Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

[neflight86]

1922

* Based on a comedy fantasy light novel series written by Dozeumaru and illustrated by Fuyuyuki.

"O, Hero!" With that cliched line, Souma Kazuya found himself summoned to another world and his adventure--did not begin. After he presents his plan to strengthen the country economically and militarily, the king cedes the throne to him and Souma finds himself saddled with ruling the nation! What's more, he's betrothed to the king's daughter now...?! In order to get the country back on its feet, Souma calls the wise, the talented, and the gifted to his side. Five people gather before the newly crowned Souma. Just what are the many talents and abilities they possess...?! What path will his outlook as a realist take Souma and the people of his country down?

Source: J-Novel Club

Genre(s): Fantasy(isekai)

__________________

Three episodes in, this is pretty entertaining. Summoned to be sold for short term debt relief, Souma decides to fix the kingdom's underlying problems instead (and because he doesn't trust being shipped off to another country; healthy skepticism). Souma is looking to really Sim City the heck out of this isekai world. It reminds me of the earlier parts of Slime isekai, before the battling took front and center. I like how he prioritizes surrounding himself with capable people instead of being the sole savior of this world with his superior Japanese knowledge. Definitely check it out.

If that didn't sell you, the King and ear cleaning Queen are kawaii...

[KrayZ33]

I'm watching this show as well...

simply because I want to see what he will do to enhance the quality of living there.
I have to say though.. that other show with the female demon king and hero teaming up and falling in love was better than this so far.
(can't remember the name though... "the demon king is my wife"? Or something
But we aren't far in, so who knows.

I feel like this show does pamper a whole lot more to the "I'd kick so much as in medieval times"-crowd.
It reminds me a bit of Gate in that regard, actually.

Guy talks to an elf, who lived for who knows how long in a forest and their ancestor's ancestors did the same thing
"Do you even thin bros" - "WHAT IS THAT, OH MY GAWD, DO ME RIGHT NOW IN FRONT OF EVERYONE MY LORD"

And don't get me started on that "prime minister in black"

It's basically going in the same direction as Slime.. and I sure as hell hope I'm wrong.
The townbuilding stuff in Slime was interesting for like 1 episode, before he basically got everything for free to create a early-modern japanese city.

[DarthEnderX]

I was hoping for more explanations of what he's actually DOING. Like how Dr. Stone is constantly teaching you science.

But so far, the show mostly handwaves it. He does mountains of paperwork with no explanation of what it actually does, other than it's just vaguely fixing things.


simply because I want to see what he will do to enhance the quality of living there.
I have to say though.. that other show with the female demon king and hero teaming up and falling in love was better than this so far.
(can't remember the name though... "the demon king is my wife"? Or something
But we aren't far in, so who knows.I'm enjoying the one where the goddess thinks he's ugly and dumped him with the monsters.

The girl orcs look like Miss Piggy. :p

[KrayZ33]

I was hoping for more explanations of what he's actually DOING. Like how Dr. Stone is constantly teaching you science.

But so far, the show mostly handwaves it. He does mountains of paperwork with no explanation of what it actually does, other than it's just vaguely fixing things.


Yeah... but the little part where he used the national treasures etc was pretty cool. But that's what I want to see, mostly.

[Ryllharu]

If you want detail overload on nation building and technological advancement, you should probably be reading the Release that Witch Chinese light novel.

Which, for the record, I do no read, but the LN readers never stfu in the manhua comments and reviews about how much better it is. It's a LN. They're all badly written.

[DarthEnderX]

Yeah... but the little part where he used the national treasures etc was pretty cool.Right, but he's had, like, 2 of those moments in 3 episodes.

Dr. Stone does that shit, like, 5 times an episode.

[David75]

That ep felt like fanservice introduction for the many pairs possibilities...

[neflight86]

Being able to communicate with the demons (and them subsequently being sentient) does change the entire dynamic of the war, however. I'm actually surprised that a cliffhanger-bait ear whisper from last episode actually panned out into something interesting.

[neflight86]

9

I'm most curious to see how he deals with the traitors when he undoubtedly wins. I would personally prefer mercy, but too much of that (like, for example, telling the dukes they can keep their positions and serve under him) would undermine his authority going forward. At the same time, I can't picture him executing them to make an example, and imprisonment seems like a waste of characters, so who knows how they'll handle this?

[Kraco]

9

I'm most curious to see how he deals with the traitors when he undoubtedly wins. I would personally prefer mercy, but too much of that (like, for example, telling the dukes they can keep their positions and serve under him) would undermine his authority going forward. At the same time, I can't picture him executing them to make an example, and imprisonment seems like a waste of characters, so who knows how they'll handle this?

