Life with an Ordinary Guy who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout

In every season there is always that weird show whose synopsis can make a lot of people disgusted or bothered by one or two things and although a show like Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to (Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout or abbreviated Fabiniku) is like one more isekai on the list, the “gender bender” element scares a lot of creatures who… don't even know what this is about. However, to point this out is to miss out on things that a comedy like this unexpectedly offers the viewer. Created by a married couple made up of wife YuuTsurusaki and husband Chibimaru, this romantic comedy tells us about a man and a man who used to be a man: Both are teleported to a fantasy world thanks to the "blessing" of the Goddess of Love ; Jinguuji, a handsome but proud man is given a power buff while his normal friend, Tachibana, is turned into… a young blonde girl. To make matters worse, this half-naked goddess places a curse on them that the two of them will be romantically attracted to until they defeat the Demon King. Fantasy Bishoujo is not the first existing anime where a character is transferred to another world with a change in their sex. - and that has been adapted - As isekai we can talk about cases like Kenja no Deshi wo Nanoru Kenja and Youjo Senki. Everything that makes up this anime is nothing more or less than the familiar tropes and gags of a normal isekai: mmorpg system, magic, experience, superpowers, etc., which, however, goes in a different direction than one normally assumes in this genre. This is also added with a story element that not even the writers themselves took the seriousness of doing since here and there the entire program is made up of a world, let's say, strange and chaotic; from the way in which the Gods and Legendary Creatures of this world are portrayed to the attitude of the secondary characters and villagers (Especially those who venerate the Goddess of Love and Beauty). With animation by OLM, this program cannot be visually compared to one like Odd Taxi or Komi-san Can't Communicate (Both studio productions), but it maintains the graphic quality per se despite how 'generic' it may look. Character designs remain similar to those of the manga and although there are some modifications (such as Tilolilo Lilili's clothing) in general this adaptation doesn't affect the most important elements of Fabiniku. There are some narrative omissions compared to what is presented, but these omissions are nothing more than a few more or not so important scenes for the context they want to present. Writers manage to efficiently “cut” and “paste” the show's dialogue and keep the jokes intact without altering everything that is intended to be presented. We have an OP “Akatsuki no Salaryaman” by Yoshiki, a decent pop-rock song that isn't bad it's not that brilliant due to its low audio quality. However, the video sequence perfectly describes what the program came to do with the viewer. If you found some screaming faces, explosions, Tachibana's cute face, and Kirito hanging around funny, then you can already get an idea of what happens in the rest of the show. On the other hand, his ED “FA"NTASY to!” is more of a very catchy J-Pop song whose video introduces us to Tachibana as the protagonist of this sequence, dancing, thinking and questioning herself about her relationship with Jinguuji. As a manga reader something I didn't expect from Fantasy Bishoujo is that it was as funny as I could remember! And even less did I expect that this comedy manga would also be entrusted with a decent budget than one expects in these types of adaptations; starting with the casting of well-known actors and others that have been taking shape for years: starting with Mao (Pecorina from Princess Connect! and Iris from Fire Force) and Satoshi (Ainz from Overlord and Saito from Zero no Tsukaima) in the voices of Tachibana and Jinguuji respectively. The chemistry between these two works and makes the jokes come naturally. We can also talk about Junichi Suwabe as Shen who I admit I didn't expect him to play the role of this mysterious villager, as well as Rie Kugimya in the voice of the Goddess of Love and Beauty and Eri Kitamura as Lucious, etc. Overall, everyone manages to do a decent and confident job of the character assigned to them. However, not everything is jokes and laughter because the program also at a certain point adds specific flashbacks from the past of the two heroes, presenting a preview of how their friendship has been before so that the viewer has an indication of how deep the friendship is. Is likely that many expected more background to this or feel concern that this could "kill the character", but since the intention of the program is to make us laugh, this remains as a secondary element without any problem. But, the most remarkable point is its characters: with the pair of best friends as the center of the plot, they will be accompanied by other secondary characters that the series doesn't throw away and discard when it feels like it. As a consequence, much of the potential of each of them is taken advantage of and they complement the chemistry of the program very well; Better yet, it's that it's not satisfied with appearing in a mini-arc either and it's common for them to have a series of cameos or return to prominence at certain points in the program after their first appearance. An example of these is Schwartz, the Kirito archetype, whose dialogues and actions are a clear satire to all the typical protagonists who look "cold" and can use swords; or Tilolilo Lilili, an elf proud of her beauty who is jealous of Tachibana... On the other hand, as I said at the beginning, many may have some guesses with a program that sells you the premise of a "man turned woman" and it's understandable how uncomfortable it can be for a fan who has little adapted to this type of contents. However, Fantasy Bishoujo is a seriously funny series that offers its audience a lot of smiles everywhere and a 180-degree turn to what we normally understand of a conventional isekai, similar to what another comedy like Konosuba does. If you liked the show, I recommend you continue on the manga.

