To prepare for reincarnation in another world, Kelvin gives up select memories from his previous life in exchange for powerful abilities, additional skill points, and an S-class summoner title. As a bonus, the goddess facilitating his rebirth, Melfina, offers him a choice of any companion to give him a head start in his summoner role. Kelvin—who has fallen head over heels for Melfina at first sight—promptly chooses the deity, confident that his passionate feelings for her will resurface even without all of his memories.
Kelvin embarks on his exciting new journey with Melfina as his guide. However, in order to summon his beloved goddess' physical form, he needs to acquire significant amounts of mana points—and the best way to accomplish this is to level up by fighting strong enemies and making contracts with even stronger companions.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
adulterousAmpora
Blah Blah power fantasy harem garbage. Main character does the things and is so much stronger than everyone else he can't be beat. No real tension, emotional impact, plot beyond "who's the bad guy of today!". Truely another addition to the pile of garbage that is the isekai genre. It's really sad to see show after show that has at least 1 unique story element have every trope imagineable thrown in, in an effort to make it stand out? For black summoner the story had an initially interesting angle, that the main character willingly trades his memories for power. Perhaps this could have led to himrediscovering he was a terrible person, perhaps he fails over and over in different situations because he literally doesnt remember how life works, what his morals are, etc; but no. Simply uninteresting, bland, and unimpresive in every catagory.
DivinityV12
Not bad for what it brought to the table As far as Isekais go as a overly used genre this wasn't bad to watch, ofcourse it has the main concepts of being isekai'd into another world with game mechanics built in and the development of added people that get added to the group essentially making it a bit of a harem (excluding the knight, dog and the slime) it does make for a decent watch as the action is decent, the character backgrounds aren't half assed and pretty much the MC has to work a bit to become powerful which doesn't take too long because ofthe amount of episodes given with the pacing.
The things that didn't make this good are probably how morally upright the MC is so he ends up being like a generic person apart from the battle junkie attitude he has which does make it more interesting but still doesn't outweigh the boringness of being an upstanding citizen like person which is just occasionally annoying and just disinteresting at this point, although I understand it's pretty much the default Japanese personality.
Other things I liked was the soundtrack used which wasn't half bad and kind of enjoyed from time to time.
So if you're thinking about watching this do keep in mind this anime is more classed like the mid season fodder and isn't meant to be taken in the light as if it is a mainstream anime title so you should have no big expectations other than a show to watch that's not bad if you have some time to kill on your hands.
KSDG
Black Summoner is... ...Basic Harem/Isekai at best, Thankfully a Good Measure Less Pervy than The Majority of The Genre. All in All there are some Redeemable Points, Though I have to give it a Just Under Average 4/10 For being just Another Filler Anime. A Placeholder that Isn't Quite Good Enough to be a Palate Cleanser. The Beach Episode of Anime... ---Pros--- 1) Very Positive & Uplifting Vibe The General Atmosphere is very Positive & Optimistic, Which is a Rare Trait in Modern Action Anime. I see this as a Particularly Rare Plus.2) Quick Watch (12 Episodes)
The Action is Pretty Rare when it does happen it's Decently Animated. It Doesn''t have any Strong Comedic Moments, Though I did get a Couple of Light Chuckles out of It. It holds up Alright as a Background Show, I Wouldn't Recommend it as any kind of Serious Watch, It Excels as Background Material Though.
---Cons---
1) God Awful Pacing
The Pacing is like, How do I make MC Strong enough to rip The World in Half Barehanded? In 4 Episodes? While also making this Show as Slow as Absolutely Possible? MC goes from Who Am I?, Where Am I?, To "I am Level 50" in what feels like 30 Seconds with No Weight. Uninteresting enough to Make You Wish there was Any Action or Intrigue or Anything Exciting at All.
2) Shallow Dialogue/Characters
There Isn't any Real Depth to the Dialogue or Characters. More often than not Dialogue consists of Simplistic Back & Forths that You might see Equivalents in either Porn, or Cartoons targeting 7 year olds. They hit every single 'Girl In A Harem' Tropes.
3) Lackluster Animation
The Animation is at it's best when there is Combat (Which is pretty rare). The rest is alot of Still Frames & Slow Pans of Mundane Scenes.
