So, what have we here? Really? Another isekai? Really? How many is that just this month? Really? And it’s the first of the month as well! And since this one is really similar to another one just like it, it gets hard to separate them. This particular one is (at least I think it is. I have to write better notes) is “Black Summoner” (“Kuro no Shōkanshi”).
That is Kelvin, an S-Rank summoner, who dresses in black (which is really helpful for the title). Melfina is the Goddess of Reincarnation, who brought him over. In exchange for his past memories (and I did not know memories were a valuable commodity. Can I give you the ones I have from the third grade?), he gained some amazing abilities, so he is a force to be reckoned with.
He also makes contracts with a variety of people to help in this world. They are (from bottom left) Clotho the Slime, Efil the Elf (well, a half-elf) and Sera, an Arcane Pugilist. Also abetted by the brave knight Blackghost Gerard, they all sally forth, doing what they can. Such is an isekai.
Now, this one was pretty good, as Kelvin reveals himself to be a fairly decent person, in a world filled with liars and deceivers. He also knows that having a strong party of people is the best way to protect himself. He and his party go on a series of adventures, so that they all can learn about this world. In one way or another, they do not possess a great scope of expertise in how this world works, but by going out and battling, say, the bandit gang Black Wind, they get a better insight into the machinations from those who hold the strings of power.
It is a typical isekai, in that we slowly put together a squad of people that work well and work well together, while establishing that they are their own force not to be dismissed out of hand, especially with the season-ending arc that also promises that coveted second season.
My only real reservation with this show is that I was watching a very similar show at the same time, and the plots blended together. My very strongest suggestion is to pace out your isekai shows, so you don’t feel it is one after the other and you get a plain yogurt of predictability with these things. This is another show that can easily take the binging, as it readily appears it was designed for that. It does help with the pacing, as the connectivity works quite well in all of it. Just remember, it is an isekai, and so a lot of the points covered, you have seen in other isekai offerings.
On a scale of 1 to 10:
Artwork 7 (The inclusion of CG factors dampen things for me)
Plot 7 (You HAVE seen it before)
Pacing 8 (Builds towards the latter episodes)
Effectiveness 7 (It’s just why IS Yuji here)
Conclusion 7 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service 2 (A similar show would be “Okamisan”)
Bingeability 9 (It helps the story along far better)
Overall 7 (Just too many isekai for me)
And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. You will obey the winner.