Isekai Quartet – 12 (Fin) – Not Too Bad At All

Class A agrees to fight the three teachers (Rerugen backed out, not wanting anything to do with the other three) while Ainz, Tanya, Subaru and Kazuma must deal with Destroyer. It’s a great realization of the potential of putting these four together, and an appropriate way to end the first of at least two seasons of this super-deformed super-crossover.

Tanya’s shield gives Ainz time to cast Effulgent Beryl, pushing the spider back, and he then summons an entire army of chibi undead soldiers, many of whom flock around a very uncomfortable Aqua as Emilia smiles cheerfully, happy everyone’s getting along.

Ainz leaves the rest to Tanya, who flies Subie and Kaz up into the air. Subaru volunteers to fall first, cleverly using his Return by Death to attract a column of undead that serve as a shield against Destroyer’s beam. Kazuma then jumps, casting “steal”, which actually works for once, only not on underwear, but on a bolt holding one of the spider’s legs.

Finally, Tanya swoops in and grabs Destroyer’s purple headband, earning them the victory and 100 million points…but pointedly not the reward of returning to their respective other worlds! Turns out Roswaal’s “maybe” meant just that…”maybe.”

That said, the class is in agreement that this new world and school life aren’t that bad. It’s a good attitude to have considering they’re in store for at least twelve more episodes there, with a fresh batch of “transfer students.” Will the likes of Clementine, Mary Sioux, Priscilla, and Wiz be among them? We shall see, next season.

Isekai Quartet – 11 – Let’s Get Nuts!

Field Day starts orderly enough, with members of Class 2 and Class 1 exchanging pleasantries, and Yunyun, apparently from “Class 3” challenging Megumin to a battle (turns out she’s the only member of Class 3).

From there, a series of contests from tug-of-war to…donut grabbing(?), to the cavalry battle. The latter is worth 100 million points, rendering all the previous exercises and their somewhat random pointless.

Then the teachers join in, with Roswaal, Vanir, Pandora’s Actor, and a reluctant Rerugen wondering what he’s doing with these weirdos. Classes 1 and 2 decide to join forces to beat back the faculty, who then deploy their trump card, the Mobile Fortress Destroyer from KonoSuba.

While the show should be lauded for bringing in so many more familiar faces, it’s odd that Class 1 is only around half the size of Class 2 (though “Class 3” is a good joke), and for an episode with so much activity, there’s precious little action, which is to say…animation, only the suggestion of it through panning montages.

Isekai Quartet – 10 – Hootin’ an’ Hollerin’

When Roswaal announces that their Field Trip will be immediately followed by a Field Day with the “other” class, everyone looks around like he’s crazy. What other class? Sure enough, Subaru peeks into the next classroom (the one that didn’t exist before that day) and spots a whole other class of characters from the four shows.

This includes not only Ainz’s Combat Maids (which Subaru says is “a bit much” even though he’s surrounded by Demon Maids) but a Sword Saint of Subaru and Emilia’s world, Reinhard van Astrea. Hey, if you have all four shows at your disposal, you might as well use everyone you can!

KonoSuba’s Chris is also there, and warns Kazuma and the others from her world that if you die in this weird school world, you won’t come back. Why she specifically has that information is not explained, but there’s no reason to doubt it.

Still, Subaru successfully tests his “Return by Death,” and sound effects I hadn’t heard in a long time suddenly brought everything he went through back. It also makes a “mabeast” like Hamusuke come running, even though she’s not sure why.

The class leaders decide that victory over Class A is absolutely imperative:  winning means the possibility of returning to their respective worlds. Everyone in the class rallies together to ensure that victory…except for Kazuma, who would prefer to stay in this world and is too lazy to bother going back to defeat the Demon King.

His stubborn apathy brings out the worst in Tanya, who whips him into shape by going aerial with Puck and putting him through a brutal boot camp. Excited by the crystal bombardment, Megumin decides to join in the fun with an Explosion. Meanwhile, I hope either Class A or another class has Felt, Clementine, Enri, or Kyouya; it would be nice to see those guys again.

