Forum - View topicMy Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's (TV).
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Edjwald
 Posts: 3507 |
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My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's (TV) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 5 volumes, written by Matsuri Akai, illustrated by Tōzai) Demographic: Animation Studio: Sunrise Genres: action, adventure, drama, fantasy Themes: aristocracy, assassins, conspiracy, demi-humans, elves, isekai, medeival, revenge, royalty, sorcery Plot Summary: Akira Oda is the kind of guy who people forget is even there. His unassuming nature pays off, though, when his entire class is swept away to a fantasy world, and he slips easily into his new role as a silent assassin. Between his suspiciously high starting stats and too many details that don't fit, Akira is sure something is wrong. But digging into royal secrets is a dangerous game, and when Akira uncovers an evil scheme, he also makes a powerful enemy—the very king who brought him to this world. Air Date & Platform: October 07, 2025 (Tuesday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Pending [EDIT: Fancy opener stuff edited. -TK] |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4990 |
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The premiere was better than I expected it to be. The animation and art are far better than what you see in most isekai. The premise while cliche has some interesting elements and Akira and Saran are likeable characters. The mc being an assassin is also a welcome change from usual. All that said, the first episode felt rather rushed, in no time at all the king was unmasked, the month of training was over, a coup was discussed and a dungeon was entered with the hero seemingly being cursed and bamboozled.
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Edjwald
Posts: 3507 |
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Yah, it does feel like someone (or even a whole staff) is putting some real effort into this, which is a welcome change from most isekai that conform this strictly to genre conventions. And when I say it conforms, I don't mean that the character or plot is without any variation - the long haired potential ally is a new twist for example, and I'm not sure I remember any other Isekai about assassins - I just mean that the anime seems to be going by the broad strokes of the Arifureta, Fruit of Evolution, My Instant Death Ability, Failure Frame etc playbook that kicks in when an entire class gets isekai'd.
With 1-4 people it's optional, but when a whole class gets swept up, I'm not sure I can think of any Isekai where the summoning kingdom didn't turn out to be sketchy and spoiler[the MC wasn't quickly isolated and betrayed and made a fugitive] Doesn't mean there's no fun to be had for people who enjoy the genre though, just like there are tons of good action movies with similar plots, good romantic movies with similar plots, etc. Whether I stick with this Assassin's tale won't depend on the plot but the...wait for it...execution. Heh. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 3443 |
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#1
For a tired and well-trodden genre, it takes a lot to engage viewers who have on average seems something similar for over a decade. I vaguely remember the preview videos in YouTube and the title being both shorter than most and with an emphasis on the anti-hero than the usual protagonist. Yet if most of the previews are any indication, this might be worth seeing through to the end. Putting aside how unlikely it is for the entire class to be in the classroom coincidentally as the summoning spell snares them all as recruits for the king's hidden goals, it turns out one of their recruits is the stereotypical wallflowers who can blend in because he doesn't seek attention and is naturally left to his own devices as a result. More common than expected outside north America, yet it's construed as rudeness. That same ability to be left alone and unnoticed translates into an active ability of invisibility in this new world, which affords immense freedom of movement at the cost of no support from the environment if things go sour. Despite what the previews say about the Knight Commander's motivations in helping out Oda on his lonely path, there's a grain of truth in his revelations. The mysterious hooded female who glares at the class as they embark on their expedition as well as the surprising revelation that the first ever Visitor was also from Japan and an assassin in the same vein as Oda suggests this world isn't the typical conventional fantasy these works devolve into. Besides Oda and Saran, the deal-breaker for this adaptation to get it stand out from its peers is the world-building. I'm not expecting Overlord level of exposition, but if this adaptation is even half as good as that franchise's ability to portray a world with living beings more than cardboard cutouts then it'll go a long way towards winning and keeping the casual audience. |
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Eilavel
Posts: 475 |
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Perhaps a classroom isekai where they all learn the value of collaboration, friendship and mutual support would be the subversive choice at this point?
Jokes aside, theres no notable standout feature of the plot outline that feels particularly fresh, and the JRPG side is extremely direct. The production value however is far higher than standard for this kind of show and pulls it up a grade. I would say on the basis of episode 1 the terrible treachery might be slightly more interesting than usual, and the MC is a wallflower but not a victim. Theres also at least the possibility of world building and developing some other character. A probable pick. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3507 |
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D'oh! I just remembered, there was another isekai about an assassin - the show about the world's greatest assassin something something something. In that one though, the MC was the world's greatest assassin before being isekai'd, and I believe he was isekai'd specifically to kill the world's hero. Even though that show had some different stuff going on, I didn't watch more than a few episodes because I didn't really care about the MC one way or another.
This show about a normie being shoehorned into the role of an RPG style assassin by virtue of a divine gacha pull is more different from that show than the class isekais. |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 3023 |
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When the magic breaks into the classroom, rather than standing around gawking at it like morons, I was hoping we might get a reprise of Loner Life In Another World and have protag-kun "nope out" before it could get him. However, protag has distinguished himself unlike so many of his forbearers by actually thinking and gathering info about this bizarre situation before acting as a reasonable and intelligent person would, unlike his classmates who just jump on board the "Demon Lord Hunt". In Failure Frame, that sort of idiocy came to bite them later....
Also, for once, the pretty-boy knight isn't some a**-hat and the classmates don't continually dunk on Akira, so this looks to be an uncommonly OK show and makes the fourth new show I will watch. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 3507 |
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So it didn't take 3 episodes for me to decide that this is a solid isekai. It's not necessarily reinventing anything, but it also isn't rinsing and repeating the same old tired tropes with no spark of originality and a juvenile sense of humor. Not that a juvenile sense of humor is always a bad thing.
