Level E Episode 1

Level E was one of my most anticipated anime for this season, and I had high expectations for it. The manga was originally written by Yoshihiro Togashi in between in his two famous works: Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter. Though I’m not a big fan of YYH, HxH is one of my favorite shounen series. Even so, I was still dubious. The synopsis on Wikipedia made it feel like a slice of life comedy series with other shounen elements. However, after watching this first episode, I realized I had nothing to worry about. This exceeded expectations.

The premise is that Earth has been populated by all types of aliens for a while now, but only the humans are oblivious to this fact. The aliens seem to disguise themselves as humans or other organisms, and as a result are able to coexist on Earth while pursuing their own goals. However, one day, a space pod crashes onto Earth, totally in plain sight, causing a frenzied media uproar.

Our human protagonist is a male high school student named Tsutsui Yukitaka. He moves out to Yamagata to go to school there after being scouted by a high school for baseball. When he enters his apartment though, he finds a blonde-haired bishounen man leisurely sitting on a chair, wearing his clothes and reading a book. He claims to be an alien, pointing out that that apparent meteor landing from the night before was, in fact, his space pod crashing, which the news later proves is true. Of course, he has to suffer from the age-old plot device of amnesia, so he is nebulous about the exact details of his arrival and his true nature. Nonetheless, there are clues, including a self-destruction remote for the pod and some weird object a research lab retrieves that apparently reveals the alien’s true self. Ultimately, the alien man manages to steal this object back, and we’re left on a cliffhanger as we see his true self, a hideous, transforming, insect-like organism.

Though the plot isn’t that unique, it provides enough variety to be interesting and is executed well enough. At the very least, though Level E is a shounen, it doesn’t seem like the plot is headed in that direction. The show drops hints at the possibility of aliens coexisting with the humans on Earth, showing a pair of creepy kids staring at Tsutsui and a parrot not native to the region. I already have a number of questions I want to be answered. Who exactly is this alien, and what was his original purpose on Earth? Is there a reason why the alien specifically chooses Tsutsui’s apartment to reside in even though it’s quite a distance away from the crash site? Does the alien have any previous experience on Earth (he shows some knowledge in the lives of every day humans)? Who were those children and the parrot? Why do I feel like there’s more to Edogawa Miho, the supposed love interest of Tsutsui, than meets the eye? As you can see, I’m just brimming with questions, as the story has piqued my interest considerably.

This episode does a fantastic job of balancing comedy and drama. It’s hard to really categorize this in any specific genre since it combines so many elements of many genres. Nonetheless, it does this effectively. The comedy relies on fast-paced dialogue and exaggerated reactions, the type of humor prevalent in many shounen series, but the execution here is much stronger. It was hilarious, but didn’t feel forced at all. It was just part of the characters and their chemistry. As for the drama, the show does a nice job building things up and keeps you interested in what’s happening. You want to know what’s happening next and why certain things are happening. The comedy doesn’t interfere with the dramatic moments either. When the show wants to be plot-focused and tense, it doesn’t ruin the mood with inane, failed attempts at brief humor. In fact, the episode can be divided into two parts: one focused more on comedy and one focused more on plot and drama. They work well together to create a strong whole, the first part introducing the characters and displaying their chemistry and the second part moving the plot forward.

If anything though, the characters are probably the best part of this episode. Tsutsui is pretty much the straight man, an average guy who does average things. The alien, on the other hand, is a calm but eccentric character who does random things that piss Tsutsui off. Indeed, it is the interactions between the normal and the peculiar that provide the humor for this show, and their fast-paced exchanges show that already they’ve developed a nice relationship. I look forward to seeing how it continues as it has great potential. There’s also Miho, whose father heads the research on the space pod. She’s the potential love interest for Tsutsui, but I do hope that her function is expanded beyond just that.

The production values for this show are amazing, probably the best of the season so far. The colors are crisp and beautiful, and backgrounds and objects are detailed without being over-the-top. The character designs look realistic but simple. Some CG is utilized, and admittedly it looks rather awkward, but its used sparingly. The music is also pretty strong too. The OP is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and the soundtrack has a few great moments. The ED is a bit blander comparatively, but it’s not bad.

Excelling in both the comedy and plot departments, Level E looks out to be one of the best of the season. The characters are endearing and likeable. Frankly, it could probably take every category in an awards show for this season, though hasn’t been any true gems thus far. Just watch it. It’s fantastic.

Outlook: Fantastic
Predicted Rating For the Anime: 8.5/10