After working tirelessly toward his goal of a self-sustainable NEET lifestyle, Kinji Ninomiya has finally achieved his dreams. Now looking down on common folk commuting during a typhoon from the penthouse of one of his apartment buildings, Kinji gets ready to start his new, slothful life. However, all of his hard work goes to waste when a portal appears beneath him from out of nowhere.
Teleported to another world, Kinji is forced to work for a mining company that focuses solely on profits and has no care whatsoever for the safety and well-being of its employees. Refusing to live in such conditions, he begins devising plans to get rich quickly, building connections with others in this new world and making his best efforts to escape the stringent corporate life. Will Kinji be able to overcome his restraints and attain financial freedom once more?
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
BillyCx
This has got the be my pick for the hidden gem of Summer Season 2021. A truly unique and entertaining anime going against almost all of the Isekai genre's Stereotypes. While the show did have a slightly mediocre first few episodes it really picked up it's pace shortly after and became the series i was looking forward to the most each week. First things first, my only real criticism for the show: The production feels really cheap. And while I am not sure whether this was intended or not by the studio, I won't sit here and pretend that it adds some sort of charm tothe show. It doesn't!
The art and animation makes you think you are watching something from around 2007. It is another one of those animes where you can't tell if it has more than 2 soundtracks besides OP and ED (which are really good imo btw but more to that later) and while the music is sort of fitting to most scenes and adds at least something to the show, it is nothing to write home about. So if you are hoping for an Unlimited Budget Works production you will find yourself disappointed.
Story: The premise of the show is that the Main Character Ninomija, after having achieved success in his own world, is suddenly teleported to another world and immediately turned into a corporate slave by a company that treats it's employees more like drones than sapient beings. His only light at the end of the tunnel: An incredibly cute and OP demon girl with an endless desire for food. The rest of the story is a harder to explain cause it is quite wild, constantly jumping around from one plotpoint to another with the only real overarching storyline being the MC's party trying to get out of the grasps of the evil corporation they are working for.It's a very goofy concept that clearly more intended to entertain than inspire and it does an amazing job at it as i found myself laughing at a good portion of the show while watching. I often found myself at the start of episodes asking myself if i missed something inbetween and exactly that turned out to give the show a lot of it's appeal as you could never expect what was coming next. Despite having it's focus on humor there are many scenes that are either cute, wholesome or even thought proviking.
Characters: You rarely see an Anime with a lineup as diverse and loveable as Black Company. The Protagonist is one of the best Male MCs you will come by in the Anime Industry. He is witty, charismatic and doesn't want to take shit from anyone. His problem tho is that he is a weakling in an Isekai world that is ruled by evil industrialism that treats people as labor slaves. Making the Protagonist unable to get out of his predicament on his own. Luckily he ends up being accompanied by a Trap Wizard, an adorable and OP af dragon girl with an unsatiable hunger, a crazy Hero loyal to the evil company and a completely level headed lizard man that would most likely prefer minding his own business rather than being part of this story. Trying his best to act as a leader to this crazy group of people the MC sometimes manages to get things done while failing miserably at others, all while slowly establishing closer relationships with the party's members and having some fun on the way.
The Opening of the anime is a very fitting one imo staying true to the goofy vibes that the show is mostly about. However, it is the Ending that is the cherry on top. As i don't want to take anything away from the experience i will have you look it up yourself. All i am saying is is that it puts the Love is War Chika Dance ED to shame.
Ultimately i was debating whether this was a 9 or 10 for me and eventually ended up deciding on a 9 as the Anime does an excellent job in the important departments of Characters, Story and overall Entertainment but could have been even greater with a slightly better Animation und Sound usage. Regardless of that a clear recommendation for anyone who is looking for humorful Entertainment.
KANLen09
YELP, an Isekai about the pangs of working at a Black Company!? Come save me Work Jesus, for the glory of capitalism! We've seen shows present this topic before, most particularly and recently with Akane Shimizu's Hataraku Saibou BLACK a.k.a Cells at Work: Code Black, and it's what it is: the etymology of the term "black company" where it's typical practice to hire a large number of employees, exploit them to work large amounts of overtime without overtime pay with poor conditions, verbal abuse and "power harassment" (bullying) by their superiors, threatening them with disrepute if they chose to quit. And you can take all thatand consummate into this series: Youhei Yasumura's Dungeon Black Company, which explains how to get your way through a Black Company and rise up the ranks. And the best part obout it, is that everything fits perfectly into the scenario played out.
Yeah yeah, it's an Isekai first and foremost, but this is one of the few enjoyable Isekai of the Summer season that truly hits all the right spots of a "rags to riches" success story of a rollercoaster ride. And nowhere do we spot this than from the perspective of Kinji Ninomiya, voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi, the same person who brought you Jojo Part 5's Diavolo and Gurren Lagann's Kamiya (and man, his voice absolutely fits the cunning, manipulative of a confident scumbag himself). If you've watched last season's Sentouin, Hakenshimasu!, both MCs Combatant Agent No. 6 and Kinji are very similar to one another: they play dirty with their "bad guy" despicable mindset, deal with their own evil organization with ulterior motives and manifesting similar comedy vibes (though I feel that Black Company does it better), and to top it up, they have loli partners/supports as well. The "riches to rags to riches" story that sees the NEET Ninomiya being Isekai-ed into a fantasy world where he has to start his work dominance over from scratch, and that's a pain right there. Along with the relentless obfuscating lesson of hard work and fellow workers that toll with him, it's a pain in the butt to having be overworked again by word from negligent superiors, and that's where Kinji got the single-best idea of all: to create his own Dungeon Black Company from within and slowly create a coup d'etat as his calvary charge of retaliation.
