What’s it about? Rejected as a saintess, isekai’d girl Rin Takanashi decides to use her overpowered skills for something more interesting—camping, cooking, and chilling out!
Right from the start, the vibes in this premiere are immaculate. You see, our lead Rin is a twenty-something nerd with interests in acupuncture, TTRPGs, and camping—and by camping, she really does mean every aspect of it, from catching fish to making a fire to just enjoying the outdoors.
However, she’s not in another world by choice. Thanks to a royal family’s Saintess summoning ceremony, she gests caught up in a spell circle while camping in Japan. Immediately, she’s declared to not be the blessed Saintess by the handsome prince, who falls for the younger high schooler that got summoned simultaneously. But this doesn’t dim Rin’s shine. When she ends up in another world, cast out of society, she doesn’t fret. Instead, Rin heads into nature to kick back and relax!
This show is absolutely in conversation with Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, bearing similarities in having its protagonists enjoy the slow life now that they’re forcibly distanced from capitalism. But where Mukoda has access to an online grocery store and supplements his food with otherworldly monster meat and findings, Rin’s skillset is wholly organic to this world. It offers a different spin on the concept of the “Adult Enjoys the Slow Life” trend in isekai—a trend I’m very into.
Here in Forsaken Saintess, you get those same cozy vibes, but from the perspective of a young woman who is joyfully goofy and entirely passionate about camping. It makes for a solid foundation for a series that’s going to be entirely vibes-based and all about getting your munch on with some fantasy foods.
Already, Forsaken Saintess has the chops to maintain the bit: it’s refreshingly funny, presenting Rin as competent but not overly sexed by the camera, nerdy and quirky but within relatability. This includes when she summons her RV Camper, something that quickly fits into the fantasy world even given it’s an explicitly modern vehicle.
That’s all great, because I must admit the animation is… okay. It’s cute enough, but there’s some serious errors. For example, there’s multiple times where Ville just doesn’t have eyes. There’s times where both Rin and Ville feel stiff. The studio EMT Squared has produced some fine-looking titles, but as a critic, I can’t help but point out the times where Ville looks like his head is more rhombus than sphere.
That all said, while the animation is mildly distracting, it doesn’t take away from Rin and Ville savoring multiple feasts at their lakeside camp ground, nor does it take away from a delightful premiere. I really, thoroughly enjoyed this one, because it understands the concept of fun so intrinsically. It’s goofy from the moment Rin fishes her companion Ville out of a river as the catch of the day.
I’ll also admit that it’s really nice to see a show about a twenty-something enjoying food in a time where it feels like the cultural message is “eat less, slim down,” and anorexia content is on everyone’s dashboards. Instead of pushing any messages around controlling food intake, Rin enjoys a smorgasbord that feels like friendship on a plate.
Safe to say I’m coming back for more of The Forsaken Saintess and Her Foodie Road Trip in Another World. It’s cute, it’s solid humor, and best of all, it’s a celebration of food. For that, consider me invested. In fact, I might even fire up my gas range to enjoy some of Rin’s meals alongside her each episode!
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