English Dub Review : Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy “Failed…Hero”

The isekai anime genre is fiercely…bloated. A trend that dates back to at least Inuyasha just keeps generating anime along the lines of Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, and Re: Zero, brings us another in Tsukimichi. What’s the twist here? The lead character, Misumi, was visited by Tsukuyomi to bring to “The Goddess’ World” because of a deal struck by Misumi’s parents.

The premise was enjoyable with Inuyasha. However, that well ran dry real with with the zillions of other anime and manga that came out since. The question stands, though. Does Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- do anything to set itself apart from the graveyard of Isekai past?

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for meta takes on shows. I don’t care what the show is, if it’s self referential, or genre-referential, I am all for it. And that’s what Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy does in droves, right down to the Isekai drops whenever Misumi talks about going from one world to another. Also, take a second to respect Tsukuyomi. The man disposes all of the porn Misumi collected, and essentially clears the kid’s browser history. If he doesn’t get “G” status after that, nothing will help him. Later on, Tsukuyomi helps Misumi again after getting his first face to face with the Goddess.

The Goddess is a downright bitch, and I’m all for it. I’m not sure if it’s Misumi, but I’m digging the treatment of him. My thoughts of Misumi changed once he got on the ground, though. I thought this would be  a “weak character gets ultra powerful over time” story, but Ema’s rescue from the two headed dog changed the narrative a bit. Even though he’s “level 1”, it doesn’t matter in the least. Misumi is a master of magic and strength, and this clown shows it in the next scene when he gets attacked by a dragon. However, he’s no match for magic smoke and barriers.

Turns out the dragon is Shin, who wants to be Misumi’s companion after seeing Misumi’s pet cat. Shin seems to be desperate to be Misumi’s companion, and enter’s the contract at a 20-80% deficit. But, hey, she gets to see what Misumi can do, right?

Overall, there’s a lot to unpack if you don’t like Isekai anime. On one side, it’s yet another anime where some kid travels to another dimension to fight mystical, ancient evils. On the other, there’s enough different to make Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy different from shows like Inuyasha and Sword Art Online. On the other side, we have enough meta references to make Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy enjoyable, and the twist where Misumi is pretty god damn powerful off the rip  and the Goddess acting like a mean girl was just enough for me to invest some more time and energy to see where episode 2 goes.