But in order to create his own organization, Kinji's first strategy is just as important as the series' core progression: its cast of characters whom are comrades also fighting for the same poverty rights. The first worker that Kinji recruits is this crocodilian demi-human named Wanibe, who was his co-worker at the start of the series. And boy, these 2 bore the entirety of the starting phase of revolt against the Raiza'ha Corporation, which are doing the same thing that Ninomiya once did in his old, accomplished NEET life. From there, the dungeon opens its doors, and slowly but surely, both him and Wanibe hit it off to encounter monsters and fellow workers whom are suffering the same overworked circumstances, fight and recruit them to their side (like a dungeon for easy proposition to start the topple rumbling from within. The 3rd character of Kinji's crusade is arguably one of the most important characters, and is what helps and gives him trouble at the same time: the dragon girl that is Rim. As you would expect, Rim does act like the usual titular dungeon boss character, but you know Kinji, his cunning manipulation got the best of her, and she shapeshifted into a teenage loli just so that she can have meat, regardless of Kinji's finanical status. Rim does act on accord because she was the former Demon Lord of the Dungeon, but she got too lazy and bored, and handed the reins over to someone else just so that she could wander free on her own whim. Couple in the dubbed failure of a hero that is Shia and the magic tomboy that is Ranga, and these 5 people form the basis of Kinji's unusual adventurer party of the Dungeon Black Company, pushing their way through to the top and achieve Nirvana on Kinji's ultimate goal: to rule over others without having to work his butt. If you ask me, this is a sweet deal of a package that I'm willing to buy, because while the characters aren't as unique, but they're at the very least entertaining and funny to see their antics spread across the many layers of numerous battles both physically and mentally. It never gets old and stale, and in an Isekai of this calibre where I can sympathize with their sufferings, truly does an equivocal effect of using your brain to work smart, and not work hard.
It's a fun Isekai show for sure, and what better way to top it off with the VAs which complement the characters so darn freaking well. Rim is voiced by Misaki Kuno, who has been the face of Nanatsu no Taizai's favorite talking pig Hawk, and seen as such, Rim is such a comical character who just doesn't care and gets what she wants by hook or by crook. Hiro Shimono acting as Wanibe with his voice being a veteran mainstay, and it's of no surprise at all. Everyone's favourite VA M.A.O voicing Ranga, and I swear if that's not the same voice that I heard with Tensei Slime's Shion, then she must've got a vocal upgrade. Rounding up the rag-tag crew is Megumi Toda with Shia, and it's been awhile since New Game!'s Hajime's voice was featured in an anime (alongside this season's Peach Boy Riverside's Meki a.k.a Carrot). The manga may be nothing, but the anime helped elevate the manga by a notch with such stellar VA performances.
Likewise, Silver Link's generic Isekai production substrates have remained the same for a few years now, but to do some experiments with this show is a nice touch that's coming from in-house director Mirai Minato. But it's just the same that I don't really expect much of it anymore, and if it is produced decently, then that's all we need. The music though, if I were to compare the OST as a whole in this season, it's the sleeper kind of "it's pure unadulterated goodness". I've come to love both the OP and ED overtime that fits the tone of the show, but more particularly with the ED, because Humbreaders came back strong with their 2nd featured Anisong that is an upgrade when compared to Shin! Chuuka Ichiban S2's ED, and both songs evoke the sense of youth overflowing with fun.
For those tired with the usual Isekai genericness that we got over the past few years, please, PLEASE, try out Dungeon Black Company. IMO it's way lot grounded and better than Sentouin, Hakenshimasu!, and it's the same crazed idiocy with the likes of KonoSuba's Kazuma if he were ever to get stuck in jobs that would have him procrastinating and whining every second without end. It's a strange, yet fascinating Isekai world, and I would not have it in any other way for the time investment of interests well spent, from being lost in the red to profiting much in the green.
SanaeK10
Kamina is the protagonist. If that isn't enough to get you to watch this then I don't know what is. After god knows how many Isekai shows with a spineless doormat loser, or a nice guy self-insert genius messiah who brings such great innovations like basic technology and irrigation to Isekailand, it is just so utterly refreshing to see someone this charismatic take the helm of an Isekai. And it's not just that it's an Isekai. Meikyuu Black Company deviates so much from the standard formula, setting, and even style that to call it a typical Isekai would be a great disservice. The show is acomedy, but it cycles through a gamut of different genres including corporate hell, business management, corporate training, post-apocalypse, that one TTGL dream sequence episode, and even a typical Isekai episode for exactly one episode. The whole show being set in a pre-smartphone post-industrial fantasy setting is certainly novel, and my God it is just so refreshing to see Isekai denizens just acting like normal people and not braindead idiots who can't figure out basic technology or are stuck in a medieval stasis.
But really, the true star of the show is the MC, Ninomiya. He is basically Kamina in every aspect from his voice, his attitude, and even his hair. He is incredibly charismatic but not entirely infallible. Part of MBC's success is that it doles out moments of triumphs and failure to Ninomiya at a perfect pace so that he never truly succeeds in any given venture/scam but is always ready to bounce back with another crazy scheme that will once again invariably blow up in his face, sometimes for really mundane and realistic reasons (like getting busted by the company's Health Inspection for lacing lousy potions with confusion grass). He is a complete jackass with no redeeming factors, and I do love how the show sets up a bait-and-switch that almost makes you think they're gonna do the thing where he's not really a jerk and is really looking out for his friends or whatever. And that is just the best. You root for him to succeed AND fail in his mad schemes at the same time, and that really makes you bond with the character so much more.
The rest of the cast also fare incredibly well too, being great foils to Ninomiya's personality in many different ways. I do think Sky and Rim (hah) are lacking in terms of character, especially in their spotlight episode, but for what it's worth they are cute and don't interfere too much with the overall show.
The comedy is fantastic. A lot of it is very work-related humor with a good balance of fantasy humor, but taken to the extreme. It's largely based on what would happen if you have an exploitative conglomerate operating in Isekailand. The show has a really high rate of dishing out jokes, and there are plenty of moments that just caught me completely off guard that I had to pause the video just to get ahold of myself.
It's a great thing this airs on Fridays. Making the show a perfect sendoff to the week (and a perfect show to counter the absolute depression of Uramichi Oniisan). MBC is what I watch to bring me back from the brink at the end of every week, and I will miss the show dearly as neverending work continues in the real world...
8/10
PyraXadon
Ah, capitalism. The main driving force that keeps the world’s engine running as society drives itself into the ground for the sake of making a quick buck at the cost of both its workers who make pitiful wages and the environment who suffers long-term damage as a result of our glorious industrial and globalization age. Too much? Well if this show wasn’t something of a meta-commentary itself, I wouldn’t be making an existential crisis opening paragraph now would I? Story: Kinji Ninomiya is a self-made man who at the ripe age of 25 has managed to create a small real estate empire powerful enough to be self-sustainingand give him the dream that many people who work want to achieve: to not have to work. But because this is an isekai series, a random hole opens up in the ground and he’s unfortunately sucked into a fantasy world where society has moved past medieval adventurers defeating the Dark Lord, and towards a form of modern industrialism where he works as the lowest rung on the ladder in a mining company meant to make quotas for an even larger corporation that fully intends to take over the world through the most effective means we have available: by monopolizing the market and enslaving the population through economic means. Ninomiya’s goal? To reclaim the kind of influence that he had before in this new world and do what the corporations are trying to do before them.
