That’s Normal, Right?
The second episode of ‘insert ridiculously long title’-Average in the Next Life is a light breeze of relaxation with a few smiles thrown in. It isn’t as funny as it thinks it is and the character over-reactions are a little on the excessive side, but by and large it is fun enough and it isn’t trying to take itself seriously which lets the audience just chill and watch Mile walk herself into the next situation where she will most definitely reveal that she isn’t average.
I don’t remember if the first episode had the OP or not, but I do know that this week I paid attention and thought it was super cute and fun. Okay, it isn’t the kind of song I’m going to listen to independent of the anime, but the song was just kind of the same fun spirit that permeates most of the episode and it was kind of fun just watching the girls bounce around together.
And while the other girls are still very much in introductory form, already there’s a fairly good chemistry in the group. These girls are enjoyable to spend time with and their personalities bounce off one another well even in these early stages. It makes me want to stick around and go on adventures with them. The bonus of the four of them is that none of them have dominated to the point where they are already wearing out their welcome two episodes in.
The episode itself is pretty simple with some basic tests to check ability levels where Mile completely misses the ‘average’ mark she’s so desperately aiming for before the students form parties and go take on a small quest where the girls are initially being out-foxed by rabbits. Okay, rabbits with horns but the three girls in Mile’s party are struggling until she gives them a few pointers.
I think a lot of the fun comes from this element where Mile isn’t just solving everything easy. Sure, she could have saved the other girls some trouble and caught the rabbits, but instead she works with them to help them get stronger, albeit for her own motives. That changes the story from the standard isekai with the overpowered MC in the middle around which other people attach themselves but do little. Here the MC is overpowered but the other characters are growing as well and are also dealing with situations while the MC tries to take a more background role. It isn’t a massive re-imagining of the genre but it is different enough to make it feel slightly fresh.
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Karandi James
Want to read more about Mile’s adventures in attempting to be average?
Images from: Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne! Dir. M Oota. Project No. 9. 2019
For me, over powered characters are only dull when they get what they want with that power (and lose nothing along the way). Myne (Mile? Genzo??) is trying to make friends and, to an almost equal extent, just have fun and/or screw around like a goof. Powers don’t really help with that (at least in her mind) so there’s more interesting story to work with.
I enjoyed the first episode in a quiet, ENDRO! sort of way, so I can’t wait to watch this one. . .