Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

Tensai Ouji is a way better rhetoric than Realist Hero. There, I've said it.

Honestly, I didn't even think that there was another work that could better refine the Realist side of things, and when Tensai Ouji by novelist Toru Toba dropped this season, I'm more than elated to say that more than Realist Hero finally having a legit competitor, the latter was a lot more heartful and soulful that kept me rather engaged than Dojyomaru's big-brained insanity of a drag on that has already spanned across 2 cours. Of course, this wasn't all without its drawbacks that hindered what could a better potential of a ... much better Realist Hero be within the firepower lines of sight.

And that story starts just like Realist Hero, except without the Isekai, so it's keeping the narrative within closed borders and without external interference. Right off the gate, the full name of the series actually omits the ~Sōu da, Baikoku Shiyōu~ (Hey, How About Treason?) LN/manga tagline because that was supposed to kickstart the anime alright, but the beginning section was handled very briefly, but poorly to the point where it went speedrunning like crazy. I was almost legitly spooked because yet another series this season (Shikkakumon) was doing the exact same thing, and that was a big no-no when it comes to adaptations of not providing introductory context to the viewers. You can blame director Makoto Tamagawa for that mishap, considering that he didn't have enough experience as a director should be to break the 3-episode rule (which thankfully, the series gets better after that).

But enough about that. As I was saying, the introduction is very similar to Realist Hero, where due to certain complexities, the rightful king has to be commissioned out of his throne, only to pass the baton to someone capable. And that person is the Crown Prince Wein Salema Arbalest, the capable heir to the royal line of the Kingdom of Natra. He has the wits to raise his nation out of potential issues (say, debt) and is lauded for his genius traits, the only problem is that like the title, beneath that princely facade of his, lies the true colours of a rash rebel, a treasonous attitude to sell off his own kingdom and escaping from his duties. All day long, he will try to think of ways to complain about anything and everything, so long as he achieves his goal of not wanting to be shouldered with the kingdom's responsibilities on his neck. And as much as he gets flak in doing this, none is as more close as Ninym Ralei, a close friend and his personal aide whom comes from an oppressed minority race known as the Flahm. She is always the one that keeps Wein in balance and check, should he try to play punk and do the impossible, which for hilarious reasons (since this is a fantasy comedy), always fails outright with his genius brain, leading him steps further from treason. Honestly, I can consider these two as a couple ship, though they are more than just friends governing a kingdom, growing from a pre-mature state into a colossal feat from that genius brain of Wein's alone. Also, Ninym is waifu material, nuff said.

These two aren't alone in making Wein's conquest of winning kingdoms and bawling like a kid a reality. Wein has a youngster sister by the name of Falanya Elk Arbalest, whom one day aspires to be like her genius brother by filling in the gap when he couldn't do. And in my eyes, the perfect Imouto character can actually exist, even more for someone whom holds a position within the royal family. And like Wein, she has a personal bodyguard by the name of Nanaki Ralei, though both him and Ninym are unrelated to one another as siblings with the same family name.

Politics is the name of the game, and what character to fill that gap within the conflict of nations by adding a fellow friend into the mix: Lowellmina "Lowa" Earthwold, the second princess of the Earthworld Empire alongside her brothers Demetrio, Bardloche and Manfred, all vying for the throne in the most kingdom-like inner conflict ever. Of course, being a princess has stakes too just like a prince, and being friends with both Wein and Ninym in the Royal Academy, she knows the tricks and trades of both characters, more than being the female equal of Wein to the point of playing mindgames and trying to outwit each other. And shall I say for a fantasy comedy, the psychological "brains vs. brawn" of Lowa and Wein is one of the highlights of the series, and I can't understate this enough that this is the mark of friendship that's purposefully churned upside down for comedy purposes. It's like they didn't mean for things to happen, but yet it did, and will always come to a consensus at the very end to draw the psychological infighting. This is character development that I'm willing to invest into, and it paid off quite nicely.

Conspicuously, Yokohama Animation Lab was (and still is) a relatively new studio that I wasn't expecting to see on here, considering that the last series that the studio produced (Magatsu Wahrheit: Zuerst) didn't really show off any kind of decent visuals, and is still kinda at the bottom-tier of the animation pack. That said, Tensai Ouji is the studio's 3rd full-fledged work after Magatsu and Lapis Re:LiGHTs, and I can see some improvements, though much ado at times falling back to the same styles that have been done before. Specifically, the 3DCG that still feels wonky to watch, that neither is it good nor bad, just not a clean transition at all. But otherwise, it's just mediocre to at best, decent animation and visuals, since this features some action as well that's more static than moving ones, unless you want CGI in then it'll look horrible.

Likewise, there is something that caught my eye when the show started. Apparently, if you're a sharp-eyed hawk like me, you would've noticed that for some reason, they couldn't get the OP visual done in time, resorting to splicing and combining regular episodic animation cuts as sort of a "Just In Time" replacement before we would get the official OP visual fixed 4 episodes in. Yikes, that's honestly scary to not meet deadlines, and likely killed off potential viewers whom were interested in the show. Otherwise, the selection of the OST here is really good, and that one surprise is the unusual collab that I'd never expected to see: Nagi Yanagi and The Sixth Lie, joining forces to compose a song together that in my mind, was nothing short of a pleasant OP song, might be one of the better ones this season. For Yoshino Nanjo, her depature from fripSide is very telling, and the streak continues with her solo ED, which like the OP, is also a pleasant, upbeat song. All things considered, this would be one of the better OSTs of the season for me.

When it all comes down to it, I have to say that I really enjoyed Tensai Ouji more than Realist Hero, and the difference lies in these pointers (thanks to a certain someone's recommendations which I feel, resonates a lot with me):
- Realist Hero spends lots of its time on, for instance, fanservice in disguise, whereas Tensai Ouji relies on fewer narrative devices but it doesn't attempt to hide them.
- In both shows, the MC gets instantly appointed to lead their nations. Realist Hero's events happen randomly and clogs the narration trying to justify it, whereas Tensai Ouji makes it easy to accept and move on.
- In Realist Hero, magic plays a role to conveniently solve many issues, whereas Tensai Ouji relies solely on the wits of the protagonist.
- Realist Hero stresses on minor (at times, tedious) details of the governance; whereas Tensai Ouji almost exclusively focuses on the grand scheme of things.

If you're finding a show better suited to showcase what it means to be a Realist Hero, you can do no better than Tensai Ouji. And indeed, this show guided me out of debt to appreciate a few more comedy than I ever could.

Hmm, how to make a smart Main character interesting? Make him whine all the time?


“He is as interesting as a Wein(er)” ~ Secretary fujiwara.

This MC is the worst character in the entire season for me.

1)He predict things but they always go wrong but hell naw “He is the smartest”
2)” I am smort so I will cri but make sure to do the right thing anyhoo”~Weiner
3)any flahm/ninym insult just makes him seem like an immature child with a crown who heard a yo mama joke. He loses reason, and one day itll bite him in his ass.
...
if this was a comedy-only anime id forgive all this, hell'd even give it an 8/10, but it tries so hard to be a political thriller then its fair that I judge it based on that yes.