10:

That's a good question. If he simply pardoned them and allowed them to continue in their positions, he would accept a high risk for serious future trouble. It would make all nobles ponder the possibility of one-sidedly rejecting the king's orders with no repercussions. It would also make the common citizens think that they can either get away with crimes (nearly) scot-free or alternatively that such mercy is only received by high nobles. The latter wouldn't really be unexpected in a medieval society, but it would make the people believe the new king is the same as any other king, and all of his fancy speeches about making the country great again are nothing but empty talk.

Executing the dukes could have an ill effect on the races they represent, though. Kazuya could hardly execute them and allow their sons/daughters to take over, either. The grudge would be too much. However, the lion duke could die honourably in combat. He seems like the kind of man that his family would accept it graciously. If the first son/daughter swore alllegiance to Kazuya before taking over, it might fly. Hard to say about the dragonewt duke, though. The daughter is Liscia's friend, but it's no good if she hated Kazuya. Kazuya might need to imprison or exile the man.

One funny possibility that might work with the dragonewt duke is to disclose his part as a ploy. Since the people involved in his case are quite limited, if Kazuya can get the duke's cooperation, he could tell the population the air forces never betrayed him in the first place, that it was just strategic misinformation to fool both the army duke and the invading foreign nation. Of course he would still need to make the dragonewt duke pay reparations under the table. The poor navy lost their ship, after all.

[neflight86]

Spinning this whole insurrection as a ploy to lure in the neighboring country might be the best way to cleanly wrap this up, provided they can keep casualties/losses to a marginal amount.

I wonder how merchant ojou from the invading country is going to fit into all of this, or will she be appointed after the invader is repelled and its commander stripped of all power?

[Kraco]

I wonder how merchant ojou from the invading country is going to fit into all of this, or will she be appointed after the invader is repelled and its commander stripped of all power?

Wasn't the number 8 (days in a week) already stated as the maximum number of people for a socially acceptable harem? Anyone who has watched anime for more than a few months would know such numbers aren't thrown in the air for laughs only. I can't help but think the princess merchant will claim one of the slots. From a technical perspective she has had too many scenes to be a throwaway character, but also story wise she could be used to heal the relations of the two countries. A political marriage, that is.

[Kraco]

Episode 11



- - - - - -


I didn't foresee that. I suppose I should have guessed an older man with the head of a lion would be willing to throw himself to the wolves in order to save his nation in full by removing the very roots of the problem. Kazuya is right: It's a huge pity to lose a man of that calibre. That being said, I also didn't expect any (convenient) magic slave collars, which is quite an oversight since this is sekai and isekai loves slaves. I'm not sure what role those collars, exactly, will play in the big picture, though. If he executes rebels, it doesn't really matter if they were in ordinary chains or wore some slave collar. Maybe such a device will allow him to avoid sending them to the headsman. Time will tell.

[David75]

Those collars have multiple benefits:
-King's safety. Eventhough none of the bearers are willing to kill the King, just be careful
-You do not have to excecute them, so the people that were following them won't hold a grudge against the king
-They can experience the King's ruling as insiders and understand he really is the ruler they can eventuallly swear loyalty to.
-It give ample time to defuse any bombs, to root out enemy insiders and time for those with collars to redeem themselves in the eyes of the commoners.

Sometime down the line the collars will safely be removed. And I'm pretty sure we'll learn the killing feature was not even activated.

[Kraco]

Didn't the episode itself also address the issue of there needing to be a punishment for rebels? Kazuya was also extremely angry that he needs to get rid of a man as capable and far-seeing as Duke Carmine. If someone starts a rebellion against the king, it's not enough to just slap a collar on the person and then pretend everything's cool again. That would be an exceedingly acceptable risk for anyone planning a coup or just some more minor, but still big, crime (treason or not) in the kingdom. That's why I wondered what's the point.

Of course if there's no tradition of execution for a treason (or lèse-majesté) but instead the collar is used and the culprits are truly rendered into lowly slaves for life, it's a different thing. It could be pretty bad even if they weren't sent to the mines (which typically was a death sentence, just a slow one). Carla Vargas, for example, is a beautiful girl, so her fate as a slave wouldn't necessarily be a pretty one.

[David75]

It got me thinking: we've heard the collar is setup with the King as the master. But how does the collar work actually ?
One master only, but you can kill anyone else ? Or is there a zone effect where you can't kill at all ? is it a two parts device, the collar and several medaillons or whatever you can distribute to people you need to protect ?
Also, these collars seem to be pretty common, so they were not created overnight. Just wondering if they are a Royal thing or ubiquitous.
Thinking back, this is a human putting collar on animal/human hybrids. That in itself is not a very good image.

[Kraco]

Thinking back, this is a human putting collar on animal/human hybrids. That in itself is not a very good image.

