Saikyou Onmyouji no Isekai Tenseiki

Despite standing at the zenith as the strongest exorcist, Haruyoshi Kuga sought even greater power, which led to his demise at the hands of those who envied his might. As he draws his last breath, he casts a spell that allows him to reincarnate and swears to become more cunning, hoping that all his efforts will prove useful in his next life.

Haruyoshi is soon reborn in another world as Seika Lamprogue, an illegitimate son of a noble family that prides itself on magic. However, his new family largely ignores him due to his lineage and magic deficiency. Nevertheless, the unbothered Seika leverages the knowledge from his previous life to make numerous valuable allies. As he begins to explore the true limits of his abilities, Seika must also be wary of the consequences that tarnished his past and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Lamprogue, Seika Main

Hanamori, Yumiri Japanese

Yifa Main

Waki, Azumi Japanese

Amyu Main

Hieda, Nene Japanese

Aleglife, Fiona Urd Supporting

Hondo, Kaede Japanese

Kuga, Haruyoshi Supporting

Umehara, Yuuichirou Japanese

Kyle Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Yuki Supporting

Ogura, Yui Japanese

Satori Supporting

Nakao, Ryusei Japanese

Crane, Mabel Supporting

Kitou, Akari Japanese

Lamprogue, Grey Supporting

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Eriguchi, Takeshi Producer

Nishi, Kei Producer

Hashirayama, Taisuke Producer

Iijima, Emiko Producer

Reviews

Apr 1, 2023

ExemplarCayman

Recommended

The anime version of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.”

Winter 2023 marks the truly historical moment when the anime industry has finally figured out how to make generic isekai that isn’t utter trash. The secret ingredient all along was having a protagonist with some actual personality rather than a basement-dwelling incel. In just one season, we have such isekai protagonists as a professional handyman, a legendary king, or, in the case of this show, an onmyouji from a fantasy version of ancient Japan.

Now, there is a meme that Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court” is the first-ever isekai novel. It’s nothing ... but a meme, yet that novel and this anime have fundamentally the same premise. Take a cliched fantasy setting, add a protagonist that normally belongs in a completely different kind of story, watch how he fucks shit up with his out-of-place skillset, toolset, and above all else, mindset. Seeing a 19th-century engineer wrecking medieval knights with dynamite and electricity is the same kind of fun as seeing an oriental occultist wrecking medieval-Europe-inspired-JRPG with curses, ayakashi, paper talismans, and machiavellian scheming.
Just this single change of protagonist is enough to shake up the entire dynamic of the genre. Even if all the other elements of the story remain cliched, a unique main character completely recontextualizes them. For example, the protagonist regrets his previous life and wants to have a redo. Except he wasn’t an otaku shut-in that regrets masturbating to anime figurines, he was a mastermind occultist that threw his weight around too much, made too many enemies, and ended up betrayed and murdered in a political conspiracy. His version of “redo” isn’t to have sex, it’s to take the chill pill and follow his occult pursuit without getting involved with the fates of the world. Likewise, the supporting cast is just girls that make up the MC’s harem. Except he doesn’t treat them as a harem, he treats them as acolytes, that is, half retainers, half pupils, half daughters. I’ve seen so many unthinking complaints about the protagonist being dense in regard to one girl’s crush on him. No, he isn’t dense, he is 20-30 years older than her and treats her like an adopted daughter, and, I know this might be shocking for isekai-watching weebs, but when a normal 40-year-old man hears his 15-year-old daughter describe what kind of a man she wants to marry, his first thought isn’t supposed to be, “wow, she wants to marry ME.” Such recontextualizations are more than enough to make the story feel fresh.

