I Got a Cheat Skill Returns With a Packed but Uneven TV Special
After the end of the original TV anime, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too returns with a 48-minute TV special that attempts to continue Yuuya’s story while also setting up future conflicts for the upcoming second season.
Unfortunately, while the special introduces interesting ideas and expands the lore surrounding the Divine and the Vile, it also doubles down on many of the biggest problems that already existed in the series.
The result is an episode that constantly feels like it is speedrunning multiple story arcs at once.
The Story Moves Far Too Fast
The special picks up after Yuuya’s battle against Yuti and quickly jumps into several major developments almost back-to-back.
Yuti begins adapting to life on Earth, Kaori meets the fantasy-world side of Yuuya’s growing harem, Yuuya gains even more absurd powers, a dragon appears, another Vile member enters the story, and somehow there is still time for a random truck rescue scene and a bath segment.
That is simply too much material for less than an hour of runtime.
Instead of letting emotional moments breathe, the special rushes through event after event with almost no room for reflection or character processing.
At times, it honestly feels less like watching a proper anime episode and more like reading a condensed Wikipedia plot summary.
Yuti Is Easily the Best Part of the Special
Despite the pacing issues, one storyline genuinely works surprisingly well: Yuti adapting to life on Earth.
After spending so much of her life consumed by revenge and corruption, seeing her slowly reconnect with ordinary happiness gives the special some needed emotional grounding.
Her involvement with the school’s archery club becomes one of the few moments where the anime actually slows down enough to explore character growth properly.
There is also an effective thematic parallel between Yuti and Yuuya.
Yuuya escaped his miserable life on Earth by finding purpose in the fantasy world, while Yuti escapes the darkness of her world and begins healing in ours.
Ironically, these quieter scenes end up being far more engaging than the giant battles and constant power escalation.
Power Scaling Completely Breaks Any Tension
One of the biggest issues with the special is how absurdly overpowered Yuuya becomes.
Even during the original anime, Yuuya already existed near the top of the world’s power hierarchy. But the TV special pushes things even further.
Not only does he tame an ancient dragon, but he also gains his own Vile transformation.
The problem is not simply that he becomes stronger. The issue is that none of these upgrades feel earned.
There are no meaningful sacrifices, major trials, or emotional breakthroughs attached to these moments. Most of the time, Yuuya just stumbles into game-breaking abilities by accident.
At this point, it becomes almost impossible to feel tension during battles because the anime constantly reinforces that Yuuya can simply overpower anything in front of him.
The Divine vs Vile Conflict Finally Gets More Depth
One area where the special does improve is the worldbuilding surrounding the ongoing war between the Divine and the Vile.
For the first time, the anime spends meaningful time exploring how the Vile actually operate and why they continue gaining ground.
The core idea is surprisingly solid.
The Divine are expected to embody goodness and morality, but because they are still fundamentally human, they remain vulnerable to corruption, revenge, jealousy, and obsession.
That weakness becomes the very tool the Vile exploit.
It is one of the more interesting thematic ideas the series has introduced so far and gives the larger conflict more substance than simple “good versus evil.”
The Animation Still Falls Apart in Motion
Visually, the special continues the same frustrating pattern as the original anime.
If you pause almost any scene, the artwork itself actually looks pretty impressive.
Character designs remain detailed, colorful, and polished, while backgrounds often contain strong lighting and environmental detail.
But once the animation starts moving, the production problems become impossible to ignore.
The special heavily relies on nearly every budget-saving shortcut imaginable:
- Freeze frames with camera panning
- Excessive speed lines and screen shaking
- Impact cuts that avoid animating actual hits
- Wide shots that remove detail from characters
- Close-ups used to minimize movement
Fight scenes constantly avoid proper motion animation, making battles feel far less impactful than they should.
The contrast between the attractive art style and the painfully limited movement becomes increasingly distracting throughout the special.
The Music Feels Surprisingly Empty
Another disappointing aspect is the soundtrack usage.
The special does not introduce a new opening or ending theme, nor does it meaningfully reuse the original anime songs.
Even worse, several scenes feel strangely empty because of the lack of background music altogether.
While the soundtrack itself is not terrible, the audio direction often leaves scenes feeling oddly lifeless.
Final Verdict
There are still moments buried inside this TV special that hint at interesting ideas for the future of the series, especially involving Yuti and the larger Divine versus Vile conflict.
But the rushed pacing, overwhelming power creep, and extremely limited animation continue holding the anime back in major ways.
Instead of feeling like a confident return ahead of Season 2, the special mostly reinforces the same concerns fans already had about the original series.
At this point, it is difficult to feel optimistic about the upcoming continuation unless the production significantly changes direction.
Score
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Overall | D |
| Story | C- |
| Animation | D- |
| Art | C+ |
| Music | C- |
Pros
- Yuti’s storyline on Earth is genuinely compelling
- Expands the lore surrounding the Divine and the Vile
- Some individual still frames look visually impressive
Cons
- Terrible pacing that rushes through multiple arcs
- Yuuya’s power scaling destroys tension
- Heavy reliance on cheap animation shortcuts
- Weak soundtrack implementation in several scenes