Yeah, especially in that kingdom, which was laboriously, and with special arrangements, established to be an equal home for both humans and demi-humans. The whole three demi-human dukes (or duchesses) controlling most of the military forces was to make sure the more numerous humans can't seize absolute power and become tyrannical. Now a human king has two out of three demi-human dukes in slave collars. Yeah, it doesn't look good even if there was a heavy reason for it (the still ongoing demon invasion making unity more necessary than ever). Still, for the time being I do have enough faith in this story to assume Kazuya understands all that.

[DarthEnderX]

It got me thinking: we've heard the collar is setup with the King as the master. But how does the collar work actually ?It is weird that Carmine would have all these collars that were attuned a guy he's never even met.

[neflight86]

Him having calibrated slave collars is a bit of a narrative oversight/convenience that I won't mind as it serves the story (nondeath for carmine), and the mechanics of their logistics don't really impact their purpose. Souma must have known, but did Carmine know he knew? Did he instruct the other leader to tell him?

As for the collared, to preserve rule(face) of law, he could simply say they are 'imprisoned' for treason... The prison being more like the Palace, continuing to serve their duties now that they are more or less on board the isekai savior train. Who would know better?

What I'm sketchy on is how they assume a mercenary state will be willing to buy back its hostage armies after receiving payment, assuming that isn't all of them.

Losing a war during the beginning of an ED credits roll. The ultimate 'oof'.

[Kraco]

What I'm sketchy on is how they assume a mercenary state will be willing to buy back its hostage armies after receiving payment, assuming that isn't all of them.

They will need a whole lot more slave collars if the mercenary nation doesn't pay the ransom.

[neflight86]

Or some good old-fashioned slave boxes, sometimes colloquially referred to as prison cells. :3

[Kraco]

Or some good old-fashioned slave boxes, sometimes colloquially referred to as prison cells. :3

You don't want to keep a whole foreign army in prison cells in a nation already suffering from a serious lack of food.

[neflight86]

Did I mention that slave boxes, properly implemented, address both potential issues of population and protein by being communal?

...let's hope they buy their freedom... There's not much moral high ground in further starving your nation...

[Kraco]

Episode 12


- - - - - -


I wonder how harshly the empire could treat Elfrieden under these circumstances, considering Elfrieden is still paying the empire a considerable sum for the sake of fighting the demon invasion. At the end of the day it was Amidonia that attacked. If the empire wants to stop human nations from fighting amonst themselves, it can't very well go as far as reward Amidonia for that failure of an invasion. All those soldiers lost and resources wasted could have been used to fight the demons. If the empire indeed does clearly side with Amidonia, it sends a message to everyone that at least attacking Elfrieden is perfectly okay. That would lead first to Elfrieden not paying a single penny anymore to the empire to help in the war against the demons, but it might ultimately mean that countries would also fight elsewhere, believing that stretching the rules is probably okay.

Logically the empire would just tell Elfrieden to go back home. Amidonia's king is dead, so it might already serve as some kind of a punishment. Maybe the empire will also assume that Elfrieden looted the whole Amidonian capital for anything worth gold, so a monetary compensation has been handled sufficiently as well.

However, since this is anime, I'm not holding my breath for logic or anything.

[neflight86]

If I recall, the non-aggression pact was only for specifically signed participants. Was Elfrieden undersigned? That being said, your points stand. Infighting is unfruitful right now as would be sending a detachment to deal with it from the front lines. Elfrieden has already displayed that it is not seeking to expand its borders, so I expect a diplomatic slap on the wrist from the Empire.

Overall, while exciting, this whole conflict felt a bit too clean. Nothing was really lost, but I guess that could be chalked up to the brilliance of our adolescent king. This arc did establish and maintain some decent tension there for a bit, so I can't really complain, but I still wish he had some 'room to grow' in his leadership; not just his harem.

[neflight86]

13

No major faults to the end (aside from the non-ending), I'll call Realist Hero a very solid show. It kind of did what I was hoping Slime would stick more to- Here's a nation in need of competent leadership; now that we've conquered another land turns out they were starving, too- gotta fix that, and so on...

It not gonna blow any minds, but the characters acted within their character throughout and navigated the (admittedly simpler) geopolitical conflicts deftly and never felt like they were wasting my time. Recommended.

[Kraco]

Yeah, I was happy to see the Empire didn't rush in with haste. It seemed like the Empress and her sister instead had acknowledged Kazuya's competence and didn't want to make things too difficult for him. Yet at the same time the Empire needs to make sure the treaty is honoured, even if it means they might technically need to choose the offender's side.

I could watch another season of this. The most interesting thing to see would be Kazuya meeting the Amidonia princess. She seemed like the only intelligent person in the Amidonia royal family.

[neflight86]

She'll get her second sneeze soon enough; looks like another season was confirmed for this winter.

[KrayZ33]

Episode 12 was a bit of a crash, episode 13 was okay.