The problem does not end there, however, The MC who is supposed to be the smartest most badass dude who can achieve whatever he wants is just a tantrum-throwing kid who gets angered by even a slight insult to his waifu, and we are not talking a little mad, He makes SOME VERY QUESTIONABLE MOVES for someone WHO HAS THIS MUCH RESPONSIBILITY cause? someone said Ninym is low-class and does not belong in the gathering.

Most of the plot goes like He tries to predict something and it fails and falls flat, he throws a tantrum then he tries to predict things again, bravo it checks out this time why? GeNiUs PriNcE.

if you liked realist heroes, this may have a similar flavor. However, the comedic timing and whiny nature of the MC is sure to hamper most of its enjoyment IMO.

If this were a comedy it would probably work but, the themes are all over the place, sometimes he worries about his people doing things for them helps them out, some times he just talks of offering them up as sacrifices. People die and are emotionally affected due to his actions so certainly this is no comedy which makes him an even bigger asshole.

But an insult to Ninym just makes him go from smort man to caveman with zero reasoning capability. He does not care what happens to his other best friend Lowa but insulting ninym = trouble.

Enough ranting time to actually review XD

Plot (6/10)
Can you please decide if you want to do a comedy or a political thriller author san? Wein makes so many downright stupid decisions due to flahms, stupid idealistic thoughts. But, it all checks out due to some smart BS he conjures out from the depths of Narnia.

Characters (3/10)
Welcome to “I tried to hard to be RE zero” Imitation of flawed? MC Weiner , White head waifu (voiced by same VA too xD) so basically Emilia 2, A love rival Lowa who is actually miles better than the Whitehead but fuck that amirite? OH, ofc Petra = Flanya the loli used to give alternate perspectives (however she is a good character and her development was a pretty good one! But yet again Weiner had to come to steal her show ).

Art and animation (7/10)
The background art is quite good, The character design makes the none male or Lolis look like the same character tho dunno why. Op art is decent, ED not so much. At least the art style I must say is rather original. Animation is okay mostly, I loved the fact that they animated the horses properly was a big plus.

Sound and VA (8/10)
VAs do a great job no issue there (yes even the VA of wiener), OST is not catchy but fits the scene.ED is rather unique with a lot of royalty vibes.

Look, It depends if you consider it to be a Comedy you'll have a great time. HELL I HAD A GREAT TIME TOO when i ignored the political blabber which i knw will be thrown out of the window in the next fram., but if you try hard to be an intellectual political thriller and fail every criteria in it , I will judge as the same and so will others hence consider it a comedy anime or maybe watch 2 episodes to check if you can tolerate his bullshitery,

Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu contain :
1. A waifu material
2. Trap that I welcome open heartedly
3. A normal brocon siscon relationship. "I'm looking at you tatsuya."
4. A good fantasy story with an actual plot from each episode.
5. Good art design from the environment to the character itself. You know what I mean.
6. Sound from the fight is 7/10 which mean good but I feel like something's missing. A bit bland from the background music (not the ost but the actual background sound)
7. Good and enjoyable character. Especially in certain part. (I know what I say and I ... know my priority)

Overall : Recommended anime if you like Genjitsuyuusha

It's like watching the animated version of CKIII with a little bit of... oh shoot ! I accidentally drop the whole bottle of japanize beam !.

There's probably a lot of strange thoughts going in your head as you read the title and premise of this show. After watching that preview, you may be asking yourself if someone capable as Wein can do the job as a ruler. Even if he is a genius, ruling a kingdom is no easy task. There's followers to control, rules to be upheld, and above all else, Wein has to keep his kingdom afloat on a tight budget. Sounds like a recipe for a lot of drama if you consider the stakes. That being said, I do believe this anime marked its potential and somehow ... made itself worth watching.

Now, I must admit, it took me some time to actually accept Wein for who he is. Because underneath his princely face lies exterior motives. His aide, Ninym is the only person who seems to know his real intentions. Above all else, Wein has shown that he has an intellectual mind but his personality is sometimes overshadowed by his laziness. Ninym notices his habits often and gets the receiving end of her scolding. However, it's shown that the two can actually get along very well and they have shown to care for each other on numerous occasions. Ninym's loyalty to the Natra Kingdom is also invaluable to her decisions to be by Wein's side. As you watch this series, there are many instances when Ninym puts her own brilliant mind to use. While Wein takes the role of the genius prince, she's his sidekick. And believe me, they make a formidable duo.

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt is not the first anime to explore the economic elements of a fictonal world. How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (another anime airing the same season) also deals with similar issues with a protagonist being in charge of their own nation. However, there's pressure put on Wein as the nation is in debt. Let's face it, he needs to win the favor of the people. When you're a ruler, there's nothing worse than having the people rise up and rebel. Wein knows the risks but plans accordingly with his own tactical mind. These include making profitable sales, negotiations, and more importantly, forging strategic alliances with other nations. One of the most prominent includes Zeno from the Kingdom of Marden. In one of the more complex story angles, Wein takes strategic actions to benefit Natra and its people while also not triggering animosity with the nation of Marden, or Zeno herself.

Another alliance to keep an eye on is the Earthworld Empire. With a rich land of resources and large landscape, there's no doubt that Wein would want to build a trustworthy relationship with them. Thankfully, the anime took its sweet time to estabilsh a relationship between Wein and its princess, Lowellmina Earthworld. With a sense of justice and determination, Lowellmina is perhaps one of Wein's most important allies. There are even hints of a more personal relationship between the two although the anime downplays this. Lowellmina also proves herself to be a crafty individual with a bright mind. Compared to Ninya, she brings in the political side of the series to more light. That is, you better be prepared for some politics in this anime.

Sometimes in this series, you'd have to wonder how interpersonal relationships are developed for certain characters. No, this is not a romantic comedy despite the alarming amount of female cast on the poster visual. Yet, there are some hints of romantic elements dropped throughout the series. Ninya is a noticeable example when she reacts with jealousy whenever a girl gets closer to Wein. She also strikes a rivalry with Lowellmina mid-season. Wein himself seems more focused on trying to retire as early as possible than getting a girlfriend or getting engaged. In essence, you won't find much romance here. However, one of the more charming relationships is between Wein and her sister Falanya. It really spells out how innocent their relationship is especially since Falanya wants to help her brother as much as possible.

While not being a stellar masterpiece in production quality, this anime does a solid job at capturing the light novel character designs, settings, and overall mood. It translates the elegance of the most prominent characters such as Wein, Ninym, and Lowellmina into animated form. Most importantly, the anime captures the feeling of a fantasy. It always important for animators to make a setting look as credible as possible. For this show, it managed to do just that by showing the state of Natra with its debt. Let's face it, their kingdom doesn't exactly look perfect yet gives the impression of a nation that needs to be rebuilt.

It's definitely not a mainstream type of anime. This anime is in fact, more niche than most fantasy titles you see around these days. It takes on the kingdom management idea and transforms it into its own story with colorful characters and backgrounds. I would recommend this anime even if you're not a target audience. Give it a try and see what you can make from following Wein and his everyday life.

