Filthy Casual for Life

EPISODE 1: THE ONLY INGREDIENT

We are introduced to a world where eating a skill fruit awakens a skill within you. We meet Light and Lena, childhood friends who are on their way to eat their fruit and find out their skill. While walking, Light discloses that he wants a combat-type skill so that he can become an adventurer.

When he asks Lena what she wants her skill to be, she tells Light that she wants one where she can have the same job as Light.

Fast forward three months down the road. Light is far from his dream life of being an adventurer. Instead, he is a fruit farmer. In a flashback to the day Light and Lena were granted their skill, we learn a few things. First, you can never change the skill you are granted. Second, one cannot eat more than one skill fruit in their lifetime. It’s lethal.

Lena goes first. She receives the Sword Saint skill. The Holy Sister immediately approaches her and makes it know how rare the skill is. Stepping up next is Light. Instead of a combat skill, he received “fruitmaster.” He can harvest more at once and shorten cultivation times. Lena tries to comfort Light and states she will stay with him and grow fruit, too. The Holy Sister loses her patience and tells Lena that she has no choice but to move to the Holy City immediately. Lena is whisked away, but not before she turns around to tell Light she’ll wait for him.

Back in present time, Lena has been promoted to S-Rank in record time. Meanwhile, Light is living his life as a fruit farmer. Determined to be on equal ground with Lena, he trains in the forest, however, as expected, it doesn’t go well. As he lay on the ground, we meet Ayla. A girl who lives with Light.

We learn that the village chief pushed Ayla on him and that he had no choice but to take her in. Taking the hint, they both don’t ask questions. They split the chores and keep each other company.

At dinner, Ayla asks Light how the harvest went. He explains he is growing skill fruits and then tells her that she isn’t to use them. With shock on her face, she admits that she used the fruit in their dinner. Light braces for his death, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he acquires a new skill.

While trying to figure out why he hasn’t died, Ayla acquires an appraisal skill. Ayla tells Light that “fruitmaster” makes him immune to the poison of all fruits. Then she tells him about his new skill of Sword God. His attack power increases dramatically when wielding a sword. Light immediately runs out to the forest with his sword and lines up with a tree trunk. Not only does he slice the tree trunk with one hit, he gets the one behind it, too.

The next day, Ayla and Light head to the adventurer’s guild. There, he is mocked for being a fruit farmer and told he shouldn’t be at the guild. The leader of the party, Gene, draws his sword and tries to hit Light, but Light easily blocks it. Gene’s party convinces him they should leave Light alone and go finish their first victory.

Light’s first job is to kill a slime. As he takes out the slime, he realizes he needs to learn power management. He explains to Ayla that they have to cut up the slime and bring back a part of it to the guild. She feels bad until he tells her they would have enough money to buy ten pizzas.

As they are cutting up the slime, they hear the screams of Gene’s party. They ran into an ogre and don’t stand a chance. Light yells from across the field to see if they’re okay. Instead of asking for help, they run the ogre straight to Light. Light has no choice but to fight the ogre. Ayla reminds Light that Sword God does not boost his physical defense. In other words, one hit and he’s dead. Light summons Demon Slash and defeats the ogre in one swipe.

They return to the guild with the slime and the ogre’s horn. When trying to trade it in for money, Gene’s party vouches for him and admits they saw the whole thing. As the receptionist heads back, a murmur starts. The S-Rank party, Sacred, has returned. At the head is Lena. Light calls out to her. She turns around, but it doesn’t go the way Light thought it would.

THOUGHTS

I feel like I’ve seen his one before…The Fruit of Evolution anyone? Yes, there are plenty of differences between the two shows so far, but it is hard to overlook the glaring similarity of “skill fruits.”

Let’s talk about Light. He’s your typical positive, hard-working protagonist with a goal. He has tenacity and grit. He is then blessed with two skills making him unique. We learn that his “fruitmaster” skill made him immune to the poison of fruits. I can only assume that is why he was able to eat a second skill fruit and not die.

I am not sure what to make of this one. I think I need to run it through the three-episode test to see if it has more to offer. There is a little bit of foreshadowing in the end-of-episode teaser suggesting Lena is being abused. Can this explain why she suddenly treated Light like she’s never met him before?

Will continue to monitor. Maybe.