Isekai Quartet is a cross-over anime with characters appearing from KonoSuba, Overlord, Re:Zero and The Saga of Tanya the Evil. All four series are in the isekai genre, hence the title. The characters are all animated in a chibi style. The first season is 12 episodes long, with each episode being only around 12 minutes long, so it’s around half the normal length of a typical season. As a cross-over of four anime series, only a subset of each world appears in the show. Then there are some small guest characters in an episode here and there. The chibi art-style works really well, since it helps unify the different aesthetics of the characters. Everyone is so cute, to the point of being unbearable (in a good way). Chibi designs completely suits the exaggerated craziness that goes on in every episode.
The premise is simple yet effective. Since this is a gag series focusing more on humor and less on story, the simpler the better. Each group suddenly finds a magically appearing red button. Naturally, they all feel that this is a trap, but with differing reasons, they all press the button and are transported to another world. There is something ironic yet satisfying that the main characters of each series were transported to another world, and now they are transported once again. All the characters end up becoming students at a typical Japanese high school and they attend class every day.
The enjoyment of the series comes from the character interactions, specifically, characters from different anime (and thus different rules) interacting with each other. Thus, it is imperative that you have had watched all four because otherwise, you’re just doing yourself a disservice. That moment where the protagonist of one series meets the protagonist of another is simply marvelous. Seeing that the characters retain their own unique quirks and personalities is great. We have Aqua being an idiot and going off on her own tangent, trying to use the “Turn Undead” spell on Ainz and his group of undead. While Tanya is blaming everything currently happening on “Being X”, so what happens when she inevitably realizes that Aqua is a goddess?!
There various characters hitting it off are the highlights of the show and it constantly does this throughout the season. The part you’re probably waiting for is when all the protagonist realize that they’re all from Japan and were transported to another world. From how Subaru and Kazuma complains about how they should have it sweet and get superpowers, to Tanya and Ainz reminiscing about their past lives, it all feels natural.
Despite gags and exaggerated motions at every possible opportunity, there is a bit more plot than you’d expected. It ties all these moments together in a neat and smooth way. There seems to be a reason why all these characters were transported to this world. This becomes obvious when it shows how these characters are “encouraged” to stay in school and behave. It frequently references events from the various anime. It doesn’t pause to explain why Megumin falls to the ground after an explosion, or why Rem loves Subaru so much. The anime just shows all this expecting the viewers to know.
There are so many scenes that work so well and are so funny. Each episode has numerous moments where you can’t help but laugh aloud. The biggest strength is how the cross-over manages to incorporate the elements of each world that the characters are from and adapt it into here. It feels like a natural extension of the series rather than a forced mishmash. As everyone has been through so much in their respective series, their resilience and abilities astound everyone else. The current world that the cast find themselves in is balanced in such a way that no one is clearly more powerful than all the others. The way that everyone is slowly picking up on the others’ powers is quite interesting and you’d hope that it would lead somewhere. This unfortunately, does not, but it was still a great time.
With such a large cast, understandably some will be demoted while others are reduced to only their better known quirks. Kazuma ends up being the horrible scum, while Darkness freaks everyone out with her desires. Albedo and Shalltear are completely infatuated with Ainz, while Ram throws out the harshest insults towards Subaru. Tanya’s platoon is overwhelmed by everyone’s powers and Rem is completely biased in seeing Subaru in a good light.
Just when things have started becoming status quo, the anime throws in some nice surprises and cameos. It then ups the stakes for the final episodes. The way the anime closes off the season by utilizing each of the protagonists’ unique specials in the ultimate show of teamwork against a powerful opponent is the perfect finale for the series. The promise of a second season with more anime series joining just raises the anticipation even higher.
Finally, the opening and ending themes deserves a mention. Both of them are excellent, cheery, and quirky. The anime uses music from each series to spice things up, giving the viewer a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. This is actually what the anime does best, throwing in plenty of references to keep the viewer excited to see what is next.
Overall, Isekai Quartet is not just a filler show. You would expect something of this to be lazy and riding on the popularity of its four anime series without actually trying. This cannot be further from the truth. Isekai Quartet is funny, clever and works so wonderfully well. Every episode is a joy, with so many scenes where it’s completely hilarious. While it does rely heavily on the viewer familiar with the four anime, the writers have done their homework and it shows. Isekai Quartet is a fantastic anime that is the perfect icing on the cake after you have watched the four component anime.
----------------------------------------------
For other anime reviews, have a look at this page.