And if that didn’t sell you on the idea that this series is actually a gag isekai that commentates on the social structure of our capitalist society and how it squeezes out every drop of both the lives and wallets of the consuming working class, then I don’t know what else will. Meikyuu Black Company practically only has one theme/joke that it’s going to talk about, and that’s jokes about how everything will always lead back to money and capitalism. And that corporations will exploit you through any means necessary. It’s a very heavy-handed theme and the amount of subtlety this show has about it is about as subtle as the wage disparity between a billionaire CEO and a white collar worker. Which is something you’d think the show gets kind of stale on because the existential dread of a capitalist society can only be told so many times, but surprisingly enough the worldbuilding carries it pretty well. Throughout the twelve episode run, you get to see many different ways corporations fuck people over, whether that be because of debt loans, damage costs, or corporate buyouts, while simultaneously watching Ninomiya attempt to build success up in a similarly cutthroat way with similar yet different tactics that create what we in the market like to call ‘competition’.
Which honestly when it comes to this aspect of the story, is surprisingly well done despite the leaps of logic and numerous timeskips in order to both save time and skip over the boring parts of building infrastructure and connections with other groups or companies. As for the actual story though…that’s where things start to fall apart a little bit.
Because the entire show is built on Ninomiya’s schemes, the show has a pretty cut and dry formula of storytelling where Ninomiya gets an idea, executes on it, and it can either succeed or fail before the next scheme is done. It’s not a very compelling story formula because it gets kind of samey with time, and watching the guy maniacally laugh at his new get rich quick scheme gets dull since it’s happened a multitude of times before. Not only that, but in spite of the worldbuilding being mostly solid on account of the show revealing how different parts of this corporate isekai world functions, it also has a problem with revealing or showing off things and then not really building up on them. Whenever the show skips over infrastructure building in a sometimes mystery amount of time passing, the show the does a coin flip on whether or not Ninomiya wins or loses. In either scenario, a lot of what was built prior just kind of disappears from the series, and it’s not great cause in a way it feels like nothing has consequences and expected consequences like being financially destitute don’t really occur. On top of that, the show kind of switches genre halfway through which, while making sense in context, still feels wonky and not really a great mesh with the rest of the vibe that the show went for.
In the end, Meikyuu Black Company is a mostly repetitive story that’s held together by the societal concept that brings us all together: money. The show honestly doesn’t have that many redeeming qualities beyond just constantly making commentary at how corporations aren’t your friend and that worker exploitation is the norm. But for what it’s worth, the show does that part of the story really, really good. It’s a shame the story doesn’t have much else to offer beyond that, but I guess you gotta stick to your isekai gimmick, eh?
Characters:
Ruthless, cutthroat, narcissistic with just a hint of god/superiority complex. Yep, that’s Ninomiya. I mean that’s just him in a nutshell, and not much really changes in him as a character. Due to a combination of ego and the drive to excel in business, Ninomiya is one of the most active protagonists in an isekai story that I’ve ever seen, and he gets a lot of credit from me for being an active player in the story rather than being given the keys to destiny. His anti-hero like qualities certainly don’t detract from that either as everything he does is selfish to the core with only a few minor stints in compassion and empathy on the rare occasion he tries to help someone other than himself. Unfortunately this all means that he’s quite a shallow character as well. Oddly enough, Ninomiya relies on the rest of the main cast in order to bring him down from his lofty pedestal since he doesn’t have many character qualities aside from being a dickhead fueled by money, power, and spite. He’s interesting sure, but on his own, he’s a roof without any supporting columns.
The two members of his party that I want to focus on are Rim and Wanibe, the two starting characters he gets in the first episode of the show who provide very contrasting parts for his character. Whereas Ninomiya has lofty and eccentric goals, Wanibe is more grounded, desiring only stability and often questions Ninomiya’s character as a result of watching Ninomiya practice his villain laugh on more than a few occasions. He’s a great contrast for his compatriot, and provides a key secondary perspective that the show desperately needs. Rim on the other hand is either a deus ex machina or a handicap depending on the scene context, as she’s not only the dungeon’s strongest monster, but is also gluttonous to the point of actively sabotaging Ninomiya in order to sustain her appetite. There’s a neat bit of character development for her later on in the series, but it’s neither enough to separate her from the ‘hungry child’ trope nor is it enough to develop her in a significantly meaningful way.
Shia and Ranga are the last two additions to the party who really don’t have that much involvement in the series beyond being the token pair of tits and the token surprise that I guess every isekai needs to some extent. Yes there’s some character to them, but the wasted potential that they ended up having feels like the show just wanted to fill up the party but didn’t want to do anything beyond stock tropes in order to save costs and brainpower, so we’re stuck with these two. Shia honestly could’ve been more than she actually ended up being and that’s a shame cause the series ended up both not needing what she was offering as a character and forced the scraps of a romantic subplot on her that really didn’t need to be a thing; stop forcing romantic subplots onto characters that don’t need them.
Side characters are an interesting group, as they consist of corporate overlords, a few dungeon monsters, a few adventurers, a few NPCs, a lot of corporate workers, and whatever the hell that gun is supposed to be. They’re mostly just parts of the worldbuilding, and while yes the antagonistic force is omniprevalent in the series, they’re mostly a passive part of the series until the very last part of the show where they also don’t do anything. Which I guess makes sense since those at the top would do anything to make sure that they don’t need to take an active part of the whole process, i.e. the entire story.
Aesthetics:
Silver Link certainly didn’t…pull their a-game this time, so there’s not really a lot I can really say about how Meikyuu Black Company looks. The action and effects aren’t really the best, and the overall look of the show is, while stylized, not all that impressive to look at. The few upsides I will give the show are in its closeups department because to a certain extent, it feels like you can see every one of Ninomiya’s pores with how often they do closeups of the guy’s face. It’s objectively ugly the way they frame him, and it’s something that helps sell that ‘he’s honestly more of a bad guy’ vibe that he has throughout the whole show.
