maya73 - 2016-05-28 11:49:30

Great anime, with fantasy a little bit of romance and also humor and action.
In short everything to make a great anime. The storlyline is amzing and i have to say it really is fun to watch. Review of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

sparker - 2014-11-09 04:45:28

Despite the score, I don't completely dislike Outbreak Company. It is more a case of the show mishandling everything that is good about it. 

There is no point in elaborating on the premise because no matter how you look at it, it makes the show seem like trash until you actually watch it. Go on other anime tracking sites, and you will see that most have the show tagged as a parody. This got my hopes up because if a show is a parody, it can have as awful of a plot as it wants to if that allows it to say something funny or interesting about what it is imitating. Is Outbreak Company really a parody though? It basically just approaches the premise with slightly more self awareness than other anime of its kind, but does that matter since much of anime is oozing with self awareness to begin with? Think about all the light novel and manga adaptations that come out from season to season; how many of them have jokes in there that poke fun at established tropes or acknowledge the fact that the characters are in an anime, and what about referencing other anime? Go beyond the really niche stuff and you'll still find instances of that. Anime is a very insular medium, and that's not a bad thing, but does a show really become special just because it has a few more winks and nudges than all the other anime out there? What the plot does do is give rise to events typically weirder than those of other anime. Outbreak Company may be well worn in its execution, but most of the episodes's individual plots are really out there. What good is weirdness if you do not handle it weirdly, though?

It's one of those situations where a show tries to poke fun at a certain type of anime by doing almost exactly what the other anime do, just with more tongue in its cheek. Now this can work out great (see Martian Successor Nadesico), but here it's evident that the writing isn't nearly good enough to pull that off, and the show is so damn self assuring towards it's audience that it fails to say anything really important about what it's spoofing. At times the show is indeed funny, but not as often as it wants to be. The humor almost always takes the predictable safe route, the jokes really shine when they take a turn for the creepy (see the entire subplot of the Empress's scholars in episode 9), these sorts of moments that hint at a sense of underlying sleaziness are few and far between. You can usually identify them if the show suddenly whips out an awkward silence or one of the characters has that weird smile on their face, admittedly these moments are partly so funny because they're underused, but at times it feels like the show is afraid to take too big of stabs at the okaku life. Of course the anime can't be too biting, for there's the risk of alienating its audience! Like how one of the MC's main ideals throughout the anime is equality between between all people and races, and then later in the same episode he gets aroused when his love interest maid who always calls him master tells him that she'll do whatever he orders her to do. That juxtaposition basically shattered any hopes I had of the show striving beyond light novel adaptation expectations. No matter how weird the show's plot is, it always has to drag the show back down to its light novel roots, whether it be the hikkikomori glorification/power fantasy or how all the female character who aren't particularly special beyond some archetypal traits conveniently form a harem. You know what kind of show it is when the main character is in the background of the promo art. Before watching the show, I honestly thought being a "moe missionary" required the MC to crossdress as a maid, which would totally make sense, and I thought to be quite funny before sitting down to watch the show. How naive of me. Overall, the show actually handles its drama much better than its comedy, something that you wouldn't not expect from the outside. Its fringe premise allows for some pretty raw and unsettling situations to arise, and these situations can actually stop and cause the viewer to think. But when only 25% or so of the show's episodes are more serious than comedic, the drama can only make so much of a difference.

So yes, the show has a healthy supply of problems. Then comes episode 11, which is basically changes everything, makes the previous 7 or so episode feel like a waste of time, and actually proves the show can be smart when it wants to. A certain plot development in episode 11 basically changes the game and addresses one major issue I had with the show throughout all prior 10 episodes. I never expected the show to address it, I wrote it off as the standard common sense that must be sacrificed for the plot of your average light novel adaptation to be plausible. Outbreak Company does not foreshadow this twist at all, which makes it all the more unexpected and pleasant. Not only does it demonstrate the peak of the show's intelligence, but it's the first time the show actually uses the otaku culture it is so centered around in a daring and interesting way. For the first time in all the 11 episodes I had seen, I was impressed! Do you know what happens then? Everything is hastily resolved and tied up as best as possible within the next episode, which happens to be the last one. So much for that intelligence. Such is life with a one cour adaptation anime. 

