Forum - View topicSaving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11303 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement (TV) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 7 Volumes, written by FUNA, illustrated by Tōzai) Demographic: Shounen Animation Studio: Felix Film Genres: fantasy, slice of life Themes: isekai Plot Summary: One day, Mitsuha falls off a cliff and is transported to a medieval Europe–type world. After a near-death encounter with a pack of wolves, she then realizes that she's able to transport between two worlds—this one and her own. Taking advantage of this ability, Mitsuha decides to live in both worlds and calculates that she'll need 80,000 gold coins to be able to retire. Mitsuha now has to come up with different ways to collect her gold coins. Air Date & Platform: January 7, 2023 (Friday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: 12 episodes Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:03 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Edjwald
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Kind of a mixed bag.
The animation is probably the worst part. This is one of those garage sale isekai whose art production budget is on the same level as "In Another World With a Phone that's Smarter Than I Am" or "Isekai Cheat Magician." On the other hand, the concept is a new take (at least in anime). And the character isn't unlikable. I'm almost inclined to say that she's likable - sympathetic backstory, loyal to her family and new friend - except that the story lacks a little energy character development wise. It lets the plot do all the leg work, and the art isn't strong enough to convey nuance. Neither is the dialogue or the voice acting thus far. But she's supposed to still be in shock and traumatized by the death of her family, so I'm willing to wait and see if she'll gradually be coming back to livelier. It's just a bit ironic that liveliest character is the dead brother. But apparently he's going to remain a part of the show as a running gag and plot device, so that's okay. I'm willing to give this some more episodes to see how it develops the most interesting thing (to me anyhow) thus far - the premise. Last edited by Edjwald on Sun Jan 08, 2023 8:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23803 |
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I've stated in other threads that I've become weary of the isekai genre... yet here I am, sampling every single one of them and not insta-dropping (so far) including this one. I do like the world hopping aspect and I'm curious as to the actual circumstances of the MC's almost death... it kind of looked like she was kicking out at a guy for some reason and accidentally backed into a rickety fence which broke... or was she pushed? Hard to tell.
In any case, this show is on probation... good enough that I watched the entire episode but not so good that I feel confident I'll watch the entire run. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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This is one of those series where it can go in many directions for the uninitiated. Is this going to be an Economics lesson like Ookami to Koushinryou? A gag comedy? Maybe even an action adventure since she has supernatural powers she can exploit for material gain?
So far, it's looking like a fairly standard slice of life fantasy adventure, although her ability to freely traverse worlds means she effectively can run an inter-world import-export service and live off the arbitrage proceeds. I don't know how she converted 20 billion Japanese Yen to 80,000 gold coins in this other world, but that's what she's aiming for and she's going to do everything she can to achieve her goal. Her deceased older brother has a stereotypical military-otaku personality, but she liked him enough that his wisdom is still being applied long after he passed on. She's given up on making a living in Japan now that she's orphaned and alone, so might as well exploit her new-found powers and try her luck in this other world. Yes, she might suddenly lose her powers and it would all be for nought, but she's going to make hay while the sun shines and everything else be damned. Is her journey to a big wealth stockpile the main plot? Or is there something else this story can throw at viewers? Too early to say, but I'm interested so far. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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#2
The episode is mainly an expository one as viewers learn more about the world Mitsuha can travel to, the limits of her powers, why she settled on a goal of 80,000 gold pieces and why there's a forbidding PMC mercenary in the OP animation. It's an unusual approach she's taken, but I have to hand it to her for the approach she's taken. She's judged that there's no magic in the world she can travel to, so modern 21st century weapons are overpowered compared to the medieval weapons she thinks she's up against. Already, she's made a mistake with her expectations as the group she nearly bumped into on a motorcycle is an adventuring party including a member with a witch's hat. If magic is available, then her firearms might not be enough. The level of science and technology is equivalent to early medieval Europe, but they have the concept of trade, public latrines and gold-backed currency. No concept of time since they don't need it as railways don't exist, but the seasons will affect how long the day is which is something Mitsuha needs to adjust to. Also, the passage of time in the "other" world appears to be somewhat in sync with Mitsuha's original world. So she can disappear for extended days in her world before returning as if nothing had really happened. How convenient both planets have the same calendar year. It appears the 80,000 gold coins in the title is worked out based on the price of gold in Mitsuha's original world and how much commission the PMC charge her for conversion. Good thing the gold used is the same in both worlds so it's a valid medium of exchange. Unfortunately her target is going to be much more than just 80,000 because of running costs in both worlds and fluctuations in the gold price in Mitsuha's world (plus any PMC shenanigans as they're her only fence). Her inheritance will only go so far and she's already put a considerable capital outlay into PMC training, clothing and the goods she intends to sell in the other world. She has only one shot, so if her business doesn't take off in the other world she's in more trouble than she was at the start of the series. There are more characters yet to be introduced who were featured in the OP animation, so Mitsuha's trials have only just started. Whether or not the series will keep its viewers who aren't familiar with the source material will really depend on how entertaining the next two weeks are. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1145 |
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This is another show that I've hung with for three episodes, but the last one was a bit rough.