Aside from that, the show employs a few instances of 3D models, present especially in the dungeon ants, as well as a surprising amount of equal opportunity fanservice given how not are the female characters stripped down to their bare essentials (because I guess that’s a required thing for the plot), Ninomiya and the rest of the guys get the same treatment too. The only real qualm I have about the art is the way the mouths are drawn cause they’re drawn in this downward pointing triangle style that looks a bit awkward and too sharp for my liking. Definitely a stylistic choice (like how they do the hair shine on Shia), but is definitely not one of the more appealing aspects of the art I feel.
HOWL BE QUIET’s “Shimi” is a song that while has a unique hook, isn’t particularly something that I’m too attached to as a song. It certainly has some memorability to it due to its guitar riffs and vocals, but aside from that doesn’t really stand out I feel. Certainly fits for the vibe of the series to a certain extent, and for that I feel like it’s a net positive. On the flipside, Humbreaders’s “World is Mine” isn’t really that interesting to me and just kind of sounds like a generic ending song. A point that’s not helped by the fact that the latter half of the series uses a 3D model of Rim and her sister as dancing models instead of the first half’s stylistic drawing of all of the main party members in a jeep. It’s a downgrade in visuals for sure, and while I don’t think the song is bad, I don’t think it’s memorable enough to get anything more than passing marks.
Final Thoughts:
Given how every isekai these days has to have a gimmick whether or not that be the protagonist being remade into an NPC, the protagonist being reborn as a baby, the protagonist being reborn as a hot spring, or the protagonist bringing his mom to his fantasy world, at some point we were going to reach a breaking point where the protagonist gets brought to a world where the economic system is scarily reminiscent of his own society with all of the practices, malpractices, and customs understood in the market system. Which I guess could be considered a natural evolution, but I feel like that’s more like digimon rules than pokemon rules if we’re arguing semantics.
For what its worth, I found the capitalist side of things a lot funnier than it had any right to be, and the show does not pull any punches in that regard. Every episode partakes in some kind of company malpractice with unionization, competition, and pulling bullshit out of your ass as the main reasons why this plot seems to go somewhere. It’s fun seeing how much the show pokes at our obviously dystopian and economy-fueled society but that’s about as much as the show really offers. In the end, Ninomiya is just the mouthpiece that drives the show forward, and all of his schemes either end up being success stories that don’t really last all that long, or failures that he moves on from with very little consequence. The gimmick/joke of the show is pretty much the main reason to watch the show, and while I don’t see that as a bad thing, there’s not really anything else compelling about the show and I’m a little sad the show is so one-note.
Still, it’s a recommendation if you want to laugh and then have an existential crisis over the state of our society and how it’s really run. I’d file this one as a fun watch/fun experience without expecting too much more out of it aside from that. A bit more than what was presented would be nice, but given the current isekai market and how isekai with gimmicks are a dime a dozen and have a turnover rate substantial enough to make a quick buck time and time again before discarding the old for the new, I think it’s safe to say that we weren’t really gonna be getting anything more than what was shown on the box. Aw well. I wonder if there were any Japanese salarymen who laughed while watching this show before crying in existential dread because of how close it hits to home given their life situation of endless work and labor for a wage. That’d be a nice statistic to see.
Im_Stuff
Do you think the concept of isekai isn't inherently bad but the cheap, mass produced, cardboard cut-out formula it became ruins it entirely? Well allow me to present something different™. Dungeon of Black Company is isekai done right. We follow Ninomiya Kinji, a shut-in NEET (wait, wait, don't click off) who got everything he could ever want and used the rules of our world to his advantage to become filthy rich. I don't need to do anything anymore kind of rich. Now let's take someone who got everything, and take it all from him, transporting him in a fantasy world at the beginning of the industrial era. Thisconcept isn't too far-fetched and yet stays fresh enough to get you interested. After all, the same old medieval fantasy world can only last so long before it gets stale.
In this world in industrial expansion where human rights haven't been invented yet, the chances to get promoted are rather slim, and this is where our protagonist will show off his skill.
After all, physical power, while flashy, is still an overused aspect of not only isekai, or anime, but entertainment as a whole. Instead, Ninomiya's main aspect is his lack of morals, matching that of the company itself, and his ability to find the good people and use them to the best of his abilities, which is a new kind of overpowered, making it feel rather nice.
Enough praises about Ninomiya, even though he's a king beyond what the human mind can appreciate. What about the rest? Is it the same old dead and beaten harem with a bunch of hot girls head over heels for him for no apparent reason?
No, Ninomiya is an asshole, remember? Well there is one who gets the uwu blushy wushy kinda thing, but it doesn't go any further. And to make up for it, there's a based ant waifu, and Wanibe, who's also really solid.
And it is actually an isekai where the side characters can be summarized with more than a single sentence, to its credit, not many put that kind of effort.
Furthermore, Ninomiya, despite being a main character, may not even be overpowered. After all, he spent a large portion of these 12 episodes struggling against the much superior Raiza'ha, and has been put in some bad situations, even failed a few time. How many isekai protagonists have failed in the runtime of their anime? That's what I thought.
If there was one thing I'd bash this anime for, it would be Rim's... everything. No hate on her design, just like everyone else, she looks unique, but it's still palatable. The problem is that... well, she appears in episode 1, she's overpowered and she never openly opposes Ninomiya, which makes her the substitute for an overpowered main character, and makes Ninomiya's challenge a lot easier than what it could have been. All in all, she's more of a lazy plot device than a character, and it is a bit sad.
But still, this anime isn't any less of a crazy ride, and is probably one of, if not my favorite anime of the season
Zora-Ideale
Before I started this anime, I thought it was gonna be just another show to watch and get over with. When I started watching it, I liked the different approach to the isekai genre. I thought that was just it. The first few episodes didn't catch my attention that much, but I kept watching. The anime delivered some good surprises mid way. That's where I felt the anime really kick off. At first, it was the story of a man vs an entire greedy conglomerate, and the outlook looked simple at first. However, the author of the manga really knows how to spice up the story,and the producers did a phenomenal job in adapting it.
With each new episode, I grew to love this show even more. At first, I was deciding between giving it a 7/10 or 8/10, but by the time I finished the last episode, I gave it a rating of 10/10. The last episode this season was so emotional, and if a second season came by, the nostalgia would show itself then.
