Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World For My Retirement

Isekai focuses on power fantasy. Usually someone from our world is transported to another world and pick up some sort of overpowered ability in the process. Saving 80,000 transports Mitsuha Yamamano into a feudal world and gives her the ability to transport herself and other objects and people between our world and the feudal world. She also gains the ability to heal quickly. Unlike most isekai protagonists who want to be some sort of hero, Mitsuha just wants to retire early when she learns the feudal world uses gold as its currency. So she decides to open a business selling modern items from Earth (usually from a dollar store) to the feudal world at a massive markup. Based on the gold exchange rate, she needs to save 80,000 gold coins to retire.

The story of the anime’s first season revolves around Mitsuha navigating her new world. She uses her modern education to one-up all the nobles, manipulates them, and otherwise runs circles around the aristocracy. As an isekai, the story poses few challenges for her. And what resistance she faces from merchant guilds and other vested interests are easily defused thanks to her association with dukes and kings. She wastes no time in using modern products to woo the highest nobility.

Mitsuha is intelligent and thoughtful, unlike many isekai protagonists. She hires a mercenary outfit to train her in firearms, knives, and self defense. She also uses the outfit to act as a gold exchange go-between. If she handled that herself, she would attract unwanted attention from authorities, whereas the mercenaries work on a “no questions” policy and have under-the-table connections for the gold exchange. Mitsuha is a decidedly gray character when it comes to legality! Sometimes her conscience troubles her, but her goal of an early retirement, and the benefits she is bringing the such a “backward” world silences her conscience a moment later.

Saving 80,000 is over-the-top in how backward and unsophisticated everyone is compared to Mitsuha. This is a power fantasy. A few of the other world characters are intellectually her equal, and the king does use her for his own ends without Mitsuha knowing. However, for the most part, Mitsuha faces few challenges that her modern high school education can’t defuse. She is an adult, which is refreshing.

Saving 80,000 suffers from the same problems most isekai fall into: challenges are too easy. Mitsuha doesn’t have to work hard to overcome the challenges she faces. Likewise, the supporting cast just listens to her. The mercenary group, at one point, takes orders directly from her without question. What doubts the mercenary leader has are easily fixed with a transport from Earth to the other world. After that, he immediately trusts her military judgment–Mitsuha never fought in a war, let alone led anyone, unlike him. Of course, as the protagonist, she knows how to lead just fine. Granted, modern weaponry has the edge over even the goblins and other fantasy fare they end up facing.

Isekai, with some exceptions, rarely poses a true challenge for the protagonist. They don’t have to earn their victories; whereas with action shonen stories the protagonist has to fight their way to victory. Isekai, in many ways, offers a negative of the usual anime stories, but the ease the protagonists have with, well, everything often leaves the stories feeling hollow. Isekai plays on catharsis. Usually someone who is rejected by modern society or otherwise struggles to exist in it dominates the other world, becoming the most powerful, attractive, or rich person in that world. They become a success. Such stories appeal to people who are like the protagonist. Isekai offers escapism but not much in the way of examples or lessons, such as grit, when the protagonist doesn’t have to earn anything.

At least in Saving 80,000 Mitsuha does have to work to make her store successful: merchandising and doing product research. Honestly, I would’ve found the story far more interesting if it focused on that instead of Mitsuha making power plays and co-opting a modern mercenary outfit. I enjoy playing games like Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale.

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World For My Retirement amused me. It has problems and often becomes dumb, but Mitsuha’s navigation of the world and her store plotline episodes scratched my “item shop in a fantasy world” itch. The story is a different type of power trip; it is nice to see a smart female protagonist. The first season doesn’t spend much time on the mystery that plunged her into the other world in the first place. It’s mentioned just enough to remind you that it exists. The story doesn’t deviate from the isekai script, but the script is flavored just enough to feel different. After all, who doesn’t want to retire early?

Would I recommend watching it? Not really. Only if you are a huge isekai fan and need a little more junk food. There are better stories to watch. Saving 80,000 is bad, but at least it’s entertaining junk food. The worst sin for entertainment, after all, is being boring.