This is definetly the surprise of the season for me. First of all, with a synopsis like this, i really don't know why people didn't hype this one, over the other isekais of the season. If you look at distance, it seems like a generic power fantasy parody isekai "with a twist". But honestly, it felt quite unique for me, as the most important thing here is the relationship between Tachibana and Jinguji. And, for my surprise, it is an Isekai that actually makes the "past life", or "life before being isekai'd" important. If Jinguji was a solo protagonist for an isekai, he would probably beas boring as the "Cautious Hero". And if it was Tachibana, she would probably be the side annoying character. The anime works because their chemestry is amazing. The side characters are okay-ish, with exception of "Discount Kirito", AKA Schwartz von Liechtenstein Lohengramm, AKA best character of the show. Now for drawbacks. It touches the "queer" topic in a somewhat irresponsible/ignorant way. I mean, it is the case for almost all anime that tackle trans/gays related topics, but i find it weird how the show seems to make you think it is more "unacceptable" for them to be a couple because they are both guys, than because Tachibana's body is of a child/teenager. In other words, it is okay for 30 year olds to have a relationship with a loli, but it is not okay for two men have a deep (i didn't even say romantic) relationship. What i like, tho, is how Tachibana develops to accept he is now a woman. And how, sometimes, the show is aware of its own prejudice, as there will be a whole arc touching on how it is normal for guys to feel jealous, or compliment each other, AS IT WORKS IN REAL LIFE. Another drawback for me was how the show sometimes forget it is a comedy, and focus too much on a plot that isn't the main focus. Overall, best isekai/fantasy show of the season, definetly a surprise for me. If you like stupid shows like Konosuba, you will like this one.

What the hell dude? I came into this show expecting low tier humor with homophobic undertones that I could cringe at, where did this genuine exploration of gender, relationships and identity come from?? Jokes aside, I'd heard that this show was pretty funny, but I didn't expect it to be so emotional and introspective as well. Our two protagonists have incredible chemistry and are both interesting and flawed characters. The art is really good, the humor is as great as I thought it was gonna be and while the worldbuilding appears a bit simple/cliche it definitely feels like there's more that we don't know, which keepsus hooked and hoping for an eventual sequel. As much as I'd recommend this show for the hokes and humor I'd praise it's heartfelt moments just as much, they really did a great job of creating relatable and interesting characters with understandable challenges that they must face, as well as a vibrant world filled with a really memorable cast that makes the show even more fun. TL;DR: well written story, great art, good music, great pacing, relatable and charming cast, 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

Full disclosure, I went into Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout expecting it to be bad. I love trash TV, and I love dumpster diving for shows that look like not very good, trashy fun. But the thing about dumpster diving is that among the garbage, occasionally you’ll find treasure. Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout (which I’ll be shortening to Fabiniku from here on) is that treasure. Fabiniku is, of course, an isekai with an overly long, overly descriptive title in both English and Japanese, but you don’t quite get what it sayson the tin. It’s not *just* the story of a normal salaryman (Hinata Tachibana) getting reincarnated in a fantasy world as a hot blonde woman and getting told to go kill the Demon King, because he’s not the only one reincarnated in another world—he gets to bring along his cool, sexy, and aloof best friend Tsukasa Jinguuji as his overpowered weapon. The dynamic between Tachibana and Jinguuji is the main driving force of the story—it is a romcom, after all. While Tachibana is almost completely average outside of his above average people skills, Jinguuji is the exact opposite. He’s a loner who’s not only good at everything he does, but constantly overshadows Tachibana, and it’s established early on just how jealous Tachibana is of Jinguuji. But despite any jealousy or animosity, they love each other deeply, which makes them an extremely shippable leading couple. They compliment and contrast each other as characters, and they play off each other extremely well. Together, they’re more interesting leads than either character would be on their own. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The writer of the manga has gone on record saying that she wanted to create something that “isn’t bound by terms such as [boy’s love] or [transsexual],” which led to a surprisingly nuanced take on both gender and sexuality. It’s pretty heavily implied that at least Jinguuji was into Tachibana before the magical gender swap, and he had zero interest in women despite Tachibana’s best efforts to get him hitched (since he kept stealing all the girls he liked by being cooler and sexier), meanwhile you could easily interpret Tachibana as a closeted trans woman since he wished to be a pretty woman while drunk, and drunk actions are sober thoughts—not to mention that he really seems to enjoy being a woman and doing feminine things, all things considered. At one point Tachibana asks Jinguuji if your real gender is based on your body or soul, and his answer is that he thinks whatever you feel is right is what you are, which is not the nuclearly based take I was expecting from a trashy isekai. Unless they end up elaborating on their individual