To me, it seems like the show grows along with the MC; at first, Ninomiya is just another person trying to get back on his feet, so to speak, after he gets isekai'd. However, with each passing episode, Ninomiya shows true talent and hard work *ahem *cough cough), which makes not only him grow as a character, but all those around him.
Really looking forward to a second season for this one.
IrrelevantGuy
The isekai genre is pretty much unanimously notorious -- notorious for mass-producing wholly lifeless shows that are barred from any semblance of creativity whatsoever. A large part of the anime community is openly critical of the genre for this reason, but despite its notoriety, the popularity of isekai is still as high as ever. More than half a dozen isekai shows are shoved down our throat nearly every season, and the ongoing summer is not an exception. Meikyuu Black Company isn't very different from your typical isekai anime in this regard, but surprisingly, it is one of the few ones out there that barely sufferbecause of that.
When people think of a comedy isekai, parodies like KonoSuba usually come to mind because of their overblown popularity over the recent years. Surprisingly though, Meikyuu is not necessarily a parody anime. It is primarily a typical ("typical" in the sense that it is not isekai) comedy show that provides a fairly interesting and satirical take on capitalism. Though Meikyuu is not a parody of isekai, however, it is indeed aware of the genre's usual trappings and sometimes cleverly uses them for comedy, which already sort of makes the show a breath of fresh air to be honest.
Coming back to the pivotal theme of the series, Meikyuu satirizes the capitalist mindset in rather bizarre and exaggerated ways, but in doing so, it also delivers a somewhat well-written critique of the system. Of course, the portrayal of capitalism here isn't exactly what you would call serious or akin to reality, but there's always an underlying sense of truth that remains underneath the seemingly light-hearted comedy. I don't mean that Meikyuu is a serious show by any measure, but when it does attempt to be profound (kind of), it surprisingly succeeds to a considerable extent. And the person who makes it all work is the protagonist, Kinji Ninomiya.
Ninomiya is by far the most intriguing character in Meikyuu; he is arguably the very thing that makes the anime so entertaining and sets it apart from other isekai series. What makes Ninomiya himself so entertaining is his severe contrast with the multitude of isekai protagonists out there. Ninomiya can be fairly dumb, selfish, cynical and manipulative at times, but he is also unexpectedly clever and thoughtful. His actions and beliefs are undoubtedly questionable sometimes, but they don't affect the likeability of his character (there are a few exceptions, like that one time when he grabbed Shia's chest for no reason).
To be more specific, Ninomiya's unwillingness to give in to his shitty circumstances is what makes him compelling. There are several times in the show where Ninomiya is driven to a corner, but he always manages to get on top of the situation through his over-the-top plotting. Luck hasn't exactly been on his side since he was isekaied to another world, and it doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon either, but one's thing for sure --
Ninomiya will continue to fight against his predicaments no matter what it takes; he is not going to give up easily. Again, that is precisely what makes him such a compelling character.
Unfortunately, in a way, that also makes Ninomiya the biggest weakness of Meikyuu -- I will explain how.
Ninomiya is clearly the singular main character of the story, and while that's not necessarily always a bad thing in of itself, the anime sometimes relies on him so much to the point that other characters are treated as tools who are merely created to be foils to Ninomiya and move the story forward. Even when someone else eventually takes the spotlight, they always fail to leave any significant impression, since it doesn't take a long time before they are reduced to a static background character again.
Despite these glaring issues, though, the characters don't fail to be entertaining for the most part. Wanibe is a likeable guy despite his naive nature, Shia is an encouraging women with her determination, and Renga is adorable though his depiction in the anime is occasionally very questionable (especially in that bath scene). Of course, there's Rim as well, whose insatiable hunger and childish behavior creates some hilarious moments in the anime. All in all, Rim is generally a very entertaining character -- even despite her apparent clothing issues. I mean, surely it wouldn't have hurt anyone if you hadn't made her a loli or, you know, at least given her some proper clothes?
Another one of Meikyuu's most noticeable flaws is that pacing is occasionally very poorly handled. Sometimes, the story moves forward in an abruptly fast pace and escalates way too quickly for its own good. The final arc of the show is the easily the most guilty of this. In particular, the last two episodes were rather difficult to follow because of the sudden and abrupt progression of events. Honestly, the entirety of the arc felt quite rushed, although I did enjoy it in the end.
In terms of production, there is not much to talk about Meikyuu to be honest. Don't get me wrong, though -- it is not a badly produced show by any means. The animation is fairly decent and the soundtrack isn't half bad either. The opening song seriously slaps by the way. It is one of the catchiest theme songs this season (or even this entire year) and by far the most underrated one. The ending song is also quite good in my opinion.
Despite my initial qualms, Meikyuu Black Company ultimately proved to be a simple yet nonetheless enjoyable isekai anime. It doesn't bring anything particularly innovative to the table per se, but if what you want is simply an isekai anime that doesn't cover itself with superfluous drama and actually tries to make its audience laugh, then this show won't disappoint you. Especially in a period where isekai has become almost entirely devoid of flair, Meikyuu is, without a doubt, more than a welcome addition to the genre.
Argar_
Anime that subverts the usual tropes of the genre. Instead of being a hero or a chosen one, the protagonist Ninomiya Kinji is a corporate slave who has to work in a dangerous dungeon for a greedy company. He is not overpowered, but rather clever and resourceful, and he tries to find ways to escape his miserable situation. Great comedy that satirizes the harsh realities of capitalism and exploitation. It also has some fantasy elements, such as monsters, magic, and different races. The characters are quirky and funny, especially Ninomiya’s companions Rimu, Wanibe, and Ranga. The animation is decent, but not outstanding. The music is catchyand fits the tone of the show.
GravenER
You know, I held off on watching this for a long time. I've seen similar stuff, and I didn't like it, so I supposed it'd happen the same with this one. And indeed, I was correct. At first, I thought the show was taking the route of "extremely smart but not OP MC uses his brain to overcome the obstacles" - the kind of show where the MC has to find new ways and strategies to fend off the challenge of his new world. Instead, what I found was a boring show where stuff *kind of just happens* all the time, often with no decentintroduction, either - there's no linear plot development or progression, and while that might be a good thing if done correctly, here it just makes no sense.
