Why do you keep calling yourself “warawa”?
This is top secret, but I happen to be a princess.
Princesses use “warawa” when they refer to themselves!
So then should I use it too?
Oh? How did you arrive at that conclusion?
Because my mommy and daddy always call me their princess!
My, your parents say lovely things.
A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics (Hensara) is a reverse isekai that is full of constant laughs due in large part to its eccentric cast of characters. Watching Hensara even helped me stop my parents from getting divorced.
#Plot (8/10)
The general plot of the show is less of a focus here, and more of a backdrop for the characters to explore. Our main protagonist Sara is forced to travel to another world to escape certain doom along with her retainer, Livia. This new world happens to be modern day Japan (specifically Gifu if they didn't make that clear enough for you), and even though the two were separated, they get up to a semi-equal level of shenanigans. For the most part, there isn't so much of a plot here other than
#World/Setting (7.5/10)
This anime takes place in Gifu, which is a pretty typical city based on this very realistic depiction of it in the show (maybe). Honestly I think for a reverse isekai, having the show take place in a city that isn't as popular and fast paced as Tokyo does well to allow the characters to have more intimate moment, while still doing things only city dwellers can really do. But again, the setting here isn't anything we haven't seen before from anime as a whole, though it does its job.
#Characters (10/10)
I could yap about the characters in Hensara quite literally forever, so I'll try to keep this as short as possible, starting with Sousuke.
Sousuke is the most unassuming young adult mc I've seen in a while. As a result of his life as a star detective raised by his doting father, he is a very kind and well adjusted individual. He is also extremely cynical and laid back, which was like a ice cold glass of water on a hot Japanese summer day when compared to most of the other characters. I liked Sousuke's brand of rather sarcastic and dry humor, and I think his VA really sold his character. Maybe it's just me, but I vibed with Sousuke. I truly felt his pain when he revealed his father hadn't even come to his own elementary school graduation, and his disbelief when he found himself
Speaking of Sara, she was one of my favorite characters. The contrast in lifestyle between her an Livia worked well, but I think her interactions with other characters (most notably her schoolmates) were always fun. It was enjoyable seeing how she went from being a princess to an average girl to being more or less a princess against her will. Naturally turning my bullies into retainers through sheer aura is something I'll never be able to pull off.
Livia. Livia-sama. Our savior Livia-sama, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
-Noa probably
Livia's escapades were undeniably the funniest part of the show for me. Her sigma grindset carried her from being homeless and eating fried grasshoppers,
I think Livia's sheer naïvety in getting hooked into the most absurd scams while looking for jobs was one of the highlights of the show. Her unwavering ability to get wrapped up in anything but legitimate work needs to be studied. But her earnest nature was what carried a lot of her scenes, being unable to really notice the nuances of living in a modern city. For example, like accidentally becoming
Hensara thrives on the interactions between the main characters and side characters (who I will hold off on discussing this time) and it all just works, really really well.
I really like the art style of this show. The few action scenes here were animated really well. I think the animation as a whole was extremely consistent, and I didn't notice any drops in quality between episodes. This is also a very un-objective rating because I gave it plus .5 just for adding the very much "animated" video of the pachinko that had me on the floor for a solid 5 minutes.
#OP/ED/OST (7.5/10)
I'm changing this category from Audio to OP/ED/OST, because I think the visuals of an OP or ED can be just as important as the sound. Though the OST was pretty standard I think the visuals of the OP specifically did an amazing job of capturing the feel of the anime. Right away, you can tell this is a reverse isekai just from the first few seconds, and the vibe of the song really fits. Top 3 OP of the season for me, behind rank 1 Loser Ranger and rank 2 Kaiju No.8
#Enjoyment (10/10)
Ah, Hina. How I've longed for you.
To get this out of the way, the vibe of this show is near identical to Hinamatsuri. Even down to the spoiled MC taken in by a single young adult male, with a homeless friend surviving day by day. If you liked Hinamatsuri, this is your spiritual second season to hold you over until the real heat drops (copium). This was an extremely enjoyable show, that would likely have been the funniest of the season had it not been airing at the same time as p e a k .
Overall, warawa wish this type of isekai was something that would get adaptations more often. In a field saturated with power fantasy clones, warawa thinks Hensara does an excellent job of solidifying its position in the genre.
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