I did like this show more than I should. I wish they'd focus a bit more on the actual changes. I find these "television show stuff" stupid and uninteresting.
Building a new port and implementing new laws and all that kind of stuff was more interesting.

[Kraco]

I find these "television show stuff" stupid and uninteresting.
Building a new port and implementing new laws and all that kind of stuff was more interesting.

I also found them stupid and uninteresting, but realistically they would be a masterstroke. That being said, there's no way the rulers of that world wouldn't already be using them to control and brainwash the population. It's just the tired isekai trope that the locals won't even use their own resources properly before the mighty Japanese man tells them how to do it.

[neflight86]

14

Negotiations are going about as smoothly as could be presumed when one side doesn't have a foot to stand on. The obvious seeming resolution is giving the kingdom back to another member of the family, perhaps one of the female variety... who's been in a few scenes last season making a point of how much more shrewd, merchant like and competent she would be in the role... If only such a ojou existed...

[DarthEnderX]

Negotiations are going about as smoothly as could be presumed when one side doesn't have a foot to stand on. The obvious seeming resolution is giving the kingdom back to another member of the family, perhaps one of the female variety... who's been in a few scenes last season making a point of how much more shrewd, merchant like and competent she would be in the role... If only such a ojou existed...Yeah, too bad she's being so shrewd she's completely avoiding interacting with anyone, thus making her a non-player.

[Kraco]

14

Negotiations are going about as smoothly as could be presumed when one side doesn't have a foot to stand on. The obvious seeming resolution is giving the kingdom back to another member of the family, perhaps one of the female variety... who's been in a few scenes last season making a point of how much more shrewd, merchant like and competent she would be in the role... If only such a ojou existed...

A very good point. I had all but forgotten her already. Regarding what DarthEnder said, perhaps there will be people, locals or otherwise, who can actually recommend her to Souma.

The best part of the whole episode indeed was kicking Julius out of the room and negotiations. There's nothing to negotiate with a person who is only begging others for help, without any power of his own. Such people can only act as tools for those actually in power.

[Kraco]

Episode 15



-- -- - - -



Seems like Souma didn't suggest a requirement of having someone not guilty of a (lost) offensive war in charge of Amidonia. Seeing how well Souma got along with Jeanne, it seems to me he could have afforded to throw it on the table. Demanding reparations in gold is kind of funny seeing how right now they are still working to make Amedonia a better place, sparing no expenses. And he even complained about the place being a dreary military dictatorship before. Yet if he now demands money, it would return to that shitty state. It makes me think he's, in fact, planning to make fools out of both Julius and Jeanne by having Amidonia revolt against Julius.

[DarthEnderX]

Isn't he having the Empire pay the money though?

[Kraco]

I understood it as wanting the payment in the empire's currency. Kind of like in our world international trade is often handled in US dollars even between countries not using the US dollar as their own currency. I suppose it was to force the empire to get involved by acting as a guarantor of sorts: Amidonia needs to borrow the money from the empire to pay the reparations (in the empire's currency). So, if Amidonia turns out to have problems paying, it's the empire that needs to find a way of getting their money back. Plus, Amidonia isn't as likely to try to delay payments or find loopholes if it's, in fact, the empire they owe money to.

[David75]

I suppose Empire's money holds value in all mankind countries too. It would be easy for Amidonia to pay with their currency and manipulate it in a way the sum is of no value afterwards.

[Kraco]

I suppose Empire's money holds value in all mankind countries too. It would be easy for Amidonia to pay with their currency and manipulate it in a way the sum is of no value afterwards.

I doubt they use fiat money, although I don't really remember. So, whatever the currency, it's basically the weight of gold/silver that matters. But of course Amidonia could reduce the amount of gold in their coins to try to fool Souma. It would be quite desperate, naturally. However, by having the empire as a proxy, few tricks remain available for Amidonia.

[David75]

My asumption is that if he specifically asks for that currency, it's to protect against currency manipulation.
But maybe just having the empire emblem coined is enough, Amidonia would not try to forge that and the empire is involved.

But to me, coins of the same gold weight and purity do not hold the same value. You can't go lower than their gold weight, but you can go higher.

[Kraco]

But to me, coins of the same gold weight and purity do not hold the same value. You can't go lower than their gold weight, but you can go higher.

The idea of a standard coin for a country was to remove the need to keep weighing gold/silver when a purchase was made. You knew that a gold ducat of a particular country or city-state would have a certain amount of gold. However, if a particular greedy king suddenly decided to make their coins lighter or dilute the gold/silver with less valuable metals, it could result in a lack of trust. In this series' case, Amidonia wouldn't probably dare to try anything funny with the empire's coins, but for Souma it could be even more important to keep the empire involved, whether the empire wanted it or not.

