It’s definitely not talked about enough.
Summary:
- The first episode of A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics is out, and people already love it.
- The anime is somewhat similar to Hinamatsuri.
- It’s actually written by a popular author, so fans expect it to get more traction.
As more and more first episodes of the Spring 2024 anime season come out, fans get closer to forming the full picture of the season. It seems that most of the big hits of Spring are sequels.
That said, there are also hidden gems that weren’t particularly — or at all — hyped before the season. One of these is A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics (Henjin no Salad Bowl), a curious anime that many initially missed.
Comedy About Eccentric Characters
The first episode of A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics already shows that the name of the anime is absolutely deserved. Pretty much the entire cast is eccentric — or just plain weird — in some sort of way.
The protagonist is Sousuke, a private detective who’s low on money. One day, he meets Sara da Odin, a princess from another world possessing tremendous magical powers. Yes, the anime is a reverse isekai, and Sara isn’t even the only character to come from her world into the modern one.
There’s also Livia de Udis, a knight who finds herself in our world. Just like Sara, she meets someone here who can help her adjust… or, well, something along these lines. Livia’s new acquaintance is Suzuki, a homeless man living under a bridge.
It’s Somewhat Similar to Hinamatsuri
The anime seems to be mostly a comedy, with some wholesome elements mixed in. It’s really hard to predict where it will go, but viewers already liked episode one for its lighthearted tone and humor.
Some have also compared the anime to Hinamatsuri — and yes, there are definitely some similarities in the premise and the humor. That said, they are also pretty different, as Hinamatsuri focused more on the “found family” aspect.
Why Is It Not More Popular?
It might seem weird that no one talked about the anime before — but it’s actually easily explained. It’s based on a light novel which had no official English translation at the point of announcement, making many overlook it in the first place.
The name is also somewhat weird — “Salad bowl” refers to an idea of society integrating different cultures (in this case, different worlds), but that’s nowhere near common knowledge.
Funnily enough, the light novel author for A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics is pretty famous. It is Yomi Hirasaka — the same person who wrote A Sister's All You Need (Imouto sae Ireba Ii) and Haganai: I don't have many friends (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai).
As such, otaku expect the anime to get more attention as it continues to air.