characters that are all soon identified by Shishou, there is nothing unknown about any of the locales, Fran just goes places and kills everything.

  The show devotes a lot of time to making Fran look cute and if you are the sort of anime watcher that can genuinely get more enjoyment out of something because a character is cute then perhaps this will be a big plus for you. But when you combine all these cute scenes with the scenes featuring dismemberment, vivid description of bodily harm and so on, I'm left very confused by the intended tone or message of this show. I'm ultimately left feeling like it has none. These cute scenes and the general friendly vibe of the side characters makes it feel like this should be a comedic, comfy show but there are no jokes to speak of and the tone frequently switches to faux-intense for the action, with rock-ish music and token attempts at pretending Fran is ever in any danger.

  Fuck this show, to me it's so lacking that I've just lost all my motivation to talk in any more detail about it. Positives are decent visuals.

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