Mayoiga (Episode 1)We’re introduced to thirty people, with their pseudonyms and a brief impres

Mayoiga(Episode 1)

We’re introduced to thirty people, with their pseudonyms and a brief impression of their personalities. All of them have a goal - to confirm the rumor of a lost village which promises freedom from life’s burdens.

Being the pilot, more time was spent introducing us to the characters, highlighting those who may anchor the series as it goes. I admit I had fun with the interactions, thinking more of this as a comedy about people on a tour rather than a mystery. There’s a lot of intrigue and we are presented the main questions the show will unveil - if the village actually exists (and why?) and what motivated these people to join the attempt in finding it.

Somehow their common motivation is an aim to run away from a life that treated them unfairly, which greatly appeals to me. And with their interactions in the bus (especially that monologue by the driver), we get to be asked if there’s really such a thing as utopia. How would these people build harmony considering their varied backgrounds and personalities? 

Episode 1 made me hooked enough. It’s actually cute I thought I’m watching another KyoAni show, add to that the main character sharing the same seiyuu as Kokonotsu of Dagashi Kashi. If Mayoiga surprises us to be nota killing spree thriller, it has great potential to be AOTS candidate. But very likely it’ll be, so it’s only a matter of how good it ends up for its purpose.