Ansatsu Kizoku – Assassin in a Fantasy World

 The greatest assassins come from the modern world. He got the task of killing the hero. Can he carry out missions in a new world full of swords and magic.

An assassin was killed by his own group after he was deemed too old and his term was almost over. At the end of his life, he felt emotions that had been suppressed for a long time during the course of his duties. Annoyed because the parenting group no longer believes in him. Just treated like a broken tool, thrown away.

Unexpectedly after death he was pulled into a mysterious goddess territory. Without giving a name, the goddess gives the opportunity to return to life in a new world with intact memories. He only needed to carry out the main mission which would take place between 16-18 years after reincarnation. Namely killing the hero who went out of control and caused the destruction of the world that the goddess watched over.

The assassin agreed after he asked the goddess's ultimate wish. He put the safety of the world first. Killing the hero was one of the most likely options right now. Armed with the five chosen abilities, the hitman will be reborn in the Tuatha De family. The noble family behind the scenes work as assassins in order to maintain the stability of the Alvan kingdom.

As Lugh Tuatha De, he trained since childhood. Lugh also introduced some knowledge from the original world to a new world whose technology was still between the Middle Ages and the industrial revolution. His abilities are also above average due to the blessing of the goddess. Of course it's not enough to face the hero who has the task of eliminating the Maou with 30 abilities. Five of them are S rank which means the hero is very strong.

As the story progresses, Lugh will meet important people who will help smooth the mission. First is Dia Vickone. This silver-haired girl, was Lugh's magic instructor. His carefree personality and love for magic melted Lugh's heart.

Second is Tarte. The girl who was dumped in the forest because her family was poor, was accidentally found by Lugh while hunting. This girl has mana which is indispensable when using magic. The mana owners in that world weren't exactly many and some had worked under noble families. Tarte with no ties to anyone was a blessing to Lugh.

The third is Maha. This orphaned girl comes from a merchant family who was betrayed by her subordinates. Maha also has mana so it will be very useful in helping missions.

They will become part of the Lugh family. But the journey to save the world from the hero's rampage is still far away. What missions will Lugh undertake before he meets the main target?

From a killing machine to a human

Ansatsu Kizoku, also known as the full title Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei suru is one of the surprising series this season. Not because it provides something new. But the way the execution of the story line makes it comfortable to watch and entertaining. If it is analogous to food, this is like fried rice which is easy to find anywhere. Of course not everything is bad to eat. For Ansatsu Kizoku is a type of fried rice that is still delicious eaten once a week.

For some reason, even though the plot is not rushed, Ansatsu Kizoku gives its own pleasure to see Lugh's development from childhood to adolescence. Until this review was written, the anime adaptation was still dwelling on the LN book volume 1. The studio also inserted a number of original scenes that actually enriched the character interactions. Of course, in addition to prolonging the duration to fit the showtime slot. But so far there is no original part that contradicts the original story of the work by. Rui Tsukiyo. The writer who is known through Kaiyari's controversial work is also able to create relatively normal stories.

Some of the original additions were when the goddess was shown inviting other spirits to reincarnate in order to finish off the hero. The goddess always wears different clothes which can actually be eyewash for the audience. because in the LN and manga versions he only wears the same clothes. It could be an extra scene in the anime so that Yukari Tamura's voice actor has the opportunity to say more dialogue.

Unlike the main characters from other isekai series, before his reincarnation Lugh was actually an aged and experienced assassin. Not a runny teenager with minimal social skills. So when interacting with the opposite sex there is no awkwardness. In fact, he might even see the girls around him like a group of children. Even so Lugh also didn't like his weak side showing.

Raised in a caring and loving family, viewers are shown Lugh's development. The Tuatha De philosophy taught by Lugh's father made him slowly become a functioning and empathetic human being. Although Lugh still denies that he is doing good for his own ends. Unlike his previous life which only carried out tasks like a robot. Lugh's calm and respectful personality also makes him easy to like.

For business animation, this series is fairly standard. In the first episode, the audience will be provoked by a smooth battle scene. But after that there will not be too many scenes that invite admiration. At least the SILVER LINK studio staff. working closely with Palette studio consistently works almost flawlessly. They are also able to adapt the LN version's character design to keep it interesting on the small screen.

There are horse carriages and scenes using boats assisted by CG animations that can't be said to be good. But because it's only a minor scene, it doesn't really matter. Keep in mind this is just an anime on a budget TV. Apart from being squeezed by the pandemic, they also have to be smart in allocating resources, which scenes need more attention to be animated.

Because there is an element of harem, a number of fanservices are also sprinkled. For now, the full, uncensored version can only be seen on AT-X shows. One that stands out is when He takes Lugh to a hot spring.

The opening song titled Dark Seeks Light has a fast tempo that sounds pretty good, assisted by an attractive opening visual design. The ending theme is one of the sweetest for the 2021 anime series. Even though this is an isekai story with the main goal of killing the hero, the romantic side is not to be missed. The song, titled A Promise, shows the lonely side of him waiting for Lugh.

Even though it was produced by a studio that has been involved in the production of Prisma Illya, Bofuri and Maoh Gakuin, viewers who expect lots of action scenes in each episode may be disappointed. Because the first volume of the book is focused on character introduction, exploration and self-development. Even the main target hero's face hasn't been shown in the opening visual. The battle scenes are only during practice. The target for killing is still at a low level so there is no significant resistance.

Another surprise that doesn't happen much in other isekai series is that Lugh has made his choice of partner Dia. Lugh had indeed visited this silver-haired nobleman since childhood every month. No wonder the seeds of love begin to grow. It only took ten episodes of Lugh dating Dia and kissing. Other romantic series titles are usually stalled without clarity. But Ansatsu Kizoku actually hastened. Maybe in the future he will be Lugh's main motivation to save the world from the hero's rampage.

Overall this series is interesting to watch for those who like adventure. This is not an adventure to explore a vast and new area to see a different culture. However, it is more directed at Lugh's life journey which has changed after being reincarnated. Like Mushoku Tensei and Maoh Gakuin , the existence of a family element that plays an important role in the development of the main character gives it its own charm. Family is a topic that is rarely touched upon in the anime series. So when the author involves the family in the story , Ansatsu Kizoku is worth trying.