Having tried and not completed a number of other first episodes prior to starting Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu my mood was pretty low and seeing it was primarily listed as a comedy didn’t exactly set my spirits soaring given how hit and miss I find comedy anime to be. As the episode opened I was more or less just wondering if I’d get to the end of the episode or even bother writing anything about it particularly as the other comedy fantasy anime I started didn’t actually make it ten minutes before I pulled the pin (Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to).

And while ... this episode took a bit to get moving and at first I wasn’t all that interested in this so called genius prince, and even though most events that occurred felt reminiscent of other anime, I will admit by the end of the episode I was at least engaged and I’m curious enough that I’ll probably give this series at least another episode.

The central conceit in Tensai Ouji is that Wein, the Prince of the country who has had to take control after his father fell ill, doesn’t want to rule his small kingdom that is resource poor and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors. Instead of planning for his kingdom’s future, he’s planning his own retirement with the idea of improving the kingdom just enough to raise its value to sell off.

It makes him a relatively unlikeable character out of the gate as he wants to abandon his responsibilities and complains every chance he gets (which is more or less every time he’s alone with his aide, Ninym).

If anything it is kind of like a reverse Realist Hero where instead of having some conscientious person looikng at how to improve the lives of those he leads, Wein is just looking for a quick and superficial change in order to achieve his own goal. And like Realist Hero, Wein is stuck with the label of apparently being a genius, and in fairness, he is at least a reasonable and realistic thinker but he definitely doesn’t consider all the possible variables which are why his schemes inevitably fail (by somehow succeeding beyond expectations).

The other anime that I was strongly reminded of while watching this first episode of Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu was weirdly Lord Marksman and Vanadis. When they ride out to do battle and we end up looking at markers on a map as the tactics are explained, while Tensai Ouji takes a far more jovial approach to it, there was something weirdly reminiscent about it. The impression was only furthered when Wein tactically draws the enemy general into the hills and his aide rides down the hills and essentially slaughters them.

I don’t have particularly high expectations for Tensai Ouji going forward. I suspect that it will either up the comedy in which case I’ll end up finding it outside of my interest or it will become a bit more generic fantasy and end up being indistinguishable from a number of other anime that it feels similar to at this point.

Then again, maybe I’m not giving it enough credit. Maybe Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu is going to really flesh out these characters and the world and give us a solid season.

Either way, this first episode was very watchable and so far it seems pretty decent to me.

How could clickbait have come this far? Going over the Winter 2022 animes in an attempt to find something to tickle my fancy, I pick up a few animes, one with promising visuals, one show that looked to be for babies, and this show, which promised me something which I never got, and that was comedy.

As I had read the synopsis of this show I had come to think of this show as to be the next KonoSuba in comedy, promising in its synopsis and satisfactory in its deliverance, however, with The Genius Princes Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt (or ... for the sake of conciseness, Genius Prince), you'll find that the constructed and advertised idea isn't entirely honest with the viewer, upon brief analysis of the shows content you would think that the show portrayed a heavy element of comedy; in all plot summaries I have read I had gotten a heavy vibe of comedy, such examples being "his wit often surpasses even his own expectations—much to the benefit of the oblivious citizens of Natra." and "selling off his home country and escaping from his duties". This is the exact reason I went to watch this show because what I did NOT expect was a heavy dosage of politics, criminally lacking in any form of comedy that a normal person would understand, and becoming what I'd call "Alzheimer's Writing", where it forgets the entire point of the show; which brings me to first point of this review:

The failure of unrelatable comedy. The comedy in this show is so underwhelming and unnoticeable it feels like the writer's point of comedy is that HE himself finds it funny how the average viewer is not able to understand, you cannot make good comedy complex otherwise most of the show's duration is spent overthinking everything thus making the comedy pointless for the entire purpose of comedy, which is to lighten dark tones or bring a sense of playfulness to the genre-blend. In Genius Princes case, this show makes the comedy so vague that if you were at all able to notice it, you’d just forgotten the joke and the scenario because you were too focused on the indistinct punchline that may or may not have occurred. Any simple joke that someone could’ve understood here is your typical freak out and baby tantrum which you’ll find in any unimaginative comedy in the anime medium. To summarize, the comedy feels less like it’s funny for the viewer and funnier for someone like Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, who sees 5 step 500 IQ jokes to be the only amusing ones.

Final point, branching from my first paragraph we get the use of politics. Politics may have not been an advertised factor within the shows many synopsis', but it's definitely clear and broad within the shows genre-blend, and so why shouldn't I just ignore the comedy aspect and focus on the politics, and instead try to understand the world and how he plans to sell his nation off? I tried, but this show is yet again another example of how to poorly execute politics in a show. Upon trying to understand the show I have found that it is indeed well rounded, enough to make sense and wrap up nicely in a huge bundle of "Oh I see what they're doing now.", however, I feel this show lacks any innovation to make it interesting in any sort of way at all, and manages to turn a comedic show political, and a political show snooze worthy, which I can say from experience as I perfectly recall trying to stay awake during one of the earlier episodes where I tried to learn the worlds politics.

Genius Prince's genres are probably the most pathetic excuses of genre utilization in recent years, failing to execute any of its desired themes, by being plainly unfunny and vague in its comedy, and uninteresting in its politics, making the show be about as bland as cardboard and as interesting as a slugs journey across a footpath.

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) or “The average prince with idiots around him.”

It was really painful for me to watch the show. I had no idea if the author of the novel really did try to make the prince look like a genius or if the novel was a parody or satire of idiots being placed in high positions.

The military strategies and events were mind fuckingly stupid. I mean even some decent commander would’ve figured out pretty common battle tactics of the prince, right? I mean enemy generals studied battle strategy, right? Nope, they’re ... just a bunch of idiots. It’s hard to see the prince as a genius when his competition are just a bunch of idiots. And how the fuck does armies appear out of nowhere

unchallenged? Don’t they have a rear guard or something? Some strategies of the prince are justified on why they work but some don’t just have an explanation on how they work aside from the stupidity of the enemy generals. I don’t know if the novel explained in detail how every tactic worked and the anime left it out. I’m just confused on how the enemy can be so stupid. The show’s battle tactics are like Game of Thrones season 7 or 8, they rarely make sense.

Then most of the negotiations and diplomatic talk also don’t make a lot of sense. The prince bluffs about this, tells this… most average person would’ve called to see if it really was a bluff or would’ve at least risked taking the chance. But no, all the people in this show are idiots except for the prince.

The saving grace for the anime to me are the characters and how they interact with each other. It’s not the best, but it has some potential. The main characters are fun to watch especially they banter and is the only reason of enjoyment I had in the show.

I criticize the show for creating idiots as enemies and even if it was intentional because the show was a satire or a parody, it didn’t work because it wasn’t funny and was just painful to watch. But the main characters were somehow enjoyable.

Overall Rating 2/10
Enjoyment 4/10 (I rate based on enjoyment)

This started off really well. And I mean REALLY well. The premise was curious and the protagonist's goal was something that made everything fun... For 3 episodes. When the season began I thought this would be the series that would show the 'Realist Hero' how it's done, and much to my surprise, it was the exact opposite. The show that started strong, got weaker and vice versa. It went from our MC being a legitimately genius strategist coming up with interesting tactics, to me going "You're joking, right?"

