I’m Standing on a Million Lives

I’m Standing on a Million Lives is a game-based isekai that we’re well aware of. It follows the same rules as a game-based isekai, involving starting afresh in a fantasy world, socializing, gathering people, forming parties, and going on adventures.

Sounds generic, right? But is this anime as generic as it sounds, or is there any twist in its story? Let’s discuss this more in our in-depth review of I’m Standing on a Million Lives.

The anime introduces us to Yuusuke Yotsuka, a resident of Tokyo who hates Tokyo. He also despises the people of Tokyo. He would like to live inside a game instead of the real world.

One day, he sees an athlete named Iu Shindou and a girl from his class named Kusue Hakozaki talking to each other. But when he looked away and again at the both of them, they had vanished.

A few moments later, Yuusuke starts hallucinating, and the world around him starts changing. He finds himself inside a pool when he stabilizes. He comes across many monsters around him. He was summoned into the game world by Shindou and Kusue. He has 14 days to complete the quest he was given.

The quests the three of them are tasked with get complicated over time. One rule of the game is very different from the real world; a person who dies will get revived again in 30 seconds only if one of the party members is alive.

The trio tries to complete the quests as quickly as possible and efficiently. However, will they be able to unveil the secret behind this strange game world while surviving there?

How is this isekai different from other generic isekais? Well, we see little twists in this one. For example, we see the elements of time travel and the death game. Time in the virtual world moves quicker than in the world of our protagonists.

These are some of the aspects that made the story a little better. First, it doesn’t go full-on harem like many isekai. Outside of a character from the virtual world, none of the female protagonists show much interest in Yuusuke.

Second, this was a personal favorite; the quests are not just to obtain funds. There was never a need to quest for it most of the time. In this world, the “heroes,” as they are called, are close to god-like, so whenever the protagonists need anything, generally, it’s given to them by the citizens of this world.

The quests are decided by the mysterious Game Master, who is not limited by only the gaming world. Third, Yuusuke, Iu, and Kusue can travel back to their world, and the XP obtained in the virtual world carries over into their world.

The initial plot of this anime series is bland and generic. It fails to entice the viewers and keep them hooked to it. Its lack of comedy may turn off fans.

This anime's first episode was a draw, and it does an excellent job at pulling in viewers. Unfortunately, many of the later episodes moved slowly, probably due to the need to adequately world-build.

100-man no Inochi no Ue ni Ore wa Tatteiru is a dark fantasy isekai. However, it seesaws back and forth between light and dark moments, creating confusion for the viewer.

Overall, the story of this anime is not very compelling. It’s plain and linear, something an isekai shouldn’t be at all costs. But there is a caveat that will be explained later. It is not until episode 8 that events become dark, and the story remains on that track until its conclusion.

Just like the plot of I’m Standing on a Million Lives, the characters are also dull and one-dimensional. Mainly, the female protagonists in this anime were pretty useless and annoying.

The exception is Yuusuke, and Tokitate Tokitate is a character the Game Master tasks Yuusuke to bring back to the virtual world to become a part of the team.

All four protagonists have different backgrounds that have affected their psyche, and their mental states change as the anime progresses.

Overall, there are a lot of issues with the characters of this anime. The characters' backstories were told in many episodes, and we appreciate that. Still, we could never connect to the characters, which was very important for an anime like this.

Even though the main character Yuusuke seemed a bit decent, he still needed a lot of development to be a perfect protagonist. He did carry the whole weight of his team, though. It had a lot of potential with such a character-driven plot, and unfortunately, it went to waste.

I’m Standing on A Million Lives was released in 2020, and considering that the art should’ve looked a little better. It looked like the art of an anime released in 2016. However, it seemed average.

The background was not very detailed, and there was little to no scenery, just barren land. There was no consistency in the colors. Some places were vibrant, and some were bland.

Overall the animation does not ruin the anime and considering Maho Film, a studio of about 50 employees, was working on another anime, “By the Grace of the Gods” simultaneously, it's commendable they could get both anime completed on time.

Maho Films was founded in 2018 and is best known for the anime “If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord.”

An additional sidebar is that in the anime I’m Standing on a Million Lives, another anime Futari wa Majiha Knight, appears. It is a fictional anime that the fourth protagonist Yuka Tokitate is a fan of. In this fictional universe, the Majiha Sisters fight the demon lord Lucifer. The additional animation is a testament to what Maho Films can do even with a limited budget.

The ending soundtrack of this anime is much better than the opening soundtrack. The opening soundtrack is forgettable and not fun to listen to. Now, the voice actors in this anime are not your usual popular ones.

We get to listen to a bunch of new voice actors who are doing their job perfectly well. So, the audio department put in some effort, and it worked well.

While I’m Standing on a Million Lives tried to be different from other isekai anime, it failed, unfortunately. It couldn’t deliver the natural essence necessary for an isekai to be different from a generic isekai.

Everything about this anime was pretty mediocre. However, if you’re into game-based Isekai, you can check this one out just to refresh yourself.

But……here’s the caveat: if you think this is a typical game-based Isekai, don’t do it. Spoiler, the last episode is enough for a possible season two dive-in.