Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! (2019)

[私、能力は平均値でって言ったよね!]

Director: Masahiko Ohta
Studio: Project No. 9
Starring: Azumi Waki, Sora Tokui, Fumiko Uchimura
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
After dying, a girl wishes to be reborn as completely average, only the definition of "average" proves to be different than what she expects.

Impressions:
As I dig through the latest pile of isekai trash, I find this little gem. I say "gem", but that might be giving it a little too much credit. It's not like the show is bad per se. The most apt description would be "inoffensive". It falls into the tired trope of the OP protagonist, but at least there's a point where the focus turns to the protagonist building up her teammates, which I thought was clever, but once they reach a certain point, the challenge level drops and there's no real weight to the stakes, as per usual. Also, there are a few points where drama is introduced but then quickly diffused. It would be better for the tone if it would just fully commit to comedy or have been a drama with occasional moments of levity. If you connect to the characters, then you should have enough to go on, but I feel that they aren't explored as effectively as they could be. The referential humor was a bonus I appreciated, though, and the opening song is a bit of an earworm. In the final tally, it's well enough worth a watch, but the fact that the most isn't made of its potential, you may find it underwhelming and forgettable in the end.

Rating:
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