In this episode of Bento Radio, I dig into As an Assassin, My Skills Clearly Outrank the Hero—an anime that looks stunning but left me frustrated once the story kicked in. On the surface, it delivers polished production, old-school fantasy character designs, and a visual style that feels lifted from classic ’90s anime. But beneath all that? A familiar, hollow isekai power fantasy that struggles to justify its own plot.

I use this series as a jumping-off point to talk about a bigger issue facing modern isekai anime: recycled storytelling, shallow character arcs, and why strong aesthetics can’t make up for weak narrative foundations. Along the way, I compare it to other isekai and fantasy series, explore how genre trends evolve (and stagnate), and ask what separates a “fine” show from one that actually sticks with you.

If you’ve ever wondered why some anime look incredible but still feel empty, this episode breaks down exactly why—and what the genre needs to do next.

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n this episode, I dive into Netflix’s reboot of Ranma ½, starting with a breakdown of Ranma’s wild curse, his explosive chemistry with Akane, and how the show blends slapstick martial arts, romantic chaos, and gender-bending comedy. I talk about the show’s massive “toy-box” cast—Shampoo, Ukyo, Kuno, Haposai, Ryouga, Moose—and why the domestic moments, like school life and home scenes, give Ranma its unique hangout vibe.

From there, I zoom out to look at Rumiko Takahashi’s legacy—across Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha, and Rinne—and how her serialized, character-driven storytelling mirrors the long-form structure of shonen series like Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece. I bring up Fullmetal Alchemist vs. Brotherhood and Dragon Ball Z Kai to show how cutting “filler” can sometimes strip away key context and heart.

I also dig into MAPPA’s choices in this new version—from the softened character designs to arc reshuffling and light censorship—and why taking creative risks (rather than clinging too hard to the original) often makes for a better reboot. Trigun Stampede fans, I’m looking at you. 😬

There’s a big conversation here about ecchi, gender fluidity, and the emotional weight behind Ranma and Akane’s will-they-won’t-they dynamic—especially with Genma Saotome’s truly unhinged parenting driving so much of the conflict and comedy.

Whether you’re coming to the reboot fresh or you’re a longtime fan of long-running anime, this episode is all about why Takahashi’s messy, magical world still resonates.

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AI has been a looming threat on the horizon of anime for a while now, however, with the hype cycle of the AI bubble intensifying and the opportunities to make money inside of that hype cycle in increasing Amazon has made a huge, although not the first attempt at using AI to eliminate people’s work in the process of English dubbing of several major shows. The results are beyond subpar, and under no circumstances should audiences ever accept this kind of integration of AI tools into a creative process. Below are the links mentioned in the course of the video. I think they offer a bit of a roadmap to how we got companies that have time and again devalued the content they claim to give us as a product to such an extent that they would do something like this.

Bloomberg article:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-20/sony-s-crunchyroll-finds-its-early-lead-in-anime-under-attack

Decoder episode:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/26/24081180/crunchyroll-president-purini-anime-funimation-shutdown-sony-merger-decoder-interview

Visit https://bento-box.ghost.io/ for more anime thoughts

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