Every so often, a new anime season will start and I’ll find one series, in particular, to latch onto like a vice. This season, that series is Sasaki and Peeps. In only a couple of episodes, this series has shown me edge-of-your-seat action and rapidly developing plots and has dipped its toes into so many genres that it’s hard to even know what to classify this series as. The point is that Sasaki and Peeps has something to please everyone!
First released in Japan in 2018 as a light novel, Sasaki and Peeps currently has eight volumes out in Japan (five of which have been translated into English by Yen Press). The anime adaptation, with animation produced by Silver Link, was first announced in 2022.
So, What’s It About?
In the first episode, the audience meets a typical office worker named Sasaki, who buys a bird for companionship. What Sasaki doesn’t realize until after he gets home is that his bird is actually a reincarnated magic user and Sasaki is now the main character in an isekai. This is the start of his new series of adventures as he travels between modern-day Japan and the fantasy world his bird, Peeps, is from.
Sasaki learns to travel from one world to another and use basic magic. This comes in handy one night as he comes across a young woman being attacked. Saving her, this young woman mistakes him for someone with psychic powers and ropes him into joining a government agency
Within the first couple of episodes, Sasaki and Peeps has proven to be a tour de force of genre-mashing. This series is primarily an isekai, with Sasaki constantly traveling from one world to another. However, to call this series “just an isekai” would be doing it a great disservice. Though it’s still early in its run, Sasaki and Peeps has shown that it’s willing to throw out the rule book and create a new game altogether.
A Different Genre For Everyone
What makes the isekai aspect so interesting is the foreshadowing. Sasaki is already playing with fire in his travels to the other world, with Peeps having him sell modern goods in a fantasy setting. The noble who rules over the land plans to use the goods to gain a military advantage over neighboring areas. Will Sasaki get pulled into a war that he created?Â
Though there are only a couple of episodes out as of this writing, Sasaki and Peeps has already shown its willingness to cross boundaries. In the second episode, a group of rogue psychics are causing problems, which means Sasaki and his new partner, Hoshizaki, must help bring them to justice. What follows is a literal whirlwind of psychics doing battle against each other that ends with a curious stalemate.
If all that isn’t enough convincing to get you to check this one out, there’s still more. At the close of episode two, yet another new wrinkle is introduced that might be the most interesting of all.
After being roped into joining a government agency and selling goods to a society that likely isn’t ready for them, Sasaki is ready to return home when he comes across something even more unexpected… a magical girl digging through the trash. Before he (or we for that matter) can learn anything about this new character, she disappears into a void. Who is this strange girl? Why was she digging in the garbage for melon bread? What is the deal with the void that she disappeared into?
Those are just the main plots, too; I haven’t even touched on the subplots. My favorite tease so far has been Sasaki’s mysterious next-door neighbor, who always seems to be outside her apartment with a sad look in her eyes. Does she know more than she is letting on? It’s impossible to know now, but I predict this character will be a key source of plot progression to watch in the future.
At this point, I have no idea where Sasaki and Peeps is going, and I couldn’t be happier about that. With this series crossing so many boundaries and genres, it feels like there are no limits to where this anime could go in the future. Will Sasaki cause a complete implosion of the fantasy world he now frequents? What is the deal with his next-door neighbor? When will we see more of the rogue psychics? There are so many questions left and I know for certain that I’m going to be hanging out until the end to get my answers.
