This article discusses events from episode 6 of Uncle From Another World.The prophecies of Isekai Ojisan haters appear to be coming true, as the pace of the already slow-burning anime has decreased significantly since episode 4. Uncle From Another World attempts to freshen up the oversaturated Isekai genre by reworking the narrative to fit more in line with the typical slice-of-life style, which has action-enthusiasts frustrated to no end. Unfortunately, those with enough patience to tolerate the rather uneventful storyline have also started to lose interest, after Isekai Ojisan's two-week hiatus was celebrated (or rather, not) with an alarmingly underwhelming return to Netflix.
When Ojisan first joined Netflix's anime lineup, plenty of viewers were impressed by the nostalgic SEGA references combined with a unique storytelling style that only involves the viewers once the great adventure has already come to an end. Isekai enthusiasts usually get their kicks from witnessing the unsuspecting hero navigate through a strange and foreign world, but in Ojisan's case, these moments are only seen during static-prone flashbacks. Those courageous enough to express their enthusiasm for the alternative, offbeat anime were warned about getting their hopes up, as haters foretold (and Manga readers confirmed), that the formulaic approach will become boring very quickly, as the overall progress of events is rather stunted and predictable. "Meh" is one of the most commonly used descriptions from many dissatisfied viewers, just to put things into perspective.
Release Date Mayhem
Despite all the critics, many fans of Uncle From Another World persevered with the nostalgic and humourous content, however, viewers were thoroughly disappointed to discover that Ojisan would be missing from their line-up for two whole weeks (or longer, depending on the country.) Unfortunately, production was halted after just four episodes had aired due to an increase in COVID-19 infections at Atelier Pontdarc, and the studio chose to delay future release dates rather than relying too heavily on out-sourcing (which is not always dependable, such as with Komi Can't Communicate's case).
Some fans returned to Ojisan's side as soon as the 17th of August, whereas others (such as Netflix UK and South Africa) were forced to wait until the 30th to get their fix. Subsequently, the availability of episodes 6 and 7 are not internationally unanimous, which is such a pity considering how in sync the fandom was at the beginning of the simulcast set-up. Perhaps Atelier Pontdarc should have finalized the series' production before beginning its release to avoid any unfortunate delays, which has caused the already volatile fandom to lose even more interest in Isekai Ojisan. The weekly release date was likely intended to build up the hype and get people talking, but this strategy has sadly backfired, as the severely slow pacing of the narrative is only emphasized by the delayed episode release dates, aggravating the issue even further.
"That Reminds Me, I Almost Got Assassinated Once"
After anxiously waiting for episode 5 of Uncle From Another World, the fact that there were technical difficulties producing this installment becomes apparent quite quickly. While the quality of the artwork thankfully has not deteriorated, the use of still frames is overused much too often and the 'Dezaki' effect, well, loses its effectiveness. During the flashbacks in episode 5, Ojisan's harem discusses Japan (What? They know about the real world? Now this is interesting!) however, the significant reference is just added to the growing list of frustrating loose ends, without any answers provided.
To add insult to injury, Ojisan's harem goes into the intriguing backstory of the incredible Ice Clan and the origin story of the infamous knight's Divine bonus (a classic Isekai trope!) but even then, the viewers' experience is suddenly cut short.
Just as things start to get interesting, Mabel's epic anecdote is interrupted by the impatient Elf, who proceeds to spew out the details of the God-freezing Sword in the most unimaginative way possible, completely ruining the dramatic effect of the whole event (for everyone involved!)
This very well may have been intentionally part of the comedic element of Isekai Ojisan, as the Elf fulfills the Tsundere role after all and was just flexing her abusive capabilities past the fourth wall. However, her interruption essentially came across as a convenient excuse and a cop-out to shave some time off of the production process. While fans did thankfully gain more insights into the girls from Granbahamal, episode 5 ultimately ends on a "to be continued" note, leaving many viewers utterly underwhelmed by the whole experience.
Redeeming Qualities
Improvements have fortunately been made regarding how episode 6 is handled, as a large portion of this installment is dedicated to Granbahamal (for a change!) The audience finally gets to witness Ojisan's initial arrival in Another World and gain greater insights into his magical abilities, with the added bonus of unique fantasy creatures thrown into the mix.
While Ojisan's less-than-epic battle with the dragon leaves much to be desired, this time around (unlike previously, with the Elf), the abrupt ending to the Ojisan's tale is undeniably intentional, with poor, hungry Fujimiya at the butt-end of this particular joke. A relatively good recovery; here's to hoping they don't lose any more of that slow-paced, yet subtly progressive momentum!