A new year, a new season of anime and a new light novel adaptation. This time it is Iori Miyazawa’s Otherside Picnic, about two girls exploring a mysterious parallel world they call the Otherside.
I’ll be comparing the anime to the light novel, as well as chipping in my own personal opinions on the show.
With that, this first episode shows us the first meeting between our two main characters: Sorawo Kamikoshi and Toriko Nishina.
Sorawo Kamikoshi
This first episode of Otherside Picnic adapts chapter one – or File 1 – of the light novel, “Kunekune Hunting”. You’ll have noticed already there are some differences in translation; I’ll get to that in a moment.
The plot for this first episode focuses on the first encounter between Sorawo and Toriko, who then decide to team up to hunt a strange being called a Kunekune in order to earn some money.
Toriko Nishina
Not for the first time (and probably not for the last, either), Funimation’s translations are inconsistent with the translation of the light novel. It is “Sorao” in the anime, whereas it is “Sorawo” in the light novel.
In previous situations such as this I’ve said that I would use the anime’s terms, but the light novel’s translations just sound so much better to me. Hence, I’ll be using the light novel’s terms – it is not a “Wiggle-Waggle”, but a “Kunekune”.
Toriko carries a gun, much to Sorawo’s surprise
This first episode is a decently faithful adaptation of the first chapter. The events it portrays are in line with the light novel, though there are some minor details that are changed. For example, the water that Sorawo is in at the beginning is shallow. Compare that to the light novel, where the water flows into Sorawo’s mouth when she tries to call out upon hearing someone approaching her.
Toriko and Sorawo plot their next trip into the Otherside
Whilst Toriko is able to persuade Sorawo to return to the Otherside once more, the anime doesn’t tell us that Sorawo intends to buy a new mobile phone with the money they’ll earn. That’s plainly in the light novel, though.
Returning to the Otherside is fraught with dangers
Something that I should probably point out is that this anime uses CG occasionally. It’s a little jarring when it switches between the two different styles of animation, but not a deal breaker for me. I’m sure there are those out there who will balk at the use of CG, but that’s their loss.
The Kunekune
Sorawo and Toriko’s encounter with the Kunekune is kind of a very important event for their exploration of the Otherside. We get hints of how it affected them, but that will become clearer in the future – or, you know, in the opening credits if you pay attention.
Overall, I am happy with what I saw from this first episode of Otherside Picnic. Based on what I’ve read, and seen, the Otherside feels a lot like Pure Illusion from Flip Flappers. I guess both are parallel worlds that exist beside our own – or something like that.
Solid start for this show, and I know that Sorawo and Toriko have plenty more interesting adventures ahead of them.
Rory Muses 
I’m excited for when it gets to the 3rd LN content, because I stopped reading after LN 2 (that’s around when the naime was announced. Though I think I might have read some of LN 3…it’s been a while). So far, I’d agree it’s a pretty solid adaptation. I really wish it could have had better budget though…
There are so many crazy adventures coming up!! Especially excited for plants, is all I”ll say so unawares people who pop in here don’t get spoiled. And of course, the introduction of the third character
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I prefer Sorao, from the anime, but also prefer Kunekune, from the light novel. Awkward…
Should be a most interesting watch for someone who doesn’t read the source like me. It has my absolute attention, yes.
I prefer Sorawo because it’s clearly そらを, literally “sky” and the object marker, implying she can do anything with the sky. Literally no one outside of anime would ever sport a name like this, but it’s kind of cool.
そらをis definitely the hiragana, but the kanji Sora(w)o uses to write her name is 空魚, or “sky fish.” V^_^ Modern standard Japanese pronounces お and を the same in all contexts, although some dialects still differentiate between the two, but maybe her parents were trying to get the うお reading of “fish” across without making her name too clunky. I was a “Sorao” fan at first, but I’ve gotten pretty attached to the “Sorawo” spelling myself.
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