I Became the Strongest Because of My Crap Category Status Effect Skills (Hazurewaku)

[shinta|hikari]

The full translated title is actually "Until I, Who Became the Strongest Due to My Crap Category Status Effect Skills, Overrun Everything" but that goes beyond the thread title limit.



This is one of my favorite light novels/web novels because the main character doesn't really get super strong himself. He just has broken skills that he uses to the maximum by relying on wits, planning, ruthlessness, and deception. Many of his enemies are actually stronger than he is. Bonus that this isn't a harem story. I know that is spoiler-ish, but it's kind of important to mention from the get-go as these are the main selling points of this story.





Episode 1:

They really had to squeeze the sexy elf in there just to get the pervs onboard LOL.

[Kraco]

Episode 2:


- - - - - -



The plot to draw the soul eater near and make it careless was believable and smart, but, man, was it a pain to watch. The purposefully poor acting seemed to last forever. And then we got the self-righteous and prideful speech from the MC. What was the director thinking?

Also, the MC definitely does get super strong. We have all the reason to believe the people that died in that dungeon had some really competent individuals among them, like the past darkness hero. They all died miserably in that place, unable to face the soul eater even if they somewhat did manage to deal with the armies of the other monsters. The experience/levels seem to be as inflated in this series as they usually are in isekai, with the dude already closing in on level 1000, unless he already got there thanks to the soul eater, but still one ought to assume those monsters aren't any goblins, they were all relatively tough. Their toughness just was meaningless against the MC's cheat powers.

Despite all that, this is a relatively decent show in its category. I'm not sure if this can even be called an edgelord story since Touka seems to be aware of his own position and prospects. On the other hand, he does have the woeful background of unreasonable suffering and folks that should have technically be on his side were pretty much all against him, so he's alone, which certainly is an edgelord plot element. Time will tell. I feel like aside from the whole background of suffering, edgelordism mostly depends on the MC's attitude, which might not be present here.

[neflight86]

Sounds interesting. I'll have to give it a watch.

[shinta|hikari]

The plot to draw the soul eater near and make it careless was believable and smart, but, man, was it a pain to watch. The purposefully poor acting seemed to last forever. And then we got the self-righteous and prideful speech from the MC. What was the director thinking?

While I personally think the acting was also not as good as it could've been, my wife actually got fooled into thinking it was real, so it seems to work for those who aren't expecting any subversion to happen.

Also, the MC definitely does get super strong. We have all the reason to believe the people that died in that dungeon had some really competent individuals among them, like the past darkness hero. They all died miserably in that place, unable to face the soul eater even if they somewhat did manage to deal with the armies of the other monsters.

I think it was pretty obvious that the monsters there are super strong because even after he leveled up, he couldn't even scratch the skin/hide of a dead monster. Even after all that leveling, he could only beat them through his status effect skills. He didn't suddenly start beating them with speed, strength, agility, or weapons.

To add, he isn't alone. He had that uncle and auntie who cared for him after he escaped abuse.

[KrayZ33]

What the heck is going on with using that crappy 3D garbage for the most basic of basic images.

It's like 3 different studios (probably 3 people, not actual studios) worked for this show, each had their own style of bad animation.

[shinta|hikari]

Wife and I thought the same thing. It is weird because she isn't the type to catch these things. Either she is finally becoming an otaku or it was just that bad. Based on your assessment, it was probably the latter.

The biggest problem was how it went back and forth in a matter of seconds, just different camera angles. It was jarring and bizarre.

[KrayZ33]

Episode 2:
The experience/levels seem to be as inflated in this series as they usually are in isekai, with the dude already closing in on level 1000.

He was 1200+ before he fought the soul eater thingy.

edit:
He gets +3 main stat for every level up btw.

And I think +33 Mana per level up?
But the studio is super bad at math/using a calculator, so they thought 1229x33 = 40457 instead of 40557
Not sure where the -100 mana difference comes from.

His starting stat was 33 mana. 3 in every main stat.

[Kraco]

Funnily enough the visuals are so strange so often that I sort of just accepted it and don't mind. If it was more like the usual case of some details being bad and clashing with the rest of it, it would bother me a whole lot more, but since it's the same throughout the show, it's easier for me to accept. I actually liked the weird monster designs. It's obvious the studio didn't have anywhere near the budget to make the monsters the normal way, so by going all out doing it differently (and probably very cheaply), you might even call it artistic.

[KrayZ33]

I usually prefer really bad animation that looks like it has been drawn compared to this alienated visuals that don't match the background nor do they look realistic.

They always remind me of these absurd dancing animations on youtube where people that have absolutely no idea about anatomy and how people move try to make characters do some dance moves.
Not that I could do any better of course, but it's just so freaking ugly and unpleasant.

[KrayZ33]

Episode 3+4
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The artstyle mixup is really annoying again, once more I have to question why they use AI "animation" for the most basic of poses, which would look much better with the most generic "anime-style" you can think about.
It's so weird that you almost think this is "art".