There are some nice visuals in this anime, and the use of shadows and well drawn characters alone make it a mark above a lot of shows. I also like it that the hero hasn't shrugged off his entire previous life, rubbed his hands together, and said, "All right! Let's start using my Otaku knowledge from a thousand or so manga, video games, light novels, and anime to level up and get my harem started!" Instead, he's worried about people he had real relationships with, a mom in poor health and a little sister that he's protective of instead of worshipped by or obsessed with in some incestuous vibe. The bad guys aren't brainless or caricatures although the little bully bitch posse in the class cuts it a little close. My point being, this bad kingdom is a little more complex than the usual excuse for giving the main character an excuse for some edgelord angst porn. Evil, sure, but there are rebels and weird sorcerous undercurrents as well. I kind of figured that the commander (1) would die (2) wind up being a Kaiser Sousse level bad guy or (3) become a distant goal of some sort or another. It was clear from the show's opening that this wasn't going to be their buddy show. We'll see how things go with the elf. |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3822 |
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"Oh, no, this elf girl is helpless in this dungeon. Time to take her to floor 69! *wink*"
No juvenile humor indeed. |
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Gina Szanboti
 Posts: 12724 |
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^
I mostly think that Saran Wrap is well and truly dead (he was raising a color guard's worth of death flags after all), but I still won't be shocked if he comes back somehow. He seemed to have some plans... But yeah, while I wish he and the elf could just be friends though I know she's fated to be a love interest, I'm otherwise fairly impressed by these first two eps. Also intrigued by the World Eye multiverse (?) he glimpsed and the "coincidence" of his isekai'ed classmate's sister being friends with Akira's sister. I've had weird things like that happen ("here's a pic of my sister." "Oh, hey, that's my sister she's with!") and it's a really unsettling feeling even if easily explained. 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 3443 |
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#2
The pilot episode set the table, this week's episode gets the entertainment full course started. The pacing is quite fast for just two weeks, and by the looks of it they'll get a lot in before the quarter is out. Akira has a trump card with his shadow magic, but it's a double-edged sword because of how volatile it is despite the power it has. It bailed out his classmates, yet for whatever reason it doesn't make him stand out enough for his classmates to question him on why he has the skill despite never staying and training with them. With the OP debut, it's clear this story isn't just about Akira. Some of his classmates are prominent in the OP, and they form the Hero squad which has broken from the king's control to fulfil what they were summoned for and hopefully reunite and clear the name of their falsely accused classmate who saved them from the minotaur. What's more surprising is Akira isn't completely alone in his class. The classmate who became a samurai in the fantasy world is the closest thing he has to a friend in class due to their mutual acquaintance from their younger siblings in the same school. Despite the pilot episode, they still think of each other but they are concentrating on the task at hand and don't socialise (not that Akira gives any opportunity for it with his new occupation). Did Saran anticipate he would be killed as the price for Akira's recklessness? If he did, it's very magnanimous of him not to chastise Akira. Given his position he could not flee the palace knowing he was already marked, but even he would not have expected to be taken out so easily by the royal assassin corps. Good thing his deputy is also dedicated to the rebellion and carried out his orders faithfully to give Akira and some of his classmates a fighting chance to determine their fate. It's perhaps unsurprising that this week's new character is a gorgeous elf with a voluptuous figure and the outfit to flaunt it. Conveniently she's also royalty and doesn't need any time to get up to speed with Akira's situation. Being a magician specialising in gravity magic doesn't hurt. She likely won't be the only ally in the fantasy world Akira makes if the OP is anything to go by, and he needs all the help he can get since he's had none since Saran's assassination. I expect the next few weeks to get the rest of the ensemble introduced and for the main storyline to get going concurrently with the exposition. I like what I see, even if the tropes that will most likely feature in some way or another are variations of the tried and tested. For an anti-hero Akira is surprisingly grounded and easier to empathize with, while the rest of his classmates who broke from the king's control might deliver something different in terms of the people dynamics. Depending on how the rest of Akira's new allies pan out, the romcom element might even be ignored without impacting the entertainment value of this adaptation. Early days though. |
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Gisan Otaku
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Even 2 episodes in, this series is reminding me of Failure Frame. You've got the scantly clad female elf, classmates that hate you, and the aristocrat that summond you being the villain. Now all we need is some kind of beast-kin to complete the picture.
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Hiroki not Takuya
Posts: 3023 |
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As a sort-of fan of Failure Frame, I'd say the resemblance is mostly superficial. For starters, his classmates don't hate him but those in Ep2 that spoke up negatively likely were under the princess's (?) control and the rest seem indifferent to casually accepting (like the "Hero"). There doesn't seem to be some abusive power hierarchy among them either. King and princess (?) are up to no good but far from the manipulative B*tch "goddess" of FF and so far, no "death match" training has been ordered but the newbies have been given actual training. Akira has a set of very useful skills and the story doesn't seem intent on him having to get creative to make them effective like Paralyze/Poison/Sleep/Berserk. And when in anime has there been a fully clothed elf girl anyway (outside of Dungeon Meshi...)?
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smurky turkey
Posts: 4990 |
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I am so doubtful about whether Saran is truly dead or not. In most anime, manga and novels a character that seemingly nice and perfect always comes back later on to be a bit less friendly. Him staying dead would honestly be a surprise to me. I wonder what the hero gang are going to do, supposing they do not have some of those assassins following them that is.
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b-dragon
Posts: 625 |
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"Failure Frame but competent" is kinda how I'm feeling about it. I'm liking it well enough, certainly. I do still hate the "game" bits attached, but I've long since accepted those as part and parcel to the whole subgenre. Saran is definitely dead. Clearly no one with hair that fabulous can be allowed to live- the jealousy of the masses won't allow it. |
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