The artistry is what's expected from a light novel anime adaptation. The character designs are colorful, round, and in line with current trends. The animation is competent, but never impressive and it's always looking to take shortcuts. There is some CG (cars and similar things), no it looks as out of place as usual. The above description could describe dozens of anime. The only visual aspect worth noting is that everything is incredibly shiny for some reason. It goes beyond the usually sheen that most anime have, I ended up needing to turn my computer's brightness down.

The music likewise doesn't do much to stand out. The OP and ED are serviceable, but forgettable. Most background music firmly stays in the background, never grabbing the viewer's attention, and is repeated from episode to episode. The one standout song is the off kilter monosyllabic chant that usually plays during some comedic moment once an episode, and while it is amusing, the tune isn't technically impressive or anything.

Did I enjoy this show? No, not really. It had it's moments, but I always felt that Outbreak Company is always a few steps away from doing something noteworthy. Always approaching cleverness, comedy, poignancy, or entertainment, but never touching them. It certainly is one of the weirder light novel adaptations that isn't outwardly repulsive as of late. Ultimately, is Outbreak Company funny? Occasionally. Is it a parody? Barely, but yes. Is it good? No.

dschultz - 2014-06-16 14:14:10

STORY:

The story premise is wonderful and somehow falls into category never done before. In addition it takes us into a whole new world where the system is entirely different than ours. The story pacing is somewhat normal it is not fast nor slow. The story itself is very interesting it made me wishing for more season but after a mediocre ending I decided not to. Yes the ending of this anime is somewhat mediocre and forced. I got the feeling that the ending is improvised.

CHARACTER:
Some character in this anime is unique while some are your average character you can find everywhere else. There is also a big problem in the characters. Some of them lack the backstory and the necessary development. In fact there is no plausible development in the main characters and they're just there for the story to continue.

ANIMATION
The animation is average but the only great thing is when someone cast a spell the animation boost like a retard having his climax.

SOUND:
I got no complains in the sound and I think the OP and ED is average. The voice acting is good and somewhat suits the characters perfectly. The OSTs are weird but unique it has a bit of childish taste on them.

PERSONAL ENJOYMENT:
I enjoy this anime and did not feel the necessary to skip a scene (which I do most of the time because some ANIME out there only shine in few of the parts and the rest are boring dialogues) But this anime has a very funny dialogue colorful scenes and a nice story to follow.

aschoen - 2014-01-11 07:54:18

At the beginning of this fall anime season, I wasn’t planning on watching Outbreak Company. The synopsis for this anime wasn’t anything exciting nor was it intriguing. However, I decided to watch it anyway, for it was on Crunchyroll and there weren’t too many other anime I was hyped for this fall. After this show finished airing and I finished watching, I, unfortunately felt like I had wasted my time, tuning into this show every Sunday.

For the most part, the plot of Outbreak Company is nothing special. Our protagonist, Kanou Shinichi, is a reject who hides in his house all day. The reason for this is silly, but we can’t blame Outbreak Company for it because it was clearly meant to be a parody anime and you can tell right from the beginning. The show then immediately tosses Shinichi into a fantasy realm (the Eldant Empire) in which he unintentionally starts developing a harem. The harem part was a strange inclusion, as the beginning of this show led me to believe this would be a romantic comedy. Outbreak Co. is, indeed, a comedy, but it occasionally attempts to be serious and it fails miserably. It has plenty of ecchi elements and fits the definition of harem very well, which prevents it from blending well with “plot.” This could direct the focus of the anime towards comedy, but it may bother you when the show tries to be serious.

Thankfully, Outbreak Co. does try to be funny for the majority of the time and that is what you should expect when jumping into this anime. Much to the chagrin of many, however, the jokes in this show heavily rely on references and parody. This is awful for new viewers of anime and non-hardcore viewers because it’s hard to understand the jokes without prior knowledge or thorough research. Either that or the show throws around cultural-specific Japaneses terms so it can create a gag that might last until the end of the current episode. Comedy is really all this show has going for it, yet the entirety of Outbreak Co. involves Shinichi trying to teach the residents of the Eldant Empire about “Otaku Culture,” which creates comedy that, again, alienates new viewers. Don’t watch this anime for the plot, and only for the comedy if you’re a hardcore anime lover, or for some reason, striving to be one.

