Honzuki no Gekokujou

I had known going in that this was going to be a slow burner so i thought I probably wouldn't make it through series since I get bored easily....but I was super wrong thank goodness and the world building and characters hooked me into the show! At the time I watched it there were only 4 or 5 episodes out and I binged them all. I'm glad that this show actually took the time to build character relationships so that I cared. I wish a lot more anime did this with their characters. The animation isn't anything to write home about but that kind of took a backseat compared to the plot for me.

This story has fine animation, video editing and sound editing. The original novels are lengthy, but the script writers have done a good job of condensing the story. The Chibi style inner thoughts add humor. The after-credits shorts are a hoot! The English voice actors are well known and quite good. You will recognize voices from series like Re:Zero and SAO. The story is family appropriate. If you don't like books, you may not feel the same excitement that book-lovers will find here. The author has done extensive research into the history of paper and printing and this series is genuinely educational.

The premise is the soul of a girl from modern Japan is reborn in the body of a dying little girl. The new girl is still sickly and could die at any moment. She has some memories of both lives, and she begins pushing her modern ideas onto those around her. She is constantly experimenting and creating inventions in a medieval world. She desperately wants books, so she invents paper, tools, ink, and printing technology. She also promotes cleanliness, new fashions, shampoo, and new cooking methods. In her old life in Japan, she was an isolated, self-involved book-lover. Now she is desperate to accomplish things before her soon expected death and her accomplishments far exceed her view of herself.

The story chronicles her rise from poor commoner toward greatness. She faces many challenges and dangers. Will she die of fever, will the nobles kill or kidnap her, will the rulers label her dangerous and execute her?

Season 3 should have been the most powerful season thus far, but the abbreviated season of only 10 episodes does not give the story the time it needs. Even so, you will be rewarded by an excellent season finale. If you want more, read the books by Miya Kazuki. English translations of fine quality are available for the first 20+ novels. Manga are also available. The initial web novels are available online in Japanese.

Expectations were low, but once I started watching it I was hooked. This is a well grounded story, nothing silly or over the top and everything seems plausible. There were a few forced plot lines, which some were due to the English translation of the Japanese, and some critical information was missing which left the viewer wonder. These generally were cleared up later, but after some episodes you are left wondering, why didn't Myle do this, or that. There is no fan service so this is totally family safe. I am looking forward to season 2, I hope they create it.

At first it comes across as very much one lined childish stuff, but it really is not, it's uplifting, it has a dark side, it's well worth adding and I can't wait till the next season starts, in fact I can see this story go to many seasons.

This is one of those wholesome anime you can easily enjoy with the whole family. The characters are fun and interesting to watch and I really want to see where they will go with the story in season three.

I think the animation is well done and the opening songs of both seasons are really good. I never skipped them.

The show isn't perfect as some stuff seems to be a bit rushed at times, but overall I'd easily recommend it.