[Kraco]

Episode 16


- - -- -


Maybe Souma actually wasn't planning anything to actively topple Amidonia, but he most certainly gave the place a serious nudge, perfectly knowingly, into that direction. I'm sure he's ready to act if Julius screws things up as expected. I could imagine Amidonia becoming a province under Elfrieden's rule, with Roroa as the governor general. After all, you'd think there would be some use for Roroa.

[David75]

Everything seems to point to that yes.
Rather dull episode, except for those who like politics I guess.

[neflight86]

Julius's attitude confuses me- he acted like he would be the voice of reason back during the campaign (maybe that was just a weak will), and his haughty-ness is uncalled for and seems out of character, for someone from such a small player of a country in this world, with no accomplishments to speak of. The whole negotiation was so one-sided that it more served more as a vehicle for additional worldbuilding exposition than any attempt at actual diplomacy. I guess it is framed as just that; a means for Souma to become more involved with the Empire/catch their attention rather than an actual diplomatic crisis.

I thought some injustice here would be a good opportunity for Souma to become acquainted with the existing power structures and realize that his idealized course of civil strategy would not always work when faced with entrenched power structures- 'the nail that sticks out must be hammered down' kind of stuff, but it seems that Souma found himself isekai'ed into a rather agreeable world, after all.

[Kraco]

The one-sidedness was realistic. Amidonia was an occupied country, for the relevant parts, at least. The winner of the war is always going to dictate the terms. The loser can try to negotiate, but typically the winners aren't super interested in such talks. This time the empire was involved as a forceful mediator, but it was made quite clear Jeanne had no interest in the empire being used a tool to clean someone else's mess, possibly creating an even bigger mess in the future. Amidonia started it and now must pay for the consequences. The empire is only interested in a single thing: as long as the demon threat exists, humans won't waste their resources fighting each other unnecessarily.

I don't remember exactly how stupid or smart Julius was during the first season, but when the situation changes, his stance might change as well. It's also easier to talk wisely from a position of less responsibility. Now he simply wanted his country back, no matter the cost. He also acted more foolishly than one would have expected because he thought the empire was completely on his side. However, in reality Elfrieden offered more to the empire than Amidonia ever could, regardless of being a member of the treaty or not.

[Kraco]

Episode 17



- -- -- -- -



Somehow I find it hard to believe that last bunch would be qualified to control any country from the shadows.

It's a pity the lion dude had to die. Assuming he died. I suppose there's a slight chance he didn't and instead became a rebel hunter behind the scenes. But it doesn't really seem like Souma would have been capable of handling such a plot. As it is, he's starting to have his hands full of simply handling waifus.

[DarthEnderX]

It's a pity the lion dude had to die. Assuming he died. I suppose there's a slight chance he didn't and instead became a rebel hunter behind the scenes. But it doesn't really seem like Souma would have been capable of handling such a plot. As it is, he's starting to have his hands full of simply handling waifus.I dunno. Seems like a fairly simple "fake death potion" followed by "dump his body out in a field" or have one of his puppets make off with it.

[David75]

Georg's character isn't fit for spying/assasin roles as his visible/public persona is too strong and flamboyant.
He was able to use those traits to lure corrupt nobles to his side, but now that he's a traitor, there's not much he can do to hide what he is.
I do not think it was a fake death, unless that crappy group gets him out and thinks they saved their hero only to fall in the same trap as their predecessors haha.

It's still a way out as random guards where their the whole scene and I would not want them to learn the details of what Georg did.

[Kraco]

It's still a way out as random guards where their the whole scene and I would not want them to learn the details of what Georg did.

The presence of those guards was the strangest thing about the whole scene in my opinion. Considering the topic, you'd think Souma would have asked them to leave for a while. Although he might have asked them to return before handing over the poison, to get a couple of witnesses.

[neflight86]

I'm not sure why he needed to kill or stage his death at all. Its no one's business who's in the prison cells or palace, and Souma can make disguises or have them made. Death out of sight is easy to stage, so I am unimpressed by this unimaginative outcome.

Harem padding wasn't compelling enough to carry the episode either, so this was a dud all around for me.

[KrayZ33]

I'm not sure why he needed to kill or stage his death at all. Its no one's business who's in the prison cells or palace, and Souma can make disguises or have them made. Death out of sight is easy to stage, so I am unimpressed by this unimaginative outcome.

Harem padding wasn't compelling enough to carry the episode either, so this was a dud all around for me.

Not sure why it would be no one's business.
Leaving the main reason of the rebellion alive would be a japanese-anime thing to do.

And having him run free in the palace would also mean that the King was part of that scheme and basically forced the Lords to rebel with his trick, which would paint him as someone who wanted to get rid of the nobles in tyrannical fashion. If not that, it would make him look like an idiot at the very least because he was played a fool by the rebellion-leader, because "why else would someone like him not be executed"

Lion Guy's intentions might have been for the best of the kingdom, but the King is now vulnerable due to that if he doesn't crush everyone involved. The people would question his involvement and the Lords and Ladies would think they have been played and could be next.