The animation is fine. Though, like many anime today, the art style makes everything shiny (hair, vehicles, skin, etc.). If you watch for a long time, your head may start to hurt. Don’t marathon this anime; not that I would recommend it otherwise. I do like how fantasy elements, such as dragons and magic are drawn, however. There’s also some ecchi so that might also be a reason to avoid Outbreak Co. By the way, every character tends to have this lower case u-shaped smile as their “default expression.” That annoyed me and may annoy you.

I have no complaints with the audio for the anime. The music was fine. The opening and ending may be sort of catchy, but nothing exceptional. I do have a problem with a lot of the dialogue from the characters Shinichi and Myucel, but that is more of an issue with the story, or characters. The voice actors could annoy you since their character roles are all generic archetypes, but they’re bearable, at least to me.

The characters are what really and truly mitigate my enjoyment for this anime. Outbreak Co. does what many anime do and builds characters directly from unadulterated tropes. I can summarize my problems with the characters in one sentence: Everyone is unoriginal and possibly so annoying that it’s lethal. The unoriginal characters may not be an issue especially if you anticipate the harem aspect. Plenty of harems are not plot-driven, or very much creative, but they can back-up their quality with comedy, or even quirkiness. Outbreak Co. does not have this leisure and it worsens because of Shinichi and his gang. All the people (and even other creatures) are absolutely obsessed with anime and manga. This could actually be funny if: 1. the show could allow people not familiar with Japanese culture to get its references, 2. not make it seem perfectly reasonable that their obsession does not hinder their work. Shinichi takes every single chance he gets to boost his ego by acting like mister smarty-pants when it comes to “Otaku Culture,” Myucel misunderstand every statement that may be misunderstood, and Petralka acts like a more serious person than she actually is (considering she looks like a little girl). These traits could allow these characters to be hilarious, but the awful dialogue and unfortunate combination of mediocre setting and bad character interactions prevents this. An example being: the show doesn’t alert us when it changes its tone effectively, so we don’t know if dialogue is supposed to be serious or comedic.

To be as frank as possible, the only reason this show is bad is because of the references that are 90% of this show. It actually isn’t so much that they’re hard to get, but more that they’re omnipresent. Without that problem, high points of Outbreak Co. are salvageable. Though, since it’s included, this anime becomes incredibly hard to enjoy. It’s quite possible for you to enjoy it if you are a hardcore anime viewer. I wouldn’t personally call myself that. The show is obviously made in Japan and therefore targeted toward Japanese viewers, but some of the issues I brought up may prevent you from enjoying it even if you live in Japan.

You should definitely avoid Outbreak Company entirely. Unless you are an anime enthusiast, it is distracting that every joke in this anime tends to rely on references to other media, or certain cultural elements. It also seems to want to parody, but never goes full force with it. Even if you get all the references, they’re more amusing than funny, and the bad character design and lack of proper storytelling doesn’t give Outbreak Co. much merit. Don’t expect depth from anything in this show and expect a lot of annoying characters as well as the lack of common sense that would be funny if done properly. I wouldn’t say Outbreak Company is a terrible show, but it limits its audience and it tries a little too hard to be what it is not.

predovic.everett - 2013-12-27 00:56:48

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this anime. With the animation and the story. I really wasn't planning to watch this. Surprisingly, this anime exceeded far beyond expectations.

Story: The story is about the japanese government hiring a hikikomori named Shinichi to spread otaku culture into a land they have discovered where there is dragons, magic, elves you name it! The story is more of a background as the anime doesn't really follow through with it and doesn't decide whether to use a serious story or make a funny comedy. It makes the message wierd because the anime tends to switch on and off to serious or more of a silly comedy type of anime. Nevertheless the anime felt more like The Devil Is A Part Timer, where they have a creative plot but instead of using it make it more of a background to the comedy without really adding on to it.