The Ending is Just as I thought, (Not really an ending at all / A Played Out Cliche' that we all were expecting)
Could've Been Great, Just Another Clone - 4/10
(P.S. The Dub Is Awful)
It's On Par With...
- Banished From The Heroes Party (5/10)
- .hack//Sign (4/10)
If You Love It Watch...
- The Rising Of The Shield Hero (8/10)
- I've Been Reincarnated As A Slime (6/10)
1st Review, I Tried to Keep it Brief & to The Point.
Thanks for giving it a Read.
slavemaster_1991
And another one OP MC isekai. To be honest you don't even need a review for this one, you know everything already, but here we go: -Sound. Nothing interesting. -Visuals. Average drawing, below average CGI. I will give it credit, it is much better than most isekais use nowadays, but it still runs at half the framerate of animation, also the transitions between CGI and drawing are not really well thought. - Plot. What plot? It is a power fantasy isekai, get transported to another world and just get yourself a harem. Cause you know, even though you behave like a log in social situations and like adrug addict when it comes to combat - you are still a glorious japanese male, so every single female will desire you. There is no point of you being in this world anyway.
- Characters. The usual. Blank MC that is used as self insert for viewers, NPCs who give quests and praise MC, female slave girl for harem (ofc virgin cause what self-respecting MC will pick a used slave?), loyal monster companion who is horrible OP, and a few more females for harem cause you can't have a harem if there is only one girl in it. Basically it is as usual - noone has a personality, everyone is blank and an empty husk.
- Enjoyment. Well it is good if you need to waste some time. Or if you are sitting on a toilet.
Overall: it is just as bad as thousands of unoriginal isekai anime we have been having for a while. Don't waste your time.
PsFreedom
Kuro no Shoukanshi (Black Summoner) is interesting in the first few episodes when MC starts his new life learning the world/system and building his team/party. After that, it's flat, pretty boring, and predictable. There is not so much drama, peak, or climax. The dude is strong (just like other Isekai MCs), and he has everything (Hot goddess waifu, Elf maid, Demon princess, Imouto, etc). The Art is decent at least, girls are cute. The Animation is mediocre at best, fight scenes are just simple slashes and magic shooting, with some awkward CGI action. Voice acting is ok, Reina Ueda's sweet soothing sound fits the goddess nicely. I don'tlike MC's voice, it's so flat-dead. The dude doesn't get excited, hyped up, or anything.
There is not much to say,
It's passable if you like Isekai, Harem, Cute girls, and you have so much time, and you already watched other good Isekai. Otherwise, skip this show.
Fun fact: MC is supposed to lose all his past-life memory, but the dude remembers everything about Japanese culture. He wants to eat rice/sushi and bathe in onsen lol.
Akuma_Sama_
Unimaginably dull - this anime actively looks for isekai tropes to add to it's existing dumpster fire. The character's are lifeless and have no plot relevance besides *existing* as a token harem just to tick off one of the aforementioned tropes. The main character is, as stated by others, a painfully uninteresting mess of cliches - overpowered, has no actual character development and just serves as an archetypal overpowered isekai MC. Every time there is a chance to offer some emotional depth to the character - we see him stomp the punchbag, lifeless goombas that serve as the villains of the series. Each and everyencounter involves (without spoilers) him/his party walking through an enemy that the anime has the gall to waste an entire episode hyping up.
Between the lack of originality (bar the trading memories for a new game+ mechanic), dry story, sleep-inducing attempts at dialogue and MC's "bad habit" of being a 'battle junkie' - there's enough material to help you sleep (looking at you, insomniacs) - but nothing that is praiseworthy or would ever warrant watching this abomination. It's almost as bad as the isekai smartphone anime (iykyk)
Dawmi_
Another season and yet another shallow isekai. (I know im one season late lol) Inittially the show is sooomewhat interesting, the first episode has some good art and "decent" combat. For a isekai lover like me it whas a pretty good start. Unfortunately, it all became a mess. Story - 2.5/10 - If you want a anime that a random cute girl appears each 2 episodes than this is for you! The plot feels rushed as hell, there is absolutely none character development, the girls just spawn in your screen. Maybe worst, it has NO other main plot, except for the final ep whicha random guy just shows up, in sumary world just feels dead, nothing is properly explained.