A story's ending matters a lot, and the final twist of the show, the genius move our genius ... MC uses to win in the final episode felt insulting to me. Sorry, but a bluff about shirts being what saves the day isn't good enough for me.

And, let's be honest, a lot can be overlooked since, let's be honest, this is a silly show that people watch casually for fun.
After the first 3 episodes slowly but surely it started to give into genre conventions instead of world build and implement tropes instead of write a story.

Just look at the poster and take a guess of what type of characters you'll find: the powerful older Queen that has an inexplicable obsession with the MC, the older powerful eccentric king, the slimy character that creeps on the MCs younger sister, the cookie cutter younger sister herself, the OP right hand of the MC that of course is also in love with him, etc, etc... Mind you, I will give it credit for not implementing the whole harem dynamic

“A wise king never seeks out war. But he must always be ready for it.” - Odin from Thor (2011).

May contain spoilers.

There's not much I can say about the anime because the title is so long to read and particularly pretty hard to spell out from the get-go. I was a bit unsettled when the anime was adapted from a light novel, which usually spells out 'trash show', however, it is quite relieving to know that my assumptions were wrong and having thoroughly watched it, it's definitely better than what I originally expected, just not the type of high quality that you would get from ... the oven.

The story revolves starting from the title alone, it's about a prince who became the current ruler of a relatively small country, Natra after his father has fallen ill. The prince also happens to be a genius, seemingly capable of leading their country with the image of a true king. It all was spoiled when we realize how the regent happens to be quite bratty. Along with his silver-haired companion, Ninym, they both venture outside to tend to their neighbouring countries and always opt for solutions as others are more advanced in terms of resources in contrast to Natra.

A bit off-topic, but the main prince during the last few episodes for some reason, forgotten about how he wanted to sell out his homeplace just for the sake of his crush caught me off-guard, leading me to think I was going to watch an insufferable character, relieved it does not happen but it also led me to realise how the anime somewhat loses its way after establishing the main character's objective, since he's way too busy with his duties after establishing incoherent relationships with one after another.

The story is honestly predictable, the prince goes to a foreign country to establish connections with their king or a political leader, they are offered topics to discuss, the prince counterattacks with a 999 IQ suggestion with an ulterior motive behind all things, the receiving end gets frustrated until his opponents falter in their move and goes for the kill. In every episode, this happens all the time with a few changes in between like inserting a couple of allies who also happened to be girls or making the main character squabble about they got checkmated. As for the comedy, it fell flat most of the time with me, because just seeing a prince going crazy after one problem arise after another or watching him getting punched by his companion is not what I’m looking for.

It's like the author wrote it with a hint of Death Note and a fantasy approach. Not all that bad, but it becomes relatively old once you know its tricks. Albeit the criticism, the execution of the story is well done and interesting, though I noticed how some episodes feel rushed, I do not mind as the flow of the story may seem to be rough, it did not lose its path along the way.

Due to that, you would eventually realise how forgettable some of the episodes went, but there were particular quotes that stuck with me, regarding around when Episode 10 aired, stating the meaning of what nobility is truly portrayed.

The artistic aspect of this show varies, the artistic backgrounds are pretty good, the character designs are a bit acceptable to look at but what ruined it was the animation, the choreography looks quite stiff, the characters' movements are reduced to a simple drawing just showing them walking toward a destination and not showing anything that resembles natural movement. It is a bit hard to swallow, but not frustrating enough to quit. If I were to pick one character that looks the best, I would choose Wein, yes the main prince himself, who particularly stands out a lot with his golden eyes and excretes an aura of intelligence around him. Though this statement means that a lot of characters in The Genius Prince don’t resonate well with room for a few exceptions, like Falanya for example.

The characters, however, were somewhat entertaining to look at but still had me feeling indifferent towards the cast. There's nothing distinctive I feel about the main couple. They act somewhat mature and decent, but nowhere worthy to be remembered. Wein just acts like a teen genius most of the time, he doesn't offer anything new to the table in this wide array of main casts. Ninym feels like she was there for the sake of fanservice and looking cute, despite the fact Wein telling everybody she is very capable. Lowa is like Wein but as a female, enough said. About the side characters, they have the same value that what I felt about the main characters. The connection, the bonds, and the chemistry felt nonexistent between the couple.

As I mentioned about Falanya, I thought it was going for some degenerative incest relationship judging the way they look at each other and listen to each story with looks of admiration. Thank goodness, that did not happen, as it would not sit well for me to watch another weird sexual relationship between siblings again.

In the end, it's nothing special. But a good watch for anyone a bit open-minded about the inconsistent animation and the sudden change of opening animations. To conclude this review, I liked The Genius Prince which offers an interesting world to look into with its medieval setting and politics, story is fairly simple to catch. The sound is mediocre at best. With that all said, thank you for reading.

Its comparable to realist hero as a leader for a country.

Sadly I have to say its like realist hero but without theory.

A stupid person's idea of what a genius is.

All methods of game theory of outsmarting the opponent and powerplay, is so shallow. its presented as just thinking ahead but without the proper execution or context. Such as Past experiences, past mistakes, research, strategical theories, understanding of human behavior. If present it just is mentioned briefly as if its for Stupid people who may not understand it.

A stupid person's idea of what a genius is, is someone who is just smart without research and study, ... "They just know somehow" if they execute it has to come from somewhere.

The execution of strategical and political theories in this show is important, for the reason of like in realist hero, the protagonist does not have an opposing force that is equal to him or a extreme threat with the same advantages like "Death note" or a bigger force actively playing against him like "Steins;Gate" So theory and detail is more valuable in executing the story.

The best example of a person having intellectual advantage over everyone is "One outs" and "No Game No Life" it does not have strategical theory but within the context of their specialty it is explained through their experiences. Like in No Game No life, the protagonists explaining how they saw this challenge in a game they played before.

Good Characters though.

Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

After the first 3 humiliating and bad episodes, I thought I was going to be subjected to torture. Thank God the anime improved well enough from episode 4 on to be almost underwhelming. Not only does the plot consist entirely of clichés, but the constantly repetitive progression of events and the embarrassing performances and comedy moments of the characters is unbearable pain.

There is another anime with a relatively similar theme, which is however an isekai. "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom".
Unfortunately, I can hardly say which of the two has been worse. Both have massive weaknesses ... in pacing, buildup, character scope, and quality.
But for me, "Genius Prince" dominated very narrowly in the field of characters and at least had a few useful scenes, otherwise, the 2 copies are almost equal to each other.

This series could only convince me in the area of characters, even if this compliment applies to only 3 characters. Furthermore the fact that the characters are merciless to the point as soon as it comes to killing an enemy.

[Story 3]

The king of Natra has fallen ill (if he exists at all) and the protagonist aka Lelouch Jesus Yagami must take over his throne. He represents himself as a complete and unfunny clown who can do absolutely nothing. But secretly he is the only character in the universe with a triple-digit IQ.

In a world where kings are simply hollow and devious and there are no exceptions. Intrigues are forged (if this can be called any at all) and war is waged.

Among other things, the human race "Flahm" is seen by all as negative and constantly thrown with racist remarks and degraded. At least from the narrative. There were only 2 evil kings who talked negatively about it and no one else was very interested. Especially how often the female protagonist just walked without being looked at in any questionable way. Likewise, her frequent use as an embassy worker.

