Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Review by ThatsSoYin

‘Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill’ has to be one of my new favorite comfort anime. The audience is taken alongside our main character, Mukoda, on a fantasy journey filled with comforting cooking, comedy, adventure, and slice of life. Mukoda’s life as a business salaryman is immediately disrupted as he transforms into a hero in an unknown fantasy world. Unlike the other heroes around him, he gets assigned with the super power to access an online grocery shop. This online grocery shop is formatted as a modern Japanese grocery store. You pay by using the money from the fantasy world and the groceries get delivered immediately.

Going into episode one, I didn’t even know what to expect because there are so many elements that could potentially make the anime too “cheesy”. Having access to modern technology in a world that is less civilized seems like a recipe for disaster. Mukoda’s goal is to live a low profile life, so he immediately seeks to visit other lands. In order for him to fit into this new world while trying to feel at home, he utilizes the online grocery store to his advantage. By using sauces and pre-made ingredients, he is able to create meals reminiscent of home like karaage, tonkotsu, and steak. These flavors and aromas are new and inviting to those living in the fantasy world. Mukoda’s delicious meals bring together new friendships and attract the attention of a legendary Fenrir who quickly becomes his familiar. The familiar contract between Mukoda and Fenrir allows Mukoda to be protected by Fenrir in exchange for Fenrir’s care in the form of cooked meals.

The low profile life that Mukoda wished for is slowly becoming further from the truth. Rumors begin to spread that the legendary Fenrir is a familiar - which is absolutely unheard of. While getting accustomed to Fenrir (also known as Fel) Mukoda begins to realize that Fel is a bigger deal than what he initially thought. Yes, Fel is a legendary creature but he underestimated how strong and hungry he really is. To satiate such a large appetite, Mukoda orders Fel to hunt for his own meat for their meals. In minutes, Fel returns with the corpses of other legendary beasts like orc, snakes, dragons, and more. Returning to their nearest town, Mukoda requests for the meat to be butchered but the shocked face of the butcher makes him realize that this catch is far from normal. Legendary beasts are difficult to defeat for even the strongest of warriors which makes their worth extraordinary and their meat a delicacy. Since Mukoda only needs the meat of these beasts for satiating Fel, he is able to sell the remaining parts of these beasts for profit.

As Mukoda and Fel begin to learn more about each other, Mukoda’s curiosity for magic rises to the surface. Realizing that Mukoda has stats of magic, he immediately begins to train his fire magic. To his surprise, his magic is weak and embarrassing. Fel explains that his wind magic has been enhanced due to the blessing of the Goddess Ninrir, the Goddess of Wind. In no time, Goddess Ninrir gives her blessing to Mukoda in exchange for sweets from the online grocery store. With her blessing, Mukoda’s magic becomes stronger, but not strong enough for battle. So, Fel took this matter into his own hands and forced Mukoda to fight Goblins in the forest in order to increase his fire magic power. After each battle or a long day of adventure, a comforting meal is always to follow. This anime does a fantastic job at curating visuals on how to make your own meals with name brands sold at the grocery store. Although there is no recipe for each meal being made, it makes you want to recreate the dishes at home so you can eat while watching.

During their adventure in the forest, Mukoda meets a baby slime in the wild that can eat anything - including garbage. Very quickly the Slime becomes Mukoda’s familiar and is given the name, Sui. The strength of the baby slime grows over night and Sui begins to show signs of intelligence, power, and love. Slimes are known to be useless creatures, but just like Mukoda, the underdog comes out on top. Sui quickly learns how to shoot acid to instantly kill foes, healing, and to change its size by growing larger or multiplying itself. The relationship between Mukoda, Fel, and Sui continues to grow stronger as more adventures ensue and as their battle foes are used to create even more delectable meals.

Unknowingly to Mukoda, his comforting cooking improves the relationships around him while also raising the stats of those who eat his meals. Food is a love language that expresses gratitude and nourishment, and this theme is prevalent in each episode. Even to the strangers he feeds along his journey, they become so thankful especially knowing that the meat that was used is considered a delicacy. Good karma continues to veil Mukoda financially, yet he remains humble with every earning.

My favorite aspect was how there was zero drama in season one. I am the type to get stressed VERY easily especially if action/adventure meets fantasy. The overall theme is how you can get “stronger” even if it means you lack strong statistics and power. Mukoda has a friendly presence and his passion for comfort meals allows him to make connections with those around him effortlessly. With his easy going personality, craving for “real world” food, and the affirmations from his familiars, this anime is nothing short of comforting.