Characters - none/10
Boring.
Actually, one or another characters have some explorable traits, but obviously the traits wont be explored lol. Kelvin, our protagonist is hardly passable even for a isekai, but ive seen worst. Ultimately the lack of character development and rush of the show doesnt help.
Enjoyment - 4/10
Still enjoyable for a isekai junkie, but its dissapointing. The combat is a decent cgi based that can keep you entertained but dont expect romance.
Overall:
If you like ultra generic isekai like me go for it, but i really dont know how the score is so high, that isekai smartphone anime is way more amusing.
Rezwan1024
First of all it's a waste of your time. If you have extra time in you hands and you want to waste it then watch this anime. The animation's trash. Specially the fight scenes. It could have been unnoticed if the fight scenes were not shit. The story will turn your brain to mush. There is no plot what so ever. The moment the protagonist faces some hardships he instantly solves them. The protagonist has plot armor thicker then any other anime protagonist out there. The character development is absent totally. The levels of the characters steadily increased without them even doing anything in the anime.Let's be real your time is your to waste but I would suggest a better way to waste it. I don't suggest any person to watch this anime. I'm a hardcore Isekai fan but still I don't like this mush.
beigechan
Not recommended, unless you're looking for a generic isekai or you're extremely bored with nothing to watch. Kelvin trade his memories for skills but it doesn't impact him in any way. His only personality trait is being a "battle junkie", he doesn't have an objective and there's no overall plot. Kelvin is a summoner in name only he gets like 3 monsters and the rest are all girls, he could be a wizard and it wouldnt change anything. And the girls only personality trait is being in love with Kelvin, their backstories are shallow and there's no character development either. Also most of the fights are madewith CGI and it doesn't look good at all.
lycoping
Ok, let me start with this: my list is littered with isekai I started and didn't finish. I finished this. So that says something anyway. But there's not a whole lot about it that's special. It's just a bog standard isekai with game mechanics integrated. But, there are a few differences, that make all the difference in the world. So, instead of attempting to write a synopsis of the plot, I'll just say it's an isekai and leave it at that, this tells you everything you need to know. But as I said, the differences make all the, well, difference. First thingsfirst: this is a harem-ish isekai, but it's not ecchi. There's no flagrant and unnecessary displaying of female parts or pantsu, and what little displaying there is, is at least defensible. This is unusual for an isekai, particularly a harem one. There's also not a huge amount of violence - there's a bit of gore, but it's not excessive. I don't typically like those elements but there wasn't enough to bother me. This is also unusual for an isekai. The plot is well paced and while the ending wasn't very satisfying, it was about what's to be expected from an isekai.
The one thing that really did bother me about this anime was something that you may not notice until you look for it: there's a lot of exposition *while the enemy is standing right there*. It's kind of ridiculous. They approach the enemy, he or she is standing there, and they go into this minutes long exposition where he just stands there and even sometimes says "are you done?" It's ridiculous. I know the games these are based on is turn-based, but that's just dumb.
As for the art, there's a lot of CGI. It wasn't poorly done but I could tell it was CGI, so, well, I guess that's not the best thing. Otherwise, it's about the quality of animation you'll expect from a kadokawa-esque isekai, which is to say, good enough to get the job done and no better. (it's not kadokawa, but you know what I'm talking about - that studio tends to be better at prodigiously cranking out mid anime, unlike gohands and clover works, and this is very much on the kadokawa level. Put another way, on a scale of kadokawa to gohands, it's kadokawa.) The action scenes were fairly well animated, but as these scenes tend to be, they were also confusing at times - too much going on at once. But they weren't excessively gory, so there's that.
The music was pretty interesting purely for its choice of tone. I've never heard electric piano (I think it was actually a DX-7 ish patch) used in an anime ED before. But otherwise it was about as unremarkable as the rest of the anime. Which is actually pretty normal, so...