Big speech little sense, the protagonist waged war against foolish failures and wins it through a collection of clichés and epic plans.

Also good to note would be the final bluff against Delunio, which has been impressively bad. Or the fact that he was framed for an assassination, although everyone present should have known that the protagonist didn't have access to tea', yet he was the main suspect.

[Characters 4]

The protagonist Wine, as I mentioned, is an overly powerful creature who possesses an absolute poker face. No matter what happens, he first repeats 10 times how little he wants to do it and how problematic it is or what kind of difficulties it is, before of course solving all the problems perfectly planned without losing even a tear of sweat. He has absolutely no personality, he is just as he appears in the first 2 minutes.

Ninym with her sideboobs is one of the flahm which are despised in the whole realm for their origin. Well at least if this is ever an issue, otherwise no one cares about her or her heritage. At least she has an interesting relationship with other female characters.

I can't call Lowell the main character, but she played a more important role. Her personality is decent and she has a passable connection with Ninym.

Otherwise, all the secondary characters are empty shells and that's without exaggeration. Some possessed only 2 sentences.

The "enemies" are the biggest embarrassment of all. They made fun of the prince who accidentally fell out of the balcony and broke his neck. But the other opponents were at most one day smarter than him. The general from episode 2, could have been practically an amateur who acted as a well-known general, but never had to fight a war until now. And the rest of the opponents are made up of random people who like to smile wickedly.

[Music 5 / Animations 5]

There isn't much to say in the area of animations. Backgrounds are average and the series is also moderately detailed. Only the non-existent CGI is praiseworthy.

Intro and outro are average. There was nothing worth mentioning about the osts either.

[Score 4]


In between this anime is good, but those who have an interest in political stories that take place, especially in the Middle Ages, then he should keep their hands off this anime.
It is nothing more than an anime that you can watch in between if you just can not decide on anything or have little desire for something complex.

[Enjoyment 3]

Absolutely ridiculous if you look at the war from a military perspective! (There is a war in the anime but it is started in the first episode so it’s not a spoiler).
The enemy does every possible mistake they can. Traps? Basic tactics? Don’t exist. The MC looks way to intelligent but not because he is ( obviously he’s not dumb) but because the enemy is way too imbecile. They don’t consider traps, they think having a numerical advantage means absolute victory no matter what. The enemy has a well-built fortress made of wood so is easily flammable and they have nowhere to retreat because ... that’s not an objective? Don’t think logically, surrounding them and making a barrier around them so they can definitely not retreat or get supplies? No mate, it’s an absolutely ridiculous idea. Just try to barge into their fortress and kill everyone by having numerical advantage.

Completely absurd!

The anime does have fan service which is fine but is totally not related to the story so meaningless.
The art is okay, nothing impressive, the music is average the opening is nothing special.
If the story gets better and more realistic it can be a good show but as it is currently at episode 3 I don’t like it.
Thanks for reading it.

Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu, also known as "Genius Prince's National Revitalization Spell," is a captivating anime series that seamlessly blends fantasy, political intrigue, and humor. Set in a medieval fantasy world, the show takes viewers on an enthralling journey of political maneuverings, strategic planning, and the quest for a brighter future.

One of the most impressive aspects of Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu is its rich and intricate world-building. The creators have crafted a detailed kingdom with its own history, culture, and diverse characters. The political landscape, complete with different factions and power struggles, adds depth to the story and keeps ... the viewers engaged throughout. The attention to detail in the setting and its visual presentation is commendable, with vibrant animation and beautifully designed landscapes.

The protagonist, Prince Wein, is a refreshing departure from the typical overpowered hero archetype. Despite lacking physical strength, Prince Wein possesses exceptional intelligence and strategic acumen, making him a compelling lead character. His ability to utilize his intellect to navigate complex political situations and implement innovative reforms forms the core of the story. Watching him outsmart his opponents and gradually win the support of his subjects is both satisfying and inspiring.

Supporting characters in Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu are equally well-developed and memorable. Each character brings a unique perspective and set of skills to the narrative, contributing to the overarching plot in significant ways. The interpersonal dynamics between the characters, their alliances, and rivalries provide plenty of room for character growth and unexpected plot twists.

The anime strikes a delicate balance between serious political drama and light-hearted comedy. The humor adds levity to the otherwise heavy themes, ensuring the series remains entertaining without losing its narrative focus. The witty dialogues and clever banter between characters inject moments of lightheartedness that effectively break the tension, keeping the audience engaged.

One minor drawback of the series is the pacing. At times, the story might feel rushed, particularly during key plot developments. Certain character arcs could benefit from more exploration and development to enhance their emotional impact. Nevertheless, this doesn't detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the series.

In conclusion, Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu is a remarkable anime that deftly combines politics, strategy, and humor into an engaging and immersive experience. With its well-crafted world-building, complex characters, and thought-provoking narrative, it offers a unique perspective on governance and the pursuit of a better society. Despite minor pacing issues, this anime stands out as an excellent choice for fans of political intrigue and fantasy.

If you like Fire Emblem but are not a fan of the romance-sidestories in that one, this here might be for you.

As next entrance in the line of "I can't believe it's not Isekai"-type shows, Tensai Ouji is actually somewhat refreshing in its approach to tactical warfare and kingdom management. I was initially a little off-put by the protagonist claiming to want nothing to do with all this, whining about having to attend to his duties and basically planning to retire in luxury as soon as he can, but when he is forced to step up, he is actually fun to watch. At his core, ... he is a smart - if maybe not the genius type level he considers himself to be - yet somewhat lazy character who wants the easy way, and can actually show his stuff when forced to act. I'm not gonna say the little interludes of a chibi version of himself going "No! No! I can't believe this didn't work out as I had hoped!" can't get just a little grading, but he is at least fun to watch, especially when he has to bluff like he's in court trying to overturn a hopeless situation. He is very adept at handling his cards, staying calm and doing what's best for himself but also his kingdom. He claims not to care and he certainly has his moments, but overall it's amde apparent that he doesn't hate his life as much as he claims in his little fits.

Right next to him is Ninym, who initially comes off as a kind of annoyed retainer forced to keep his manchild tendencies in check, but whom he actually shares a nicely developed bond with. The show even addresses that, while they have a bit of a mutual attraction, they can never marry, so her being by his side as his companion, strategist partner and equal gives the show some much needed ground to stand on. She isn't used for fanservice, either, and just as capable as Wein himself, if a little less prone to take a gamble. They make for a nice team and are at the core of what I find makes this one worth watching.

As for the side cast, they aren't too notable overall, but what does stand out is that they're all human. This is a fantasy world, yes, but it doesn't have any magic, elves or cat-ears in it. There isn't too much attention given to the world building in particular, but there is only so much you can do in 12 episodes without completely taking the focus off of your main interests - Prince Wein, Ninym and the tactical warfare and such - and certain details do elude to an actually reasonably planned-out world to explore. In addition, there are several cool female characters - not that noteworthy overall, but in a light novel adaptation, it's nice that none of them has any harem-type feelings or personality and thus likewise approach Wein as his equal. Some of them may even be smarter than the "genius" prince. Again, it's a small bar to clear, but it lend the show an air of realness that added to me being able to take the negotiations and battles seriously instead of getting distracting boob-armor or panty shots in my face every other minute.

