Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan

The villainess subgenre has been an interesting approach to an isekai story. It still retains some familiarity as to what standard isekais tend to do, an established magic system, having characters with colourful hair, and usually has an overarching antagonist to keep the story going. The Villainess subgenre sees all this and decides to turn the main character into the supposed antagonist and have her achieve MAX Friendship with everyone, all the while getting a kiss from a guy who used to hate the villainess. It's a formula that worked spectacularly back in 2020, when we least expected it. Fast forward 5 years, and we've seen several adaptations of villainess stories ever since then. Let me just give you the general sum of what most Villainess isekais are about. First, the merits: The best thing to say about every Villainess anime, including this one, is that the main character becomes obviously really likeable. There's a sense of fulfilment when you see someone making a conscious decision to help others, even for the sake of avoiding their own demise. Akuyaku's approach is to make the villainess a caring maternal figure instead of having her look like a goofball, differing from the other villainess anime to that extent. A lot of those times, the anime succeeds at making the main Villainess someone to root for. Compared to other Villainess anime that tries to treat the heroine like a threat or detriment to their side, Akuyaku figured to make the heroine the first person to be friends with the villainess. It's a refreshing take that helps keep the subgenre alive, and this is what made the anime interesting enough to watch for the first half of the anime. Coupled with good production and direction, Akuyaku at its best is refreshing and creative with its approach that manages to include a lot of good otaku references without feeling off-putting or becoming detrimental to its own. Akuyaku feels like that one story where the author was inspired by a story he's a fan of and thought to himself, "You know what? I could do that one better." And proceeds to have it at that. However, there's a catch. Now, the flaws: Since the villainess gets a lot of screen time compared to others, it also works as a double-edged sword. All of the supporting characters lack detail compared to the main antagonist (in this case), since most of the author's creative prowess only extends to writing on the main character without considering chemistry and impact on their supporting cast. The anime becomes stale rather quickly once you figure out every supporting character exists as fodder downtime with predictable jokes without any consideration for growth. A lot of these Villainess anime can replace the same supporting cast with another set of characters, and the anime would still work just as fine. Sure, you could justify it with the idea that they're simply in an otome game, so their characters are meant to fit like those visual novel characters, each with their own set of tropes and stereotypes, but as a story, it's literally a disgrace (no pun intended). There's a lack of variation and detail in the supporting characters when you realize the main focus of all these villainess stories is to ensure the villainess befriends everyone in their own weird way, may it be intentional or not. Akuyaku still struggles to keep all these characters in check and as a result, becomes underutilized without any adjustment to make them at least a bit more interesting than being played as a plot device or rather only existing on their own. It's refreshing enough, yes, but it grows stale quickly. Thank you for reading.

I can’t wait for a second season or to keep reading the manga of From Bureaucrat to Villainess. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of isekai, and it’s true that the story is not particularly innovative, but it is still entertaining. At the beginning, I felt a bit uneasy about the idea of an adult man reincarnating into the body of a fifteen-year-old girl. However, what’s interesting is that the story never goes in uncomfortable or strange directions; instead, the protagonist keeps a kind of paternal approach, without turning anything inappropriate or off-putting. That, for me, makes it much easier to watch. There wasn’t a single episode that made me feel uncomfortable. It’s a very chill anime. If someone is looking for action or romance, this is definitely not the place. Everything here is lighter and more everyday. I think the protagonist is what really gives the story its charm. His personality and perspective add a lot to the anime, even when the plot itself is not especially complex. The comedy is very simple, but that also helps the anime develop its own identity. I wouldn’t say it’s a revolutionary work… but I REALLY NEED A SECOND SEASON

We All Need A Dad, But In The Right Package From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated! is a show that teaches us that all we really want is a good dad, a dad who thinks of our feelings, wants the best from us, and has elegant way of talking, but he just needs to be in the right package. It's a fun little story, we see from a different perspective than we used to, and see this 52 man absolutely turning everybody's head, so they become pink, it is fun. The show is certainly not a looker, and the animation is really stiff, but it doesn't look like, it was one of those shows that were thrown a lot of resources. It's full of references and feel like nerdy entertainment. It's Otaku media made too Otaku. And sometimes that just all you need.

Eh, I wanted to like this. It had a few interesting moments, but it's mostly just the protagonist not being evil, and everyone liking them. The characters feel a bit too safe/dull. It didn't really make me laugh, just entertained me mildly. I guess I don't have much else to say here. There wasn't really any fanservice, which was nice. The plot seemed to go through the random tropes, and even though it seemed to do it tongue in cheek, it still did it. It does a lot of explaining of things that kinda drag on. It's okay for a backgorund show, but not something I'd recommend unless you ran out of some of the better villainess shows.