There was nothing really wrong with this anime, but there wasn't a whole lot *right* with it, either. It was just a bog-standard isekai without many of the elements that really annoy me about isekai. Some reviews have called this a background or time-wasting anime. I think that's pretty apt. Recommended from me, but don't expect more than it'll deliver.
EyeAmTheI
It tells a lot about a show, if you only realize 10 episodes in, that you already watched it a few months ago, but you forgot to add to your list. So yeah, unbelievably unremakrable isekai family/harem building trash with the usual kirito clone OP protagonist, but with even less charm or personality. The show is not infuratingly bad, just lacks anything remotely interesting, apart from the basic premise, but they didn't do anything with it. So this is rather of a shell, than an actual story. Also it could have been interesting to see the relationship between the MC and the Godess (that wasan interesting idea tbh), but what am I saying, this is an isekai, so of course it is mandatory to bury a romantic subplot under a trash isekai harem. Not to mention the indispensable patethic virgin blushmachine MC. How could the community self-insert, if the MC would have some balls, right? So yeah, nothing to see here, look elsewhere.
Note: If you are an isekai trash -just like me- and you are scraping the bottom of the barrel, this may be an okeyish time timekiller, because nothing is glaringly terrible here, just boring and empty...
Well, it doesn't really worth any more word than this. Have a nice day!
mrfried
Lets get this out of the way, this anime is not for everyone, it's an isekai, it has the overpowered MC, and it has some harem elements to it too, if you hate those tropes, then you will hate this anime. Now for the positives, if you enjoy isekai, if you enjoy an OP protag, if you like harem comedy elements in your anime, then you will enjoy this. This is well made, has story elements, has enjoyable action and adventure to it, we actually have some time spent on developing the characters and fleshing them out, the characters have agency in their own story, it isfun, and most of all, it is actually good.
So yes, everything you want in an isekai adventure anime is here.
Now for the negatives.
There is a heavy use of CG in the action scenes and the style of the CG compared to the regular animation is different to the point that it takes you out of the moment as you are too busy focusing on the CG. It's basically video game graphics, and with whole scenes done that way, it's not good, it's not pretty.
I will also say there there are issues with the pacing, it is definitely rushed and cramming too much in there, yes they wanted an 'impact' ending, but if they saved the last two episodes for a future season 2 and spread the rest of it evenly, the pacing likely would have been improved.
It is at it's heart, nothing extraordinary and instead totally average, it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it doesn't do anything new or different to many of the other isekai that are out there, it is a solid entry, but as it doesn't try to stand out from the crowd, it will get lost and forgotten in the sea of the other isekai that are like it.
In conclusion, if you like Isekai, then you will find this a good enjoyable watch, it will easily pass the time, however it is nothing amazing, and nor does it try to be anything special.
Watchable, but forgettable.
ninja35mm
In The Summoner, most of the plotlines stick closely to classic tropes, so there’s no point in breaking them down—you’re better off just watching it. Even the music fits the spirit of the show. The animation and visuals are solid too: lots of 3D, but it’s surprisingly not cringe-worthy. The fight scenes are dynamic, and there are very few static shots overall. As for the story itself, thanks to some trope tweaks and additional layers, the focus shifts to the journey of the hero and his companions. They’re all exceptional, so battles don’t pose much of a challenge—or so it seems. Speaking of the story, though,it doesn’t really have a unique hook. Sure, it’s fun to see what happens next—but just watch. I wouldn’t bother diving into the source material to find out.
In terms of tone, there’s not a ton of comedy. It’s more like wholesome adventures with a group of friends, wrapped in a nostalgic vibe, served with a side of epic battles and sticking it to the pompous assholes of the world.
Now for the downsides. Despite the solid setting and decent lore, the magic system made no sense to me. For example, spells are just made up on the spot. It feels like they left this aspect up to chance, which is honestly a big drawback. Also, while the hero is a summoner, that’s just one of his many skills, not the core of his character as a warrior.
For example: any highly leveled skill can become a character’s defining trait. So, if you’ve got multiple maxed-out abilities, the character ends up as a jack-of-all-trades, and the whole “summoner” label becomes superficial. And the ability to scan and copy skills (even with limitations) kills any sense of intrigue.