[neflight86]

I'm referring to the use of deception. It shouldn't be a big deal to disguise or hide a still living man of such caliber. If kept safely and securely, there is no need to kill, and the prospect of preserving this life/asset was abandoned too quickly by our hero. The 'no business' is to mean that the palace isn't privy to regular people or tourists, so housing a living member of the government should pose little enough threat to be warranted. His living would have also been a boon for 1st wife's moral.

My issue is, they didn't spend enough time cutting off the logistical reasons to spare him to convince me even slightly that it was the optimal route.

[Kraco]

Episode 18



- -- -- -



Quite interesting, although I feel like this purge was executed quite haphazardly in the story. It's like there was no background to having those nobles killed, aside from what was stated offhandedly. In other words, those people were just cardboard cutout characters, whose only reason to exist was to get killed so that Souma could follow that chapter in his favourite instruction book for medieval rulers. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but think the author wanted to mockingly laugh at 99% of isekai series with that "kill your enemies now when you have a chance rather than regret it later" line.

At least in my opinion the series does depict Souma's character somewhat decently. He does act like cool-headed person would when able to stick to some kind of internal code, which is Machiavelli's book is for him, whilst being able to accept his new circumstances. He's in a do or die situation, and so far hasn't encountered events that would have left him totally helpless. Interestingly enough his order to Carla could be pretty deep, as his past actions does show that he's not really fighting against being thrown into a position of an autocrat, supposedly against his will. It's plausible he could start to like it a little bit too much, over the years.

[DarthEnderX]

Apparently, Souma wasn't aware that The Prince was probably satirical, if not intentionally undermining.

[Kraco]

Apparently, Souma wasn't aware that The Prince was probably satirical, if not intentionally undermining.

It works, nonetheless. Just look at how Russia has been ruled throughout the ages.

[David75]

Now we have closure for Georg, head of secret ops. Quite logical he is the one cleaning the nobility to finish the job he started.
The Souma/Georg prison scene and suicide in front of random guards was a way out for him to plunge into the shadows.
We also had that creepy short scene with nobles thinking they can still manipulate things their way.
And last the slaughter of those nobles and lineage at the trial.

I agree if you think that part of the story was rather weak. But they at least gave us key points to link these events.

[neflight86]

Okay show, you got me. At least the haphazard execution was some political theatre in front of the guards to preserve that ally.

The slaughter of those nobles was both shocking, and I'm not sold on it yet. Yes, they were consorting with other nations and involved in politics- isn't that what nobility is supposed to do, or does Souma expect them to govern their lands only? I'm surprised he had two to spare. No trial, no defense or repurposing or even triple agents coercion- just kill 'em quick so Machiavelli will smile down upon you...

[Kraco]

Episode 19


- -- - - -



This was probably the most tedious episode so far. I'm sure the original author felt like it was needed to build the world, but it felt utterly stretched here, with details that didn't really build the world at all or at the very least were hardly needed to be covered in a whole episode. It didn't help that the so called mad scientist hardly felt like a mad scientist and her voice was annoying (which is subjective, of course, but it affected me). All of this stuff could have been covered in half an episode and in a much better fashion. Quite disappointing because I don't have any anything against viewing the possibilities of magic in more mechanical and scientific ways, as long as an author is ready to accept the consequences for their fantasy world.

[DarthEnderX]

She definitely didn't just accidentally create a railgun...

[neflight86]

Yowza. That was rough. World building is one thing, but it felt like the author was just saying "don't be surprised when we introduce computers later; I foreshadowed it" for half this episode. This episode was a misstep, but maybe it will pay off down the road.

Giant Dyson fan was a funny visual gag.

[Kraco]

Episode 20


-- - - - -


So, Roroa is a gold digger. Although I suppose she might be the hidden agent unifying Amidonian rebels against the waste-of-skin prince (although the finances minister was thanked for that). Still, Amidonia is already a part of Elfrieden, by popular vote, so Roroa doesn't have much to offer anymore. She couldn't have used the discontent and rebels if those elements weren't already ready to bet their lives to oppose the prince, after all. Elfrieden's popularity was all thansk to Souma. If Souma hadn't bought the goodwill with his own actions, there's no way Roroa could have made the people want to become a provinve of Elfrieden. In short, it's going to be interesting to see how exactly she justifies becoming Souma's wife. What exactly can she offer?

[DarthEnderX]

So, Roroa is a gold digger. Although I suppose she might be the hidden agent unifying Amidonian rebels against the waste-of-skin prince (although the finances minister was thanked for that).I'm pretty sure she was. They were both shown meeting with her a few episodes ago.


What exactly can she offer?Legitimacy maybe? Even if the people asked for it, he still gained the country through rebellion. Marrying a member of the royal family clears up any succession complications.