I haven't seen events falling into place so smoothly and nobles rushing to bend over for an MC this much since In *Another World with My Smartphone*. At least the show mentioned that she did some research and tried to find a noble family with a good reputation first, but still... |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23803 |
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Yeah, this isekai is not jelling for me the way many of the other ones I was dubious about, but ended up liking this season have. I'm not ready to pull the rip cord on this one just yet but it has not earned a pass to the finale like, say, Handyman Saito in Another World already has. And with seemingly every second title getting delayed my absurd viewing schedule is getting lighter by the day...
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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#3-#4
Mitsuha hasn't really had much difficulty getting what she wants after learning how to properly exploit her teleportation world-jump. Episode #3 is a case in point; if the guards won't let her through without an appointment then she'll worm her way in through a fabricated accident. Everything else requires her information on the ruling noble family to be spot on, and for her acting to be convincing enough to fool the nobles. By the end of the episode, she's more or less succeeded although the final scene where she remembers a similar scene with her actual family makes her less of a phoney than she's putting herself out to be. With the Bozes family introduced, that's another main character featured in the OP covered (the only daughter with a physique more developed than her age lets on). Yet episode #4 flips episode #3 on its head. What happens when Mitsuha has imperfect information about her surroundings and opens a store? As expected, she makes mistakes and very nearly tanks her enterprise on the first day. To be fair to her, being persistent with her first trio of customers did just enough to get the word out and bring about another opportunity; a huge one she HAS to grasp with both hands and get right as that is the pathway to her retirement fund in this other world. One thing I noticed about episode 4: the servant trio are much taller and more physically developed than Mitsuha despite having a poorer diet and longer hours of hard labour. Either I put it down to genetics (Mitsuha being shorter than the average girl her age and not looking her age to boot) or it's done for comic effect when they tower over her while she begs for their patronage. Episode 4 is also the first plot hole: she did all that research into the medieval era yet never made the logical leap between days required to travel between cities in a carriage and the same applying to freight transport. I suppose it's a bit much for someone not legally old enough to drink alcohol in Japan to figure out straight away given the crash course she undertook on the period in question. Another issue arising from episode #4 that Mitsuha needs to address moving forward: everyone thinks she's a witch because of her modern utensils being no different from magic. She IS using magic to resupply, but if she doesn't explain herself somehow she's going to end up on the stake. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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#5
It's this episode that shows how much attention to detail is put into the setting. Unfortunately for this franchise, there are a lot of plot holes which the audience has to put up with if they want to fully enjoy the experience. One of the most glaring is the stoves used by the Reiner household to prepare the catering; there's no way they can adjust the flame strength if it's wood-fired as the medieval setting suggests, so they're using gas-fired stoves. Which is effectively impossible given the technology level of the other world, yet the chefs are preparing the dishes as if adjusting the dials came naturally to them. If props like dry ice can be mistaken for flame and microphones and speakers remain unfamiliar to the nobles in attendance, all the more reason why the catering by the household should have been impossible given the tools at their disposal. Another problem is electricity. This world doesn't have it, yet she's able to use a laptop and projector like it was modern-day Japan. Batteries are one thing, but this kind of performance needs generators or a main source. I don't remember this series introducing this technology to us separately, so it's another problem with the setting which probably won't be resolved. Third problem is refrigeration, although this one is less of an issue because Mitsuha can teleport. Ice boxes can be used as temporary storage, and those don't need electricity to run. Still, the scale with which she was putting on the desserts suggests she either put a huge capital outlay into lots of ice boxes or the writer simply failed to take this into consideration and let Mitsuha abuse her teleportation to bring in enormous cakes and the like. Another issue is sushi and sashimi. Japanese are used to eating these as they've been consuming the food for decades, but worldwide there are plenty of countries who wouldn't touch raw food under any circumstances. Same applies to the other world, so it's a bit much to expect the nobles to actually taste it without thinking ill of their hosts. That aside, the episode is still fun to watch. Using the stereotype of nobles not caring about what commoners eat or drink allows Mitsuha to scam them using junk food as exotic cuisine. It's the only wrinkle she had in what is otherwise a full-scale event organization done by someone with no prior experience, so yes too good to be true. Given what Mitsuha has had to go through before she accidentally ended up with her world-jump ability, it's hard not to root for her. That said, too many liberties taken with the setting so it would be easier on the audience suspension of disbelief if future arcs didn't stretch the imagination so much. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23803 |
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Mitsuha's entrepreneurial ventures are confusing me. What's the point in opening up a brick & mortar retail operation if you are simply going to keep it closed while pursuing your consultancy business? And with respect to the store, why would you bother stocking items for the common folk, who can't afford very much, as opposed to items specifically aimed at the nobles who do actually have coin?