In the end, I find myself with not much more to say about this show in particular. It didn't really have much depth or commentary or anything I'm going to think about after finishing it, but once in a while it's nice to just have this kind of fantasy show with a clear focus, a likable cast, without Harem or Isekai hijinks and some tense negotiations. There are many other Fantasy shows that do individual aspects of this one - cast, world building, tactics, upper-management - better, but if you're looking for a bite-sized version of a story like this with genuinely good moments and dynamics, this one might just be for you.

Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu (2022)

This is essentially a different version of 'How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom'. Perhaps this is going to be a new phase of shows that we see, just like how many Isekai exist too.

The story is fine and does a nice job with its flow and keeps on track for the most part with the aims and expectations of the show. It does get a bit confusing at times with how quickly it tries to progress.

The art is the biggest issue, one minute it is fantastically average then suddenly it nosedives through the floor. Battles ... especially feel like the cutscenes from the 1990s you get on a handheld device game.

The sound has no oomph to it at all, battles are dull, voices are fine and the OST is ok?

Characters develop well throughout the story, it perhaps introduces too many characters since arcs feel skipped or incomplete at many stages. I like the dynamic of almost having a harem but not having one at all in its own way. Pretty vanilla, which is nice to see for a change.

In the end, it is a solid 5/10. It does what it does well and sucks at everything else.

Half season length, over explanative title and generic premise are pretty good indication of what kind of show this would be- a flick I would binge on weekend evening remembering nothing about it by next morning. Unfortunately binging only really lasted for 8 episodes as after getting cup of tea I had no interest in finishing the rest of the show.

There is a trend in Isekai and fantasy shows where story concept which is worth at most a single episode being stretched out to entire or half season, Realistic hero did it, overly cautious hero did it and Genius prince is ... doing it.

Mediocre writing is evident in every aspect of the show. Pacing is extremely rushed, with entire nations being destroyed or concurred between episodes, Cartoonishly Evil Villians dying 20 minutes after being introduced .
Pacing also results in alot of exposition dumps with show pushing pause button to regurgitate minutes long exposition about some person or nation .Again with story which should be covered in 48 episodes being crammed into 12 episodes, you can't expect any type of organic world building and character introduction.
While some character interactions are amusing it alone can't carry the show.
Now you might have noticed I have not even talked about MC that's because there
is nothing to say about it. His entire character is summed up in the show's title.

There is nothing to really say about Art or Sound design they are adequate if not absurdly generic not that show having a One Punch Man S1 production would have changed overall quality of the show.

Takahashi Rie is VA of Ninym it is enough reason to follow this series. And the VA of Wein is the VA of Kojiro too in the series of Orient that airing in this season you might want to check that series too.

I just hope this series is better version of Realist Hero, and it teach other author that you don't need to have transported heroes to lead good story. It is enough of isekai protagonist.

After eps 3 drop I am afraid this series will not the same as 2 first eps. I mean from this point the story it will only get ... thicker, because the introduction of Lowel the princess from empire. Thicker means might be more serious and boring and less comedy. What I think the biggest strength of this series is the comedy and the miss-understanding of Vain subordinates. Like when Vain try to lead the first war and try to guard the gold mine. And if it change in the future to unfold the mystery it might be loose.

We rarely get MC like Wein who smart and funny but down to earth. It is like to watch Keima from "The World of God Only Knows"or Senku from "dr Stone" or Sora from "No Game No Life". I don't want to see Wein turn out to be char like Kirito that overpower. They need to maintain it as comedy series, we want to see more miss-understanding in the future and the unfold of Ninym background.

I hope this turn out to be good series. I enjoy the comedy and I want to see more. The reason why Wein act like that. How Wein will use his tactic to win more in the future. How he can retire from being leader of his country.

Premise sounds lame, because if being a genius is the only thing going for him and it is used as justification for all plot resolutions, as it is the case, then story become stale pretty fast for my taste. Still, this is much better than to see the use of "modern knowledge" which is the case in some trash isekais, when author own knowledge of subject is based on reading 5 minute wikipedia article on it. Anyway, amount of ass pulls and "smart" moves is pretty high here.

Poor premise aside, politics portrayed here are main plot line and good enough to capture attention. Second ... most used tool is banter between MC and his right hand. Which is, conveniently, a girl, but for some magical reason he shown to have zero physical interest in her. This is more unbelievable thing than him being a genius. Sorry, if a beautiful young woman sits on your lap and you have zero reaction, then she is either your sister (or some close relative) or you have impotency. None of this things seems to be true, so it must be just a bad excuse for future romance shenanigans. I dont know if brozone exist in real life, but she seems to be stuck in this state.

No fanservice. Boo. Well, there was some boob shot for 1 or 2 seconds, but there is more food porn screen time than this.

Combat/battles depiction is abhorrent. Not in good way, it is just lame af. This is often the case for anime adapted from LN, so nothing new here.

Animation is average, as everything else. Overall it is not great, but good enough to not be complete waste of time. I guess reading source material would be more engaging, but protagonist and his story in my eyes look too generic to care about it to try it.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.

Based on a popular light novel series of the same name Tensai Oji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu better known to Japanese audiences as Tensai Oji and to western audiences as the Genius Prince is a fantasy and comedy genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day due ... to a sudden illness the heir designate of the kingdom of Natra a man who despite his station and projected appearance was one that seemingly preferred to live his life free from as much responsibility as he can manage is suddenly given the role that he worked so hard to get away from which is that of a ruler.

What will happen when despite his best attempts to slack off and pass responsibility to others that the kingdom of Natra that he currently helms is faced with situations that demand not only utmost seriousness but also a level of cunning and intelligence that our laid-back prince seems to be seriously lacking. Will our prince simply try to pass on the responsibility to others intent on living the easy life or will he counterattack by making use of a long-nurtured skillset that even the famed Earthborn Empire fears and become the dragon that will push the small kingdom of Natra to the forefront of international relations and change its reputation as a kingdom forever.

On initial review of the anime’s premise and summary of its story, my initial impression of this series was that it was an Isekai as the series' main concept were topics and themes that were commonly seen within that genre of anime. However, after watching the first episode of the series which not only dispelled that mistaken belief but also did an excellent job of introducing not only the main cast but also of the tense situation that comes from having a kingdom that’s surrounded by problematic nations that would require a delicate balance of diplomacy to manage, I can see why Wein wanted to stay out of it.

All in all, my impressions of the first episode was a positive one that did an excellent job of not only introducing the main characters of Wein and Ninym but also showcasing the complicated situation that lies around their homeland while also showcasing what will become the series trademark of fantasy action combined with small injections of comedy into the interactions between characters as they tried to navigate the tricky tightrope that is international diplomacy and ensure the survival of their kingdom in a world where international relations can change in an instant.