What really brings it all together, however, is quality writing. Other isekai shows I’ve mentioned earlier still aren’t worth watching despite interesting protagonists because their writing simply isn’t good enough. This show makes its story work by putting intelligent thought into it. The very premise of the protagonist having to TRY to be chill already implies that it’s not an attitude that comes to him naturally, deep down he believes that with great power comes great responsibility, so he can’t walk five steps without trying to bring the dead back to life or thwart demonic conspiracies - attracting unwanted attention (everyone with half a brain suspects him to be some kind of a demon) and having companions calling him out on straying from the original goal. The harem members also have actual lives, goals, and motivations not limited to wanting to be MC’s property (ironic, considering one of them is a literal slave).
The slave girl’s storyline is particularly high-brow, the protagonist pretty much spells out, “you’re not obligated to suck my dick just because I treat you with basic human decency, your life could have plenty of possibilities if you were allowed to actually go and live it” (a polar opposite of the usual isekai incel mentality regarding the whole slave girl trope); and furthermore, the arc’s antagonist is a very nuanced take on the douchebag prince archetype (Joffrey Baratheon) in that he isn’t so much evil, as terminally self-entitled to a point where he genuinely believes he’s the good guy for “rescuing” (kidnapping) the slave girl. Interesting antagonists is one of the strongest points of the series in general.

The only notable flaw of the story is being backloaded - the introductory episodes are not nearly as interesting as the second half of the show.

9/10 for a formulaic isekai that is actually watchable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 26, 2023

Drakestalker

Mixed Feelings

I see that the One Punch Man shpiel has become hugely popular lately. Truth be told, it’s just about the only way to give a true overdog protagonist any kind of meaningful conflict. I am, of course, referring to the trope of having an overdog protagonist pose as an underdog – for whatever reason, whether by accident or design, theirs or someone else’s, the larger cast of the story does not recognize them for how powerful/competent/talented they really are.

In this particular case, the conceit is that in his previous life, our MC has become the most powerful Japanese exorcist, called and onmyouji, in history. He ... believed that if he obtained overwhelming power, nothing would be able to threaten him anymore, and as a result, he could live a peaceful and happy life without having to lose anything or anyone. Alas, though indeed no external enemy could threaten him anymore, the seeds of enmity and jealously were sown among his own allies, turning the people closest to him against him, eventually ending with his assassination. As he drew his last breath, he cast a spell to ensure his reincarnation and vowed to live more discreetly in his next life, to hide his true power, and live a quiet life as a nameless nobody among the nameless masses.

You are to, under no circumstances, make the mistake of trying to ponder the philosophical themes of the show. Is it safer to be weak and harmless or strong and dangerous?

In a sense, it’s basically a less inspired and more serious version of Eminence in the Shadow, that’s if you accept the claim that Eminence is parodic in the first place. Exorcist in Another World is nowhere near serious enough of an artistic work to warrant even a single solitary second of your intellectual labor. The premise is merely a vehicle to create an environment that lends itself to antagonists underestimating the protag, which sets them up for scenes of more or less satisfying comeuppance – nothing more, nothing less. Take it for what it is.

Point being, if you enjoyed Eminence, and if you enjoy overdog isekai stories at large, you will have a decent enough time with this show. If not, then do not waste your time. It really has nothing to offer outside of the niche appeal of its genre.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 2, 2023

Senpaika

Not Recommended

Funny

What is wrong with the anime industry for real? This season honestly sucked. This particular anime has not been as bad as others, but still, the industry is going downhill. I like isekais and generic shows, but when something is overused, it just gets old. The art is mediocre, the setting is generic, and the main character... let's just say I had good hopes for him in the first few episodes, but in the end, they made him act stupid, generic, and boring. The last episode was just okay, with not-so-fancy effects on a very tight budget, everyone lived happily, and no one was killed. ... I'm tired of animes like this. If it weren't for shows as terrible as this one, they could invest their budget into making good anime or creating sequels to popular and interesting ones like Re:Zero or Konosuba. Instead, they're literally wasting money on below-mediocre shows that no one will watch again or even after a few years.

If you want an interesting show to watch, or one that isn't too serious, or at least one you'll enjoy to some degree, then this show isn't for you. So, who is this show for? What are the otaku demographics? I don't know. I would probably drop it if there was an interesting show this season. I can't even imagine Gigguk, a trash isekai anime lover, watching this garbage.

Save your time, go re-watch some actually good anime, and skip this one.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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