Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon (Japanese: 自動販売機に生まれ変わった俺は迷宮を彷徨う, Hepburn: Jidōhanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyū o Samayō, lit. "Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Wander Through the Labyrinth") is a Japanese light novel series written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Itsuwa Kato (original edition) and Yūki Hagure (revised edition). The series was originally published in 2016 as a web novel by the author on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Later on the same year, it was acquired and then published by Kadokawa Shoten. A manga adaptation by Kunieda began serialization ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in August 2021. Both the light novel and manga have been licensed in English by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ aired from July to September 2023. A second season has been announced.
The light novels follow its titular protagonist who, after being crushed to death by a vending machine, is reincarnated as a sentient vending machine in a fantasy dungeon world. Shortly after, he meets and befriends Lammis, a young female hunter, who names him "Boxxo" and starts carrying him around on her back, and the two start their adventures in the dungeon together. Reborn as a Vending Machine has been well received by critics, with particular praise being directed at the novels' unique take on the isekai genre.
Synopsis
An unnamed Japanese vending machineotaku is crushed to death by a falling vending machine. He then finds himself reincarnated in a fantasy world dungeon as a sentient vending machine. He can see and hear but is immobile, with his speech being limited to stock Japanese vending machine phrases, such as "Hello there" or "Too bad".[3] As a vending machine, he discovers he can dispense any item he has bought in his previous life, and can convert such sales to points, thus sustaining his existence.[3] He is also able to use excess coins to add additional features to his vending machine body, and is able to choose which items he stocks or the prices of the items.[3] Furthermore, he is able to use some magical abilities, including shapeshifting, invisibility, telekinesis, and a defensive vector force field.[3]
Stuck in the middle of the wilderness, he encounters Lammis, a young female hunter. Lammis has a skill known as the Blessing of Might, which makes her ridiculously strong, but is still a novice at managing her own strength.[3] The two quickly become friends after he dispenses some food items to the hungry Lammis. Calling him "Boxxo", she starts carrying him around on her back, which allows Boxxo to move, with his weight allowing her to more easily control her strength.[3] The series chronicle their adventures as they start exploring the world's dungeon, and the characters they meet on the way.[3]
Background
In the afterword of the first volume, Hirukuma describes his envisioning and road to publishing Reborn as a Vending Machine.[3] He at first helped out with his father's independent business, though after the death of his father from a high fall, he closed down the business and began pursuing his ambition as a writer.[4] He described his father's death as giving him acrophobia, and recalled thinking "I don't know when I'm going to die like my father did. One question went through my mind: Have I done everything I've wanted to in life?"[4] On a site for submitting novels called Shōsetsuka ni Narō, he submitted several works of fiction, including another isekai piece and a battle-themed novel set in the near future, but was initially unsuccessful.[5]
He described Reborn as a Vending Machine as his final effort after four years of unsuccessfully getting his novels published.[5] Hirukuma wrote that "[it was] one that was fantastical and original, and one that I wanted to write [...] This wasn't a novel where I adjusted for the readers' needs, or had to think long and hard about constructing a plot. Instead, I pursued my own style for it, and it garnered the most popularity of all my work".[6]
The titular protagonist of the series. Boxxo was reincarnated as a sentient vending machine with an A.I. helper in a fantasy world after being crushed by a falling vending machine in Japan. His name was given to him by Lammis; his real name is unknown. As a vending machine, Boxxo can only communicate in stock vending machine phrases and cannot move by himself, although he can still speak to himself in his thoughts. He can see and hear just fine though. In his past life, he was a vending machine otaku. He is able to sell and dispense an unlimited number of products (all of which are things he bought in his past life) for all sorts of useful purposes, which rewards him with points which he can use to upgrade himself. He is also built with a small digital slot machine can can reward people with free products. Sometimes, he gives stuff for free usually if it is an emergency. He can also change his shape, make himself invisible, gather knowledge based on his surroundings, record or photograph things with his camera and can then display them on his screen, use telekinesis, deploy solar panels to recharge without spending points (gained after an upgrade), increase his durability, repair damages to himself, make product leftovers disappear, and create a force field around him for defense, but can also briefly allow objects and people to pass through his force field if he wants to. Although he looks normal to other characters, he can also display eyes.[3]
