Review: I WAS SOLD DIRT CHEAP BUT MY POWER LEVEL IS OFF THE CHARTS

It's mecha month once more, and that includes isekai manga.  There's been a recent spate of isekai light novel adaptations featuring mecha and this is...certainly one of them.

I WAS SOLD DIRT CHEAP BUT MY POWER LEVEL IS OFF THE CHARTS (Class Saiyasunede Urareta Orewa, Jitsuwa Saikyo Parameter), based on the light novels by RYOMA and original character designs by Susumu Koroi with art by Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

For Yuta and his classmates, it was just supposed to be an ordinary class trip. Then their entire bus was magically transported to another world expressly for the purpose of being sold off as slaves.  Those found to possess a high magical power (such as Yuta’s crush and his best friend) are sold for a fortune to nearby lords and kingdoms to pilot powerful, ancient mecha suits to fight their own petty struggles.  Those found lacking are sold off for practically nothing for cheap labor…like Yuta.  What Yuta doesn’t know is that his magic levels are so strong that they could not be accurately measured.  He’ll unwittingly use that power to escape slavery, make some friends, and eventually find his way into the cockpit of one of those magical mecha on his own terms.

STORY:

It turns out that adding mecha to an already well-worn Narou slop premise doesn’t make it any better.  Maybe I was hoping for too much with I Was Sold Off Dirt-Cheap, but I was at least hoping that even this far into the whole isekai webnovel phenomenon, they still wouldn’t be THIS cliché-ridden and THIS predictable.

Of course Yuta is seemingly underpowered but secretly super-powered, just like every other Potato-kun.  Of course he starts amassing a harem straight away, including a Token Loli and a Token Beastgirl.  It seems like he’ll soon have more, as we see that both the object of his crush and his Childhood Best Friend ™ are both trying to find him because they are both secretly nurturing feelings for him.  Of course he gets one of these super-special mecha practically dropped into his lap by a kindly benefactor who is killed shortly thereafter.  Of course the nobles who have bought up all of Yuta’s classmates (and his teacher) are wicked schemers content to use others to act out their own petty power struggles…save for the kindly, pretty princess who will inevitably enter Yuta’s harem.  All of these just come standard as part of the Narou isekai formula, snapping into place like Lego blocks.

I knew I was going to be in for a rough time with this book right away, as soon as Yuta’s class is captured.  Upon being told that they will be sorted by their “ludea” levels and sold to the highest bidder, nobody seems to be worried that they are literally being sold into slavery or wondering when (if?) they will ever return to their old world.  Instead they cheerfully speculate what their stats will be as they sit inside a dungeon.  Even after he’s been sold for a pittance and dragged away to a life of starvation and grueling labor, all Yuta has to say is that “slavery is just a part of life” in this world, completely resigned to his fate.  The only reason he escapes is because he’s the only one who can open a magically sealed door (and like a dick, he only takes the Token Loli girl he’s befriended with him instead of freeing all of the slaves on the property).

If these stupid isekai adaptations are going to keep using slavery as a plot point, would it truly be so hard for the original writers to write a protagonist who DOESN’T accept it as simply a way of life? To maybe, just maybe, recognize that owning a human is an inherent moral wrong and wish to fight to not just free themselves and any cute harem-friendly girls they meet along the way but literally all those held captive?  I’m sure some might argue that slavery isn’t ALL bad in this particular world because those with high magic levels are practically treated like nobles themselves, but the story makes it clear that for all of their privileges they are still the property of their respective lords, servants to command at their whim.  Nothing would be more novel at this point than a good old-fashioned slave revolt, but there is no genre more allergic to novelty than isekai.

ART:

You might have noticed that beyond Yuta, I’ve not used any of the names of the other characters.  That’s because they are not characters.  They have very little in the way of defining characteristics beyond their character designs, and even then those are pretty unimpressive.  Indeed, most of them simply exist to be nice, pilot mechs, and quietly pine for Yuta.  At the very least, there’s very little in the way of fanservice.  All we do get is a single bathing scene in an inn, which mostly exists to confirm that the little sister-like slave girl that tagged along with Yuta is old enough to be potentially romantically interested in him.  I really wish they had done it in a more tasteful way instead of just zooming in on her budding breasts like they just switched to Pervert Cam.  It doesn’t even make sense because her nipples are blurred out entirely, rendering such a shot pointless for the perverts.

I will say this much: whoever this Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou person is, they’re not completely untalented.  They’re putting in a lot more effort with backgrounds and other fine details than I typically see in these light novel adaptations.  They also take time and care with replicating the (shockingly good!) mecha suit designs.  They bear just enough resemblance to knightly armor to fit with the vaguely medieval setting, but not so overly busy as to muddy their silhouettes or make the action difficult to follow when people do have to fight in them.  They’re not Tarou’s original creations, but they manage to render in them in such a way as to make them rad.  If only their talent extended to drawing people.  Their take on the characters is notably younger looking than those in Susumu Kuroi’s original cover art and it’s clear that faces are not Tarou’s strong suit as an artist.  Expressions and angles can get kind of weird looking at times, and it’s the biggest thing holding them and this manga back visually.

RATING:

It’s not as plain-looking as a lot of isekai manga adaptations, but the thoroughly, thoughtlessly formulaic story drags I Was Sold Dirt Cheap etc. down from the start and never stops.  You don’t need to read this one because you’ll be able to predict every single plot turn and twist before it happens, and why bother with that when you could read something engaging instead?

This manga is published by One Peace Books.  This series in ongoing in Japan with 8 volumes available.  4 volumes have been published and are currently in print.