Leadale no Daichi nite

[neflight86]

1946

"* Based on an adventure fantasy light novel series written by Ceez and illustrated by Tenmaso.

After a horrific accident put her on life support, the last vestige of freedom Kagami Keina had was in the VRMMORPG World of Leadale. When she wakes up in the body of her game avatar, though, Keina - now Cayna - finds that the worries of her old life appear to be a thing of the past, but somehow this new land doesn't seem to be quite the Leadale she remembers...

Source: Yen Press"

Genre(s): Isekai, Video Game, Comedy, Fantasy

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If you want another low-ambition isekai fodder to give a try to this season, look no further. This wasn't too bad by modern standards. Simple gags and punchlines. The first episode appears to blaze through most of the world building and setup while introducing the OP main character. Oddly enough, I was most endeared to the inn keeper's daughters all sharing her hair color and style- that was cute. Ascendance of a Bookworm this ain't, but you could do worse.

[Ryllharu]

I thought this had a nice retro feel to it.

Cayna's delight at being reborn has a much better taste to it than the majority of power-fantasy isekai. She's not trapped, she's freed, but that has made her feel a little guilty about it and uncomfortable. It's the opposite of the bitter edgelords, the revenge driven, the "Imma gonna make the best out of a bad situation by having such a 'cheat' ability," rehashed stuff we see 5 times a season.

She knows she's OP, a little cringe about the legends she's accidentally made by being in the game too much and playing it too long, but she had a good reason for being so hardcore into the game.

Like 1990s isekai and fantasy series. A little more pure-hearted, with a sense that being isekai'd isn't a reward or to make up for being hit by Truck-kun, or the "OMG, I'm trapped in my favorite game!"

It's an accident, just like the power outage that somehow sent her here.

[Ryllharu]

Eps 2 / Eps 3

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This series really is quite refreshing. An MMO isekai that doesn't take itself too seriously, isn't dour about everything, and doesn't try to give itself a deep and heavy storyline from the onset. It really is living up to that retro-isekai and retro-fantasy anime feel to it.

Cayna is likeable and a little mischievous and wry about the whole situation. She's obscenely powerful compared to most of the residents of the world thus far, ala Overlord, but is carefree and nonchalant, even a little embarrassed about her relative power scale.

It doesn't hurt that the three most respected people in the capital fawn over her like spoiled toddlers, instantly smashing their respective reputations. But she doesn't try to downplay it or exploit it, she just stoically takes the glomps and promptly leaves, going right back to the tasks of her own design.

The series hits that pleasant, 'low-tension but engaging' threshold that some 1990s true classic fantasy series hit so well. The world is defined just enough to drive the events occurring within it, but not the pedantically detailed level where a series bogs itself down like some other, similar isekai series both recently and airing this season, the trash webnovel kinds. It explores what it wants to without pretense or outsized ambition.

edit:
Cayna's relative real age when paired with her in-world age, reputation, and influence also give her an air in the context of the world that matches her character. She's a little aloof, curious about the current state, but also instantly bored with things that astonish the adventurer and sage types of the nation. Who always has more important things to do that what people want from her.

She comes off as feeling like a 200+ year old elf, weary mother of three exuberant adult children. A funny situation to inadvertently match her character persona.

[Kraco]

Episode 6


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I'm pleased to see there was another player around, as other players are likely the only things that could offer any challenges for Cayna. I just hope the future players, assuming there are more, will be more serious than the kid here. Although that being said, what happened with the kid here is almost certainly going to create a real monster, should the demon ever escape (assisted or unassisted). But then again, he was pretty stupid, so unless someone helps him, his actions will still be limited. He won't be lacking rage, though, I reckon.

This series is borderline boring, so I hope something interesting will happen soon.

[Ryllharu]

It's uneventful and really feels like a 90s fantasy series.

I'm okay with it, knowing it is generally low-key and low-stakes.

They are really downplaying how vicious Cayna is though, covering it up with reaction faces and stuff. She had a little crisis of faith earlier, after killing that other thief, but she was more than willing to kill someone she strongly suspected was a child-player, knowing full well the consequences of her actions.

It's what I like about this series despite it being a power-fantasy isekai.

Cayna actually acts like she is absurdly overpowered. Not in a forced way like Overlord's roleplay settlings force on Monmonga. She has full control of her actions, and is fully aware of the consequences of what she's capable of.

Thus, she's very aloof, wants nothing to do with anything but her own individual affairs, and she's mildly malicious about it all. She enjoys this, and casually threatens others because they're really no threat to someone like her.

There's no feeling of Mary Sue about her. We know she's earned all of this by overplaying the game in her hospice bed. They don't try to play it dramatic, loading up the gravitas and attempting to bullshit the viewers with misdirection like she has any chance at all of losing. They explore her situation from a fun perspective instead, with the rare flashes of guilt, resignation of her isolation, and her cold lethality to contrast the fun moments.

[Kraco]

Thus, she's very aloof, wants nothing to do with anything but her own individual affairs, and she's mildly malicious about it all. She enjoys this, and casually threatens others because they're really no threat to someone like her.

There's no feeling of Mary Sue about her. We know she's earned all of this by overplaying the game in her hospice bed. They don't try to play it dramatic, loading up the gravitas and attempting to bullshit the viewers with misdirection like she has any chance at all of losing. They explore her situation from a fun perspective instead, with the rare flashes of guilt, resignation of her isolation, and her cold lethality to contrast the fun moments.

Sounds quite similar to that kid playing a demon character. He also knew he's more powerful than others and didn't try to hide it in particular. Instead he was doing whatever he wanted around that lake area, sometimes maliciously. The biggest difference between them was that Cayna could have defeated the kid in a hundred different ways, whereas the kid probably didn't have a single chance against her. Might makes right.

[Kraco]

Episode 7


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I'm happy there seem to be more players around. I hope there are some asskickers, not just noobs. Preferably someone troublesome as well. Like a dude Cayna would have wanted to avoid meeting as much as possible back in the game. Not any petty creeps, of course, let alone some lovesick stalker. If such a thing appears, I'll drop this show.

[Kraco]

Episode 8



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I'm repeating myself, but while it's good to have other players around, I hope there will be more interesting ones than these two who basically ended up worshipping the ground Cayna had walked on. That actually made them worse than random regular folks of that world (NPCs, in a manner of speaking). It's also quite ridiculous that they were around level 400, but appeared exceedingly mediocre and powerless. Just how fricking inflated are the levels in the original game? I guess when one started the game, they would level up already after opening the menu for the first time. Kill a mouse and you jump to level 5 immediately. Slaying a single wolf would skyrocket a player to level 15, no doubt. Add a basic skeleton, and you are level 25. Sounds like a fun game.

I don't remember if Cayna's level has been stated, but I'd guess around 50,000.