Mezameza Ep.01-02 - Yeah, I'm not writing that full title. Quick turn of events...

Mezametara Saikyou Soubi to Uchuusenmochi Datta node, Ikkodate Mezashite Youhei toshite Jiyuu ni Ikitai is an anime series based on a light novel (and yes, a Narou web novel, as you can probably guess from the ridiculously long title) of the same name, which has 18 volumes published to date and quite a solid following.

Honestly, I'm always wary when it comes to these Narou web novels because, while they sport a huge number of volumes, their stories often end up becoming boring once the core gimmick is played out. Then again, the chances of me actually reading the original source material given my huge backlog of more interesting reads are nearly zero, so I thought giving the anime a chance could be a nice change of pace.

Serena design is the typical space officer one, but look at her. Blonde with that outfit? That's ultra hot!

I'm not a fan of Mimi's timid personality, she looks good, but something feels off in her. Not sure where...

The story focuses on Satou Takahiro, a former office worker who ends up in a game world, possessing the strongest ship in the game right from the start alongside full knowledge of how the game mechanics work. He decides to build and live the life he always dreamed of with the various heroines he meets along the way.

Yeah, it's the standard story template for basically 99.99% of all isekai from the last decade, just with the novelty of being set in space instead of a generic fantasy world. The first two episodes introduce the three main heroines: Mimi, Elma, and Serena, alongside a few minor characters like the guild manager.

Mimi's recruitment was one of the most cliché sequences I've seen in a long time; my eyes were rolling back like in a horror movie. After saving her from thugs and paying off her massive debt, he invites her onto his ship as a crewmate. This puts her in a state of extreme dependence on him, leading her to show up at his room in a negligee, asking him to make her "feel safe."

At this point, I would've hoped the protagonist would pause things until she could stand on her own two feet as an equal, but nope. He went right for it. I understand the author is writing pure escapist fiction, but doesn't that feel a bit gross? She's clearly not doing this out of genuine romantic love; come on...

Elma gave the best impression in the first two episodes. She sort of had a personality, hope she doesn't get destroyed too though.

Nice oneesan, but I wonder if she's a recurring character or just a one off for a few episodes. She seems 'heroine level'...

As for the rest? The character designs are good. I like Serena's look best among the heroines, as I'm a bit of a sucker for those "female space officer" outfits. The protagonist yelling "Faieru!" at the beginning was a fun reference to Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which I only watched recently, so I caught the joke right away.

The next episode will almost certainly focus on recruiting the "space elf" Willrose Elma into the crew, since she and Mimi are essentially the primary heroines of the story. Considering she crashed straight into Serena's ship, she'll likely end up in debt, which will probably be used to recruit her, much like what happened with Mimi.