Either way. I really liked the small scene in episode 3 in which the Paladin "powered up" against the bountyhunters.
It's actually a 4th animation style too, because it's not 100% the crappy AI one and also not 100% "Artstyle 2" where characters have this weird color/aura/outline around them.
That was actually well done imho and better than most things I've seen in that regard (in other animes as well)

I'm actually quite sad that her whole style will change to a tittymonster later on, at least when I take a look at the OP/ED.

I think I can keep watching this though...

[neflight86]

Just watched this.

So, as I watched I realized I'd read some of this manga (obviously, they start to blend together).

A fair premiere for busload isekai with a side of revenge quest.

The animation is jarring, but the execution of (seewhatIdidthere) the story so far is dry and consistent, to the show's credit.

While I can take or leave isekai, I do like stories about terrible people getting super powers and getting their comeuppance, the latest example being that 'op insta kill iseaki' from a couple seasons ago. Though I doubt the story will get very far, I look forward to seeing MC be almost as evil in dispatching his classmate foes.

Make no mistake that this writing is sorta funny for the wrong reasons. Everyone is a big cartoon villain that makes no attempts to hide their evil-ness. They don't even scheme insidiously. All edge with little substance, but watchable if the weird animation doesn't turn one off.

[David75]

With the golden eyes explanation it's fair to say that most of his heroes classmates are now Demon King pawns and MC will have to deal with them for that reason too. So some kind of excuse to his vengeance.

[KrayZ33]

Episode 5
_________________________________

Hey... the fight was horrible to watch but I loved the idea behind her not being able to use that spirit type due to the illusion break.
Overall the Dragon Knights themselves are kinda awesome too, but obviously a joke due to how low the budget for this show was in presenting them, and obviously the author had to make the captain a generic douchebag that is only elite on paper, but not right in the head.

[Kraco]

Since you started talking about the art, I also began to pay more attention to it. It's so strange that when the whole character is shown, it's like a cutscene from a 15 years old game, but when the "camera" shows a character's face, it's again more like any random anime.

The extremely forced, lowbrow fanservice is quite jarring, mainly some of the female clothes. Like why the heck does Seras wear the ridiculous boob armor, when she's trying to avoid all attention, being a well-known fugitive? Maybe it's her strategy to have men stare at her breasts and miss her face, haha.

[KrayZ33]

Yeah, I have yet to identify why they use animation style "A" here and style "B" there and style "C" at a different scene.

From what I can tell, they have never even once used the ugly 3D stuff when the story focuses on his class mates. Or perhaps I've forgotten it.
And the only time it happens is when MC or FMC are involved.

Then there is this second animation style that has very hard/visible outlines. They are often "blue" or "white" so it looks like they are the sweatiest people in the universe. Not sure what that style is. It basically looks like they are surrounded by blue light. Take 5:50 for example when she offers the chalice.

And then there is the generic low budget anime artstyle like when they show the classmates fight the skellies.


And yeah, I'm kinda sad about Seras being a boobmonster. I kinda like the Paladin thing and her dress/coat etc. looks kinda noble and lady-knight-like.
But the boob armor is just so weird. Especially since she could technically wear the typiscal "Saber breastplate" most female knights have in anime and still look like a real beauty.

[Kraco]

Episode 6


- - - - - -



Garland, the "Humanity's Strongest", was largely wasted because we hadn't been hearing news and seen some kind of scenes of him all along, for a long time. It's pretty difficult to just drop a new character in, with nary a foreshadowing whatsoever, call him the strongest opponent, and then expect a huge impact when the MC defeat him. In fact I feel like the soul eater, or whatever it was, was a far better enemy because it at least felt like it was something that had prevent all the past great warriors and sages from escaping the dungeon where Touka was banished. So, it felt like the last boss guarding the gate had to be significant. Now, however, it pretty much felt like the Garland dude just introduced himself as the strongest and a few minutes later he was dead.

Imagine if instead the beginning of the show had shown Garland fighting hordes of monsters easily, then appearing all mighty in the goddess's company, commenting on looking forward to the growth of the S class heroes, and perhaps also seen scenes of him making short work of any defences in Seras's home kingdom. A scene of him marching in front of ranks of soldiers, all treating him like the epitome of a fighter. After such scenes, it would have actually meant something to see him defeated.

But whatever. He was quite annoying anyway. Maybe it's better to stick to "appreciating" how Touka chose new clothes for Seras to change her appearance, yet the new clothes put her breasts on display exactly as much as the old ones. Assuming Seras will fall for Touka eventually, at least she knows beforehand that Touka is charmed by her assets.

[David75]

Seras is a boobs pet with elves ears, nothing more at this point in time.

[Kraco]

Episode 11


- -- - -


I'd like to know the physiology behind those leg wheels. On a cellular level, a rotating motor exists in biology, but otherwise it doesn't. Our commonplace motors and engines are based on a principle of not having a solid, continuous physical connection between the power source and the rotating part. Biology doesn't really recognise such a structure on the macro level.

[KrayZ33]

[Kraco]

Yeah, well, I wasn't talking about cyborgs. Those wheels aren't powered, anyway.