Lammis is a young, energetic hunter with a special ability called the Blessing of Might, which makes her incredibly strong, though she is clumsy at controlling her own strength. This is resolved when she carries Boxxo on her back, allowing her better control of her strength. She lives on the Clearflow Lake stratum. Lammis is Boxxo's primary love interest. She hates losing her friends and loved ones due to her parents being killed by monsters. Due to her closeness with Boxxo, she gets emotionally upset if they are separated and will stop at nothing to find him.[3]
A childhood friend of Lammis who behaves more like an older sister towards her. Hulemy is a talented magical item engineer and has a tomboyish personality. She is the first to discover that Boxxo contains a human soul inside him. Like Lammis, she lost her parents in a monster attack.[11]
Suori (スオリ)
Voiced by: Shizuku Hoshinoya[12] (Japanese); Macy Anne Johnson[8] (English)
The daughter of a rich tycoon who is selfish, arrogant, and strong-willed. Suori has taken an interest in Boxxo, so much so that she even once tried to buy him. She also has a rival named Kanashi, whom she hates above all else.[11]
A handsome hunter who appears charming on the outside, but on the inside, he is shown to be somewhat of a coward and is not good with communication. He later joins the Menagerie of Fools.
Suco (スコ, Suko), Pell (ペル, Peru), Short (ショート, Shōto), and Mikenne (ミケネ, Mikene)
One of the dungeon's strongest monsters and a servant of the Demon Lord. It is implied that he knows Boxxo's origins.
Media
Light novel
Hirukuma originally published the series online as a web novel on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō from March 3 to December 18, 2016.
Kadokawa Shoten acquired the series to publish it as a light novel. The first volume was published on August 1, 2016.[13]Yen Press announced during the Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the series for an English release.[14]
With the release of the anime adaptation, Kadokawa released a revised edition of the light novel with new illustrations provided by Yūki Hagure.[15]
No.
Original release date
Original ISBN
English release date
English ISBN
1
August 1, 2016 (original)[13] June 30, 2023 (revised)[16]
In August 2022, it was announced that the series would be receiving an anime adaptation.[30][31] It was later confirmed to be a television series produced by Slow Curve, animated by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ and directed by Noriaki Akitaya, with Masayuki Takahashi serving as assistant director, Tatsuya Takahashi overseeing series scripts, Takahiro Sakai adapting Yūki Hagure's designs for animation, and Yuta Uraki and Keita Takahashi composing the music.[7][32] The series aired from July 5 to September 20, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[9] The opening theme song is "Fanfare" (ファンファーレ) by BRADIO, while the ending theme song is "Itsumo no Soup" (いつものスープ, "The Usual Soup") by Peel the Apple.[33][34]Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.[35]
After the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced, but there is currently no release date.[36]
"The Vending Machine Travels" Transliteration: "Jidōhanbaiki, Idō Suru" (Japanese: 自動販売機、移動する)
Mihiro Yamaguchi
Tatsuya Takahashi
Noriaki Akitaya
July 5, 2023 (2023-07-05)
An unnamed man is killed in an accident involving a vending machine and reincarnates into another world as one himself. He discovers that he contains options to upgrade himself. Unfortunately, it also costs points to charge his power supply and without a customer, he will lose power in one month. He is attacked by frog-like monsters, but discovers a blessing from God that generates a protective barrier. The monsters soon get bored and leave. A starving human hunter named Lammis later appears. The vending machine develops a way of communicating in which his stock phrases mean other things. He helps provide her with food and water. As her blessing is strength, Lammis decides to carry him, revealing they are in a dungeon on a secure level where adventurers have built a village. Along the way, Lammis saves a girl from some thugs. Lammis wants to show him to her friend Hulemy on the surface, but without money for the teleportation circle, she takes him to an inn where her friend Munami works. The new vending machine becomes popular with adventurers and he gains many points, allowing him to upgrade his items. Lammis acquires a frame to carry him on her back and names him "Boxxo".