Isekai Quartet – 09 – Chibis in Bikinis

The beach trip is finally here, which means fans of the four series see the characters in modern swimsuits for the first time, albeit in chibi form. Still, the animation definitely seems to make Darkness more proportional as she does a thousand push-ups under Cocytus’ orders just so she can be gawked at by Tanya’s men. This, in turn, draws the ire of Ram and Visha, condemning the lads as scumbags for indulging the masochist with their stares.

The daytime events are pretty dull, but things heat up at night when the class splits up into groups for the big test of courage. Tanya is paired with Subaru, Ainz, and Aqua, and loses her cool when Aqua explains that she’s a goddess. Tanya initially mistakes her for Being X and prepares to launch when Ainz estimates to be Level 8 magical power on Yggdrasil.

Subaru stands between Tanya and Aqua, and along with Ainz all agree that Aqua is too much of a lightweight loser to be the Being X she’s talking about.  A couple of Tanya’s own men fall ill due to what she deems “lack of mental discipline”, but Ainz is duly impressed that Subaru took that wave of power in the face at point-blank range like it was nothing. Ainz asks himself what kind of mental stress Subaru is used to living under…If he only knew!

Isekai Quartet – 08 – Shopping in a New World

Ainz proposes a group activity during the class field trip to the beach, and Aqua immediately raises her hand in opposition…until she learns the idea was actually Emilia’s, in the interest of the various class members getting along better.

Aqua has definitely been the most antagonistic towards another character—in this case, the undead Ainz—but when Subaru talks about the purpose of a test of courage, joins Ram in castigating him. Still, everyone agrees that the night  activity will indeed be a test of courage; Emilia just needs Subaru to tell her what it is!

The students also need to head to a department store to buy swimsuits. You’d think that would mean they’d actually try them on, which would in some cases show many of the characters wearing different outfits—a rare occurrence to be sure. That doesn’t happen this week, as don’t yet make it to the beach.

Instead, Albedo and Shalltear try to pick out the best skimpy Speedo for Ainz-sama, and when Aqua crosses paths with them again, Kazuma plays peacemaker. He wigs out when he learns Albedo is a succubus (based on his experience in his isekai) but Shalltear drags her fellow floor guardian by telling him she’s still a pure maiden and laughing about it.

For that, Aqua actually takes Albedo’s side; saving yourself for the one you love isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Instead, she inadvertently drags Shalltear by declaring the only thing to be ashamed of is padding your chest, as her fellow goddess Eris—and Shalltear—do. A such, it is Albedo who gets the last laugh.

Isekai Quartet – 07 – We’re All Friends

This week is Re:Zero and OverLord cast-heavy, as we shift from Emilia expressing her excitement over their new world with Puck, and Subaru meeting Hamusuke (and being repeatedly gnawed upon), to Beatrice making a friend in Mare Bello Fiore, the meeker of the dark elf twins.

While I don’t endorse poor Hamusuke being locked in a hutch, Rem makes sure he promises to come to her, the nurse, next time Hamusuke gnaws on him. Subaru, of course, would rather avoid repeating such an experience.

After a brief cut to Megumin making an overly florid PA morning greeting, Subaru checks in on Emilia, who is working with Ainz and Albedo. Subaru gets to officially meet Ainz, and despite his fearsome appearance, senses the familiarity one gets from someone of one’s own (original) world.

Ainz notes something strange in Subaru’s chest, no doubt related to the mechanism by which he resurrects. Roswaal interrupts by announcing the entire class will be going on a field trip to the beach, leading Emilia and Ainz to commence planning an activity for everyone.

Some entertaining interactions, as usual, but this was definitely more of a quiet building-up episode to what is expected to be something none of the donor shows (other than Youjo Senki) really had: a beach episode.

Isekai Quartet – 06 – The Committees

Next up in the Cavalcade of High School Cliches? Selecting a Class Rep and other class positions. Albedo immediately lobbies for her beloved Ainz-sama, but Aqua won’t accept an undead rep; Albedo challenges that position by calling Aqua ugly.