[Kraco]

I'm pretty sure she was. They were both shown meeting with her a few episodes ago.

Legitimacy maybe? Even if the people asked for it, he still gained the country through rebellion. Marrying a member of the royal family clears up any succession complications.

The problem is that she represent the old, oppressive royal family that was thrown out. Although she might be the single "different" member in the eyes of those who know more, in the eyes of the mobs she would just be a member of the hated family. So, if she becomes the wife of the new king, wouldn't the masses fear that nothing will change as the old royals found a way to keep themselves afloat? Of course Souma's charisma and new methods have already proven themselves, but I still think Roroa might not be an advantage in Amidonia, under the current situation.

[David75]

Roroa was able to move several leaders/areas behind the scenes. So she still has value as an amidonian leader.

[Kraco]

Roroa was able to move several leaders/areas behind the scenes. So she still has value as an amidonian leader.

She would have value as a non-opponent. That is, if Souma kicks her out, she could potentially cause trouble. However, Amidonia already peacefully transferred under Elfrieden rule, so what could Roroa offer anymore in the future? Amidonia is already under control, and the people there feel like Souma will give them a much better life. He doesn't anymore need any help to win those people over. He just needs to treat them fairly, solve the food issue, and not tax them to death. Those are things he has handled in the past successfully as it is. I'd say Roroa has to bring something concrete onto the table, not simply her former position as an Amidonian princess. Souma has no use whatsoever for her (former) status or titles. He even keeps insisting he's, himself, nothing but an acting king. He's sticking to his non-kingly, regular clothes as well to underline it, except for rare, very formal occasions.

[DarthEnderX]

The problem is that she represent the old, oppressive royal family that was thrown out. Although she might be the single "different" member in the eyes of those who know more, in the eyes of the mobs she would just be a member of the hated family. So, if she becomes the wife of the new king, wouldn't the masses fear that nothing will change as the old royals found a way to keep themselves afloat?We don't really know what the masses think of Roroa. Do they hate the entire family? Or just the ones that ran the kingdom shittily.


Amidonia already peacefully transferred under Elfrieden ruleSo far. Loyalist forces have a tendency of trying to retake control down the road. Julius is not dead or captured. He's still out there and I doubt he considers this transfer of power to be legitimate. Especially since Souma has no hereditary claim to the throne.

Marriage to Roroa would pretty much undermine any remaining complaint Julius could make to gain support from the nobles.

[neflight86]

Thankfully they didn't spend too much more time with deadpan girl this episode; she sounds like she needs a nap anyway.

Boastful Bishoujo quasi-loli? Add Roroa to the harem spice rack.

On the one hand, I wish we got to see more of Julius' desperately clinging to power as his people rebelled, but at the same time, there wasn't much more spectacle to be had, and not animating or detailing more battles is waaaay cheaper than a few nobles walking, bowing, and delivering bad news, so that Elfrieden can more quickly annex Amidonia. I think he got more speaking lines in the post war negotiations before being shoo-ed off than he did in ruling his country, for the brief time he did.

I'm glad they did a reader's digest version of the theology state and the cold land with a reminder of the mercenary state to set the stage, and give some context as to what Elfrieden would be taking on, geopolitically. That Amidonia does have some top shelf trade worthy industries, like the wool makers should be a good boon as well. And we get a minister of finance (I'm surprised they didn't already have one).

Will Souma have another dinner-with-a-close-shave party for the nobles of this region as well?

[Kraco]

Episode 21


- - -- --



If you must suffer a harem, you might as well take advantage of it. It's about the time the dude starts looking at the girls.

[neflight86]

Souma... if you can't believe someone from this world would invent mass media advertisement, I can't believe you haven't used it yet having known about it all along...

New wife is, begrudgingly, probably the best wife by virtue of having the most personality in such a short time. Strange that she didn't consider that, even though she isn't interested in succession, her children may be...

Did Souma really have to have a zoom call about a glaring long standing but unused loophole in the mankind declaration/accord? It is worded pretty poorly, for legally binding stipulation. Scenes like this really stretch believability, but at least they established earlier that some unbeknownst force may be preventing these denizens from ever considering other perspectives (what do you mean animals and beast people are similar to you?).

[DarthEnderX]

Souma... if you can't believe someone from this world would invent mass media advertisement, I can't believe you haven't used it yet having known about it all along...In his defense, he only invented TV a couple weeks ago.

[neflight86]

I thought it was mentioned he had been king for over a year at this point.

[Kraco]

I thought it was mentioned he had been king for over a year at this point.

He has got no time to spare to come up with any extra ideas. He even moved his bed to his office so that he wouldn't lose a couple of minutes every day in walking between a bedchamber and an office. Considering that, it's believable he didn't think of revenue from ads. He only needed the communication orbs for two things: public announcements/propaganda and communication with the saint empress. After that was done, he was done with the things.

