Preview: In the Land of Leadale
February 19, 2022
We all know by now how an Isekai anime begins. One possibility: someone dies in reality and then ends up in a (mostly) idyllic fantasy world. This is exactly what happens in the new anime series In the Land of Leadale , which has been simulcast on Crunchyroll since January 5, 2022. So another Isekai for the collection or something special? Patrick Snir
ATTENTION: Any statements in this PReview only reflect the personal opinion of the author and not (!) those of ITweakIT and its partners.
Suddenly awakened in the video game
The last thing Keina Kagami remembers is her stay in a Japanese hospital. After being placed on life support for several years following a fateful accident that killed her parents, she was also stripped of the ultimate freedom gained through the VRMMORPG Leadale . One day her life support fails as a result of a power failure, whereupon Keina dies. To her great surprise, she suddenly wakes up in the world of Leadale , the setting of the virtual reality role-playing game she has often played in the past.
She awakens as her then-created avatar (the powerful High Elf mage Cayna) in an inn in the village on the border of two kingdoms, where she currently resides. However, she has to learn with all evil that the game has already passed 200 years since she last entered it. During this time, the seven countries that acted as the cornerstone of the game fought and destroyed everything. And because the wars were so devastating, God appointed leaders from among the people who, through much effort, united the lands into three kingdoms. Since then that village has been impoverished and not as lively as it used to be. With her AI support unit Key, Keina embarks on an adventure to learn everything that happened during her abstinence and to remember everything from before.
image and animation
In the Land of Leadale (Jap. Leadale no Daichi nite ) is based on the light novel of the same name by author Ceez and illustrator Tenmaso, which has been celebrating its Japanese TV premiere since January 5, 2022 and is being simulcast on Crunchyroll in this country. The MAHO FILM studio is responsible for the anime adaptation, which will be directed by Takeyuki Yanase and written by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu.
Like many Isekai series before it, the anime presents itself with a colorful and idyllic fantasy setting that sometimes looks like an oil painting if you take a closer look at the background. Accordingly, the focus is more on an artistic, playful look instead of accents that are lovingly detailed, which fits perfectly with the anime. The character design of Toshihide Matsudate, Eri Kojima and Kaho Deguchi is based on the manga adaptation, which is also good in principle, but exaggerates a bit with Cayna due to the variety of facial expressions. With currently solid animations that remain fluid even in short action scenes, the visual representation is convincing across the board.
dubbing and music
Crunchyroll is currently only showing In the Land of Leadale in the original Japanese with German subtitles. An express dub with German dubbing will follow at a later date.
The Japanese cast relies on a mixture of young, talented and experienced speakers who provide amusing entertainment and get lost in their characters. First and foremost, Eri Yukimura is able to personify Cayna's both friendly and sadistic streak with her voice. All in all, the Japanese language version has been successful so far and the soundtrack is lip-synched.
Composer Kujira Yumemi's musical accompaniment enhances the storyline with orchestral works and diverse soundtracks that are balanced and pleasantly mixed with the Japanese voiceover. In addition, this also contributes a lot to the humor interludes in particular. In addition, I like the opening ( Happy encount by TRUE) and ending ( Hakoniwa no Kōfuku by Azusa Tadokoro).
Click here to watch the series on Crunchyroll!
Conclusion
In the Land of Leadale seems to use the concept of many past Isekai animes, but one should forget that the original light novel started in Japan in 2010 and is one of the veterans of the genre.
The protagonist, Keina Kagami or Cayna, is a restricted patient who is tied to life-support measures and dies when these machines fail, whereupon her spirit is transferred to the VRMMORPG. As compact as the initially emotional plot can be explained, it is knitted as simply as it follows. Because the new anime series doesn't seem to have a real goal yet, but is marching straight towards it – in combination with a cute humor. This loose and casual approach has yet to prove itself in the upcoming episodes. On the other hand, the narrative pace is praiseworthy, as it allows you to go into depth and understand everything that happened in the past. This is also noticeable right from the start with a clear entry that leaves no questions unanswered.
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In my opinion, a definite plus point of In the Land of Leadale is the visual presentation. With the artistic, colorful setting, the series is particularly fun. Only the character design still needs getting used to, whereby the animation seems fluid with the usual standards and a balanced CGI influence. The Japanese language version, which also benefits from new, talented dubbing actors, can hold its ground just as well.
Even if we don't get an action-packed plot, we do get an anime series with brilliant humor and a simple, likeable protagonist.
short conclusion
In the Land of Leadale is an amusing Isekai comedy anime that doesn't come with action-packed and exciting scenes, but it is an entertaining gem.
Images: ©2021 Ceez, Tenmaso/KADOWAWA/LeadaleProject