REVIEW: ‘Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon’ Episode 2 — “The King Frog Fiend Appears”

With so many new anime series out there during this summer season, Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon manages to set itself apart with an interesting premise and surprisingly likable characters. Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 picks up with Hakkon (Jun Fukuyama), who has been reborn in a fantasy world as Boxxo the vending machine, after he has teamed up with Lammis (Kaede Hondo) before embarking on a new adventure.

Boxxo and Lammis are hired by the Hunters Association, led by their director who is a talking bear, in Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 during their frog fiend hunt. Given his form as a vending machine, the duo plays a support role and is tasked with providing food for the entire group. It’s an interesting way to involve the two in the general adventures that are taking place. Boxxo isn’t able to fight, but he can still serve a vital role in the hunt by making sure the rest of the party is properly supplied.

The hunt itself doesn’t go as planned and ends up being significantly more challenging than expected. This allows Boxxo and Lammis the opportunity to step up and show what they are capable of. Through this, Boxxo learns more about his abilities and uses his ingenuity to help the hunters defeat the frog fiends and the imposing King Frog Fiend. There is a specific Diet Coke and Mentos bit that particularly made me laugh, and it shows how well the series is able to balance comedic moments with the fantasy events taking place.

Boxxo is a complete fish out of water which is what makes Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 so interesting to watch. The pacing of the battle felt a little off, there is no way Boxxo and company should have had as much time as they did to figure out a plan, but considering this is a show about a man reborn as a vending machine I feel like a little suspension of disbelief is absolutely necessary. The sheer wackiness of the battle is part of the charm, and Boxxo’s internal monologue throughout serves as an excellent way to draw in viewers and make them root for him.

The supporting characters in Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 are significantly more interesting than I expected. Director Bear might have some ulterior motives that we could learn later on, given the way they looked at Boxxo when interacting with him. Captain Kerioyl, the leader of the hunt, was another character worth paying attention to. Cockiness after a victory paves the way for a bit of humble pie later on when Boxxo and Lammis need to save the day.

Things remain visually interesting in Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 even if nothing stands out as particularly groundbreaking. The characters look quite nice and the frog fiends were fun to look at, so even though nothing wowed me there also wasn’t a moment where I was bothered by the way things looked. I was really enamored with the environmental settings, however, as the world continues to grow while Boxxo discovers more of it.

Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 is another surprisingly good episode in a shockingly exciting series. Boxxo’s adventures and the problem-solving required make the crazy premise one that I can’t help but enjoy. It will be a tall ask to keep the gag from getting stale, but Reborn as a Vending Machine has delivered so far.

Reborn as a Vending Machine Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.