The colorful streets of Akiba have become a dangerous place as beings known as the bugged ones begin to possess people in the shopping district and use their bodies to commit mayhem in the city. The woman leading the defense of the otaku paradise is the softball bat wielding Matome Mayonaka. She and her vigilante team Electric Mayonnaise, a play on her name “Mayo”naka, patrol the streets and confront any suspicious activity. She also has a secret: she has supernatural strength, a power tied to Akiba that has one drawback, she can never leave the neighborhood. The character of Matome is a classic tusndere in a lot of ways. She gets along with the male lead and even has an obvious crush but is reluctant to open up to him in non-hostile ways. The calm, cool delivery of the dialogue and the simmering anger are easy to hear in Rei’s performance and are delivered in a clear way that lets you know she means business even without the anger marks on Matome’s forehead.

The Kativarna Empire is fading and, in an attempt to regain some of its past glory, they pick a fight against the Republic of Kioka on its border. The war expands from there and draws in the most unlikely of heroes, a young man named Ikta. He is all but forced to enter officer school and is knighted along with his friends for saving the emperor’s granddaughter. Ikta is an unconventional man who thinks scientifically and rationally in a world ruled by tradition and dogma. He and his division are eventually sent to the high mountains on the border of the empire to put down a revolt by the Shinaak Tribe who are taking advantage of the empires being distracted with other fronts in the war. The Shinaak chieftain is a young woman by the name of Nanaqu Dal. She is a caring leader of her people and a ferocious warrior. She has a complicated relationship with Ikta as a childhood friend and at one point had a deep-seated feeling of “like” for him. The winds of war change and they become allies again and this strong woman who is secure in her own sexuality more than once suggests that she and Ikta spend the night together. We may not think so, but grunting and moaning as if in a battle is hard; you’d know that if you try any acting, and Rie Takahashi does a very believable job. She makes you think that each swing of her character’s sword is filled with earnest rage. We hear the authority in her voice when she tells tells a room full of her male tribal warriors that her tribe’s allegiances are going to change to the side they had, up until recently, been fighting. Her performance makes you believe they’ll follow her without question. The ability of Rei to put authority into voice of the petite beauty of Nanaqu is absolutely amazing.

Subaru Natsuki finds himself in another world and shortly thereafter is killed. He awakens and lives the day again and manages to survive a little longer. He dies again and wakes up from the point he died at in the previous timeline. We then follow Subaru through ups and downs of starting his life from nothing in this new fantasy world. He falls in love at first sight with the silver haired half-elf girl named Emilia, voiced by Rei Takahashi. Subaru becomes a member of her household and works his many lives trying to support and protect her from sinister forces. The character of Emilia is a good-natured girl and seems to have a caring instinct. She attempts to be aloof but for some reason seems to let her guard down around Subaru. She is almost always accompanied by Puck, a sort of familiar, that reminds you of a small magical kitten that’s a bit of a smart ass. Emilia my not even be aware but she and Puck seem to be more than they appear. She is also a bit self-conscious about her looks because of her eerie resemblance to a legendary evil witch. Rei Takahashi does a wonderful job with this role, and yet doesn’t seem to get as much credit as some of the other members of the cast, most likely for her character being all but absent in the second arch. She does deliver some really good performances, most often when she isn’t being the “nice,” understanding Emilia. In one scene she chastises Subaru and you can’t help but feel like she’s chastising you and causing you, the viewer, to feel bad. We find drawing out an emotive response truly excellent acting.

Nishikata is a middle school boy who sits next to transfer student Takagi, a middle school girl. They meet on the first day of school when Takagi inadvertently causes Nishikata to be late and as a result he gets punished. He vows to get back at Takagi one day, yet every time he attempts to even the score by teasing her, she gets the upper hand. We get to follow the two each day during class and on their walk home as their contentious, yet cute relationship grows into another kind of relationship all together. Takagi is the kind of girl that is smart and cute and knows it. She has her sights set on Nashikata and shows her affection the only way she understands as a middle school girl: teasing him. She often wins because she is calculating, calm and always in control. She simply has to say his name and he jumps, wondering what mischief she is up to next. The anime is almost completely dialogue driven which is an amazing chance for any actress to get into a character. Rie doesn’t have to have manic range in this role as almost every line is delivered in a soft, seductive tone filled with mischief. You as a viewer will smile every time you hear her sweet voice say “hey, hey, Nishikata-kun” because you know each time something clever will come from that cute voice.

Kazuma Satou was on his way back from buying a video game when he died. He hadn’t lived much of a life up until that point, spending his time secluded in his room playing games and watching anime. We’re not saying being a NEET isn’t a valid lifestyle choice, it’s just who he was. He comes face to face with an obnoxious goddess named Aqua. She gives him an offer of going to heaven or being sent to a fantasy world fitting of a Fantasy RPG enthusiast. Kazuma choses the fantasy world. Aqua grants him his request and tells him in the most annoying manner possible that he can take one thing with him. He, being a bit of a smart-ass himself, says her. He then finds himself in this new world with no money, no home, no special powers and the most useless goddess you could imagine. Kazuma gradually gathers a party of all female specialists around him. The arch-wizard and descendant of crimson demons, Megumin is the hilarious character voiced by Rie Takahashi. She brings a lot of life and vitality to the role of this forthright girl who is also known as the “crazy-headed girl” in the town they live in. She is young and, in our world, would definitely be considered a chuunibyou, but in this one she is actually a wizard and not just a delusional middle schooler. The fun Rie must have with this role as she bounces from reasonable to outrageous and downright silly must make the character a joy to play. She also even gets to have a single word that represents her character and gets to say it often: “EXPOLSION!!” Megumin has devoted her life to the study of only one form of magic, explosion magic, and says it with such excitement and joy each time she uses it, you simply can’t separate the character from the action. The term seem accurately represents Megumin in that she always seems one step away from an outburst. We know a nut like Megumin might not be the hardest character for Rie to play, but she is likely one of the most fun and the most memorable in her career. You should take the time to take a look at some of the photos online of her cosplaying Megumin, they seem to show how much she likes this role.