Prince Wein Salema Arbalest

Prince Wein Salema Arbalest known to his friends and allies as Wein and to his enemies as the Damm Genius prince is one of the main characters of the series and is the protagonist of the series overall narrative. The crown prince of the small kingdom of Natra that lies to the far north of the continent of Varno and after his father’s incapacitation its de facto ruler Wein from initial appearances was shown to be an ideal image of a ruler being one that was not only calm and collected but also one that projected confidence and hopes to his people by providing decisions that appeared to be a result of his foresight and intelligence and ensuring that within his realm Wein was seen as a beacon of hope whose every decision allowed them to become more prosperous by the day.

Beneath the surface and known only to his closest confidants however was the fact that while Wein had all the qualities that would make him an ideal ruler in every respect in reality Wein was someone that was lazy by nature and was loath to do anything that required a degree of effort preferring instead to simply enjoy life as it is while daydreaming about a day when he can just watch things unfold from afar instead of being in the thick of it a fact that his closest confidants know only too well. However, it is when Wein discovers a threat that endangers either the kingdom itself or to those that are dearest to him that a much different side of Wein would surface one that proves why he’s considered a genius and why the powerful Earthwold empire after seeing his true skills was forced to wipe all mention of his time training within their academy such was their fear of his skills.

In his true self Wein while retaining his base traits of being a calm, composed and intelligent person who ruled his kingdom with confidence was also shown to be someone that was not only creative but possessed a level of cunning and grasp on the minds of men that many would find surprising a fact that is best shown in ep2 when he broke the back of the enemies army by launching a decapitation strike on the enemies command element as well as ep5 when his cunning allowed him to deal with two different factions in one fell strike. This skill at reading into the heart of man while being an effective tool militarily also within the series was shown to serve him well diplomatically as well, especially when used in conjunction with Wein’s preference of doing extensive prep work before he makes his moves as shown in the Cavarin arc. While these aspects of his one might argue would have allowed him to easily carve out a small empire of his own after which he can easily step back and enjoy being a ruler while others handled things for him it’s important to note that this side of Wein is something that only comes about as a result of a trigger point being reached with said point being a threat to either himself, his kingdom or to those that he holds dear to his heart. What served to make this true self of Wein shine more within the narrative however I felt was the existence of a hidden bloodlust within him that manifested when those dearest to him are threatened. This degree of bloodlust while showing a darker aspect of Wein’s personality due to the way that it was used within the narrative, I thought also represented well the kind of things that Wein cherishes above all else which is that of loyalty and friendship to people who had been by his side since the beginning and that anyone or thing that tries to infringe upon it will be dealt with which within the series was aptly shown during the Marden and Cavarin arcs respectively.

As a character Wein I felt was an excellent character that throughout the series was developed relatively well with his two faces doing well to not only balance each other out but also give him a necessary boost by enhancing his already existing skills at diplomacy and strategy while complementing it with the addition of boldness and cunning that served to make his plans anything but predictable which within the ever-shifting world of international diplomacy and church-sponsored plots is a grim necessity. While this dark side of Wein can be seen to take away much of Wein’s comedic interactions in the form of the gradual decrease of chibi figures that represented Wein’s inner thoughts as well as his borderline treasonous plots I believe that their replacement within the narrative served to represent Wein’s growth as a ruler as a result of needing to adapt himself to deal with factions and situations that he had not encountered before. Certainly, there were no churches that employed assassins peering over his shoulder where he’s from.

Ninym Ralei

Ninym Ralei is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Wein’s closest friends and allies within the kingdom of Natra. Serving as the kingdom’s chief advisor as well as one of Wein’s closest confidants and friends within the kingdom Ninym from her initial appearances was shown to be an intelligent, composed and levelheaded person by nature that projected a level of calmness, composure and maturity that was benefitting of one that held the lofty position of chief advisor to the prince. While for all intents and purposes an excellent aide that was highly efficient and organized and capable of great foresight Ninym was also shown to be someone that was friendly and caring towards those that she considers friends and especially so for those that treat her as a living thing and not as animals as the rest of the continent views her race as. As a result of this Ninym while shown to be on good terms with visually everyone within Natra was shown to exhibit great loyalty towards those that she sees as having saved her in the form of Wein and his family which is reflected in the strong bonds of friendship that lay between them. While quite capable of being a harsh taskmistress that would organize and dish out all of the necessary paperwork that needs doing to Wein Ninym due to her strong bond with Wein was shown to take a more measured approach in trying to understand the root of his anxieties and suggesting solutions while providing emotional support to cheer him up when needed that would keep him focused without having to take harsher methods as some would try.

As a character, I felt that Ninym was both well designed and developed as the series progressed. While her abilities as an advisor and aide to Wein was undeniable Ninym was also shown to be quite capable of accompanying Wein to more hostile environments such as battlefields and diplomatic functions where her skill with the blade as well as her skill with words made her a real asset that was quite capable of both turning back an enemy counterattack as much as deducing hostile factions true intentions with the latter two situations providing a rare opportunity to see Ninym in frigid mode where she will show no mercy to those that are hostile to those that she cherishes. However, while capable of providing great help to the kingdom of Natra with her skills as both an aide and a field commander Ninym’s true worth as a character I felt lies in the emotional support that she can provide to Wein and his family for while she serves as a kind, caring and polite older sister like character for princess Falanya who views her affectionally as an ever-reliable repository of knowledge for Wein and herself she served not only as an effective foundation for him that kept him focused on the job at hand but also as the primary source of his motivation to keep fighting the good fight as the ruler of Natra with their respective feelings for each other serving as an additional means of motivation for both to do their best to support each other in their respective roles.


LowellMina Earthwold

LowellMina Earthwold more popularly known as Lowa to those closest to her is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Wein’s main allies within the series. The second princess of the large neighboring Earthwold Empire that lies on the eastern half of the continent of Varno Lowa from her initial appearances was shown to be a calm, polite and kind person by nature that while intelligent and modest was also noted to be perceptive and unusually idealistic for a princess of an empire. Despite being a member of royalty Lowa was seen to be someone that if one were not to know her identity see her as an everyday girl as she was someone that rather than being a typical arrogant noble that treated those beneath her with disdain, she instead was a friendly and easygoing person that treated those around her with respect and dignity and was one that always thought the best of those around her being loyal to her friends and expecting the same in return. This sense of always treating those around her with respect while showing well Lowa’s humble nature also reflected well on the core values that she lived by namely her firm sense of justice and the desire to always make decisions based on the best interests of the people that she not only loved but represented as well. Aspects that as the series progressed was to become increasingly important as her destiny become intertwined with those of her best friends Wein and Ninym after their reencounter.

As the series progresses and Lowa’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that while Lowa’s loyalty towards the empire was never in doubt she nonetheless was someone that didn’t agree with all of their cultural norms namely the gender bias that existed within it that served to prevent not only her from helping out within the government a fact that she believes served as a catalyst that caused the empire to not only stagnate but also fracture into different camps that served to make life for the people that she adores much harder than it needed to be. This sense of desperation that comes from not being able to do anything while her people suffered can be seen to be her central focus within the narrative that served to transform her from a kind, caring but an idealistic princess who had no power to do anything for them to a princess that while having less power than her brothers nonetheless worked hard to find a way forward for the empire that doesn’t involve sacrificing the happiness of the people for meaningful gains.

