5 Best Movies to Watch From Bandai Namco Music Live

Usually, when whisked away to a fantasy world, there’s usually some grand reason, like a prophecy or a destined quest to go on or a villain to defeat, with the hero having some secret powers to discover. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic instead, starts with an unintentional, average protagonist that gets accidentally transported with his popular, more accomplished classmates, but he does have the healing magic that hasn’t been focused on in most isekai anime. And as Usato acclimatizes himself to the world, the show suggests that even average people can rise up to extraordinary challenges, if only given the expectation to succeed. While his journey would gradually come closer and closer to regular isekai, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic still makes the journey there fun.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Atsuko Tanaka, Ayaka Nanase, Kengo Takanashi, Saya Aizawa, Shogo Sakata

For the unfamiliar, isekai is the fantasy subgenre where a character is transported into a different world. Usually, this is just one transfer, with an everyday character being transferred to a more fantastical world. Doctor Elise isn’t just a reverse isekai– with a surgeon transported to medieval royalty– it also happens to be a double isekai– the titular doctor was initially royalty in the same country before her stint as a medical doctor. While we don’t get to see Elise’s growth as a surgeon, it’s refreshing to see an isekai anime celebrate the simple privileges of ordinary modern life, namely the medical knowledge that we take for granted, and the lack of absolute power that corrupts most characters. The ridiculously successful surgeries might be the ludicrous fantasy that drives Doctor Elise, but it’s lovely to see knowledge and power used for the common good, rather than the superiority complex common in isekaied protagonists.

Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Daisuke Ono, Hiro Shimono, Megumi Han, Satoshi Hino, Soma Saito, Yohei Azakami, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yui Ishikawa

Rating: TV-14

Sengoku Youko isn’t bad. With a historical setting, fantastic powers, decent action, and teenagers out to save the world despite societal differences, the anime has teen-friendly entertainment that anyone can enjoy. So far, the show is a better adaptation than mangaka Satoshi Mizukami’s other work Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, so fans of the artist would appreciate the dedication in adapting this story. However, with early 2024’s slate of boundary-pushing fantasy anime, the show doesn’t really stand out with its dated 2010s tropes and slightly derivative character designs. For viewers seeking for more fantasy, Sengoku Youko isn’t a bad watch, but there’s far better series currently available right now.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Aina Suzuki, Aki Toyosaki, Ayahi Takagaki, Hiroki Nanami, Hiroki Touchi, Kazuki Miyagi, Kenji Nomura, Kenjiro Tsuda, Maaya Uchida, Ryohei Kimura, Soma Saito, Tetsu Inada, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yuuki Takada

Science fiction imagines new worlds we’ve never seen before, but the world of Synduality: Noir doesn’t feel that way. Noir feels like it presents a familiar world, except with an added touch of AI assistants called Maguses. The fighting piloted mecha robots are reminiscent of Gundam and Pacific Rim. At times, the action looks like automated 3D animation made to cut costs. However, even if the world-building was stronger, Synduality: Noir doesn’t feel like a show that wants to tell a story. There aren’t enough moments that we get to spend with the main characters Kanata and his Magus Noir to justify creating a whole series around it. We don’t even need to get into the icky slave-like dynamic between the (mostly) male Drifters and their (mostly) female Maguses.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Aoi Koga, Ayaka Ohashi, Fuminori Komatsu, Mao Ichimichi, Nagisa Aoyama, Taito Ban, Takeo Otsuka, Yusuke Kobayashi