That said, it’s still fun to follow the adventures and fates of the characters. Sure, the supporting cast doesn’t get much depth, the harem is pretty weak (it feels more like a group of friends), and the relationships aren’t explored in any meaningful way, but the story leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Reviews on MyAnimeList are similarly balanced, reflecting both the fans’ love for the genre and fair criticism of the show’s narrative shortcomings.
Oh, and the ending of season one? Meh. They left it open-ended, though it’s obvious what comes next. The arcs are wrapped up, but the conclusion feels a bit off-putting.
The light novel has 25 volumes, and the first season adapted about three. There’s plenty of material for more seasons, but considering the mixed reviews, it’s unclear if they’ll continue. That said, the original work seems to sell decently, so who knows?
Shimogamo
So don't lie to me. If you like Isekais you probably already read this one. Kelvin died and got reincarnated in a world full of fantasy. He of course is op but what i like about this guy is that he is no pushover. Aren't you tired of sigma subs who scream 43 hours a day and get nothing right ? Well that's not my boy. So basically he is a summoner but he somehow knows how to cast some spells. You'll understand who taught him all this things throughout the story. Honestly as much as i enjoyed it, i must say that there isno real big plot behind the scenes. Some characters do feel really harsh written, and it may decrease your opinion on it. But who cares ? To those of you that just want a slow paced adventure with an OP alpha main character, go for it !
uniDJar
Finally, a very good isekai anime after a long time. Though not at the level of legendary titles like reincarnated as a slime, still delivers an impressive piece nonetheless. So don't consider the negative reviews of depressed fussy people and by all means go for this. The MC here is one of the best reincarnated characters that I've seen. He knows when to say no and to take action unlike the goody-two-shoes' that were thrown at us till now. The harem aspect isn't over-bearing and doesn't bore us. The English voice actors have done an amazing job in delivering their dialogues and gives a strong impact on thegeneral scene. We don't feel the friction of watching a Japanese work with the voice from person of a different culture and way of speaking. Everything is handled smoothly.
The Animation is one of the Biggest plus of this anime. The scenes are executed really nicely and animation is fluid. The character designs are good.
Overall a good pick to spent your time on.
Waiting for Season 2....
EmperorThor
This is one of the better isekai. It has just a few minor flaws, but overall is very entertaining and fun to watch. Main character is a unique take on a Warlock class from WoW. Except he is kind of a good Summoner, more of a Mage/Hunter/Warlock hybrid. He has a harem of several cute waifu material girls. I personally like Efil but if you are into a different type then Mel, Sera or Rion will probably work for you. Story is somewhat interesting, not as good as Tokyo Ghoul and far from any show I rank, 8 or above, but also not entirely messed up like FutokuGuild, Akiba Maid Wars or Harem in Labyrinth. It has interesting plot twists here and there to keep your entertained even if just waifu harem isekai fact is not enough for you to watch it.
Overall it is one of the better shows of the current era. It is light, gentle, friendly and inoffensive. I can recommend it to anyone.
