Original Run: January 4, 2021 - March 22, 2021 Number of Episodes: Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Harem Based on the Series Created By: Toshio Satou
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Having grown up the weakest in his village, Lloyd Belladonna (voiced by Yumiri Hanamori) moves from his home in the boonies to the hustle and bustle of the city. He hopes to join the military academy to be the hero he has read about in books.
However, Lloyd isn’t some ordinary country boy. No, he grew up in the shadow of the famed Last Dungeon. Here, the monsters are more powerful; therefore, the people living in this area need to be equally so. Despite being weak compared to his fellow villagers, Lloyd is hundreds of times strong than anyone living in the big city.
With his unassuming and kind demeanor, Lloyd quickly makes friends and becomes rather popular. And with his immense strength, any issue most would find insurmountable, Lloyd hardly notices.
Series Positives
I am not going to lie; I get why someone might not like this show. There were certain aspects to Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town (Last Dungeon Boonies) – okay, there was one aspect to Last Dungeon Boonies – that was difficult to stomach. However, if it were possible to ignore that one aspect, we could consider this series to be a little hidden gem.
Unfortunately, it is quite impossible to ignore the bit I am referring to, but we can, for the moment, put it to the side.
Regarding the other 90% of Last Dungeon Boonies, I had a really fun time with this show.
Out of everything, I enjoyed this series’ sense of humor. Last Dungeon Boonies put a ton of stock into slapstick, reactions, and situations, and nine times out of ten, jokes would usually land. I can confirm I got a fair number of laughs because of this one. So, to me, that is a solid win.
Last Dungeon Boonies did exceptionally well with its supporting cast; there was lots of personality here. In particular, the banter between characters was well done. The light roasting, mutual insult slinging, and fierce rivalry, especially amongst the core members of the harem (I’ll get to this in a moment), was what made this series worth watching.
Although the action in Last Dungeon Boonies came down to wait-until-the-main-character-arrives, battles were not this show’s heart. Since most fights were laughably one-sided, the goal for the cast was less about winning and more setting the groundwork to play their trump card. And, if we think of the titular kid from the boonies, Lloyd Belladonna, as a tool (like a magic sword or a powerful spellbook), this series works so much better.
And while we are on the subject of characters, let’s segway into the harem qualities of Last Dungeon Boonies.
In my experience, the best harem anime are the ones with two distinct and well-founded pillars – the members and the center.
For harem members to be considered a success, you have to ask, were they interesting characters. For their role in the story, did they play their parts effectively? To Last Dungeon Boonies’ credit, it did this. As I said, the supporting cast was this show’s best feature.
Next, and as the name suggests, the center (a.k.a., the protagonist) is the person to whom others are converging around (sexy, I know). Thus, it should make sense why so many have feelings for the lead. Therefore, and I am choosing my words very carefully, Lloyd Belladonna was a standout model of how it should be done as a harem center.
Let’s break it down.
For Lloyd, five characters had more-than-friends feelings towards him. The reason I am not, yet, saying, “they had romantic affection for him” is as follows. Two of the five, Marie and Alka (voiced respectively by Ai Kayano and Natsumi Hioka), were when it came to Lloyd, skeevy perverts with intense shotacon fascinations. As such, it’s hard to consider them as part of the harem.
As for the other three – Phyllo, Selen Hemein, and Riho Flavin (voiced respectively by Miku Itou, Madoka Asahina, and Minami Tsuda) – they did develop a deep romantic interest in Lloyd. Lloyd did something that made the result (wanting to win him) make sense for each of them.
Phyllo respected strength. Until she met Lloyd, she had met no one stronger than her. He was the first person to defeat her, causing Phyllo to single him out as the only man for her.
For Selen Hemein, Lloyd literally cured her of a horrible curse she had been suffering from for years. A curse that made her a social outcast, a shame on her family, and utterly alone. Yeah, anyone who could remove such an affliction would probably get an admirer.
Then there was Riho, and she was definitely the odd one out. It wasn’t clear for most of this series if she had any feelings towards Lloyd beyond just being friends. But as the show went on, Riho, at the very least, had developed a crush on a person who, despite everything, was genuinely kind and caring.
So, yes, most of Last Dungeon Boonies was great fun; I don’t want to discredit all the good this show actually did.
Overall, I can confidently say I had a pleasant time with this series; I don’t regret watching it. I knew going in that many people had rated it rather harshly. I do believe the level of spite directed at this show is, mostly, unfair.
Nevertheless, there was something about Last Dungeon Boonies that did test my patience something awful.
Series Negatives
Lloyd Belladonna.
Again, as a harem center, Lloyd filled out the part well. However, as the main character, he was insufferable. His crippling lack of confidence was charming for about one episode. But, it sometimes made me want to bash my head against the wall for it to continue throughout the whole show.
I had hoped Lloyd would realize he was far more capable than he gave himself credit for as the story went on. Unfortunately, Last Dungeon Boonies doubled down on this trait.
When I started this show, I was intrigued by the title. I thought about the video games that let you do a second run with all the gear and experience you gained during the first play-through. I don’t know about you, but the overwhelming sense of power I feel while dominating the game’s early stages is addicting whenever this happens. Although I didn’t think this series would go fully in that direction, I did assume our protagonist would be, at least, aware of his strength.
Nope.
Instead, it was just Lloyd lamenting how he was the weakest person in his village and was a burden on everyone around him. Never mind how his friends were constantly running for their lives when encountering monsters Lloyd thought were mere insects.
I can respect how a lifetime of being the “weak one” might zap a person’s confidence. That isn’t a mindset that can quickly go away, even when proven to be determinately false. I could have accepted that at the beginning of this show.
Except when it’s episode ten and Lloyd is still going on about how he will never amount to anything, I’m sorry, but I got a little ticked off.
Lloyd had an unintentional arrogance to his personality. Think about it; has there ever been something you tried so hard to obtain? You work and work for hours upon hours, and through sheer perseverance and luck, you finally succeed. But then, suddenly, you meet this person who effortlessly does the same thing and then starts treating it like it was no big deal and that they are a failure. Undermining.
It’s maddening, and that was what Lloyd was. I won’t go so far as to say he ruined Last Dungeon Boonies, but Lloyd did prevent this show from being much more than it could have been.
Final Thoughts
Although this show was more good than bad, when it was at its worst, it was BAD.
Okay, “bad” might be too strong a word. Annoying, infuriating, insufferable, those would be much better fits. But, likewise, when its main character actually shut his face, I could also say this show was funny, entertaining, and fun.
I have had to sit through worse qualities before.
If you’re willing to give it a chance, then Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town has earned a recommendation.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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