Things don’t descend into bloody magical chaos only because Roswaal has a steady hand at the wheel of the class, and because Emilia comes forward as a nominee everyone can live with (Tanya, for her part, doesn’t want the job).

Ainz and Albedo are co-vice reps, and while the various committee members are selected among rest of the class. This splits up the four “factions” quite evenly, which Demiurge thinks Ainz sees an opportunity for the Guardians to manipulate the other factions (in truth, Ainz sees…nothing of the sort). 

Kazuma perhaps gets the worst grouping, as he’s the odd man out in a trio that also contains Tanya and Demiurge, who go together like peanut butter and jelly—not to mention possess various means of physically controlling people.

Demiurge’s words make Kazuma lie on the ground; Tanya’s stare, makes him stand straight as a board. He writes to his parents in his head: he’s thinking about not coming to school…again!

Out in the schoolyard the gym committee convenes, led by Cocytus by default (since he appears to be the strongest). But because Darkness is also on their team, things get weird fast, as she gives her enthusiastic masochistic delusions a P.E. theme. Dysfunction and hilarity appears primed to persist!

Isekai Quartet – 05 – A Talent Show of Ice and Fire

No more messing around: it’s time for the class talent show, with participants chosen at random by Roswaal. First up is the TA, Mr. Rerugen, whose tortured rendition of his country’s national anthem evokes pity and disgust to a degree Darkness deeply envies.

Subaru thinks he can do better with a cat’s cradle shaped like Tokyo Tower, but if the other Japanese are impressed they don’t mention it, while nobody else (including Rem) knows what the heck a Tokyo Tower is. Rem, meanwhile, impresses Cocytus with her flail skills.

Poor Lt. Grantz learns the hard way never to get involved in a talent show skit with Darkness, who urges him to punish her with a whip in front of a mortified class, all of whom label him a scumbag despite the fact he didn’t do anything. When it’s Aqua’s turn, she almost takes out Ains’ crew with a Turn Undead spell, but Kazuma stops her.

The KonoSuba theme continues, including three distinct riffs on the KonoSuba bumper card, only they say “IseQuar!”, and with Megumin doing what we all knew was coming: showing off her Explosion magic to a legitimately impressed (not to mention power-obsessed) crowd. The KonoSuba contingent may be the smallest at four persons, but they’re no slouches in the magical department.

Of course, while Megumin’s Explosion even impresses Ains Ooal Gown, she can only do it once a day, which gives Ains the opportunity to end the talent show not with a bang, but with icy briskness, summoning a shitload of magic circles and changing the weather from a temperate spring/summer day to clouds and snow flurries.

I enjoyed how everyone, well, enjoyed the sudden coming of snow…and Subaru for his part doesn’t bring up the fact that Lia beheaded him in similar weather once upon a time, in a different timeline. Mostly, everyone came away knowing each other and their abilities (or lack thereof) that much more.

Isekai Quartet – 04 – Common Ground

Little by little the various newly-mixed characters are starting to learn more about each other. Ainz Ooal Gown and Tanya end up exchanging Evil Death Stares until they loosen up and both realize that despite their appearances they’re both men from modern Japan, which is vastly comforting considering how crazy anyone else in their respective other worlds would think they were by bringing it up.

Two women who find kinship in feeling the same way about their man (specifically, that there’s no better one)? Rem and Albedo! When Cocytus protests compulsory participation in the talent show, Ram simply tells him the teacher’s word is law.

When both Subaru and Kazuma are running late, their much more athletic female friends (Rem and Darkness, respectively) literally carry them as they run fast. Neither man feels right about this, but put an end to the carrying only when they see each other.

While serving punishment for being late as a result, the two learn that they have a lot in common, except that one of them was summoned and the other reincarnated. And one’s a shut-in and the other isn’t. But they both love tracksuits!

When Kazuma starts describing the awful situation he’s in (which honestly doesn’t sound so bad), Subaru tells him he “knows how he feels” despite the fact he lives in a mansion with the girl he’s trying to win, along with two twin maids, one of whom is in love with him. Kazuma takes particular umbrage to Subaru calling that a bad deal, and with good reason…it’s not!

