The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Ya Boy Kongming!, now streaming on HIDIVE.

P.A. Works, the studio behind the hidden gem slice-of-life anime The Aquatope on White Sand, brings yet another pleasantly surprising series into life. Ya Boy Kongming! is a reverse isekai whose titular historical character is sent to modern-day Japan -- with memories of his previous life still intact.

Ya Boy Kongming! is a critically acclaimed series that was first serialized on Kodansha's online platform in 2019, and was licensed for English release the year after. The manga, by Yuto Yotsuba and Ryu Ogawa, was announced to be getting an anime adaptation in 2021 and the first episode has finally aired during the spring 2022 season.

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Eiko in Ya Boy Kongming!

Ya Boy Kongming! is centered around Zhuge Liang -- courtesy name Kongming -- a military strategist during the Shu-Han dynasty of China. On his deathbed, he wishes to be reborn in a world of peace. Kongming is then transported to modern-day Japan after taking his last breath but instead of being reborn as a knowledge-less infant, he is a younger version of himself with all his memories intact. He then believes in the idea of being in hell after witnessing the cascading lights of bars and being dragged into consecutive acts of drinking mayhem.

The overplayed jokes about a man out of his time dominate the first part of the pilot episode, but it quickly takes a sharp turn after Kongming meets and hears the aspiring singer Eiko's voice. He is easily infatuated with her talent and promises to realize her dreams. At first it seems like an empty promise, but succeeding episodes prove that Kongming's quick adaptability and genius strategies can make it happen.

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Kongming with Glasses in Ya Boy Kongming!

Ya Boy Kongming! is uniquely built on the wholesome goal motivated by Kongming's desire to support Eiko's dream, which is surprisingly perfect for him as a veteran strategist. It flawlessly showcases his war skills -- observing a rival singer’s skills, understanding the layout of the concert grounds, and providing techniques to draw in the audience -- in the most exceptional circumstances. The anime also dishes out elements a viewer would not expect from such a series. It doesn't skip singing scenes, while Kongming's strategies are also educational to a certain degree.

Like most reverse isekai anime, Ya Boy Kongming! brings the fantasy to reality. It subverts typical isekai tropes and puts an interesting and comedic twist on them. It's a mish-mash of various concepts that surprisingly work well together. From historical to comedy to music, Ya Boy Kongming! is the perfect example that there is more to the genre than overpowered magic skills and menacing evolution trees.