So, weeb-kun, I’ve been told you’re ready to cancel your subscription to life. The monotony of taxes, 9-to-5s, constant government surveillance, and Big Tech tracking has finally worn out your soul. UmU, I understand that melancholy all too well. But before you jump in front of a speeding truck or tell someone to erase the elf porn on your laptop, consider the options. There’s no assurance that your next life will be better. If you lack main-character energy, you might end up being an isekai protagonist’s lackey. Don’t believe me? Then go and ask Kousuke from Magical Explorer (Magical★Explorer).
When Kousuke got his #isekailife, he didn’t get a harem. He also didn’t get OP skills, charisma, a monster penis, or an Elon Musk-like wallet.
Kousuke reincarnated into Magical Explorer (his favorite eroge) as the unloved sidekick. But that’s not enough for Kou-kun. He wants more! He wants that plump, eroge heroine ass. Nay! Kousuke is a greedy lad. He wants all the girls for himself. But how? His new self cannot be the world’s strongest. But before he can weigh his options, he’s forced to step in and stop an assault— and that’s how his eroge life begins!
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Well, he was already living with a sexy guardian and her voluptuous daughter. So maybe he had an eroge life all along…
Magical Explorer At First Glance
There’s a LONG tradition of isekai anime. Cultured weebs could argue the first isekai anime goes back way to 1983 (Aura Battler Dunbine). For modern weebs, the isekai phenomenon began with the premieres of Sword Art Online in 2012 and Re:ZERO in 2016. There were big hits before those — like The Familiar of Zero, which aired in 2006. But none had the mainstream appeal of SAO and Re:ZERO.
Even though longtime anime fans may be growing tired of the genre, isekai remains popular, so we still get plenty of new series every season. Stories about being reincarnated into dating sims have become especially popular. These usually feature female protagonists with a “villainess” cliché. Magical Explorer is basically the male version of those… but Kousuke isn’t a villain.
So, if you’re looking for originality, you won’t find it here. But if you’re looking for that old-school ecchi experience — the kind with panty shots, lucky-lecher scenes, and light nudity — welcome home! Magical Explorer is an unabashed ecchi anime. There’s no real plot or deep story. Kousuke wants to be #1 because he wants to get with the girls. Some people may object to the lucky-lecher tropes, but I’m not one of them. I laughed, gawped, and ogled the heroines.
Put Claris or Hatsumi in a bunny suit, and — like Roni in Dating a Dark Summoner — I’d lose myself in the moment. I’m watching Magical Explorer for the panty shots, oppai, shameless fan service, and lewdable waifus. The anime gave me that. But I wish it were way sexier.
But Some Things Weren’t For Me
That’s not to say that everything about Magical Explorer amazed Kashou. There were times when (in Russell Crowe’s voice) Kashou was not entertained.
I don’t understand why sexual assault is such a common plot device. I assume that writers see it as an easy way to make a villain seem awful, but it’s a lazy shortcut. Most of all, it reduces what could be a major plot point to a cheap storytelling trick. I’m not minimizing assault. Rather, I’m saying authors need to stop using it as a quick way to make the audience hate someone. There are better ways to make someone a villain — you can make a dingy dude scratch his butthole and flick a heroine’s lip. That would offend people so much that they’d doxx the author.
But back to my rant. I can show you how idiotic that plot device is by using a character in Magical Explorer as proof.
Ludivine was almost raped, and for the rest of the episode (and the following one) she doesn’t even remember it. It’s never brought up — and it adds no relevance to the anime’s plot (yet). That girl takes that experience the way I take my alcoholic neighbor constantly crashing into my drain — ’tis but an in-the-moment annoyance. But ever since Kousuke accidentally fondled her, she’s given him the Iyapan look and been suspicious of everything he does. Later on, she even hit him. Which is fair — I’d give anyone who fondled me a dirty look.
There’s some merit to Magical Explorer using that assault as a way to make the protagonist a target and introduce a valid reason for Ludivine to move in with him. But again, she could have moved in with him because a hobo with a poop finger is looking for her and only he can defend her. And if you think hobos with poop fingers aren’t a worry, you’ve never been to downtown Chicago.
Other Random (Somewhat Horny) Thoughts on Magical Explorer
For Kashou, an ecchi anime’s decisive attribute is its art. If the whole point of an anime is staring at lewdable waifus, they need to be visually opulent. I’m not one for busty waifus, but by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Hatsumi and Marino are entrancing. Claris and Nanami are pristine. I’ll never meet Ryousuke Kimiya (The Magical Explorer Character Designer). But I hope the internet carries this message to him: “Brother, you gifted me insurmountable joy.” Those waifus are hot! It’s irksome that the main heroines are meh.
White Fox animates this anime, which confuses me. I thought White Fox avoided panty shots. Sure, they made Emilia’s outfit a bit of a thirst trap. But I don’t remember any of their shows being fan service-oriented. Somewhere out there someone’s about to short-drop because Magical Explorer made them realize White Fox had the ability to lewd Anastasia and Meili, but they didn’t. That’s the last transgression they’ll put up with.
Also, I’m not sure if this anime is uncensored. When Hatsumi walks out of the bathroom and we get an ass shot, it’s covered by darkness. Sure, she magically turned off the lights as she walked toward Kousuke. But her magical attack was bright enough to illuminate her. Is this a production choice or clever censorship? I don’t know. Either way, if I were the guy from Cinema Sins, I’d dock a point for that.
Kashou’s first impression: the show is a 3.5/5 watch.
Anyhow, if you’re not already watching Magical Explorer, Crunchyroll has already debuted the anime’s first two episodes. And if you’re a dub watcher, you’re in luck! Crunchyroll will dub the series in English, and this time around, they went full streaming service MVP! They gave the anime an English audio description dub. I wouldn’t ever watch this in English, but hell yeah! Crunchy’s finally looking out for people with hearing issues. Anyhow, thanks for reading, buy a doujin, ja ne!
© Iris, Noboru Kannatsuki / KADOKAWA / “Magical★Explorer” Production Committee
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