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It has been a while since I have taken the time to talk about a seasonal isekai, since generally, it feels like most of them exist only to promote the light novels and move figurines. I get that is the case for most anime as a business model, but a lot of isekai in particular just feels like soleless, trend riding made only for a quick cash grab.

It would be hard for me to say much else about today’s series, In the Land of Leadale, if it were not for a few things. First, while having a male main character does not make a series inherently bad, far from it, it does tend to manifest in isekai in some pretty fanservice-ee, gross ways. Leadale’s main character is considerably not that. Rather, Cayna story feels like a much more genuine one, albeit told in the same bass assumptions and framework that is typical for the genre.

After dying due to a power outage at her hospital while on life support, Cayna wakes up to find she is in a realm not unfamiliar to her. In fact, it is quite similar to her favorite VRMMORPG, Leadale. However, some significant changes have happened in the 200 years since her last visit, including a major political realignment between major kingdoms. It also seems to be the case that none of Leadale’s players can be found in this future timeline.

The first few episodes remain largely about establishing her purpose in this world. Cayna is already at a super high level and has retained all of her items and magic from before she passed. So, what else does she need to do? Well, obviously, visit her kids in the nearby kingdom along with visit the other towers that were owned by players.

The amount of subtle world-building the series manages to achieve in just its first three episodes is frankly quite impressive. The backgrounds are not anything special, but they feel unique enough to give us the impression that the royale capital is its own vibrant, magical location. The animation overall, though, feels pretty sub-standard and in line with how these shows generally play out.

Even with all that in mind, this is a series that I will definitely find myself rooting for. It has enough that differentiates itself to make it feel like something that could be above average.

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How do you feel about In the Land of Leadale so far? Let me know in the comments.

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