Animation: To me, the animation was great. I enjoyed the animation they used for the opening as well as in the anime. The art on the characters were exactly what i would have expected. Silly character designs, big boobs etc. Moe girls. Just overall what you would expect!

Sound: Personally the opening song stood out to me the most. I gave such a high rating due to the awesome catchy tune it had, and felt like a medieval kinda tune. The opening song is amazing. Even downloaded it!

Characters: The characters develop a lot throughout the series. I believe most characters were generic but still added that flare to them. You still get the typical characters. Big boobs, maid, idk the typical characters. The main protagonist is more of the typical main character like in a harem.

Enjoyment: What can i say? The series surprised me and i really enjoyed it. The comedy was funny and not like slapstick comedy, but sometimes "smart" comedy where you have to know a certain thing to get what the anime is trying to do. The anime is very funny.

Overall: The anime tends to switch to serious and funny especially at the end of the anime. But i somehow rather enjoyed this a lot. The characters are generic and the animation is the same. The opening theme really does stand out as well. But all in all, i enjoyed it and i hope you do too!

kyla.kemmer - 2013-12-22 19:36:44

By all accounts, Outbreak Company has no right to be as good as it is. But its genius is that it takes such a silly premise… and it makes it work. It makes it work because it clearly had a lot of thought put into it. The whole premise of bringing otaku culture to a medieval fantasy world is taken seriously. It progresses through logical steps and deals with naturally occurring problems, which adds a bit of realism and credibility to it. It could’ve just been another silly series with harem elements but it goes the extra mile and thus has more substance to it.

The story is solid, mainly because of its enjoyable cast. The main trio are well-developed and given clear purpose and motivation in what they do and their actions are always justified and understandable. Shinichi may be just another otaku audience surrogate but he’s a shining example of how to do one right because he’s so damn relatable. He geeks out over things, sure, but he shows otaku in a more positive light overall. He’s rational, caring, and hugely responsible when it involves the things and people he cares about. Which makes him stand out in this medieval fantasy world. See, while it is a fantasy world, it’s also clearly medieval. Racism and Classism are abundant and lower citizens are treated like crap, accustomed to regular beatings and discrimination.

The fact that Shinichi comes from modern Japan, with enlightened ideals and modern sensibilities causes a lot of realistic friction with this medieval society early on. Which is both entertaining and fascinating. The main main girls, Myucel and Petralka are also very well developed and given backstories that flesh out their character’s motivations and fears and whatnot. The side cast is entertaining but aren’t especially well-developed but that’s fine given that they aren’t super-integral and it’s a 1-cour show. The story and characters go the extra mile and feel far more thought-out than they needed to be to make the show successful, and that’s a great thing. The ending felt a little anticlimactic but that was only because they went for the more realistic diplomatic solution instead of something more exciting, but it was still quite fun.

The production values are good all around. The art style is very light and colorful, almost pastel at times and the animation is spot-on barring a few off-model frames and some lazy shots on occasion. One thing of particular note is how well the show handles evening lighting, which accentuates certain scenes. The OP and ED are solid and the background music fits quite nicely, although the only track of note is the infamous “da dada da da” song that plays when something especially hilarious is about to go down. Shinichi’s seiyuu, Natsuki Hanae, who also voices Hikari in Nagi no Asukara, another show this season, does a fantastic job. Everyone else does great but I feel he really stole the show.

What might mark the show down for some viewers is the typical otaku pandering stuff. But it is done sooooooo very tongue-in-cheek here that it is more enjoyable than usual. Yes, there’s a beach episode and Shinichi will excitedly announce that yes, it is a beach episode and yadda yadda. Stuff like that. There’s references ALL OVER THE PLACE, etc. etc. If you can’t stomach one bit of that than this isn’t the show for you. But I think those on the fence will find it tolerable enough.

This is a great little show that may end up being the hidden gem of the 2013 Fall Season. It isn’t perfect and admittedly it can sometimes get too wrapped up in its own fun to remember what makes it stand out but it is such a fun ride regardless. Here’s hoping for a second season because readers of the light novels tell me it only gets better from here.