This new side to Lowa as a character I felt while serving to allow her as a character to be further developed upon also provided an excellent opportunity to tie her development with those of both the overall narrative and that of Wein’s development as a ruler as any good king or empress must be able to be rational and be able to see the effects that their decisions would have on both their respective kingdoms and loved ones and in this Lowa and Wein’s attempts to outwit each other as they tried to get their intended results proved to be a most enlightening lesson for both and even more so when you factor in the fact that the levels of cunning and intelligence that they possessed were equal.

AMV

Animation wise while for the most part the character designs, as well as designs of the various kingdoms, were relatively simple affairs, I felt that they reflected well on the cultures that each state adhered to within their borders. The kingdom of Natra for example as a kingdom that was based off in the far remote north owning to lack of significant resources got by with simplicity and functional equipment whether in terms of architecture or the clothes worn by its inhabitants while their one-time rival Mardan owning to its militaristic culture directed much of their economy to their military at their expense of their people and in doing so creating a military that was well-armed while its people made do with what's left.


Location wise while the number of locations featured within the series was few the ones seen I felt featured a nice variety that did well to convey not only the unique culture of the country that it was in but also of its significance within the delicate confines of international diplomacy. The palace for example serves as both a home for Wein and his family and advisors but also the place where the fate of a small kingdom like theirs are matched against both their goals and the ambitions of the countries around them. One of the locations that I felt truly shined to me was the city of Mealters which within the lore of the world was the world’s first self-governing merchant city that was ruled and managed by its inhabitants. Between the power of the large Earthwold empire which commands enormous military and economic strength and the Levetian church who commands equally large religious fervor from its people having a city that was run by its own people, I felt created an excellent sense of balance between the factions present within Varno.

In terms of combat animation while the battles and skirmishes that were featured within the series were relatively simple affairs that made great use of the traditional arsenal of fantasy warfare to create tension-filled situations for the main cast I felt that this within the series was also aided greatly by a number of features that made it easy for viewers to see how the battle was playing out in the form of the strategy screens that outlined how each battle would play out as well as the real-time screen that allowed us to see how the battle played out in real-time from Wein’s point of view. This added simplicity while serving to allow viewers to see what the overall plan for the battle was as well as follow them in real-time also, I felt provided an extra layer of immersion to the viewer as well. While the pitched battles themselves I thought were interesting I would say the few instances where Wein himself has to defend himself were probably the ones that were the most enjoyable as this allowed us to see how the hidden genius fought for real when a threat demanded his attention appears in front of him as shown in his fight against the assassin leader. It’s unfortunate however that there were few opportunities for Wein to show his prowess with the blade within the series though.

Music-wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Level which was performed by veteran singer Nagi Yanagi in collaboration with the popular The Sixth Lie band and Hitori to Kimi to which was performed by veteran seiyuu singer Yoshino Nanjo. While both of these songs were excellent ones, I felt that the two of them conveyed very different feelings and emotions when listened to with the former conveying a sense of wonder and amazement at not only seeing a new world and meeting many new and interesting characters but also of the potential sadness that comes from knowing that of those presented some would also be losing not only their loved ones but their lands as due to the cruel machinations of others. While the song was excellent the accompanying visuals also did well to convey the fact that in this time of strife being able to hide your true nature was as much of a necessity as was being able to use a blade to defend oneself. The ending theme I felt was much different in that while its accompanying visuals are dependent on the nature of the episode that had just finished its tone and the feelings that it conveyed felt more relaxed and upbeat as if to allow the cast and us the viewers relax after having a hard time dealing with running a kingdom and in attending to RLI’s a contrast that I felt allowed it to resonate well with the opening theme that introduced us to a brand new world full of interesting characters and places to encounter.

Voice acting-wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Soma Saito, Rie Takahashi and Nao Touyama really did an excellent job of portraying their assigned characters of Wein, Ninym and LowellMina where the chemistry between the cast members really served to make their interactions within the narrative that much more impressive. Among the supporting cast, I was also impressed with Yuki Nakashima’s portrayal of the character of Zenovia especially her portrayal of the different personas of Zeno and her true self of Zenovia that did well to showcase the necessity of having two sides to you when your country gets dragged into a war that they didn’t understand. While only introduced late within the narrative the character of Torcheila that was portrayed by senior seiyuu singer Rie Kugimiya when working in tandem with her father King Gruyere portrayed by the veteran voice actor Akio Otsuka really did well to make the last arc of the series a tough one for our dear prince.

Overall Conclusion

In overall The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a nation Out of Debt I felt was an interesting anime that had among its strong points a creative premise, an interesting narrative that featured plenty of interesting characters and diplomatic and military scenarios that demanded creative thinking, interesting world-building methods in the form of Falanya’s lessons on the world and Wein’s simplified intros, excellent music and voice acting from a talented vocal cast. While this series can be seen to be a more comedic kingdom builder anime than heavyweights like the Realist Kingdom, I felt that the various situations that demanded Wein’s attention within the series while representing only a small selection of the kind of situations that a kingdom faces served to bring to the series narrative a level of tension that forces the cast to do all they can to avoid the worst-case scenario though in a way that almost ends up having a comedic result as per the genre.


At the same time, I felt that the marriage of the series narrative with the series trademarked theme of being two-faced while adding a level of tension within the series, especially within the negotiations that Wein and co have with high-ranking politicians also aided significantly in the character developments for Wein, Ninym and Lowa while adding another layer to the likes of Caldmelia and Zenovia as well. At the same time, its mere existence and the effects that it can have on situations also showcased the fact that even if you are simply the prince of a small remote kingdom when you have to contend with powers that not only command much more military and economic might than you do you then you have to be able to compensate through either brawn or brains because simply treating each new day as a day to avoid work will not allow you to attain your greatest desires nor protect your most cherishes ones from those that would pounce on the slightest signs of weakness within a ruler.

All in all, while the series narrative and world were pretty standard fare for fantasy-themed series its marriage with the Two-faced theme, tension-filled high-level diplomacy and the desire by Wein to safeguard his kingdom and cherished ones from harm made for quite the compelling tale. Overall, I would say that the series deserves a final overall score of 8/10 for this was a tale that brought me much laughter and joy while also reminding me that no matter how successful you are and how much power you wield without people that you care about at your side is that a life worth having at all. Those that use such power to protect those that they cherish the most are the ones that deserve to be the rulers of man.

When I first read the light novels, I fell in love with the series and how Wein was always to out strategize everyone else. Also, the interactions/relationship between Ninym and Wein is so cute. I really like the dynamic between the two characters. Reminds me of Romeo/Juliet. 2 people who care (love) for each other deeply. However, they can't truly express how they felt due to the difference in status and outside perceptive. Ninym coming from a race where half the world enslaves them and Wein the prince regent of Natra.

When the first few episodes aired, I thoroughly enjoyed each episode. However, the initial ... opening was dreadful. I never would've thought I would see someone's AMV become the official opening of a series. On the other hand, once the animation team was all caught up, the new/current opening they created is nothing but spectacular. I never realized how badly I wanted a yanaginagi x sixth lie collab until I heard the song. It's just composed so well.

Also, can't forget about the initial subtitle error that was made in episode 4.