2
"The King Frog Fiend Appears" Transliteration: "Ōkawazujinma ga Arawareta" (Japanese: 王蛙人魔が現れた)
Tatsuya Fujinaka
Yutaka Yasunaga
Royden B Hiroyuki Ōshima
July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12)
Director Bear, an actual bear who is the director of the Hunter's Association, asks Lammis to bring Boxxo as food support for a large hunt to exterminate frog fiends, the same monsters that attacked Boxxo earlier. Kerioyl, leader of the Menagerie of Fools party, takes an interest in Boxxo, who decides he cannot be trusted. Filmina, Kerioyl's second-in-command, examines Boxxo, but senses no magic inside him. Meanwhile, Lammis becomes friends with a huntress named Shui. Boxxo decides to join the fight to protect Lammis. Lammis discovers that with Boxxo on her back as a counterweight, her usually poor control of her strength is negated. After the battle, Boxxo provides free sports drinks to the injured. Director Bear believes a king frog fiend is nearby and takes the remaining hunters to find it. That night, a hunter tries to break open Boxxo to steal his items, but Boxxo burns him with scalding soup and he is punished by Lammis for trying to rob Boxxo. When the king frog fiend appears, Boxxo provides cola and some mints. The combined items are eventually used to blind the king enough for the hunters to return and slay it. With the hunt over, everyone returns to the village victorious.
The party returns to the village, only to find it has been destroyed by a two-headed snake. Used to such things, the citizens kill the monster and begin rebuilding. Kerioyl asks Lammis and Boxxo to join his party, but Lammis refuses. Acowi, from the Merchants Exchange, reveals the village is running out of silver coins which are inside Boxxo. To get them back into circulation, she proposes buying them back with gold. Unfortunately, Boxxo cannot perform exchanges, though Lammis realizes by buying items with gold, Boxxo can return silver as change, which satisfies Acowi. Boxxo later adds a gambling function. Director Bear asks Boxxo to help Shirley, a brothel owner, so Boxxo sells her condoms to deal with diseases. A rich girl named Suori, who Lammis previously rescued, tries to vandalize Boxxo, but he stops her and also forgives her as she misses her absent father. Boxxo also begins selling soap at the public baths. Director Bear asks Boxxo to use his camouflage skill to catch criminals in the act. While disguised, Boxxo overhears Suori trying to buy him from Lammis, who refuses. Boxxo is overwhelmed with emotion by this before revealing himself to Lammis.
4
"Boxxo Is Abducted" Transliteration: "Hakkon, Yūkai Sareru" (Japanese: ハッコン、誘拐される)
Mihiro Yamaguchi
Yutaka Yasunaga
Hirokazu Yamada
July 26, 2023 (2023-07-26)
Boxxo is kidnapped by thieves, including Gugoyle, the hunter who tried to break him open previously. They take him to their hideout with a kidnapped magic item engineer, who turns out to be Lammis' friend Hulemy. She and Boxxo quickly become friends and with her expertise, she realizes Boxxo contains a human soul. That night, the thieves sneak in to attack Hulemy, but Boxxo persuades them to leave by dispensing pornographic magazines. The thieves' leader gives her two days to break Boxxo open or she will die. Shortly before the deadline, the hideout is attacked by Lammis and the Hunter's Association in search for Boxxo. The attack sets off explosives that buries Boxxo and Hulemy under rubble. They survive inside Boxxo's shield while he also provides Hulemy some oxygen. In turn, Hulemy provides Boxxo the thieves' gold to help maintain his shield. Lammis eventually finds and reunites with Boxxo and Hulemy. Kerioyl is revealed to have uncharacteristically aided in Boxxo's rescue for free by capturing the thieves, though he insists it is a ploy to eventually have Boxxo join the Menagerie of Fools and help Kerioyl achieve his dream.