identities later into the story, it’s a safe assumption that it’s left open ended on purpose, so whatever your individual interpretation is is completely acceptable. They’re yaoi, they’re het, someone more creative than me could probably find a way to make them yuri too, they’re everything all at once. I see no difference! Love is love. <3 There’s a “curse” that the characters assume is to make them attracted to each other, but it’s never explicitly stated what the curse actually is, so it’s up for debate on if they weren't attracted to each other before getting to the new world, if they always liked each other and just never realized, or if it’s just a curse messing with their emotions. It doesn’t help that Tachibana’s only real skill he got upon entering the other world is being so hot that people would fight and kill for just a chance to have his hand in marriage, which throws another wrench in why they’re attracted to each other now. It’s all pretty open ended. As it’s a comedy, I’d recommend you watch dubbed. Even if it weren’t a comedy, I’d recommend you watch dubbed, because the dub cast killed it. Tachibana and Jinguuji in the dub are voiced by Laura Stahl (mostly known for voicing young boys like Ray from The Promised Neverland or Iruma from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun, but has voiced women like Mami from Rent-a-Girlfriend) and J. Michael Tatum (who regularly voices the tall, dark, and handsome type, like Kyouya from Ouran High School Host Club or Sebastian from Black Butler) respectively, and they sell both leads as extremely charming, funny characters, while also selling their dynamic, both romantically and as friends. If Tachibana were voiced by anyone else, he might’ve come off as whiny and obnoxious, while if Jinguuji were voiced by anyone else, he might’ve come off as a bit *too* standoffish. Perfect casting, which extended to most other characters—some highlights being Dallas Reid as Schwartz and Jamie Marchi as the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Unfortunately, I can’t stay positive about everything in this show. Outside the two leads, there’s only really two characters I loved, with two characters I actively disliked. Everyone else was… fine, but nothing more than that. Most of the cast either wasn’t given enough time to develop beyond their initial gimmick (though the gimmicky characters, like both of the currently introduced goddesses, were consistently pretty funny), or they were so generic I find it hard to remember a single thing about them. Characters like the weirdly homophobic take on an explicitly gay man or the elf whose only personality trait is obsessing over how hot people find her weren’t funny to me, and I’d argue they were actively poorly written—the gay man especially was jarring for a show that seemed to have a nuanced take on sexuality up to the point of his introduction—but your mileage may vary. The best characters were the ones that managed to break out of their gimmick, like the stock light novel protagonist parody, Schwartz von Liechtenstein Lohengramm, who’s really just an average chuunibyou avid light novel reader. He could’ve easily just been a way to mock one of the standard archetypes of the genre used for a cheap laugh, but he’s not. He’s a real character who undergoes development, with surprising emotional depths that I won’t spoil due to being one of the funniest, most heartfelt scenes in the entire show. Schwartz is a perfect example of how, despite being a loving parody, Fabiniku (mostly) doesn’t let itself fall into the trappings of its genre but with plausible deniability because it’s being tongue in cheek about it. A lot of loving parodies, like KonoSuba—which this show (rightfully) gets compared to a lot—and The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, use their status as a parody to just do the tropes they’re supposedly making fun of guilt-free. While Fabiniku is absolutely not immune to this—(especially with elements such as the fanservice) it manages to avoid some of the worst trappings of its genre. Bland protagonists with nothing going for them? They don’t just subvert this in three different ways (and even more in the manga), they deconstruct it and comment on it late into the show. A past life that’s completely irrelevant now that they’re in another world? The leads knew and loved each other in their old life; it’s the driving force of the narrative. Cheating superpowers? The ones they actually get hurt them just as much as, if not more than, they help. Harem of archetypes? This is a romcom, so having a harem was never even an option. That’s not to say standard isekai tropes can’t be used well, but in this case they’re consistently subverted and defied in unique and interesting ways. Fabiniku has no right being as good as it is. I went into this expecting a trashy, low quality show that might be fun to recommend for a watch party, and I came out with a genuinely funny, surprisingly heartfelt isekai romcom with some shockingly apt takes on gender and sexuality. If you like power fantasy isekai, you’ll like this as a loving parody of the genre. If you *don’t* like power fantasy isekai, you still might like it for its deconstruction and defiance of the usual tropes. If you told me going in I’d hold so much genuine love and respect for this show prior to watching it, I’d call you a liar. This should not be as good as it is. “Better than the sum of its parts” is how I’d sum up my experience with the show overall. All its ideas, on their own, could be a pretty decent joke in a worse show, but when you mix them together it ends up being a great experience that I could recommend to almost anyone. It’s so much better than anything I could’ve expected from a show with a title like that. Please drop a second season, it’ll fix me forever.