SAIJAKU TAMER WA GOMI HIROI NO TABI WO HAJIMEMASHITA.

DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL AdventureSaijaku Tamer wa Gomi Hiroi no Tabi wo Hajimemashita.
MANGA AdventureSaijaku Tamer wa Gomi Hiroi no Tabi wo Hajimemashita.@COMIC

REVIEWS

• 

  RevLoL

  75/100
  A cute slice-of-life series that has some darker undertones with some beautiful art and animation

  Saijaku Tamer revolves around Ivy and her slime companion, Sora, who are determined to persevere despite their cruel circumstances. A large portion of the series does lean toward the more iyashikei and lighthearted side, as Ivy travels from town to town, hunting small critters and rummaging through rubbish. However, that is not to say that is the entirety of the show, as the darker elements are a crucial aspect of the series, whether it is the trauma suffered in her past or the dangers of traveling. There is also a rather interesting twist for an isekai, as Ivy's past self frequently communicates with her. Although it's not groundbreaking, Ivy's anxiety and distrust of others are vital aspects of the story, too, which helps the series stand out from other similar series.

  Additionally, the anime has some great art and animation accompanied by a gorgeous score that brings many scenes to life, such as when she is standing in the middle of a field of grass or walking through a forest. Scenes are also given the proper amount of time to breathe, which, along with the beautiful musical composition, creates some truly beautiful and even emotional moments.

  The darker undertones do not come across as shock value or off-putting, either. In fact, they add an interesting juxtaposition against the beautiful landscapes and whimsical score. It reinforces the idea that Ivy and Sora are weak and the world is dangerous, whether it's bounty hunters chasing them, escaping from giant ants, or nearly becoming another victim of a man-eating tree.

  Although the story has darker moments, it also has plenty of cute and adorable ones, as Ivy and Sora travel together. Even with the world seemingly against them at times, Ivy continues to find joy in the little things, such as eating a fresh loaf of bread or using field mice to count how much coin she has made. She also frequently encounters caring people, but due to her past, she has difficulty trusting others.

  However, as Ivy meets more and more nice-hearted people, she slowly breaks down her walls and becomes more trusting of others. That is not to say she overcomes her anxieties and trauma overnight, as that remains a part of her. Her fear of being abandoned and being perceived as a burden continually pushes her to do random and minuscule tasks even when it is not necessary. While she may suffer from these issues, it is simply nice to see Ivy slowly realize there are caring people out there and become more confident through these encounters.

  The series is not perfect, though. One area where it specifically suffers is by making Ivy almost comedically smarter than any of the adults, specifically in basic detective work. Using Ivy's past self to move the plot forward through common literary tropes, such as a secret bookcase mechanism, can be fine. After all, Ivy's past self was assumingly an adult exposed to media and a vast transmission of information, so her awareness of these things can make sense.

  However, when she comes up with every possible scenario, it hurts the intelligence of the actual adults of the series, who are veteran adventures and people who hold positions of power. It's also not just outsmarting her companions but an entire criminal organization, too. It ends up making these characters feel like plot devices rather than actual people, as they are essentially found out through literary tropes, which dumbs down the world.

  On top of being a bit too contrived, the child trafficking arc simply drags on for a bit too long. The series' charm is Ivy traveling to new locations, building relationships with people, and discovering new things between the towns. Forcing her to stay in one location removes what makes the series so enjoyable, especially when it involves some grand plot. It is clear that the author wanted to reinforce the idea that someone like Ivy traveling alone is dangerous and people can be evil, but they lost touch with what made the series enjoyable.

  Ultimately, even though the series stumbled a bit with the last few episodes, it did retain most of its charm. The first half captured the best of the series, but that does not mean the second half was completely void of good moments, as Ivy did grow the most as a character in the latter half. Ivy is also an extremely adorable character, and it's hard not to root for her, as despite being abandoned by her family and even hunted, she perseveres. Although the darker elements are an integral part of the series, they do not overtake the iyashikei nature of the series. Instead, it is a nice touch that reinforces the world's dangers. The art, animation, music, and sound design also remained high-quality throughout the entire season, which shows the passion the staff poured into this series to create such a high-quality production. Studio Massket honestly did a fantastic job for their first full-length anime.

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• 

  HeartbreakRebel

  78/100
  Another town's trash is another viewer's comfort character

  My Review of "The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash"!

  ---

  Pu-Pu-Pu-Pu-Pu-Pu-Pu!

  ____Story____

  The story follows a weak tamer who's nicknamed Ivy. After being banished from her village for being seen as a bad omen, she decides to make use of trash that she finds along her journey. She visits many villages and finds ways to make a living by selling different items, giving information, and being a helpful child to others. Her goal is to follow the advice that a fortune teller gave her and make it to a certain faraway village.

  ____Visuals____

  The character design and the visuals are beautiful. You could tell that there was lots of effort made to make the anime fit the cozy vibe it gives off.

  ____Characters____

  The main character, named Ivy, is a caring young girl who, although labeled as trash and useless by others, tries to find hope in her capabilities by pursuing a journey different from those who are more gifted than her. In the early beginnings of her journey, she befriends a weak slime she names Sora. It is an adorable partner for Ivy and ends up being a helpful friend for her. Another friend she ends up making in the story is a black beast nicknamed Ciel who's a good companion to Ivy and helps her make money.

  ____The Good____

  I liked the coziness this anime gave. It wasn't action-packed or drama filled, but it still ended up being an enjoyable show. Everything about the show whispers relaxing. From the story to the music, I felt like I could play this anime in the background and slowly drift into sleep (but in a good way, not a bad way). The few scenes of action are done very well without having any second of negative space or boring moments. The simple adventurous story of this anime is something I personally liked. A show like this doesn't need the extremely fleshed out lore that other adventurous shows contain to be entertaining.

  ____The Bad____

  Throughout all 12 episodes, I really just couldn't get into the whole "Viewer speaks with the character" feature of the anime. On paper, it sounds like a good idea but in execution, but it just doesn't seem interesting enough to benefit the story. Also, hearing the bell ringing effect plenty of times becomes a bit annoying to me. I know it's used as an indicator, but they could've chosen a different sound that wouldn't end up annoying after 12 episodes of it ringing often.

  ____The Downright Ugly____

  I don't think anything in this show was necessarily "ugly". There are a few problems, but nothing too notable where I would label it as downright ugly.

  ____Is It Worth The Watch?____

  I think that if you're looking for a cozy anime to watch, this is a good option. Do I think that it's the best option? No, but do I think that it'll help you relax? Absolutely. It's simply a good show to throw on for calm nights and relaxing moments.

  Thank you for taking the time to read my review. I hope this helped you with your decision on whether to watch this anime or not! If you already have watched it, I hope that you can agree with me with some of the points I made. ^^

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