Leadale no Daichi nite, also known as In the Land of Leadale, is an anime series by Maho Film and is based off the Japanese light novel series written by Ceez and Illustrated by Tenmaso. Originally serialized online on the Shousetsuka Ni Narou website between November 2010 and December 2012, Enterbrain began publishing the series in print in January 2019 under their Famitsu Bunko imprint. The anime series consists of 12 episodes of 23 minutes each.
The narrative introduces the main character, Cayna, where she finds herself in a new world. The last thing she can remember is her life support beginning to fail. Her body had suffered terribly after a terrible accident and the only freedom left in her life came from the VR world of Leadale. The new world she finds herself in is a very real country similar to the Leadale she remembers playing in but 200 years have passed since the last time she’s played.
Cayna doesn’t really like exerting herself. All she wants to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy herself and the realistic version of Leadale she’s found herself in. Even sudden problems arise, she’s overpowered enough to handle it without breaking a sweat thanks to the large amount of game time she’s had. The series does have the typical action and adventure isekai anime are famed for, but there is rarely any tension or drama. This anime is perfect for a relaxing watch, and is a refreshing take on the isekai genre. The concept of being reborn in a game I’ve really enjoyed playing along with the idea that I may or may not have unalived in the real world is pretty cool especially considering other similar isekai animes such as Sword Art Online where the main character simply dives into this “real” game world but then later returns, the common denominator being that if you unalive in the game you unalive in real life so YOLO!
Although in Cayna’s case we aren’t entirely sure if this is the case although the narrative does hint in this direction a few times as the narrative continues. Mention is also made of how the server admins have all disappeared along with the previous “hero” gamers and the world has basically progressed off NPC and AI characters, but Cayna does find one or two actual players from the “real” world as she goes on adventures and finding more players becomes sort of a goal for her although what she’s actually looking for is the players she had played with previously, someone she knows.
Even though Cayna is a likeable and well-rounded character that won’t let anything shake her, the true charm of this series is its random characters. Particularly the characters Cayna summons or acquires and her “adopted” children from her time playing the game previously who have naturally all grown up. You can expect many laughs from her eccentric and flamboyant elven son. Since Cayna is technically one of the strongest and most active players in Leadale, she has amassed a great deal of items, characters, summons, etc.
The anime is pretty upfront with this fact without fully showing the extent of Cayna’s inventory. Every time Cayna brings a new item, summon, or character out, the viewers are just as surprised as the characters are around her. Thankfully, all of these characters are very much likable although I sometimes wonder about her eccentric, obsessive elven son.
In the Land of Leadale is an enjoyable watch. Cayna’s shenanigans are entertaining to witness as well as her decions and line of thinking, especially considering that she isn’t bound by consequence. The Land of Leadale delivers what it promises to deliver. That is an entertaining and fun watch. The anime does not put any mental load on its viewers, so its audience can sit back and enjoy exploring the land of Leadale along with Cayna. I am however still curious as to where her search for other players and interactions with existing players is going so the show has undoubtedly prickled my curiosity especially with regards to what is happening to her in real life, has she really unalived or not? I have a feeling, but no solid evidence that something more sinister is afoot and am looking forward to a second season.
