I have thought for a long while now that isekai has been done to death so for anything of this genre to stand out, it really needs something completely out of the blue. So I have to hand it to Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon for having one of the most random gimmicks ever. Can you think of another isekai anime starring a sentient vending machine? I certainly can’t. Just by title and gimmick alone, this anime stands out the most among the isekai shows of Summer 2023 (and this season has a bunch to offer). Whether or not, the show will be good though is a whole other matter.
Reborn as a Vending Machine begins with our stock light novel protagonist (Jun Fukuyama) getting isekai’d. For once, Truck-kun isn’t directly responsible for taking yet another Japanese person’s life. Rather, a falling vending machine they’re carrying accidentally falls off and slams the poor guy to death. The protagonist then reincarnates into a fantasy world as the very thing that killed him and I’ll admit that the irony or cheekiness here is pretty funny. As the protagonist adjusts to his new existence, an adventurer named Lammis (Kaede Hondo) comes across him. Lammis quickly becomes enamored with the protagonist and his goods (not like that), names him “Boxxo”, and carries him to her hometown with her superstrength.
So how does Boxxo work in a fantasy world with no electrical outlet and not a single soul who knows what the hell a vending machine is? Basically, he runs on a point-based system. He can use points for a variety of things such as manage his inventory, purchase upgrades for himself, and keep himself powered and operational (the last one is a bit messed up, now that that I think about it). To gain points, Boxxo simply needs someone to buy an item from him. Essentially, Boxxo is playing a management video game with himself. I suppose it’s more thought out than simply chalking everything up to magic but could this show not come up with something else? This is yet another anime depicting fantasy with video game mechanics. I will however give this premiere credit in that it executes some fun scenarios to establish Boxxo’s capabilities and point management. One example is when a bunch of frog humanoids beat the crap out of Boxxo and the vending machine discovers that he can sustain himself with magic, albeit at a high cost of points.
Most of the premiere is spent expositing how Boxxo works though the episode does sneak in a charming moment or two. I like the idea that Lammis has superstrength. Her carrying Boxxo around like it’s nothing is a funny image and an amusing justification to get Boxxo to different places. The communication system the two develop, where Boxxo repeats one of his automated voice lines in response to yes or no questions asked by Lammis, might get old but it does make their interactions more interesting for the time being. The episode also shows a little bit at how other people reacts to Boxxo. That they eventually grow bored of Boxxo’s inventory and relapse back into excitement when he offers something new is a pretty good joke.
Oddly enough, the show has yet to throw Boxxo into a dungeon. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how that will work. Is Lammis just going to carry him while she explores and fights? Would she buy something from in between fights or will she try to do so in the middle of one? Won’t any of this be super impractical. Honestly, her plopping the vending machine near the inn she works at in the first episode makes the most sense. Boxxo is a vending machine after all. They usually stay in one place. That said, you can’t really leave him in the same town indefinitely. Otherwise, we’d have no show.
Reborn as a Vending Machine looks to be alright, which is extremely faint praise but considering this is isekai, that might as well as count as win. It does appear to follow some of the same tropes and I question the longevity of the premise but I do admit that the premiere does have its moments. If nothing else, I ain’t forgetting its gimmick anytime soon.
Watch Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon on Crunchyroll.
Read my Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon reviews.
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