Summary
- Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is a weird and ridiculous isekai anime about a man who is reincarnated as a sentient vending machine.
- The franchise is not that big, with only three light novel volumes released and a short-lived web novel adaptation.
- The second season of the anime may have to go in a new direction since there is not much source material left, which could disappoint fans and affect the established tone of the story.
The isekai genre has some incredibly weird entries, with most of them taking the idea of bizarre, inane reincarnations to ridiculous extremes. One of these is Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, which features a normal man being reincarnated as, well, a vending machine. It's no surprise that this ridiculous concept has finally earned the property an anime adaptation, though its longevity is highly questionable.
The concept alone is part of why the series has become a gem among an increasingly insular and repetitive genre that mainly survives by inverting its own tropes. It's just been announced that Reborn as a Vending Machine's anime is receiving a second season. This is definitely exciting for the fans, but the biggest issue is where the series might go from here. With most of the source material already adapted, there's only one of two directions that the anime can go in.
Reborn as a Vending Machine Is One of the Weirdest Isekai Ever
As its name suggests, Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon has a normal man (who was ironically obsessed with vending machines) meet his end after being crushed to death by one. He's subsequently reborn in a new world as a sentient vending machine. Unfortunately, he can only operate as a vending machine, with even his speech limited by what such a machine might say. Thankfully, he befriends a traveling hunter named Lammis, who possesses incredible yet unwieldy strength. Carrying her new friend "Boxxo" around on her back allows her to better control this power, with Lammis and the vending machine going off on several adventures together.
Needless to say, it's a rather ridiculous premise for a great series. This actually makes it more surprising that the anime took as long to produce as it did. The original novel series debuted in 2016, yet the anime didn't premiere until 2023 after being announced the previous year. At that time, Reborn as a Vending Machine was a clear influence on the isekai genre as a whole, and it also had similar contemporaries/predecessors in the form of Reincarnated as a Sword. The almost laughable concept and wholesome friendship between Lammis and Boxxo, however, allowed the novel series to still stand out amid an isekai genre and adjacent fantasy anime that have increasingly become old-hat. Despite its praise for this, Reborn as a Vending Machine is mostly something of a "meme" series.
The Reborn as a Vending Machine Franchise Isn't That Big
As mentioned, the original web novel for Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon began in 2016. Created by Hirukuma, the series quickly spawned a light novel adaptation that same year. This has been the "main" form of the franchise, despite how short-lived it was. These light novels only ran for around 1 year, with a total of three volumes being released. Conversely, the web novels were just as sparse, with this first form of the franchise being "finished" by the end of 2016. There was a manga adaptation that began in 2021, but so far, this has only produced enough material for one collected tankobon volume.
Compare this to the aforementioned series Reincarnated as a Sword, which has five times as many light novels in around the same span of time. Reborn as a Vending Machine has been described as the last-ditch effort by Hirukuma to become a published author, with the writer also stating that it was an original idea that came from the heart instead of being merely inspired by popular reincarnation manga/light novel trends. Thus, it's no wonder the bizarre idea behind it has been so influential on isekai as a whole. Unfortunately, this might not be enough to give the series true longevity, especially in the world of anime.
What Will Reborn as a Vending Machine's Second Season Be Based On?
A major problem with anime adaptations of currently running manga and light novels is the risk of catching up with said source material. In the event that the bridge between the two versions is growing too small, filler is used to space out the story and allow the manga or light novels to produce more content. Sometimes, stalling the story simply isn't enough, forcing the anime to either end prematurely or go in a completely different direction. Such was the case with the original Shaman King anime, which was wildly divergent from the manga's conclusion due to that material not existing at the time the episodes were made.
This fate might befall the anime for Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon. After all, there were only three light novel volumes, with the anime's first season pretty much adapting all of their story. The light novel and web novel forms of the franchise have been dormant for years, and this means that by the time the second season premieres, there won't be much of anything else to add to the small screen. Thus, this second season will more than likely contain a new anime-exclusive direction, going far beyond what the original books did with the characters. This might be a good thing, though it also runs the risk of going against the established tone for the story and characters, not to mention disappointing fans with an inferior follow-up.
Still, there might be a chance for the story to continue in its original form. The anime adaptation has only increased awareness for the quirky Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon. It's also received decent to good reviews, with the anime being one of the most highly-anticipated works of the current anime season. Said popularity is the best reason for Hirukuma to return to the novels and write more of the story if only to continue profiting from it via new episodes of the anime and increased book sales. On top of that, the light novels have recently been localized in English, allowing Western fans to buy the isekai series that's almost too silly to believe. While it sounds cynical, this increase in sales and awareness is the best reason to continue the novels, thus providing the anime with more material to adapt. For as creative as the premise is, the series needs something planned to give it a concrete direction, lest its titular vending machine become egregiously out of order.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon can be streamed through Crunchyroll.