"I Was Reborn as a Vending Machine and Wandered the Labyrinth," currently serialized on the novel submission site "Let's Become a Novelist," is a unique work that could be said to be unique even among works that have the theme of reincarnation. The protagonist becomes a vending machine in the world after reincarnation. With its innovative setting in which the protagonist becomes neither human nor animal, but a machine, it is a work that has already generated a lot of anticipation. It is attracting attention as an anime adaptation will be broadcast in July. So, before the anime airs, I would like to introduce some interesting episodes from the original work, at my own discretion. I don't know if all of the episodes I introduce will be broadcast, but I will introduce them with high hopes!
Introduction: Synopsis
"I," a lifelong vending machine enthusiast, is involved in a traffic accident and is crushed to death while trying to save a falling vending machine. He wakes up, somehow reincarnated as a vending machine, unable to move and only able to speak a limited number of pre-recorded words. While spending time alone, he meets a superhuman girl named Ramis, who recognizes him as a sentient magical tool. He is transported to a village within the labyrinth, where he is named Hakkon and begins selling food and drink from Earth to the inhabitants of another world. Hakkon's mysterious life in another world begins.
The protagonist's love for vending machines is incredible!
Right from the beginning, the protagonist, "I," talks about his love for vending machines. "I" says that if he only had 1,000 yen in his wallet and had to live on that for a week, he would spend it on a vending machine without hesitation. He seems to be interested in buying unfamiliar products, but his love for vending machines extends beyond their contents. Naturally, he also loves their appearance, and describes vending machines filled with a variety of products as being like treasure chests. He's interested in vending machines from all over the world, past and present, and is such a vending machine enthusiast that he'll travel to the locations of his favorites. He was crushed to death by a falling vending machine. However, it wasn't a coincidence that the vending machine fell on him; rather, he went to the bottom of the machine to try to save it, and was crushed to death. While this may be typical of "I," who truly loved vending machines, it's ironic that he died as a result.
Meeting with Ramis
After being reincarnated as a vending machine, the protagonist spent his days alone, unable to move properly. One day, however, he encountered a hungry girl. She was a hunter and boasted of her superhuman strength, but she felt that she was a burden to her party members because she couldn't use the machine properly. She was curious about this vending machine, which she had never seen before. After putting money in, the machine served her corn soup. The girl was moved by the deliciousness of her first taste of corn soup. Although she couldn't hear it, the vending machine also passionately spoke about the greatness of corn soup. She introduced herself as Rammis and tried to communicate with the vending machine, but being a machine, it obviously couldn't. However, Rammis decided to somehow get close to it and carried the vending machine on her back. With her superhuman strength, carrying a vending machine was no problem. From then on, the vending machine came to be known as "Hakkon." A girl was saved by her encounter with the vending machine. This was truly the moment when friendship between man and machine began to blossom.
Hakkon Survives a Crisis
During his adventure, Hakkon finds himself fighting a crocodile monster. He struggles against the monster's fierce attack. He transforms into a bento vending machine and tries to satisfy the crocodile's hunger by serving fried chicken bento, but ends up being swallowed by the crocodile. His points steadily decrease due to his stomach acid. Feeling his life is in danger, Hakkon changes the contents of the vending machine to laundry detergent. By dispensing more and more detergent, he affects the crocodile's stomach acid and causes it pain. However, deciding that this alone would not be enough to defeat it, Hakkon transformed into a gas vending machine, filling the crocodile's body with gas. He then tried to set it on fire to cause an explosion, but even if he took out a stove, it would be impossible to twist the vending machine's body. Hakkon then came up with the idea of using the heating function to thaw frozen food. First, he dropped a can into it, then dropped a towel and newspaper on top to heat it up. Once it was lit, he released it from the opening, which caused a huge explosion when it came into contact with the gas that had filled it. This clever plan, making full use of the vending machine's features, was a brilliant success.
Ramis' Concerns
Using his vending machine abilities, Hakkon was unstoppable against monsters. He'd even learned a new technique and seemed invincible. However, one of his teammates expressed concern about his point consumption. Hakkon thought he was fine, but his points were decreasing more than expected. Because it was a giant vending machine, unlike usual, the point loss was far greater. And who would be the annoyed at him for pushing himself like that? It was his partner, Ramis. Ramis was more worried about Hakkon than anyone else. "Sit down there," Ramis told him, and began to lecture him like a mother. Hakkon is unable to respond, but Rammis seems to somehow understand what's going on in his mind. When Hakkon thinks to himself, "I'll just pretend to be remorseful and not argue," Rammis notices. Perhaps because they're partners, she understands him. This scene clearly shows how much she cares for Hakkon.
Summary of Interesting Episodes from the Original Work
The first two episodes appear early in the original work, so there's a good chance they'll also appear in the anime. The last two episodes are midway through the original work, so they may not make it into the anime. However, since the original work is already complete, it's possible that the entire original content will be broadcast in one season. Personally, I hope there will be a second season, so I'm curious to see how much of the first season will be covered. I'm already looking forward to the July broadcast! That's all for today. Thank you for reading.