[Kraco]

Episode 22



- - - - - -- -



This was actually a somewhat decent attempt to address the question of slavery in an isekai series. Generally speaking I've dropped a number of isekai series because I was too annoyed by the isekai author's love of slaves, so it's pretty nice to see a series where there's a believable path to abolishing the whole thing. Of course the other acceptable route is the isekaied person simply accepting things are as they are and there's no easy way around it, so they would just personally avoid it but not try to change the whole world miraculously. Unfortunately in isekai, more often than not, the MC will just collect a harem of slaves who are mysteriously overjoyed to be slaves.

[Kraco]

Episode 23


- - - -- --


When drugs and criminals suddenly just disappear, you know Souma took a page or two from Duterte's textbook.

This was possibly the second most boring episode of the series. I understand how a web or light novel author could write multiple pages about stuff like this, but it shouldn't end up in the anime adaptation in an equally long form.

[Kraco]

Episode 24



- - -- - - -



An episode that wasn't boring for a chance. Not that there would have been much action, it was mostly talking, but at least the talk wasn't idealistic or naive. That's something going for this show, at the very least, although naivety hasn't been entirely avoided and complicated problems are sometimes solved too easily. But this time Souma used his power to present an ultimatum that was necessary and realistic, considering the circumstances. One thing helping him is that back in those days, prior to industrialisation and automatisation, workforce was everything. As long as there's no food crisis (and sheer land insufficiency), there can basically not be too many people because everything and anything needs to be done by hand, very inefficiently by even semi-modern standards. Obviously basic labour is also extremely cheap under such conditions.

He should listen to the princess, though, if he indeed has now accepted his new reality and isn't just thinking about how to get back home.

[DarthEnderX]

I mean, I thought it was a PRETTY boring episode.

[neflight86]

More talking heads than usual, if that were possible. I think 85% of this episode took place in the same tent; that must have saved on background art. Season 3 ain't gonna fund itself, apparently.

Refugees are an interesting thing to tangle with. Displaced people from a foreign war makes it impossible to concretely assign 'blame', and therefor a degree of compassion is expected. While I would personally prefer the Empire's plan to give land to the tribe to develop, Souma's ultimatum could be interesting as well. It apparently has spurred at least some of the homesick to return to the front lines and contribute to the war effort, so that is a small bonus.

This makes me think this show's politics and intrigue will get much more complex and interesting once the demon army/invasion is folded in more prominently.

Lucia may be the most capable assassin on the continent if she actually convinces Souma to become a first time parent in the midst of his already overburdened bureaucratic lifestyle.

[Kraco]

I'd say Souma saw the weaknesses in the Empire's plan quite well. While it might seem generous to give the refugees a whole piece of land to make their own, basically, it's not so easy in practice. Turning wilderness into a fertile farming village takes a lot of effort and resources, even if you had all the know-how. Furthermore, if the refugees had still remained refugees, their status within the country would have continued to be ambiguous. That would have been especially annoying for Souma, a person from a modern society. After the next generation had grown up, the split within the community would have been very drastic.

Souma might have forced a harsh decision upon the refugees, but if we assume the demons aren't going anywhere, it was definitely the best thing for those folks. Instead of living half-assedly, hoping to one day return to their homeland, they can now dedicate themselves to building a new life, possibly even better than the old one. And like Souma said, if the demons are vanquished and the refugees want to drop their new life and return to their old one, nobody will stop them. In the meantime, getting fully integrated means they won't be second class people living in some underdeveloped corner of the kingdom.

[Kraco]

Episode 25


Much of the episode was totally wasted. It would have been wasted even if Souma's various fetishes had been revealed, so when the scene was cut before that, it was no less wasted, obviously. Unless that scene somehow mysteriously plays a significant role later, I don't see much point in animating it. Not that it would have been the first scene in this series that shouldn't have ever survived the editing room. Scenes like that serve better the slow life type isekai series.

I thought this was the last ep, but I reckon there will be one more.

[DarthEnderX]

26

---

Oh fuck, does that count as a fireworks festival?!

I'd thought the king's instant abdication was a bit contrived/played as a joke. This explained that well.

[Kraco]

Yeah. I have to say I'm extremely happy it wasn't due to a prophesy that the king immediately abdicated and handed all power to Souma. Of course considering the results this isn't any different, but the important thing is that it wasn't a prophesy, just an intense warning from a future self.

Those aristrocrats really were a nasty lot. You'd think they were communists or something, seeing how they wanted to see the country more or less destroyed, not just the king replaced.

[DarthEnderX]

Those aristrocrats really were a nasty lot. You'd think they were communists or something, seeing how they wanted to see the country more or less destroyed, not just the king replaced.They were probably promised positions of power by Amidonia, who has no reason to destroy their land if they serve them.