As Yogiri Takatou dreams of his violent childhood, violence surrounds him once again. But no worries for Takatou, who must be wrested from his sleep by Dannoura, because he has an ability that will help the two survive in the world they’ve apparently been isekai’d to with their classmates. Except that the vast majority of their classmates are no longer on the bus that drove them into this fantasy dimension. You see, they’ve already abandoned Takatou, Dannoura, and two others lacking in magical abilities. The rest were given the “Battle Song” system, which installs a “gift”, by the deadly sage Shion, and they decided to go on their first mission while leaving the others to die on the bus as sacrifices to a wyvern. Little does anyone suspect, including returning classmates who mean who take advantage of Dannoura, that Takatou has an OP ability—to bring instant death on whomever he wishes.
By the end of episode one, My Instant Death Ability is Overpowered won me over by emphasizing the more intriguing elements of the light novel series (at least for me) while downplaying the series’ shocking violence. The deaths are still there, of course—the protagonist is a stone-cold killer—but I’m surprised that the anime doesn’t make the deaths more gory and visual. Instead, it goes for a more jaunty tone than a shocking one, whereas the LN alternates more regularly between the two. Still, the element of danger is very much here. While the protagonist is OP, so, too, is the first antagonist, Shion, as well as, presumably, the classmates who betrayed Takatou and Dannoura. That element of fear is much welcomed, as is the humor, even if it’s a bit skeevy. I don’t know how future episodes will go, but judging from this initial one, it seems like the fanservice is used mostly to set up laughs; there isn’t a lot of dwelling on sexuality in episode one. More time is spent subtly characterizing the protagonist pair and the rest of the cast. Takatou and Dannoura are fascinating, the former because of his lack of inhibition combined with such a deadly power, and the latter because she’s no damsel in distress and is instead a realist, understanding the situation she’s in and already making difficult choices that test her ethics. And the class deciding to abandon those who are powerless sets the stage for some thoughtful questions about the corruption of power. All in all, I’m delightfully surprised by the first episode of this adaptation, which seems as if it would rather be good than merely titillating.
My Instant Death Ability is Overpowered can be streamed on HIDIVE.
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