Isekai Quartet – 03 – Status Report

IQ continues to explore various combinations between characters through casual interactions. Demiurge ends up doing what he usually does—explain to all what Lord Ains has already realized: they’re trapped in another world and forced to become students. Only as usual, he’s several steps ahead of his lord and Ains has to pretend otherwise.

A flyer for an upcoming student talent show is distributed, which should also provide a vehicle for the characters to get to know each other better. Ram is typically ruthless in her criticism of Subaru, declaring his talent to be “failing at life.”

Beatrice is called a “little girl” by two of Tanya’s underlings, but when she visits the lounge to talk to Roswaal, it’s one of Tanya’s superiors, who uses his hypnotic voice to convince her to return to class. In “Betty” he sees another potential “demon in a little girl’s skin”, causing Tanya to sneeze (and Aqua to bless her).

Aqua’s mention of gods/goddesses, words Tanya hates, reminds her of “Being X”, and back in class she decides to confront Lord Ains in the off-chance he may knows something. But when she asks Ains to meet her, Albedo becomes defensive, eventually befriending Rem, as they both agree that love has no set conditions nor a duration to take root.

Note…there’s not much to say here, as this is an inherently uneventful show—Avengers: Endgame it is not! It’s more just enjoying all these characters bounce off each other with zero stakes.

Isekai Quartet – 02 – Roll Call

In its first two mini-episodes,  Isekai Quartet is content to let its audience bask in the sheer absurdity and awesomeness of watching characters from four of their favorite Isekai anime bounce off one another in a school setting. Their homeroom teacher, Roswall L. Mathers from Re:Zero, begins with introductions.

Ram notes that Kazuma, who is staring at “Barusu,” is wearing the same bizarre threads we know to be an IRL track suit. Little do both Kazuma and Subaru know that Ains Ooal Gown is also one of them, as is Tanya, but in different forms. I did enjoy Kazuma and Subaru’s reaction to Tanya’s very militaristic group’s introduction.

Since both OverLord and KonoSuba feature very similar fantasy races and spells, Aqua takes it upon herself to launch a preemptive attack on the Nazarick crew, since they consist of an undead, a vampire, a demon, and a monster. Momonga even recognizes the name of her spell, which he expects to be low-level, but actually hurts like a bitch.

Even more disconcerting to the guardians and their ruler is that Kazuma is able to simply bop someone as powerful as Aqua on the head and drag her off, scolding her for attacking her classmates. The next day, she has to stand in the hall with three water buckets, an ironic punishment for the water goddess.

Isekai Quartet – 01 (First Impressions) – More Is More

Re:Creators was a story in which characters from several different popular contemporary anime series were somehow transported into the real world and began to interact and form factions. It was essentially a giant crossover event, only all of the anime involved were original and created just for the show.

Isekai Quartet, on the other hand, crosses over four immensely popular Isekai shows from recent years, all of which have been covered here at RABUJOI: KonoSuba, Overlord, Re:Zero, and Tanya the Evil. Needless to say, the more knowledge you have on these four shows (and more to the point, the more you enjoyed them) the more enjoyment you’re derive out of this.

One could complain that the “chibi” character designs detract from what could have been a pretty awesome crossover of the four shows’ native art styles. As for me, I only got a couple minutes into it until I all but forgot they were chibi designs; such was the familiarity and fidelity of the characters’ wardrobes, voices, and mannerisms.

All four shows have their own tones and rhythms, and they even occupy different genres (with KonoSuba and OverLord leaning more towards comedy and Re:Zero and Tanya more to drama), so it’s simply exhilarating to watch them suddenly occupying the same space…even if that space is a high school for some reason (like Attack on Titan: Junior High), and the means of the four groups ending up there (mysterious red buttons) can only be called laughably, almost admirably lazy.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where they are or how they got there, just that they’re now all together. Subaru & Co. only just show up at the end with the other three groups already at their desks, but I’m definitely looking forward to all of the new dynamics that arise from such a sudden grouping. I can’t promise this is going anywhere significant. All I know is watching it brought me a great deal of joy.