Warning: The review contains spoilers for certain scenes within the season.
(PS: This is the first time I've explicitly gone ahead and reviewed an anime. I've rated songs and albums before, but not a show or anime.)

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is an anime adaptation of a Japanese light novel of the same name written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Itsuwa Kato (original edition) and Yūki Hagure (revised edition). The series was originally published in 2016 as a web novel by the author on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. In August 2022, it was announced that the series would receive an anime adaptation. The anime adaptation is produced by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ.

RVMINWD is what's called an Isekai. It translates to "different world," "another world," or "other world." As the translation would suggest, it revolves around a person or persons being transported to—and having to survive in—another world, that world typically being a fantasy setting, a game world, or a parallel universe, with or without the possibility of returning to their original world. This is an extremely common trope. If you're an active watcher of anime, especially some of the more popular ones, you have likely watched a good handful of Isekai-focused anime. I myself can immediately think of two others that I've either watched or am in the process of watching. But this is where the first positive emerges.

A problem or annoyance that I've seen described before with Isekai anime is that there are few limits on the characters that have been Isekai'd. The character, either immediately or suddenly throughout the runtime of the anime, becomes a force to be reckoned with. Their strength becomes so obtusely noticeable that any threat or danger that the show tries to throw at them either needs to be as unreasonably strong as the protagonist or they're just bumps on the road with, at best, poor attempts to mask that truth. The character could just stand in the middle of the field and say, "I cannot die, and I can literally do all I want with essentially no consequence." But when it comes to RVMINWD, that power creep never happens, or at least it's less severe. Throughout the episodes, Boxxo (the vending machine's name) becomes more and more robust but ultimately remains a vending machine.

An example of this would be how it transforms. Although it's of course unrealistic for a vending machine to be able to magically change its inventory, restock, or change shape entirely, what it does with those abilities (and other external abilities) does otherwise feel to be within reason. For example, the types items it gives depends on what machine it is. Boxxo isn't just a black box that can make anything random appear. The machines are also based on real life vending machines, not just turning to any type of machine and pretending it is close to the concept. It's not turning into a large mech that is a force to be reckoned with, nor is it turning into some robotic human that can essentially do anything it wants, all the variants of machines it turns itself into are ultimately vending machines. The limitations stay the same. With the variety of items that it provides, it can be interesting to see what Boxxo does to assist / help in the variety of scenarios it finds itself in. For example to help defeat an enemy, it provides a litre bottle of pop alongside mentos. Or, when it's falling down a far distance, it uses helium balloons to soften the fall. Or, to make the water colder, it dumps a lot of ice into the water. There's a plethora of other scenarios where it transforms into a different machine to the situation it finds itself in.

Additionally, it's at times humorous seeing all the reactions that the creatures and people have towards Boxxo. In our reality, vending machines aren't that interesting. They're small machines that (in most places) either sell drinks or small snacks like chips or candy. Of course, our vending machines cannot magically transform, run on wireless power, or replenish on their own, but as a whole vending machines just exist without much thought put into them. But in a universe where technologically speaking things appear more primitive — although compensated through magic — something like a vending machine seems like well, a magical concept. It can lead to some entertaining moments seeing how the characters react, especially during their first-time usages of the machine as a whole or a specific machine it transforms into. I suppose it can be a reminder of how advanced things have become. A lot of things that people take for granted as just existing would be crazy concepts, bordering on unbelievably futuristic.

Although the concept of being reincarnated as a vending machine is interesting and comparatively unique, along with the creativity that Boxxo does showcase, its relatively grounded nature of what the vending machine can do results in perhaps one of the bigger negatives of this show: his personality doesn't go beyond his love for vending machines. Boxxo honestly doesn’t really feel much like a protagonist. He's just a tool that just so happens to be very useful for those who have access to it, even if Boxxo itself may not be unreasonably strengthened. Throughout the episodes, Boxxo does showcase other machines that he can transform into, many of them being unique, but the underlying premise holds firm. He transforms into something that gives you something. Another way to put it would be, once the novelty wears off, there's little driving the plot forward. I felt myself constantly yearning to see the concept be expanded upon, but at best, it feels like it's only done marginally. Also, it's a little strange how quickly Boxxo assumed the role. The few deep emotional or existential ideas that it does explore are underdeveloped and quickly chucked aside. Like, if I were suddenly reincarnated as a vending machine, I think I'd have a lot more thoughts, concerns, and worries about all that has happened, even after I become comfortable with the immediate details of my new existence. But for Boxxo, it's sort of just like, "I like vending machines, so I'm not gonna give it much thought!"

This yearning for more and a lack of progression for the plot isn’t helped by everything that surrounds Boxxo. The supporting cast all have minimal depth or development. An example where this is particularly present is Lammis. A lot of the time, it feels like she's only there because she found Boxxo first and is the self-proclaimed transporter of it. The world itself is also bland and unmemorable. It's just everything you've seen before in an Isekai fantasy world. It's as if the world's just there to fill checkboxes to make a bare-minimum story. This isn't helped by the story choosing to ignore any worldbuilding that could reveal more lore or uniqueness hiding beneath potential surfaces. New areas seem to only be created when the show decides that it has to show Boxxo can do something else.

Ultimately, Reborn as a Vending Machine is a fun, creative twist on an Isekai with a refreshingly restrained and well-executed gimmick. However, it doesn't offer much beyond that. Weak characters, a forgettable world, and a lack of deeper themes hold it back from being more than just a clever gimmick. It plays with Isekai tropes but doesn't escape them—falling back on many of the same limitations that can easily plague a show in its genre. It's enjoyable, and a little humorous a times, but as the episodes go on those enjoyable and humorous moments are just that, moments.