Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Product or Practice?

Is it only mere advertisement or were actual lessons taught?

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, or "Campfire Cooking in Another World" as called by general viewers, is an anime adaptation of a light novel written by Ren Eguchi with the same name, released in January 2016. The first season was produced by Studio MAPPA from January to March 2023.

The work stars one Tsuyoshi Mukouda, a japanese salaryman accidentally transported into another world, along with his fellow familiar companions: Fel, a Fenrir wolf; Suu, a slime monster; and Dora-chan, a pixie dragon. Every adventure follows a relaxing and technical view into the world of cooking on a budget (or an abundance for that matter.)

Overall Review

A really good anime in my opinion. It has been a comfort watch every night when I turn on my stove for tonight's dinner. It has given me a lot of inspiration for my dishes, even leading me to replicate a few of the recipes in the show.

However, one notable matter about the series that I wish to focus on is the amount of advertising present within the anime, and the lack thereof in the manga and the light novel.

Each episode starts with a common formula: The familiars get hungry, they slay a lot of edible monsters, Mukouda processes them and turns them into food, and then praise for a job well done. A constant in this formula is the repeated use of a variety of japanese products, almost to the point of shamelessness. Which begs the question if the anime itself is merely a panopticon of advertising, tainting the show's charm.

Short answer, it isn't. As for the long answer...

What is the point of advertising really? Of course it in itself is a fundamental of marketing, enticing potential consumers to a company's products and services. But it also isn't "The Main Course." The names and brands found within the show isn't always recognizable.

They are only acknowledged by their country of origin, being Japan, which erases their context for foreign viewers. And through this erasure of context, I found that the story itself isn't obscured by the repeated in-your-face product placement. (Though I would love a little less of it. =V=)

The reason why I wanted to bring up the question is because of how prevalent advertising is in our lives, in a negative light. As much as they want to paint their view of humanity, it rarely does capture the quintessential charm of everyday living. Every smile, every depiction of social interaction, all the little nothings never really connect. An insincere facsimile which spits on what it means to be human.

So why is it still a decent enough show?

Later in the series, Mukouda stumbles along a series of opportunities that anybody who earns money nowadays would dream of. Connections with guilds that purchase monsters that he and his familiars do not eat, fantastical gems, minerals, artefacts sold to the highest bidder that they found in some old chest in a dungeon, the fact that Sue the Slime could brew the most potent healing potions, elixers, and other wondrous liquids that could heal someone at the brink of death.

You start to wonder when the fortune and favors would finally stop. But then it slowly builds up and up over time. From merchants, to guildmasters, to monarchies, to literal deities. It all paints our main character as some Mary Sue who could get whatever he asks for. There isn't any stake, any flaws that could threaten the life of our character. Not without getting through 3 very overpowered animals who are forever emotionally bonded to him. He cooks for them for goodness sake.

I initially was put off by this aspect of Campfire Cooking in Another World, each new showcase of a product making it feel more like a sellout. But, as time went on, it just became what all ads are to me: Something to tune out. And underneath all that, I found that I still got engrossed despite it. Akin to setting things we dislike aside in a dish. It is mere fondant, a bundle of spice meant to be discarded.

You know what the best part was? The character was there all along, deep in that subtext. He gets all the riches and connections in the world, and you know what he does? He moves on, to the next town to give his found family all the food and joy they never had as mere monsters. He cooks, not for profit, but for the feeling of satisfaction in seeing another face enjoying what he creates. Not even just for cooking too; the magical spells he casts, crude as they may be, he proudly cheers each time he brings another structure up.

At the end of the day, I love these characters. Their embarrassing plights and how they react to their world as a whole. I love the coziness of every moment. It is a slice of life after all.

There is art to be found in a little bit of indulgence after all.

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Post by B.A.S.Y.