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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