5
"Vanity, Pride, and Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Mie to Puraido to Jidōhanbaiki" (Japanese: 見栄とプライドと自動販売機)
Sumito Sasaki
Yutaka Yasunaga
Waruo Suzuki
August 2, 2023 (2023-08-02)
While Lammis is embracing Boxxo, Hulemy reveals that Lammis hates losing people since her and Hulemy's parents were killed in a monster attack. Suori tells Hulemy there will be a gathering of merchant families and their magic item engineers. A girl from a rival family named Kanashi will be there, so she asks Hulemy to pretend to be her engineer and Boxxo as her latest magic item. Kanashi's engineer presents an automaton that obeys orders. Hulemy is outraged as it was made with a mind controlled human soul, which is against the law. When the automaton goes berserk, Hulemy helps free the trapped soul. As such, Kanashi is disqualified. Later, the village's restaurant owners panic when a popular restaurant called Chains opens a branch, so they ask Boxxo for help. After Lammis and Hulemy discover Chains' food is low quality. Boxxo provides several novel items, which the chefs reverse engineer so they can make them themselves. Chains goes out of business in only one month. Kerioyl asks Boxxo and Lammis to join a campaign. Despite Boxxo's mistrust, he decides to accompany Lammis as she wishes to keep improving her abilities.
6
"The Fighting Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Tatakau Jidōhanbaiki" (Japanese: 戦う自動販売機)
Tōru Hamasaki
Tatsuya Takahashi
Hikaru Takeuchi Kōji Yoshikawa
August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09)
By providing free ingredients to make home cooked Oden, Boxxo facilitates love between a shy shopkeeper and a village guard named Gorth. Spring arrives and Kerioyl's party is organized to check the population of crocodile-fiends. Boxxo provides a portable toilet with a privacy tent, which the ladies are grateful for. Kerioyl decides to cull the crocodile-fiends to prevent them from hunting humans. Hulemy reveals to Boxxo Director Bear asked her to look out for a Stratum Lord, a rare monster similar to a dungeon boss. Almost immediately the Crocodile-Lord appears, forcing everyone to flee and leave Boxxo behind. Boxxo dispenses fried chicken to distract it, but is himself swallowed. Safe inside his barrier, Boxxo floods the Lord's stomach with cleaning chemicals and gas and then creates a spark by heating a tin can inside his microwave function, causing an explosion that kills the Lord. Boxxo receives a valuable coin as a reward, but magic leaking from the Lord's bones collapses the ground under him. As he plummets into an even lower stratum, all Boxxo can think about is a distraught Lammis.
7
"The Voracious Devils" Transliteration: "Bōshoku no Akumadan" (Japanese: 暴食の悪魔団)
Tatsuya Fujinaka
Yutaka Yasunaga
Yō Nakano Noriaki Akitaya
August 16, 2023 (2023-08-16)
Boxxo lands in the next stratum, a giant maze. Defeating the Lord has given him one million points, which he spends leveling up to a Rank 2 vending machine. He is disappointed that the coin he received is just a medal proving he killed a Lord. As a Rank 2, he unlocks a solar panel to recharge his power without spending points. Eventually, he encounters four young creatures called Bearcats; Suco, Pell, Short and Mikenne. From their conversation, Boxxo deduces they are seeking treasure in the maze since they must eat a lot to survive. Unfortunately, they do not realize Boxxo is conscious, so they plan to sell him to Chains. They are attacked by a colossal Flame Skeletitan, the maze Stratum Lord, but the Bearcats escape with Boxxo. Despite Boxxo dispensing useful items to help them, they still do not realize he is conscious. As they reach the maze exit, they encounter Lammis and the Menagerie of Fools, who are thrilled they finally found Boxxo as Lammis was furious with Kerioyl for abandoning him. The Bearcats ally with the hunters and are dumbfounded when Director Bear explains about Boxxo's consciousness and unique method of speaking.