Seems to me the most profitable and easiest retail operation would be a high end jewellery store that caters to nobles. We already know from her experience with that noble family a few episodes ago that Earth jewellery would be highly sought after in this world. Also, these are small items that can be transported easily but sold at a huge price. Having whined about all that, this show is slowly growing on me, thanks in part to Mitsuha's plucky resolve. It's definitely inching its way further away from the Dropped cliff face. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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#6
One of the unexpected consequences to introducing new technology to a foreign place as its main vector is having to deal with questions about the technology's providence. Mitsuha is essentially modernising her new environment, so everyone turns to her wanting to know her secrets. So far she's getting by through deception and half-truths, but she's going to find it increasingly difficult to hide her teleportation. Also, because her event planning was such a success she's going to need to take notes on how each client was served. Because the nobles all want a unique experience which cannot be copied, she can't use the same trick twice when Beatrice has her own ball two years down the line (assuming she's still in this business by then). Although her patrons are quite demanding, they do provide powerful backing and can help ease some pressure from threatening guests affiliated with other noble families. If it means putting up a night at their residence and closing her shop for a day, so be it. Whether she likes it or not business requires people relationships to be maintained and cultivated and the nobles who took her in a few weeks ago helped her out with setting up the shop. She owes them, so the least she can do is repay them. The salt cultivation sounds like a good idea, since it's clear the technology for industrial-scale salt cultivation isn't available yet. If the family gets this going and it takes off, they'll have a monopoly on salt production which would more than pay off what they granted Mitsuha to start up her shop. Beatrice is going to be the undoing of Mitsuha one day. The latter doesn't seem to know how to deal with her in an efficient manner like she does with the rest of the family, or with her potential customers. Not to mention Beatrice is very good at fooling Mitsuha and getting her to lose composure, so if Mitsuha is forced to go through with her promise she's going to find it even tougher than Adelaide's event. The mercenary arc should be interesting, since we've seen something similar previously although there was a mage in the party. Mitsuha doesn't yet know about magic in this world, so the mercenaries executing her commission might be a good chance for her to learn about this. She's not one to pass up a business opportunity, so I'm wondering what she's planned for the bounty hunters. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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#7
I don't think I've quite seen an episode like this. She goes on what is essentially a camping trip with extra options included with a mercenary party as her guides and escorts. Besides her usual lack of local sensitivities, she generally uses the opportunity to test out her products in an attempt to expand her market base. It's been said before why she doesn't bother focusing on high-margin low quantity items, but Mitsuha seems really motivated in improving the quality of life for this new world and bringing it forward technologically through her imports. Again, she's very fortunate she picked the right mercenary group to work with. Less scrupulous groups might well have done unspeakable things to her given how defenceless she was at times. It's also interesting to hear how market conditions are like for groups like them since war and disorder are what makes the most money for them thanks to numerous opportunities. Since the capital she's in is peaceful, they have trouble making ends meet. Giving them modern camping equipment at a reasonable price increases her savings and makes their outdoor lives easier, which is going to pay off in the long run if she needs their help again in the future. One of these days she's going to let slip her ability to travel to another world and back, as well as the modern weaponry she's carrying which would mark her out as a public danger. How she handles that is going to be interesting, but for the time being the series is content with showing the audience how she slowly accumulates her retirement savings. One of the plot holes I couldn't reconcile was actually resolved this week. She must have bought solar panels and installed them herself, along with the rest of the infrastructure for cooking at her shop. Must be high-efficiency panels, since close-circuit television isn't energy saving. Despite her skill at hardware installation, turns out she can't draw or sculpt to save her life. Fortunately the new world has the same fondness for gargoyles as the medieval world it's supposedly inspired by, so she could get rid of the statues without them clogging up her store space. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23803 |
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I'm really glad I stuck with this show that I was lukewarm on in the beginning. It doesn't have a powerful narrative engine but I grow more fond of our cute little money-grubbing protag with every passing week and watching her test out products in this new world is always amusing. If I was a mercenary/hunter, I'd be all over that tent, insulation mat and fire starting stuff.
I was a bit confused by her sculpting. Have we seen her use magic before? I don't recall that so it seems like a skillset that just got pulled out of nowhere. I'm also a bit hazy on how the transportation rules work in this show. Hitherto, I assumed that any items Mitsuha transported from our world to the new one had to be physically carried by her, which is why I cited high value/low weight items like jewellery in a previous post. Presumably those sculptures are too heavy for her to physically carry, yet they got from the new world quarry back to her room and then to the new world store. Given that, I have to assume she can transport an item between worlds merely by touching it. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2858 |
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Point taken. I had to rewatch the explanation with the celestial being, and I'm quite sure her powers are limited to teleportation, accelerated healing and inter-world language ability. Maybe she learnt it later on as part of the source material, but it isn't shown explicitly in on-air episodes. As for her teleportation, she's already teleported her motorcycle in episode 2 simply by riding it. She doesn't carry it with her, so simply touching something is enough. Note she hasn't carried anything living with her so far, only inanimate objects. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23803 |
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Ah yes, the scooter, I had forgotten about that. I decided to look at the scooter scene again and got a nice little inadvertent easter egg as a bonus. That scene from episode 2 shows her teleporting to the new world and then driving her scooter through a path in a forest. She sees four figures ahead and of course cannot let them see her with the scooter so has to hastily teleport back to Earth before one of them turns around.
And who were the four, you (may) ask? Why none other than the mercenaries she hired in episode 7 to take her gathering/hunting. I didn't make the connection until this rewatch. |
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