Rewatch Value: Yes (On a Yes/Maybe/No scale)

gprosacco - 2013-12-22 06:19:45

Is this anime brilliant? To answer shortly, No, But it is a very fun anime that is above average and in my opinion is a sleeper anime that has been overlooked. . it is a fun anime with references that you will laugh at and enjoy. With characters that are lovable and enjoyable, with a world that is good but not completely flushed out and an ending that is acceptable, however it is nothing to get excited about. Overall I give outbreak company a 7.5/10. Now on to the explanation.

Story 7/10

The story is focused around shinichi, i lovable Otaku and having the amazing ability to not be a total ass-hat/panzy character. He finds himself outside of his house at a job interview where he gets a job with the Japanese government and is sent to another world. This new world is a fantasy world with your typical "fantasy" races, nothing new. The world has no media or any knowledge of earth (Japan) and it is Shinichi's job to bring the Otaku culture to this new world. Along the way he meets some characters of this world some Human, Wolf, Lizzard, Etc.This is where my first problem comes to be; non of these characters (queen/maid) are detailed enough. They of course have their moments but nothing to really hit home, and the other characters are depicted even less.

However, having said that, The shows strong point is not taking itself seriously which is probably why the characters were not elaborated on to that degree. It is lighthearted and follows these characters on their progression with Otaku culture. Their is also no immediate danger in any scenario so the plot armor is thick as hell, so to speak. Playful, enjoyable, simple, and sweet, nothing impressive but a good ride to shut down for the day, relax and watch.

Animation 7/10

I watched this show in 1080p throughout its airing and yes it does look good, again is this anime impressive, No. It looks nice, no character designs were ugly but they were not very original either. some but not all female characters were dressed in limited attire and had "sex appeal" but this is not an Ecchi anime so no worries, and mentioning that I am a fan of Ecchi anime, i assure you that this is pretty tame. The female characters were cute, the male characters did not look like JoJo and i appreciate that and overall the designs were above average.. Shinichi is very average looking with no great detail at all but I think that is what they were going for. The fighting scenes get the job done, and there is not much fighting in the anime to really make a difference. Everything is above average with nothing extraordinary to speak of.

Sound.7/10

I am not much of a sound person to be completely honest, the OP was good enough i suppose nothing like bebop, its just a song that opens to an anime. I did find the ending song to be enjoyable though and actually liked it. Their is no "epic" music to fights or chanting like in Attack on titan, literally the exact opposite. The music that plays is almost troll music with a mix of men saying dah,dah,dah. it is surprisingly not annoying, and fits the mood when it is happening so I assume that is why it did not bother me (your mileage may vary heavily in the sound department.)

Characters 8/10

I have mentioned the characters before, but to follow my statements up, they are sort of wonderful. They were not designed to be serious or misunderstood, the characters were very much designed with the "what you see is what you get" and I am glad they did not take it too seriously. The humor in it was sufficient between the characters and the interactions were nice. Nothing ground breaking but they did sufficient work for the anime.

Enjoyment 9/10

To start with, I enjoyed this anime to bits. the FIRST episode had a TMNT reference, are you kidding me, and that "all your base" joke on t-shirts. The references were great, i also found it very funny, he would almost break the 4th wall associated events with the moniker of "episodes" like where is my swimsuit/beach episode. It was a total play on how the Otaku culture is viewed while making fun of the industry while being apart of that industry. it plays on homosexuality a little with some BL references i dont understand, and every cut out and in from commercial break had a character and there favorite anime/character and it was fun to just associate the horrible name to the actually anime. It has so many more enjoyable aspects however, i will leave you with my closing thoughts.

Overall 7.5/10

It is above average in everything and should be watched, it was not an intelligent anime, or even a serious one. The world was nice but could have used a few more details, characters were good and showed just enough detail and emotion without being shit, or overboard. It is funny, with nicely done characters. The overall plot is on the weak side but its episodic like nature and that episodes goals are fun and should be taken as silly not serious. I would recommend this to anyone who likes, slice of life, fantasy, lite romance, and comedy. I do think this is my sleeper pick for this season. Thanks everyone, and enjoy the show.

hansen.mac - 2013-12-21 06:24:04

Before we begin, consider these questions:

Why do light novel authors, I'd say the majority, keep on writing harem comedies or driving interesting stories to shit with useless and invasive harem dynamics?