8
"The Flame Skeletitan of the Labyrinth Stratum" Transliteration: "Meiro Kaisō no Enkyokotsuma" (Japanese: 迷路階層の炎巨骨魔)
Sumito Sasaki
Tatsuya Takahashi
Kazuma Takeya Masayuki Takahashi
August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
Kerioyl asks Boxxo to help defeat the Skeletitan, revealing the Menagerie of Fools believe a legend that anyone who receives a coin from defeating a stratum Lord then makes it all the way to the lowest stratum will be granted a wish by God. They need six coins in total, but only have three so far. Boxxo is intrigued as it could mean he can use his own coin to become human, though he also fears losing his usefulness as a vending machine. As the maze possesses its own traps, they plan to drop the Skeletitan into a large pit which they spend days filling with Boxxo's water and ice to extinguish the Skeletitan's protective flames. Boxxo also adds dry ice so the carbon dioxide smothers the flames even faster. Once the Skeletitan falls down the pit, Boxxo tricks Lammis into knocking him down there as well so he can use his weight to kill it. After dispensing helium balloons to lift himself out, Boxxo receives the Skeletitan's coin, but happily sells it to a grateful Kerioyl for 100 gold.
9
"A Less-than-Ideal Hero" Transliteration: "Risō no Eiyū Miman" (Japanese: 理想の英雄未満)
Masateru Nomi
Yutaka Yasunaga
Waruo Suzuki
August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
The group stop at the maze stratum's Hunter's Association headquarters. While the Menagerie of Fools return to Clearflow Lake village, Director Bear asks Lammis and Hulemy to begin mapping the maze. Mishuel, a young handsome hunter, begins working in the maze as well. However, once alone, Boxxo witnesses Mishuel's real personality where he is nervous and lacks confidence. Mishuel joins their group, even though it means working together for three weeks with his terrible communication skills. Lammis becomes unwell from getting her period, so Boxxo dispenses menstrual pads and transforms into a clothes washing machine to clean her clothes. The experience actually brings Mishuel out of his shell. After another week, they encounter assassins sent to kill Mishuel for a mysterious reason linked to his past. With Boxxo's help, they are easily defeated. Mishuel decides to leave, but Lammis suggests he join the Menagerie of Fools since they will not care about his past and will welcome his strength in battle. The group finally return home and find in Boxxo's absence, Chains has been using fake vending machines to sell their low quality food, though with Boxxo's return, they are quickly exposed and shut down.
10
"Gastric Measures" Transliteration: "Ibukuro no Hate ni" (Japanese: 胃袋の果てに)
Sumito Sasaki
Tatsuya Takahashi
Shin'ichi Tanabe
September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
The Restaurant Owners Union decide to hold an eating contest to attract people back to the village, which has finally been rebuilt. This backfires when Shui and the Bearcats, who are gluttonous, enter the contest. Afraid for their profits, the Union begs Boxxo's help, so he dispenses cola, which, if drunk by the contestants, will fill them faster. After an intense multi-round contest, Shui defeats the Bearcats and receives free access to Boxxo for 24 hours as her prize. With Lammis carrying Boxxo, Shui takes them to the Origin stratum that is closest to the surface, which houses an orphanage and uses her free 24 hours to feed, wash, clothe, and entertain the children. Shui explains the Origin stratum acts as a sort of test to allow access to lower stratums, meaning that it tends to collect people not strong enough to survive yet, like children whose parents died during the test. At night, bandits try to steal Boxxo's items, but he takes their photos, then scares them away with mist, ice, and creepy music. The orphanage director, a retired hunter stronger than Kerioyl, later "takes care of" the bandits to protect the children.
