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This show is what last season's Noumin Kanren (I've Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-Related Skills) should've been.

Isekai Nonbiri Nouka is a relaxing, feel-good story about a guy who just wants to spend his second chance at life as a farmer in a peaceful corner of the world. It isn't unusual for these kinds of isekai and isekai-adjacent fantasy anime to star a protagonist who just wants to live a slow life, but they always seem to end up getting roped into some contrived Demon Lord plot that no one asked for. So far, there are no signs of that ... happening here.

The story follows our protagonist, Hiraku, as he uses his prior knowledge from his past life and his new farm-related superpowers to establish a farm in a strange new land. It doesn't sound particularly exciting on paper, but the director does a great job keeping things moving. The viewer is often treated to cute visual demonstrations of the concepts Hiraku describes as his humble homestead progresses into a proper settlement. A surprising amount of effort has been spent on the art here, from the various vegetables he grows to the gorgeous time-lapses of the skybox -- not to mention the frequent diagrams that help the audience keep track of everything he's built. Hiraku's sense of satisfaction at the end of a hard day's work rubs off wonderfully on the viewer.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the harem aspect, as I know that will deter some potential viewers. Various girls stumble upon Hiraku's farm, but somehow the show dodges the trashiness that usually comes with the trope of dumping cute girls into the isekai MC's lap. There's a surprising amount of character chemistry right off the bat, and (so far) none of the overt fanservice or harem antics you would expect from this kind of setup. In fact, the girls are directly involved in the expansion of the farm -- they don't distract from the focus of the show.

tl;dr -- Isekai Nonbiri Nouka is exactly what I wanted it to be: 20 calming minutes of farming and farm-related antics each week. Cute girls are sprinkled in here and there to help tend to Hiraku's ever-growing farm, and I'm completely fine with that. They've all been fun additions to the cast that help bring out more of Hiraku's surprisingly likable character. As long as he doesn't go sign up at an adventurer's guild next episode, the rest of the season should be a great time.