3ET: Outbreak Company

Reading is what? Fundamental!

Studio: Feel
Director: Oikawa Kei (Minami-ke S3, Da Capo S2)
Writer: Arakawa Naruhisa (DN Angel, Maoyuu Maou Yuusha)
Main Cast:

Hanae Natsuki as Kanou Shinichi

Mimori Suzuko as Myuser Foaran

Fuchigami Mai as Petrarca Ann Erudanto III

Character Design: Mamezuka Takashi (Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai)

Music: Inai Keiji (Karneval)

Outbreak Company is a show that both proves and disproves the idea of the three episode test. After one episode, I was ready to toss it away as a piece of trash not worthy of closer inspection. After two episodes, I was impressed in how it had found a course worthy of my further attention. And after three episodes, well, this is called a tease. You're gonna have read further to find out. Or maybe I don't know yet, even as I'm writing this post.

The plot of this enigmatic show is about an otaku named Shinichi who is chosen by Japan to be the ambassador of otaku culture to a fantasy world called the Holy Eldant Empire discovered after a dimensional rift is discovered near Mt. Fuji. Yes, I'm serious, and yes I'm sober. Once there, he meets his personal maid named Myuser and the loli-empress Petrarca Ann Erudanto III. He does the stereotypical over-the-top, anime reactions to these girls, as well as to the big-tittied military woman sent by Japan to protect him. These made me cringe not only at their stupidity, but also at how inappropriate he acts towards these women. I get that he's an otaku, but making the hero of a story completely socially inept and more than somewhat creepy makes him difficult to root for.

The maid, the hero, and Tits McGee.

Then, he gets better. As Shinichi settles into his new world, and amasses a library of manga, figures, posters, and games for suitable export to Eldant, he learns about the feudal class system. He sees how non-human races like lizardmen, elves, dwarves, and any half-lings are regularly abused by the nobility. When the empress goes on a racist rant towards Myuser, a half-elf, who he has been secretly teaching Japanese after learning she can't read or write, he stands up for her. And when Myuser is later moved to tears by a manga she is reading, he even remarks that he's usually have a creepy reaction to how cute her emotional expression is, but doesn't react that way at all. He even goes so far as to build a school where children of all races and classes can study otaku culture together. It's quick development for just a couple of episodes, but compared to where he came from, it's welcome development.

Shinichi's biggest problem is a one he shares with Outbreak Company itself. He sees otaku culture, as well as larger Japanese culture, through an unrealistic, idealistic lens. I have to scoff at his claim that our world's culture is based on equality. I also find the idea that Japan would want to export otaku culture as the first thing as some sort of Cool Japan myth taken to its horrifying conclusion. In the show, this comes to a head when a terrorist group with a magical bomb takes the main cast hostage. The resolution of this situation seems like it could take the show in an interesting direction, but that gets shot down in the preview for the fourth episode.

oh no don't kill the loli.

Decisions like this have me thoroughly perplexed by Outbreak Company. On one hand, I want to see more of how it handles Shinichi's idealism compared to the reality of Eldant. I also want to see if the empress can go on an arc where she stops being such a horrible bitch. On the other hand, the moments of abject stupidity and boob jiggles make me pause. Also, this could easily become a terrible harem show, given that I can already see a love triangle forming. It's a borderline call, and I realize there is a good chance I'm going to get burned by doing this, but I'm going to pass this show.