11
"The Dead's Lament Stratum" Transliteration: "Mōja no Nageki Kaisō" (Japanese: 亡者の嘆き階層)
Sumito Sasaki Masateru Nomi
Yutaka Yasunaga
Waruo Suzuki
September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
The Menagerie of Fools ask Boxxo to accompany them to Dead's Lament, a stratum of undead which scares Lammis. When the dead wander about overnight, the creepy guild secretary explains they envy the living and often peer in windows as though trying to enter, but are harmless as long as the living stay indoors at night. To get over her fear, Hulemy tells Lammis to go shopping alone but she clings to Boxxo terrified. Kerioyl plans to hunt the stratum lord, the King of Souls. As night arrives again, Boxxo encounters an undead child seemingly asking for a drink. Curious by the sign of potential intelligence, Boxxo dispenses a bottle and is amazed when the boy attempts to drink it, and the same thing happens several nights in a row. One night, the Menagerie of Fools camp outside the village and the same boy follows them to see Boxxo, who fails to save him. Boxxo realizes the boy had been carrying a copper coin in an attempt to buy something, and is deeply saddened. Kerioyl reveals the King of Souls is a magic user, so their plan to defeat it will rely heavily on Boxxo's impenetrable barrier.
12
"What Can Be Done as a Vending Machine" Transliteration: "Jidōhanbaiki Toshite Dekiru Koto" (Japanese: 自動販売機として出来ること)
Sumito Sasaki Tatsuya Fujinaka
Tatsuya Takahashi
Sumito Sasaki Noriaki Akitaya
September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
The party locates the King of Souls, a skeleton possessing intelligence. Relying on her strength, Lammis avoids his spells before using Boxxo to crush the King. The King is revealed to only have been a fragment of an even more powerful undead, the Netherlord. Hulemy and Shui are mortally wounded protecting Lammis, which sends her into a rage until Boxxo calms her. Deciding to trust herself, Lammis puts Boxxo down to use all her strength and destroys Netherlord’s staff. An impressed Netherlord retreats. Boxxo becomes an emergency defibrillator and spends all his available points acquiring the telekinesis skill to operate it himself, reviving Hulemy and Shui. They return home to inform Director Bear of the Netherlord, revealed as one of the Demon Lord’s generals. He contacts the directors of each stratum to begin assembling an army of the most skilled adventurers to combat this powerful foe. Kerioyl considers abandoning his goal to ensure the party's safety, but they convince him to keep going. Lammis takes Boxxo to the spot where she first found him and thanks him for everything. Hulemy and Shui secretly follow and thank Boxxo for saving their lives by kissing his screen. They make a jealous Lammis kiss him too, to her embarrassment. Boxxo decides life as a vending machine is not so bad.
Reception
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon has received positive reviews. Theron Martin of Anime News Network reviewed the first volume positively, praising its unique take on the isekai genre, Hirukuma's writing style, and the relationship between Boxxo and Lammis, which he found to be impressive and not having to "resort to hackneyed gimmicks". Summarizing that "this novel's bizarre concept is what will catch people's attention, but the writing is good enough to keep it", some criticism was directed at the light novel's fanservice, which Martin found to be forced, and the RPG elements typical of isekai series.[3] Similarly, Robert Frazer of UK Anime Network found Reborn as a Vending Machine to be "a blast of fresh air to flush out the stale isekai genre", as "it’s fun and different to defeat the villain with Diet Coke and Mentos instead of just firing a Saiyan blast at a higher powerlevel".[39]
Rebecca Silverman and Lynzee Loveridge, in Anime News Network's Spring 2018 Light Novel Guide, also praised the setting but found the writing to "read like fan-fiction-level quality". They ultimately found the volume to "still [be] an engaging read", with its format adapted the same way as So I'm a Spider, So What? and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.[40] Loveridge further included the protagonist's "Death By Vending Machine" on her list of the "7 Strangest Isekai Deaths".[41]