Because it sells?

Because they can't write worth crap aside from their tasteless fantasies hoping that others hungry for cheap escapism will pick whatever they put in front of them?

Because -I pray to the FSM- they want to write something worthwhile, and yet can't escape the fear driven compulsion to imitate their more lackluster peers?

I don't know the full answers to all of the previous queries. What I do know is that Outbreak Company gives me hope; It makes me want to believe that there is quality to be found, in otherwise mediocre genre tropes.

Let's first go over a few issues the show has shall we?

-Shinichi might be a bit of a Stu in places, considering how easily his change from shut in to proactive and benevolent was.

-There is pretty blatant fanservice for a wide spectrum of the otaku fanbase that could be seen as invasive.

-Not all characters are used to their full potential, and even within the "main group" there are a couple who do not get quite as much attention as the others, status as main characters notwithstanding.

-In the beginning and throughout the series one must keep and open mind and an average suspension of disbelief to piece together events in a sufficiently logical manner.

-Related in part with the previous point, the passage of time might be slightly difficult to understand and could confuse or severely affect one's disbelief.

-A few plot points that are mentioned or present don't get developed as much as they could have, though it is possible this is due to the length of the show itself or the source material.

These are the main problems I'd say this show has. You are probably wondering why I said it gave me hope even with these, and the pretty glaring holes that the transition from novel left behind to anime, so let me give you why:

-Shinichi: is relatable in his passion, the contrast of his calm and collected self and his fanboy moments should remind anyone of their passions and how they can, from one moment to the next, incite them to act more visceral than their usual persona would.

-Petralca: character development, and not just one measly arc after which we see nothing more than minor changes. Moreover, we see both sides of her, a child trying to be a ruler and a ruler who can't help but be the child she is.

-Miulsel: a little bit more static in terms of character but nonetheless notable; she is, as I see it, a different kind of audience surrogate.

-The characters feel intelligent most of the time, both in general and in the context of gags, despite the occasional idiot ball moment. They are surprisingly aware, in a manner of speaking, of when a gag is occurring in that they don't usually overreact and yet the jokes managed to get a laugh out of me through both the playing straight of said humorous situations and small, cleverly inserted subversions. Also lampshades - all. the. lampshades.

-Despite an apparent harem direction for the story, there is very little interference from one character on the other that is purely for the sake of a joke, as it usually would be, and more of it that drives a point and presents actual conflict or a relevant situation to be addressed.

I have considered that maybe this is all blown far beyond what it actually is; maybe I am just starved for some measly measure of smart writing; maybe this is the same as so many others and just because they changed a couple of things around I am eating it up like a starved carnivore would a piece of fresh meat. For once I want to be optimistic and say I don't care. I have thoroughly enjoyed this show despite its flaws and stumbles, and hope that you who is reading this give this show a chance.

I really believe it deserves more attention than it gets, and above all, more critique.

cjones - 2013-11-28 04:21:11

story 8/10

at a first glance this show is an otaku's dream where he travels to another world to spread their country's entertainment business all while getting a mansion and a half-elf maid in the process

at a deeper glance this fantasy world innocence gets shattered since this newly discovered world is actually somewhat similar to France with estate classes before their revolution as shown when the main character walks into a dark room and mistake his servant for a invader and proceeds to hit him soon after apologizing for his mistake his servant then hands him a wooden club and tells him to use it if he wishes to continue his past actions, this heavy and powerful scene was soon cut with some comedy relief, he soon dreams of helping getting rid of this class system with manga, anime, and games peacefully

a new plot entirely none other like it

on a side note the show thakes a quick turn at episode 11

i would've given it more of a knock-back on the story because it becomes a harem but 1 out of the 4 people in love with the main character is a boy which leads to funny situations

animation 10/10

i'm always impressed with animation fairly easily so it's an easy 10/10 for me

characters 8/10

while the characters are all generic having the two love interests in love with the main character one being a tsundere and the other being somewhat of dandere the two end up having very well written backgrounds and personalities would've given it a 10/10 but the main character is... well a bit disappointing

enjoyment 9/10

very funny and worth my while, while also showing a more sinister side of how our world use to be