As Shinichi learns about the strange world in which he finds himself, he finds the task of spreading “otaku culture” is not as easy as it first appeared.
What They Say
Shinichi’s mission is to bring “otaku culture” to this new world in order to facilitate effective commerce between the two worlds. As an expert in anime, light novels, manga, and dating sims, Shinichi is revered and admired in the new world, and an unexpectedly fulfilling real life awaits him!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The second episode offers Outbreak Company a chance to discard its interesting premise and devolve into harem antics. Fortunately, it does not, as the author must realize it’s far to interesting premise to just waste. Unfortunately, the harem material is blended in with much more inspired ideas. Alas, the tragic compromises a light novel author must make.
At court with the Empress Petralka, Shinichi has almost caused a trans-dimensional incident by calling Her Majesty a loli. The government functionary in charge quickly apologizes for the misunderstanding caused only by Shinichi’s being too expert in his mastery of otaku culture. The Empress’ cousin, nobleman Galius, is skeptical of the young upstart: Could “otaku culture” truly be mastered by one so young? Shinichi’s temper gets away from him again, and he almost loses his head, if not for the intercession of the Empress, who finds Shinichi’s insults toward Galius amusing. Petralka is an almost textbook tsundere character, and the narrative suffers for it, but at least within the context of the show, her spoiled upbringing at least makes the archetype plausible.
And so Shinichi and his AmuTec company is allowed to work within the empire with the blessing of the Empress. But the mission of AmuTec is still not clear, and the government itself is unsure how to proceed. Due to the uncertainty, the budget for AmuTec is meager, and there is the problem of translation. The magic rings work with a kind of telepathy, the minister explains, and so they would not be effective in translating CDs, DVDs, or written media. For the time being, Shinichi should concern himself with selecting a library of titles that would interest people of this world.
And construct a library he does, stocked with manga, classic videogames, and all sorts of otaku memorabilia. There are some definite laughs to be had at lizardman Brooke blowing into a “Supurmaruo” cartridge, or in trying to recognize all of the parodies and references littered around the room. But the peace is soon shattered by Petralka demanding Shinichi read the manga to her, and Shinichi commenting on the breast sizes of the Empress and his maid as they sit close together on the couch reading a tankoubon of “Gaishi”. Jealousy between the two women, inspired by the maid’s learning of Japanese, only serves to remind the viewer that this is a light novel after all.
Still, there are interesting developments to be found. Shinichi learns that the values of this new world are truly alien when his servant Brooke delivers instructions on how to beat him effectively. On a tour of the capital city, he also learns that most of the population is made up of illiterate peasantry, and children don’t have any kind of childhood to speak of outside of chores. Can pop culture survive in a land without any kind of education, prosperous middle class? Furthermore, would Shinichi trying to cultivate such a middle class threaten the hierarchy of the Empire, making him political enemies? That the show would even raise such interesting questions fills me with some hope for future developments. Will this be some weird otaku version of “Anna and the King”?
At episode’s end, we see another of the mysterious lizards with a camera lens, seemingly, for an eye. Someone is spying on AmuTec, and it’s uncertain what their goals are. Will AmuTec and otaku culture end up being a mere pawn in political upheaval throughout the Empire? We can only hope.
In Summary
The strength of Outbreak Company’s humor and cleverness of its observations are set into sharp relief by the show’s reliance on overused otaku tropes and archetypes. It’s an uneasy balance that could fall into ruin at any time. For the time being, however, the show is smarter than it should have been, and could be a sleeper hit for Fall. In what is perceived to be a weak season overall, it can’t hurt to give Outbreak Company a chance.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: Sony VAIO 17″ HD screen
