Fans of Japanese literature no doubt know a lot about the characters in Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma. Characters like Dazai Osamu, Chuuya Nakahara, and Ryuunoskuke Akutagawa are famous for their creations and—equally—famous for their strange ways of life. Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma does a good job showing some of their attitudes/ideals in the series and makes light of their various attitudes when it comes to writing/living. Each character is noteworthy in Bungou to Alchemist for a reason and we honestly admire that when the roster of characters is as large as this one.

The central idea of correcting the world’s most famous stories is what pulled us in when we heard about Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma. Unfortunately, this admirable idea hasn’t panned out, at least so far. There are only three episodes out for Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma and by now we haven’t been pulled in beyond the first episode. Maybe the series will develop better tales that will captivate us but if you’re an anime fan who believes in the three-episode rule… Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma might be a series you put aside.

Studio OLM has been around for quite some time working on anime titles like the 1997 Berserk TV adaptation, the original Pokemon series/movies and numerous other smaller—but well-known—series. Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma definitely looks like it was done by a studio with some talented animators and that can be seen in every episode thus far. The designs of the characters are impressive, the settings give life to the stories they are set in, and the occasional battles are pretty eye-catching. Overall, Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma might not be perfect in other areas, but the animation is strong and that will surely keep us watching for the time being.

One of the most important elements to understand about the problems with Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma is that it hasn’t had the best start. Due to the world’s ongoing pandemic, many anime series have met with delays and Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma was, unfortunately, one of those series. Many who were on the fence about Bungou to Alchemist and were hoping that fourth episode would pull them back in, felt inclined to ignore the series entirely due to said delay. If Bungou to Alchemist can somehow get back into a normal release schedule—which should happen soon—many might give it another try and just pray the story improves with some later tales.