I written about this a while ago, but essentially, I’m a new dad of two beautiful twin boys. As such, I spent a lot of those first 8 weeks with them on the couch, cradling one in my arm, watching a billion shows.

NOTE: These are my personal opinions and should not be treated as yours.

The Premise: Originally published online, Cautious Hero is writer Light Tuchihi and illustrator Saori Toyota’s take on the fantasy world genre. A Goddess, Ristarte, is so close to becoming one of the higher gods. She only has to save a S-Class world Gaeabrande from the Demon Lord. So, she summons Seiya Ryuuguuin, an extremely cautious man who spends most of his time doing push-ups, leveling up, purchasing items, and over-thinking every situational outcome. Will they be able to save the world without killing one another?

What Worked For Me: The humor, first off. It’s not too often the “female” gaze takes center stage in anime (at least in the anime I’ve seen, which is far less than I would like), but watching Ristarte literally drool over Seiya’s rock hard abs was a treat for my wife and I.

Also, the RPG concepts the series plays around with. We’ve all known that player (hell, maybe we are that player) who overstocks on items, level grinds for hours before fighting the first dungeon, and overkills enemies just to be safe because it would be a nightmare to be sent back to the graveyard or restart the dungeon from the beginning.

Seiya also works as a hilarious foil for many of the secondary characters in the world, who believe in honor, chivalry, and a glorious death, willing to ride off and die at the first sign of danger. Seeing him calculate the odds, decide it’s not worth it, then go and buy 999 healing herbs because he can only carry 999 healing herbs is always a good chuckle.

Also, the theme song:

What Didn’t Work For Me: It’s hard not to see the obvious comparisons between this series and One and Yusuke Murata’s One Punch Man. A single-minded hero, stronger than anyone else, fighting in unconventional ways, with an eclectic cast of extras?

Sound familiar?

Sure, but it’s not like this is the first time this has happened before. Lest we forget the amazing year Hollywood gave us both Armageddon and Deep Impact.

While the amazing fights are AMAZING, the lesser fights are just that. Never too detailed or too drawn out.

Secondary characters are really more like tertiary characters, never quite given the screen-time they deserve, unlike One Punch Man which I felt spent way more time with the background characters, fully fleshing out the world of heroes. This isn’t a real jab at Cautious Hero, it’s just that I wanted to spend more time with these people. I liked who I met from episode to episode. Just wished they would have hung around longer.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Solid, fun, a couple of questions left hanging in the air, but for what it was I enjoyed it. This type of anime series makes me think of those paperback novels you buy before you hop on an airplane. It’ll fill time and you’ll enjoy it while you’re watching it, but is it the best?

No.

It doesn’t have to be for what it is.

A fun ride with plenty of insider references to all the games we love to play.

Thanks for reading,

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