The episode opens with a vending machine out in the middle of nowhere, and we hear the thoughts of someone that was obviously once human. Rather quickly, we see a flashback of a young man riding on a moped and he's following behind a truck carrying a vending machine. The vending machine comes loose from the truck, and we discover the young man is a vending machine otaku. He's so concerned about the vending machine that he veers off the road. The flashback ends with the young man colliding with the falling vending machine.
It takes the young man a moment to realize that he's been reincarnated as a vending machine, and there's some humor in him waffling on whether or not this occurrence was a good thing. Once he accepts his reality, a bit of the episode is spent explaining how this vending machine works. It's not powered by electricity, and is instead powered by points, which are replenished as customers insert coins and purchase items from the vending machine. Points are also used to change the stock of the items within the machine, and the machine is able to sell any item that the machine had available in our world. If the machine runs out of points, it will cease to function. When the machine realizes it's out in the middle of nowhere, it wonders if it will ever get customers before ceasing to function.
Before long, a humanoid frog creature approaches the machine. Since it doesn't understand the few phrases that the vending machine is able to say out loud, it begins attacking. It's soon joined by three others from its race, and they join in the attack. The machine discovers that it has a blessing function, which it can activate without using points. Among the options in the blessing function is an invisible barrier, and the machine activates it. Eventually, the frog creatures leave, and the machine has to use points to restore itself after the damage it sustained.
Just as it seems like the machine won't ever replenish its points, a hungry female adventurer named Lammis stumbles upon the machine. She's never seen anything like this before, and it takes her a little bit to figure out what it might be. After the machine discovers that it can use points to change the prices to the local currency and does just that, the adventurer hesitantly makes her first purchase. She likes what she consumes so much that she buys more until she's satisfied.
Since the machine can only say a few phrases, Lammis and the machine come up with a way to communicate so she can ask it questions. A particular phrase means "yes," while another means "no." After asking permission, Lammis uses her ability that gives her strength to lift the vending machine and carry it with her. She wants the machine to meet a friend of hers who is trying to develop magic items, but they have to stop at a stratum. Since Lammis doesn't have the money needed to use the transfer circle to go to the surface and see her friend, she needs to work for money at an inn. As part of the agreement, the vending machine is set up in front of the inn to sell items. Let's just say that the vending machine becomes quite the hit for the locals, so the machine is making enough money to accumulate a lot of points. At the end of the episode, Lammis gives the machine the nickname of "Boxxo," so she has a name to refer to it with instead of calling the machine "you." Starting with the next episode writeup, I will be referring to the vending machine as Boxxo.
I have to admit that I first heard about Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, it was through an online article I read a couple of years ago when the light novel was getting attention and was poking fun at the premise. When I heard that the light novel was being adapted into an anime, I wasn't sure if I was going to check it out or not. But when my youngest expressed interest in wanting to see the anime, I decided to make it one of the series I would follow and write about for the Summer 2023 anime season.
I also have to admit that I had gone into this anime with lowered expectations, and with a lot of questions of how the series would make this premise work. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this episode was done in a way where it didn't take its ideas too seriously, and that it was presented in a light-hearted and comedic manner. I also was surprised by how much this episode made me laugh over the course of its runtime.
I did appreciate the explanations that were given for how the vending machine works, because I was seriously wondering how it would work if there wasn't electricity. Since the machine is now in a world with magic, the explanations that were given worked for me. I also liked how, even though Lammis has above average strength, she's not depicted as being superhuman. As we see in one scene in the stratum, Lammis saves a girl from being harassed by thugs. Lammis tries punching and kicking the thugs, but her hits don't connect. However, the fact she even tried to stand up to them physically causes the thugs to run off.
I have to give credit to the character designer and to the animators for finding a way to design and depict the vending machine as an actual character. Thanks to the eyes that we see on it sometimes, it makes the machine look rather cute.
After watching the first episode, it seems that Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is going to be a comedic and light-hearted series. Hopefully the tone stays this way and that the series doesn't ever take itself too seriously. The comedic and light-hearted nature is ultimately what makes this ridiculous premise work. I actually kind of chuckled at one point when we hear in the vending machine's thoughts that the situation it was in was indeed ridiculous, because it shows that even the creator realizes the idea is absurd. The series shows a lot of potential after this first episode, and I hope it never starts taking itself too seriously by the end of its run.
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