Anime is a medium that is normally looked down upon. Filled with sexualized women, crazy plots, and enough cute little girls to open up a daycare, the culture it has created is definitely unique. It is with this in mind that Outbreak Company aims to look at with a more satirical view in mind. Also, lemme tell you that I have a thing for anime that have a message that I can take away from it!
Story
The story seemed original, for me at least. As never before have I seen an anime where the main character actually exports the whole otaku culture. Also, It was pretty fun about how they implemented this general idea in such a short amount of time and provided the viewers with enough details & explanations as to why and how this is happening! Now for the actual story-line, Having a light novel author father and an eroge illustrator mother, Kanou Shinichi is a thoroughbred otaku. However he does not have any special power except for his broad knowledge, sharp insight, and impeccable instinct about "MOE" and its products, from manga to anime to games to light novel to figures. One day he found himself transported to a fantasy world where elves live and dragons fly. And he is given a task—not to fight monster or embark on a quest, but to enhance cultural exchange by becoming a "moe missionary" in this fantasy world! He meets a palace guard who has a bit of fujoshi taste, a half-elf maid, and the empress who is a little girl. He comes up with the idea of building a school. At first it runs as a comedy but later there are serious matters that Shinichi needs to face: ethnic discrimination, social problems, conflict with neighboring countries, sabotage by opposition elements including Japanese government, etc.
Characters
Most of the characters were pretty good although there was a great inequality of available information for the supporting cast. Though, As a huge fan of anime I was able to extrapolate certain things from the characters based on the maintained classic character patterns. So, There is your loli, your BL Pervert, your timid maid and other usual characters, in essence all of them are quite good for this type of series! Let's go into specific details, Our MC, Shinichi, is a person that honestly reminds me of a couple of my friends who just sit-back and watch anime all day. In the beginning, he gets kidnapped and brought to some foreign world that has magic and loves Japanese otaku culture. Shinichi is brought in to educate this new world of his otaku culture and to ensure that relations between said world and Japan are good. He starts a school where they teach anime and manga that right away challenges racism and class diversity between the elves and the dwarves. His school does more for these students than teach them to be otakus - it teaches them to live beyond their differences and be friends with each other despite their origins and differences. Soon they begin to have arguments about lolis and eroge games rather than fighting because they are dwarves or elves. Next Character is Miusel, who is also my favorite character in the entire show. Miusel presents herself to Shinichi and tells him that she will be the maid taking care of him while he stays in the Eldant empire. As soon as Shinichi sees Miusel, he freaks out at the fact that she is a legitimate maid and Miusel freaks out the moment that he discovers that she is a half-elf, which is something that the citizens in Eldant discriminate against her for, but instead Shinichi thinks the fact that she is an elf is awesome. Miusel at this point I believe begins to fall in love with Shinichi, which wasn't something that the plot synopsis or the genres really talk about. Next is Petralka, the supreme ruler of Eldant that nearly kills Shinichi when he calls her a little girl. Right off the bat, she takes a liking for Shinichi and develops a sort of tsundere personality that really compliments Miusel's personality. As the show progresses, Shinichi helps change her personality for the better with his otaku ways and even helps her become a better leader.
Animation and Sound
The artwork and animation was extremely good though all of the characters had this "shine" to them that made them look as if they took a bath in some oil beforehand. It wasn't really a turn-off, just that they seemed to always be glowing. As for the character designs, I actually liked them. In particular, Miusel's and Petralka's designs were quite nice. The same can be said for Romilda. I would have liked to have seen more racial variety besides just the dwarves and the elves, but perhaps that was just wishful thinking.
For the sound,The OP at first wasn't too good, but became at least slightly enjoyable the more I heard it as it had a fantastical feel to it that fitted nicely with the fantasy landscaping of the show. Though when it came to the soundtracks, I guess it didn't leave a memorable mark. However, this piece, probably known by everyone who has seen the show, is the "DA DA DA" song that gets played a handful of times. You owe it to yourself to check it out, since it is strangely weird yet extremely fun to listen to.
Enjoyment
It was quite an enjoyable show. Also, I love to ship for couples if they show any signs of being together. So, whenever Shinichi and Miusel were alone together, I always had a doofy grin on my face. Romance wasn't really the focus of the show, but I did like the subtle hints and inclusion of it, for it provided tender moments and nice comedy.
Overall, You should watch Outbreak Company if you’re in for some fun because this show is floured with silliness. But, if engaging story is a factor you’re more interested in, then this show could be quite a disappointment. As instead of a deep story with complex elements, this anime likes to make more fun of the typical otaku culture and community. With an outbreak of references to anime and manga, expect many ideas to be wheeled in from your favorite series. So, if you watch Outbreak Company it will definitely bring forth a charming experience of the otaku culture where you’ll learn more than what just meets the eye!
4 STAR ANIME.
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