IgnatiusTheFirst
Contain Spoiler Story : Story kinda generic, you come to new world, we dont know what happened, he got amnesia, and goddess tell ya that u sell memories for extra skill, ofc he is overpowered af, There is so many thing happened like buy slave (again can u stop this setting), etc etc. Enough fooling around, lets get to the point when i really angry about, first thing is Goddess said that you sell memories toward her, i mean all of them, but he is still remember rice, japanese culture, even game that belong to the past memory, which it should be gone at this time,second thing is HE CAN SUMMON GOD, oh my god, what? is it really impossible? yes it is, but why? its break everything for me, Action will resolve in single hit, basically u have God, also he can reincarnate someone randomly from your world, I MEAN WHAT THE POINT? i still no idea what its motivation that Goddess do that to him? Bruh this thing getting insane that everyone in his party is his love interest, literally harem, there is no challenge at all, everything complete in 1 episode and just that go move on to another thing. Also there is no goal, MC just do anything mindlessly without care anything, just do it for fun, ALSO THIS ANIME is ISEKAI which you need to point out that MC from another world but yea just remove the mind, then what purpose isekai tag if u remove isekai part? it should be fantasy in the first place. Sorry for my entitled, i can feel i will see similar isekai anime in few years for now
Character : Kelvin himself is just generic mc who like "I do it for justice bla bla bla", All his harem basically have no different for me, they like Kelvin because 1 reason, they save them, simple as that, now they fight for Kelvin excalibur when there is a chance to do it. Hero party somehow more interested even though they are just bunch of high schooler want to comeback to original world, THEY HAVE END GOAL at least, not like our mc
Enjoyment : Its fun at few episodes until they break everything when he can summon God
Conclusion : It still watchable at some point if you dont mind that overpowered character that literally can summon God, Who also remove isekai part from isekai story, and literally harem fest that harem fight every split second. Like i said its watchable if u dont mind it, also they cut some story part i can feel it, Final Score : 5/10 Mediocre story
Sayonara
Justykanna
Black Summoner is, yet another, other-world series. And I remain a fan of them. However, there needs to be something that sets them apart from each other. Something fresh. Admittedly, there are parts that this series does quite well though, and others, less so. Story: Black Summoners brings us into your common MMO-world where we meet Kelvin, someone who realizes that has been reincarnated using a Summoner class. Inside his head, he is guided by Melfina, who basically acts an off-field guide. After very quickly learning the rules of this new world, his first order of business is gaining anew ally. The starting off point? A slime monster, who he names Clotho. From there, he continues his journey through this new world gaining allies, and leveling up character to the point where he gets disgustingly overpowered in a very short period of time.
One that sets this series apart from others in the same genre is that Kelvin is a ranged unit. This means he uses spells and summons as his main way to fight. This seems relatively minor to most audiences, but I felt like this provided a bit of a different perspective with the way he goes about his business. It's not a melee fighter or tank this time around.
As far as the story elements go, this felt pretty typical of the other-world genre and that the main character really has no idea how they got to this new world and they go around in this MMO to find out how to leave it. The story based elements simply aren't present and if not for the large cast of characters that he meets along the way, there wouldn't be much storytelling to be had. There needs to be more urgency in these types of series that makes it more interesting. Otherwise, it's simply us watching our characters play a game - which in itself, isn't terrible, mind you. Some of Kelvin's recruits have really nice backstories and even if their characters don't feel like the biggest effect on the party after joining Kelvin, it's nice that they get their spotlight with some strong storytelling there.
One of the big things they made sure to let the audiences aware of are in-depth stats of our characters - via the stats pages throughout the series and in the commercial breaks. These are really cool and detailed, but you quickly realize that they really don't add much to the story. It's a strange way to add more detail over other problems that the series had. One thing that did slow the pacing down a little was the massive amount of explaining that our characters did. I feel like they could have let the audience realize some of the growth of our characters just a little more than they did.
One of those problems? The series approach to Kelvin's party. They make it seem like being a summoner is a big deal and while he recruits monsters along the way, after the first two, they really don't make it feel like the rest were recruited from him being a summoner. This is obviously something that Rising of the Shield Heroes does well - it all feels natural. But the series doesn't link the summoner class to recruiting other members of Kelvin's party. This really bothered me because you're making the main character feel a whole lot less unique.
By the time you get to the end of the series, it feels like we've had a big boss encounter and there's more to be had, but the series just kind of ends. The series implies that there's more to come, but until something is confirmed, it's never a sure thing. Which is something a lot of anime do these days. We'll see if it continues. (6/10)
Characters: As previously mentioned, Kelvin is overpowered, and I'm not entirely sure why. The series implies it's due to the way in which he entered the world, but you'd think this would be more common if this was the case. Aside from that, Kelvin has a pretty straight forward way of going about his day, but he gets really cocky at times and it doesn't make for the most enjoyable experience. He's obviously a fantastic leader to his group though.
Melfina is a fantastically written character, both in terms of who she is, and her role in this series. It's not even that she's one-dimensional either - she is really into her role and shares that excitement with Kelvin. Much of how he learns about this new world is through her, and that driving info through her was a fantastic way of doing it. Kelvin's party in general are a really tightknit group who have the highest amount of respect for their leader. It creates a really nice group dynamic, but sometimes you wish there was just a little more conflict between themselves. As I mentioned earlier, some of the backstories to some of Kelvin's party members were well told and they all have their role to play when carrying out their missions.