It's kind of sad when an Isekai tries to do something different, but, instead of 'deconstructing' or subverting the expectation, it ends up being a completely nonsensical mess. Pretending you're making a parody of the genre doesn't exempt you from putting together a coherent story with interesting characters, and this show has neither. It's just utter emptiness and boredom - it literally has nothing: no decent combat scenes, no interesting plot devices, no compelling character arcs, no plot line worth following. It's not even fun.
Miss me with this one.
ren0080
If I were to evaluate this anime in few words then it would be "an anime with a lot of ups and downs". I think that encapsulates my thoughts perfectly. The story is decent. It's an isekai which parodies the current state of black companies in Japan. And I think that it works quite well as a show. Although there's a lot of ridiculous and unnecessary plot twists and threads being introduced, it doesn't really break the audience immersion unless they think about it. The characters have their own charm which makes up for the lack of development. Even though most of the cast are one-dimensional characters, theyaren't uninteresting by any means. That doesn't mean they are good characters though as they are incredibly forgettable.
The animation is acceptable. It does have a lot of jarring movements and lots of off-models, but it does have some good art sprinkled here and there as still images.
The music is good. It does have some catchy opening and ending. The ost is pretty lacking, but it doesn't really break any scenes whatsoever.
Overall, it's a really good anime and I recommend it.
ArchangelEST
Ultimate NEET busts ass to generate passive income to retire early and be a lazy bum. But just as he accomplishes his dream, he gets Isekaid to a world where everyone is a corporate slave in an industrial age fantasy land. Hell on earth, along with plenty of comedy, ensues. Animation / Art / General Visuals - 8/10 ----------------------------------------------- Nothing overly remarkable but the art style is charming and designs interesting. Animations aren't mindblowing but hit just the right spot, from combat to facial expressions, to simple movements. Sound / Music / Voice Acting - 8/10------------------------------------------
Voice actors put in a lot of work, especially the MC. His passion and energy is absolutely radiating. The soundtrack is also pretty nice with a couple of cool tunes.
Story - 7/10
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The story isn't overly complicated but has just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing what happens next.
Ultimate NEET who just accomplished his dream of early retirement is sent to a world that's a corporate hellhole. Determined not to give up on his dream, the MC decides to pursue financial independence and early retirement once again. But things are hard when you're a completely powerless human in a world of magical monsters, and 10 years pay in debt.
The story revolves around his struggles to overcome his position at the bottom of the career ladder.
We get a bunch of fantasy dungeon crawling, but from the perspective of a completely powerless hero that must completely rely on his wits and determination, rather than any kind of strength. He will find allies, manipulate others, and do whatever it takes to achieve his dream.
The show is ultimately designed as a comedic one, and even though there are plenty of more serious moments of fantasy dungeon crawling, you can always expect situations to resolve with a smile and a chuckle.
Characters - 8/10
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Despite the short run-time, the show has quite a few characters that are likeable with stand-out personalities.
The MC desires to be the ultimate anti-social individual who spends their entire life in a penthouse. But he's not above working his ass off to achieve it. No amount of work is too much if it gets him closer to his goals. He's intelligent and passionate, and above all, has an absolutely unbreakable mental, despite his occasionally horrendeous luck.
In his adventures he befriends a similarly down in luck slave colleague, an absurdly overpowered monster loli who he entices with treats, a local hero who's brainwashed to be a corporate slave, and many others who get involved as friends or allies.
All in all, it's a fun bunch of characters.
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Total - 8/10
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"How to manipulate and take advantage of people 101", is a pretty funny anime about a dude who just wants to live a life of isolated relaxation, yet can't catch a break when the universe throws him into a different world with one absurd challenge after the next.
Well worth a watch for some chuckles.
skysurf
Basically a seinen isekai. Work exploitation themes are probably not going to make laugh a typical 13 years old audience, but for those who can relate there's plenty to enjoy in this show. Instead of a loser bland MC that gets a harem just by breathing, here you get a character with questionable work ethics trying to rise in a capitalist savage world. You can almost tell the author has seen some serious stuff as you most likely can't write such on-point satire without having experienced it closely yourself. Animation itself is nice, the characters have funny personalities and the voice actors did an awesome job, Wanibe inparticular was great.
Both the opening and ending sonds are absolute bangers. The ending lyrics fit almost perfectly the story. Honorable mention to the special ending sequence with a coreography that is reminiscent to that Fujiwara dance from Kaguya sama.
Overall, the adult themes make this show feel like a refreshing change from the typical generic isekai and I hope to see more of this in the future.
brianthao102
This is a nice hidden gem to the Isekai genre. It's not about fighting or having the MC be some overpowered hero type. Honestly, you can learn a little about how economics work and be entertained by the theatrics of this show. The MC seems like some selfish prick but it's totally called for and with good reason. The business world translates well since it's not something we usually see in connection with a fantasy world. On top of that, this show is hilarious at times. It's a good hit, however I can see a certain amount of viewers being bored with the exposition ofthe MC and his theatrics of monologuing about business practices. It's definitely something worth watching but with a grain of salt since this isn't your typical Isekai anime. The MC isn't a hero and he doesn't desire to be, and that's fine. We need more shows that similarly portray this realistic side.
02_RK
Full motivation loaded. This anime delivers us the success we desire, even if we don't have one ! It is basically a fool's dream, turned out pretty miserable at first but mishap lags behind. Each moment of the animation is filled up with new idea as soon as the fall of past plans. Fairly sum of business artistry in isekai world. Largely it is expected, Isekai stories are full of harems and hero based story, where the main character is about develop through out the events; that concept doesn't apply to this one. The main character Kinji Ninomiya is solid to his core asa character; doesn't change his philosophy and true to his motivation. The more episode you watch, the more you likely to enjoy.
From a long time anime watcher perspective, animation style and quality is decent and it is the humor of the plot suits the art style better. For voice acting, production did magnificent choice for the cast; specially for Ninomiya. Music and sound is quit praiseworthy only if you pay attention to it [being honest].
