By the Grace of the Gods – Episode 1

What’s it about? Takebayashi Ryoma is reborn in another world after dying from a miserable life in modern-day Japan. Now an 11-year-old boy who lives alone in the forest, he mostly just chills with his army of slime familiars. He one day comes across Duke Reinhart Jamil and his party in distress. When Ryoma helps the duke out, they promise to pay him back.

When you have an isekai show so aggressively by the numbers, even the cast points out it’s all just a cliche, you can’t help but wonder if this is a covert call for help from the production staff at Maho Film. 

I want you to make Ryoma blink once for “yes”, and twice for “no” in five minute intervals in episode two. Should I call someone? Are you in immediate danger? Can you get to a safe space? Are there casualties?

I would try to make a more earnest attempt at discussing this show, if not for the fact that Grace of the Gods is so bland, I can’t say much else about it. 

The kid has slimes. He’s nice. He’s reborn from another world because he was overworked so hard, he had a brain aneurysm after sneezing in his sleep. The gods from another dimension were kind enough to bestow upon him above-average abilities and let him start over his life from childhood. He’s now friends with a duke. What else am I supposed to say here? 

Ryoma himself is utterly devoid of any real personality even by my rock bottom standards of usually thinking characters with a pulse are emotionally gratifying to watch.

What did he do back in Japan? I dunno, he just worked really hard.

Does he bring any useful skill or knowledge with him from his past life? Nah, just pain tolerance.

Is he supernaturally gifted? Not absurdly so, according to the gods.

So what is he doing with his new lease on life? I dunno, just hangin’ out; pokin’ slimes, I guess.

Perhaps his army of slimes will prove to be useful in the long run, but thus far, the first episode just shows them off as a set piece. They help him clean the dishes, and eat his poop so that he doesn’t have to magic his way into inventing modern plumbing systems in another world. They’re there to be his quirk in an otherwise lukewarm fantasy setting. 

It’s said there are only two types of stories in this world. A stranger comes to the hero’s home, or a hero leaves his home. The first episode presents the former, but with so little going for Ryoma’s current living situation and the overall tone of the show’s opening and closing, I presume the second episode onwards will focus more on the latter, and I hope By the Grace of Gods this show does something, anything to make it interesting.

Are there any issues with sexism, racism, any kind of red flag? No. Nothing bad happens, because literally almost nothing happened to begin with. There were characters. They talked. Slimes jiggled around innocently. I don’t know what else to say about this show to you.

Wait what? There’s a group of animal girl adventurers in the anime? Aw shoot. Okay, I take it back. This show is alright. I’ll watch it for the furries.

I told you I have rock bottom standards, didn’t I?