Based on the first episode, Shachibato is a generic fantasy adventure story about an utterly bland main cast. In this setting, the world’s infrastructure is sustained through crystals, which are collected by clearing dungeons, which are reached by going through magic gates. Protagonist Minato’s dad was president of a small adventuring company, but recently ran off without explanation, or indication of when he’ll return. Consequently, Minato’s friend Yutoria (who works at his dad’s company) dragoons him into becoming the new company president. After learning a bit more about the job, Minato and his new employees go on a brief dungeon crawl.
The episode is passable, just barely. There’s nothing especially terrible about it, there just isn’t much to like, either. On a positive note, the visuals are solid, there are some funny moments, and the setting has potential to be interesting through its combination of fantasy elements and modern technology. Negatively, there are some lame cliches, and some obnoxious sexualizing of Yutoria. We also don’t get to know the main cast; they’re just vanilla anime kids. Err, well, they look like kids, but from how they talk, they’re adults; there’s also a scene where they drink alcohol, indicating they’re adults. In any case, there’s no reason to care about in them. Shachibato isn’t quite bad enough to justify recommending you skip it, but isn’t nearly good enough to justify recommending you watch it. It’s just lackluster.
Shachibato! President, It’s Time for Battle! is available for streaming on Funimation.
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