Plot for many isekai we have seen(those which are adopted) are written in a way, where protagonist is about to die or having unbalanced life and his fate changes with arriving in different world. Our hero Ninomiya is failed businessman who is having bad luck. With sudden luck in his life, he happens to become a rich. But, the transfer to new world takes away his good life; with this consequence the story buries other isekai plots of having miserable life in real world. Ninomiya after arriving in new world tries his best to return back to his world as the fate seals his good time away from him. As he stay longer in the new world, tries to adopt with new system and unveils many secret of the new world. New world has system of Dungeon, where major of oars and elements are used as source of income for big company stake holders. Ninomiya at first tries to join Veruza Spinach, who is the lady owns major dungeon and claims to be richest in the new world. Under her company, Ninomiya suffers as labor then tries to make his own company in disguise. Ninomiya promotes himself under Veruza's company as well as keep making his secret company stronger with allies like Wanibe the lizardman, Rimu the pink dragon and new partner from promotion Shia. To minimize casualties among labours, Ninomiya make the demons and creatures of dungeon under him through his brain work. In between these event Ninomiya travels to future and learns about disaster happens in future and portal that can make him go back to Japan. After returning from future travel, he comes with new ally Ranga, who is believed to be Veruza's future lineage. With further capturing massive part of dungeon, Ninomiya makes it to public about his company and with helps from creatures and their magic gains massive market in the new world. With increase in Ninomiya's growth, Veruza lost her market and stocks. Even with plans she tries to sue Ninomiya by blaming him for violating human rights by using creature in his business. Ninomiya hits back hard at her sue and wins the case; results in Veruza becomes his employee. With all the events, Ninomiya decides to make his business grow up to the whole world, where he owns all the dungeons from different part of the world. By the end our hero totally forgets about going back to join and becomes complete part of new world system. The company his made in dungeon is known as "MEIKYU BLACK COMPANY".
Good entertainment with good commercial and new teachings.
techmo77
“Another isekai? argh Skipped!” I can almost hear some of you thinking that, stop, this isn”t like the others. Here’s why. Devious, crafty and charismatic; funny, introspective and somewhat relatable. Kinji Ninomiya is the star of this show. Think Kazuma but with a more mature mentality - he’s not just a copy paste though, don’t be mistaken. The wide cast of characters were fun and lively, (They’ve got nearly all the types of waifus you want: mature, young but actually old, not even a girl...) but there isn’t a disgusting focus on it - it’s just there to be appreciated. SPOILERS There are many tonal shifts throughoutthe anime but it never fails to maintain he freshness, quality and most importantly, sense. Meikyuu black company changed from exploitation of workers to time travel, and the depths of the dungeon to political schemes - all while being entertaining, fun and rather refreshing.
END OF SPOILERS
Sound and art was well done - nothing Fate/ Heaven’s Feel quality - but that’s that, this is this; the down to earthness fit the mood and atmosphere of the show well.
This was a good watch and a definite stand out from the myriad isekai trash defiling our precious medium. Entertaining mc, simple but compelling plot, slight relatibilty if you work in a not so positive work environment. I wholeheartedly recommend this. 8.5/10!
AnimeEnjoyer420
Recommendation: It's very hit or miss. It flips between being funny and being boring, so whether you like it or not will depend on your level of tolerance for that kind of inconsistency. Story: Meikyuu Black Company is a story about a rich asshole by the name of Ninomiya getting zapped into a fantasy world, where he immediately goes deep into debt in their society of predatory ultra-capitalism and is forced to work as something like an indentured servant. This sounds like the setup for an excellent satire of Japanese work culture and capitalism more broadly, but it never quite gets there. Asa story, it seems unfocused and unsure of what it's trying to be. Ninomiya himself is the biggest issue here, as the show seems unsure of whether he's good or bad, and if his actions are worthy of praise or condemnation. He treats his friends like shit, but they all seem to like him. He does some pretty indefensible things, like mind controlling his coworkers to work extra hard so he can relax, but he's often treated like a hero in spite of his narcissistic sociopathy. The message of the series is very muddled as a result. Is Ninomiya's "the strong should dominate the weak" ethos the message of the series, or a satire of it? The show doesn't seem to know, and that thematic inconsistency really takes the wind out of its sails.
Audio/Visual: A strong performance by Konishi Katsuyuki in the lead role of Ninomiya here, his comically over the top voicing of the character fits like a glove. Most of the other VAs are just there, but I also want to call attention to the collection of sound effects that I've termed "Rim noises", usually involving her eating or doing something distracting in the background of a scene. They're a small thing, but always entertaining and used well. Visually, well, this show just looks bad. The character designs are poor, faces are too pointy and too samey, often just looking like they swapped hair colors and styles on the same body and face for a new character. The animation is unimpressive as well. They undoubtedly did the best they could with the budget, but the result is not very good.
Characters: Without repeating everything I said about Ninomiya above, he's both the biggest strength and biggest weakness of the series. Those issues aside, he's usually the funniest character in the series, and you alternate between wanting to see him win and wanting to see him get owned by his own selfish behavior. This is not a strength from a storytelling perspective, but it means there are plenty of opportunities for comedy, and he can play both the straight man and the butt of the joke when the situation calls for it. Most of the other characters are just okay, the later addition of Ranga is notably cringeworthy however. That said, the food-obsessed dragon girl Rim often makes this series worth watching singlehandedly. She's cute and funny and almost always steals whatever scene she's in. The problem is that she's often in the background and not the focus of that particular scene, so her background antics prove distracting for whatever you're supposed to be paying attention to. In the end though, that probably says more about the lack of appeal that the other characters have by comparison.
verbinflection
'The Dungeon of Black Company' is a blast: it's a standout adventure comedy that offers something new every episode. A lovably obnoxious anti-hero and his more-or-less unwilling friends scheme and bumble their way through a wild variety of conflicts, from underground dragon-slaying expeditions to corporate shareholder meetings and others I don't want to spoil. I had no expectations going in, and it took me a few episodes to figure out what the show was trying to do, but by episode four it was smooth sailing, so stick with it. 'Black Company' actually turned out to be exactly what I wanted, but ultimately didn't get, from similarshows like 'KonoSuba' and 'Combatants Will Be Dispatched'. The main character is motivated by a clear goal and drives the story forward. He faces an interesting variety of credible threats, from losing his life savings to losing his actual life. He's supposed to be obnoxious, and he absolutely is, and he does get punished for it, but he isn't reduced to a laughingstock or a punching bag either. I wanted to see what he would do next; I wanted him to succeed; I laughed when he screwed everything up. It's a nice balance.
The pacing is excellent: it really does give you something new every episode. Action scenes are more likely to showcase creative problem-solving than generic fantasy swordplay. The characters and their relationships are fairly well developed: we get credible friends, credible siblings, credible students and mentors, credible heroes, anti-heroes, and villains, and a few gestures toward credible romance. The animation is serviceable. I prefer the English dub.
