Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon is a Japanese light novel series written by Hirukuma and illustrated by Itsuwa Kato and Yūki Hagure. 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.
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.
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 aired from July to September 2025. A third season has been announced.
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 otaku who is interested in vending machines 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". 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. 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. Furthermore, he is able to use some magical abilities, including shapeshifting, invisibility, telekinesis, and a defensive vector force field.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. 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. The series chronicles their adventures as they start exploring the world's dungeon, and the characters they meet on the way.
Background
In the afterword of the first volume, Hirukuma describes his envisioning and road to publishing Reborn as a Vending Machine. 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. 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?" 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.He described Reborn as a Vending Machine as his final effort after four years of unsuccessfully getting his novels published. Hirukuma wrote that " 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".
Characters
; Boxxo; Lammis
; Hulemy
; Suori
; Director Bear
; Kerioyl
; Filmina
; Shui
; Shirley
; Aka
; Shiro
; Mishuel
; Suco, Pell, Short, and Mikenne
; Missus and Munami
; Acowi
; Gocguy
; Karios and Gorth
; Fia
; Gugoyle
; May
; Kanashi
; Hoxie
; Shimelai and Yumite
; Director Origin
; Hevee
; Kikoyu
; Botan and Kuroyata
; Field
; Director Dark
; Director Labyrinth
; Director Scorching
; King of Souls
; Kayolings
; Tashtay
; Sulream
; Netherlord
; Demon Lord
Media
Light novels
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. Yen Press announced during the Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the series for an English release.
With the release of the anime adaptation, Kadokawa released a revised edition of the light novel with new illustrations provided by Yūki Hagure.
Volumes
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Kunieda began serialization in ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on August 27, 2021. The manga is also licensed by Yen Press as a digital simulpublication.Volumes
Anime
In August 2022, it was announced that the series would be receiving an anime adaptation. 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. The series aired from July 5 to September 20, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "Fanfare" by BRADIO, while the ending theme song is "Itsumo no Soup" by Peel the Apple. Crunchyroll streamed the series outside of Asia. The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in North America on July 23, 2024.After the airing of the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced. The staff and cast reprised their roles, with Takashi Yamamoto replacing Akitaya as director. The season aired from July 2 to September 17, 2025. The opening theme song is "Mirai Cider" performed by BRADIO, while the ending theme song is "Boku Dake no Chiheisen", performed by Aina Aiba.
After the airing of the final episode of the second season, a third season was announced.
Episodes
Season 1 (2023)
Season 2 (2025)
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. 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".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 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. Loveridge further included the protagonist's "Death By Vending Machine" on her list of the "7 Strangest Isekai Deaths".