Other characters in general actually grade out quite well. Black Summoner is a bit of an anti-hero series and there is an actual heroes party that is suppose to be looked highly upon in this world. That is, until you see the Heroes Party in action. They aren't the strongest group, but after Kelvin gets involved, you can see how it changes them. I really enjoyed this part of the series. Victor also opposes Kelvin's group and I also really liked that short arc. There's real purpose to doing what he's doing and gives his character much more than "big bad villain that wants to stop our hero". There's a ruling council that gets introduced a little later and you can tell that they are likely the end game to the source material. We got a sliver of what we can expect from one of them late in the series, but I really want to see what they end up being. (7/10)
Art: Oh boy. Look. Black Summoner, by itself, looks fine. There are obviously moments that are better here or there. But there are some fights that go into pure 3D and it looks terrible. At first, I thought it looked okay, but after the first one, it feels like we go into a different form of fighting and it looks so offputting. One of Kelvin's party members is actually drawn in 3D and stays that way through the entire series. I actually didn't mind this at all because it makes them stand out. That's when you can use CG. Not an entire fighting sequence. (7/10)
Sound: Black Summoner sports a decent OST with a strong OP and ED. Voice work was generally fine. Van Barr Jr. (Kelvin) sounded a lot like Vic Migogna at certain points outside of the obvious accent and it sounds decent in execution. Alexis Tipton (Sera) and Tia Ballard (Melfina) are unsurprisingly the best in the series as two talented VOs who have been around forever, especially with how much Ballard mirror's Melfina's high energy attitude. I didn't love Molly Searcy (Miyabi) here, she didn't sound like she was into it much, but this is relatively minor considering she only has a few lines in the series. (7/10)
Overall: Black Summoner manages to impress on certain fronts while being less impressive at others. That leaves it in this squishy middle where a lot of other other-world series are stuck in due to a lack of endgame vision and some shallow storytelling. Everything just remains okay and fans who've watched these types of series probably aren't getting anything terribly unsurprising. It's still a fine series, but will it continue, unlike the others? (7/10)
AnimeEnjoyer420
Recommendation: Uninspired even by isekai standards. Skip it. Watching Black Summoner is an insulting experience. Not because of anything in particular the show does poorly, but because you become keenly aware at how little respect anyone involved in the making of this series has for the viewer. You can almost hear someone in a boardroom somewhere saying "just throw out any old slop, they'll eat it up anyway" while planning this thing. Calling this series uninspired really does not begin to cover it. It would be more accurate to say they shook loose the isekai tree and Black Summoner managed to hit every cliche on theway down.
This feeling sets in immediately in episode 1, when the series speedruns through every tired harem isekai trope you've seen 1000 times like it's checking them off a list. Goddess of Reincarnation that's hot and falls in love with the protagonist? Check. JRPG stat screens, levels and capital-S Skills just like your favorite video games? Check. MC buys a slave with a tragic past and she falls in love with him immediately when he's nice to her? Check. Joining the adventurer's guild and taking a quest to defeat slimes? Check. There is nothing here that you haven't seen in many other similar shows. Even one of the main gimmicks, that MC picks the goddess herself as his one special item when reincarnated, is ripped straight from Konosuba (though not played for comedy here).
If the series eventually develops one distinguishing characteristic, it's that the MC has an addiction to fighting. This is not handled subtly, as you will hear his party members call him a "battle junkie" roughly one million times by the end of the season. This does work in the show's favor by making it fairly action packed rather than aimless fantasy world wandering, however Satelight made the unfortunate decision to animate most of the fights in full CGI, the quality of which could best be described as "inconsistent". Satelight is better at integrating CGI into its work than most studios, but the animation quality on display still ranges from surprisingly decent (Kelvin vs Victor) to laughable (Kelvin vs Gerard).
Aside from a few missteps with the CGI, there isn't really anything terrible about this series, and I did like certain characters (Sera, Clotho), but there simply isn't enough here to recommend when it's obviously just going through the power fantasy motions and has nothing to make it unique or interesting in a comically oversaturated isekai market.