In the end, I was torn between an eight and a nine. In the cold light of day, it's probably an eight, but somehow 'Black Company' just left me feeling really generous: I want to see more shows like it. Can we call it a bonus? Or overtime pay? That seems appropriate.
RyanSpring
Amazon's targeted suggestions got the best of me on this one. I purchased the blu-ray for this without ever having heard of it previously because its Limited Edition was available at a steep discount. Now having actually watched it, it really wasn't too bad at all. Reviewing comedy anime in particular is challenging because humor is so personal and subjective and what might have one person rolling on the floor choking on their laughter may not even amuse another, or hell it may even outright annoy them. My subjective reaction to the humor in this particular anime is that it was inoffensive and occasionally worthyof a chuckle or a snicker but the vast majority of the jokes didn't land for me or draw any kind of reaction from me. They're likely targeted at an audience younger than I am.
That said, while the humor was forgettable for me, I feel there were several other aspects of the show worthy of praise. As a whole this show felt fairly unique and different, which was an ultra welcome and breath of fresh air in a time where everything reminds me to varying degrees of something else that I've already seen, and that uniqueness is perfects the strongest aspect of the program. For starters our main character is not the generically nice, bland looking, high school aged guy with very little personality beyond being nice that we've all seen ad nauseum. Instead, our main character here is a full grown adult, is noticeably very fit, has considerably longer hair than most male leads and a distinctive ponytail and, most importantly, he's a full on self-serving jerk with no redeeming qualities. The show has plenty of opportunities for him to show a soft side or a heart in there somewhere and do something for someone else's sake, but he never does. ALL his actions are for his own benefit and I believe the show is better and more exciting for it.
Another aspect of the show I found to be different from the norm in a positive way is the soundtrack. It had a much more rock and roll/metal sound going on with lots of volume and attitude and a predominantly heard electric guitar, which again is unlike most other anime and stands out. The music absolutely got me playing air guitar and using my wife's legs as drums as we watched from our couch.
The plot itself, while not absolutely 100% original, which is almost impossible to do these days, again felt more different than same. It's got isekai elements and comedy elements but it's different enough from the norms in either of these genres to really stand out on its own. Ultimately the big baddy in this anime isn't the badass monster at the bottom of the dungeon nor is it the rival character you encounter early on that is unfathomably stronger than you are. There is an "evil" corporation, yes, but ultimately the bad guy in the show is capitalism itself. It should be noted that this show does not take itself seriously at all and is very self-aware of its tone, which it needs to be because this plot wouldn't work if they asked us to take it at face value.
Objectively this show is probably a bit better than the final score I ultimately landed on, but subjective things took away a couple points for me. Like I said previously, the humor largely missed for me and was forgettable. Additionally, while this show was never BAD or BORING per say, it also wasn't ever exciting or overly engaging. There aren't any dramatic moments or meaningful twists and it certainly never makes you think. You can watch this with your mind 100% turned off and you won't miss anything. 12 episodes was likely the correct runtime for this. If we'd started pushing 16, 20, 24 I think I would have started to get bored. I largely felt along for the ride rather than actively engaged.
The other negative I'd point out, which is inherent with a large cast and short runtime, is the clear lack of character development. They simply don't have the time to do this within the confines of the episode count, but there's no arguing that the characters here are flat and one-dimensional. One character that's met early on could be almost entirely summed up as "Overpowered, obsessed with food" and there really truly isn't much more to her than that. Almost every other character could be summed up in a similar way.
Ultimately I liked The Dungeon of Black Company a lot more than I disliked it and I'd surely watch a second season if that ever becomes a thing. It's not amazing by any means and beyond being fairly unique it won't be overly memorable to me, but it's a ride I don't regret taking. I won't go so far as to actively recommend it because comedy is so hit or miss person to person, but I don't think most people would be miserable watching this even if the humor doesn't land for them and if the humor DOES land for that person you might enjoy this a lot.
OBJECTIVE RATING- 7.5~
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 7
hexashadow13
tl;dr: A comedy anime about corporate exploitation in a fantasy world with a great protagonist that pendulums between lame and awesome. In the modern era, most everyone is running the rat race of life. Working long hours at jobs they don’t particular like in order to pay for things that at best make them happy short term. However, Ninomiya Kinji was determined to escape such a life at all costs. And he did, taking crazy risks but quickly becoming rich enough to do whatever he wants as an Uber NEET. But then he got isekai’d to a fantasy world. And unfortunately the fantasy world is verysimilar to ours, especially in terms of how it’s full of corporations exploiting their workers. However, just as he did in his previous life, Ninomiya is determined to become an Uber NEET in this one as well, regardless of what tricks, cheats, and lies he must use in order to do so.
This anime is pretty much entirely carried by Ninomiya. He’s a difficult character to explain because he’s a both a really lame arrogant self centered NEET and a hyper competent devious boss that channels a lot of Kamina (TTGL) energy, and not just because of his voice actor. He’s certainly more the former type of character towards the beginning of the anime and more the latter towards the end, but it’s not like he has a character arc. Rather, it feels more like his difference in character is solely a result of what circumstances he’s put into. This may sound like a weakness because it means he’s written such that he doesn’t have much character growth, but I actually feel like it’s one of the anime’s greatest strengths. Because he fails miserably more than half the time, the times he succeeds and comes out looking awesome are incredibly satisfying. The times he fails are pretty funny too, though the amount of failures did get somewhat annoying. However, the failures are critical to making the successes work so well, so I can’t say I’d want them gone.
The anime also has a lot of other stuff thrown in which helps add variety. None of it is especially good though. There are a lot of fun side characters that get character development, though it’s never all that deep. It touches on a lot of different aspects of the business world. It starts out with workers being exploited in the mines, but then goes all over the place with topics including corporate brainwashing, false advertising, automation, resource depletion, and business politics. All with a bit of a fantasy twist. While none of it is especially great, it keeps things interesting and helps Ninomiya shine which is the core of the anime. It also adds variety to the comedy which helps keep it amusing.
The art and animation are pretty solid. The character designs I felt were mostly pretty boring though. The OP is pretty good in terms of the song and visuals. The ED’s song and the first visuals are okay. I like the second visuals though with Rim dancing. The soundtrack is decent enough but not particularly memorable.
