Farming Life in Another World

Minecraft Isekai running in sandbox mode where the monsters' aggression is set to low so you can turn them into pets. It’s set in a forest where someone forgot to turn off the machine that’s printing elves and also girls in general. There are like 50+ of them for one average farmer, but only two or three of them are memorable and easy to tell apart from the others. The best, most interesting, and most valid female character is Zabuton the spider. I have nothing against a harem, as long as it makes sense in the story. Here, for the sake of being family-friendly, the creators have replaced organized polygamy with simple monogamy, completely ruining several jokes from the manga (I flipped through it after having read a few comments below the videos to be objective). I’m sure many viewers will find the protagonist relatable as he's exactly the type who is surrounded by girls, but apparently only plays chess with them at night. When he does happen to conceive a child, you get the impression that it happened when Hiraku tapped a girl on the stomach with his All-Purpose Farming Tool, pronounced the word "baby", and that was it. Anyway, the tool is simply too powerful in my view. It can turn into almost anything at will, which is still okay, but the fact that you can just think of anything (a plant, a mushroom...) while using it and it will start growing on its own without any seeds seems exaggerated and weird. One house after another is built, but I didn't notice anything that would make the buildings hold together, so I guess one of the elves has mastered methods that we don't understand, or it's simply magic! The only good running joke is everyone being amazed at how much power Hiraku has unwittingly acquired... But that's not really what the series is about. I reckon the main reason why so many people like it is its relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, and the emphasis on building. In other words, if you like games where you build stuff, and you liked TenSura but you could do without all the "lame fights", this will be right up your alley. The series also has decent animation and music that intensifies the experience. If you are able to turn off your brain and tune into the right building vibe, you'll have a good time. If you like anime girls of all kinds and races and prefer quantity over quality, you'll be thrilled to bits. You might not, though (if you are familiar with the manga). The spider was enough for me, and I only managed to turn my brain off halfway. 6/10 (03/24/2023)