The perfect demonstration that even if you follow an established formula, you can always find something to improve. Tensei Ojisan may give you a rather strange first impression because the premise of a 50-year-old man in the body of a teenager is naturally odd. Even so, the story doesn't seek to explore this world from a morbid perspective, but rather from a more paternal point of view. The villain isekai subgenre has a pre-established formula that all anime of this style have followed without trying to innovate or improve anything. Tensei Ojisan shows us that even with the most clichéd elements, your story can be entertaining, engaging, and interesting if you know how to use them. The villain becomes the good guy, and the protagonist of the game/novel where we reincarnate becomes the villain. An overused resource, which they try to delve a little deeper into here. Explore the villain's family situation to understand the reasons for her bad attitude, the reasons and attitudes that make the protagonist worthy of that role. Both characters could work perfectly well if only the enmity factor weren't there. The male harem, who are always mere window dressing to give the villain love interests, are truly human. Here, you really feel them as people. They are characters who, with a few scenes and dialogue, build real people with virtues and flaws, but the main thing is that not everyone falls in love with the villain after the change. Some see her as a friend, others as a supporter of the empire, and some as a potential romantic interest. The protagonist isn't tied to having to relate to just one of the boys. The story understands that there are different types of relationships that can coexist within the same group. The fact that it's the world of a video game, in this case. This element is usually forgotten, that we are in the world of a medium we used to consume in our previous lives. The anime perfectly understands that this is an aspect that can take full advantage of the world due to how little used it is. The anime plays with two perspectives: that of the villain, who sees her world as a real world with nothing really different about it, and that of the family of the lord who reincarnated as the villain. The family is the one who shows us and reminds us that this world is a video game. They tell us the lore of the story, the changes the lord has made now as the villain, the events, the menus, the interface, the gameplay. They tell us absolutely everything. This brings me to the most important aspect: in other works, they never take into account who the person was before being reincarnated. In Tensei Ojisan, they very clearly define who Grace (the villain) is and who Lord Kensaburo (the reincarnated one) is. They are two completely different entities, and you never forget that they are two different characters, and the story even has elements that take advantage of this duality of personalities. It is thanks to Kensaburo's experiences on Earth that he is able to help improve Grace's life within the academy. It's Mr. Kensaburo, through a fatherly perspective, who shows us that adults aren't the villains in the story, but rather that they simply don't know how to communicate with teenagers. Mr. Kensaburo is the cornerstone of this story; without him, this anime couldn't be told. To say I liked the anime is an understatement. This anime has so much charisma, but above all, it's made with so much love, and it feels that way. The world-building is so well-crafted that it's impossible not to immerse yourself in this story. One day, I hope to be half the person Mr. Kensaburo is.

Man, I really hate Western title localizations. Do they even understand how hard "bureaucrat" is to spell for non-native speakers? This anime is an adaptation of a manga by a veteran mangaka, and from the very first episode, you can feel the love and nostalgia for the medium. Rather than a parody, it presents a villainess story from the perspective of a father—a supportive father who is genuinely trying to understand. Story The premise is simple yet fresh: Tondabayashi Kenzaburou wakes up as Grace Auvergne after an accident. He soon realizes that he's inside his daughter's otome game, but he doesn’t know much about the details. Determined to follow the game’s plot, he tries his best to set up the protagonist for success—partly because she reminds him of his daughter. Meanwhile, in the real world, his body remains in a coma. His wife and daughter eventually discover that the events of the game are mirroring his life inside. As a result, they watch and react to his journey from the background. At its core, the story is a slice-of-life series with minimal plot progression beyond character interactions and development. While there are some mystery elements thrown in to keep things engaging, the heart of the story lies in its characters. Characters Kenzaburou/Grace is an amazing protagonist. His sasuga moments feel genuine because they stem from the wisdom of a well-adjusted adult—delivered through the body of a first-grade student. The reactions to his actions are not overly exaggerated, making him a consistently pleasant and believable character. The supporting cast consists of fairly simple characters that fit their roles well. They feel like classic otome game archetypes from the old days but with just enough quirks to make them stand out. Then there is Anna, the protagonist of the otome game. Unlike the usual wallflower-type heroines seen in villainess stories, Anna is a genki type which honestly make it nostalgic since most Otome games I ever played tend to have genki-type protagonist Art & Music The visuals have a charming, nostalgic feel to them. The OP is solid, while the ED has a classic touch. It's definitely not sasuga tier, but it never falls below average. Overall If you're an old-school otaku who loves the villainess genre, this anime is a must-watch. It’s a lighthearted series that you can easily binge on a rainy day when you want a comforting slice of life.

Bureaucrat to Villainess is a cute show that just doesn’t end up going anywhere. It seems deeply uninterested in answering the questions it poses. It doesn't deliver as a gender bender, romance, or an isekai and ends up being content to spend its run time as a sort of mild mannered slice of life. It’s a show that keeps better ideas and concepts tantalizingly close but always chooses to settle for less. The concept is fun, and it’s a rare treat to have such a fatherly protagonist but my praise really ends when we move from premise to execution. The character design, pacing, and writing are all very middling. Tondabayashi doesn’t seem to feel any sort of way about his new circumstances and neither does the writing staff. This whole production reeks of unfinished source material, reducing it to essentially an advertisement for the manga. In the end, with what we have so far I felt like I was the one taking the show too seriously for having basic questions and expecting answers. It made me feel silly for caring, but hey, I did care. I think that what we have here is a show that’s better than the some of its parts that could be well worth a look if we ever get a season 2.

Another isekai with a "twist", but this time it's an actual twist that feels fresh! As unbelievable as that sounds, Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan really managed to be something new and unique. Going into details would require bigger spoilers that I'm willing to use here, so you will just have to take my word for it. Anyway, uniqueness is one thing, but simply being different doesn't make anime good. Luckily for us, this one has another strength: great protagonist. Kenzaburou might not seem like anything special, but that's what makes him so fun to watch - between his adult experience, dad vibes and otaku expertise, he interacts with game's world in very interesting, fun and, again, unique ways. Then there is his (real) family that also adds quite a bit to enjoyment, especially when they start throwing references. On the downside, saying that protagonist carries this anime has double meaning: not only he is very fun to watch, but also majority of other characters are rather boring and forgettable. You could say they are the one-dimensional types one would expect from otome game, but it still is a weaker point of this anime. Speaking of weak points, art is rather bad. While animation was fine for this kind of show, personally I really disliked character designs and it took me some time to get use to them. Generally I'd say that art is mediocre at best and it did make early episodes a bit harder to get into for me. Overall I found Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan to be, simply put, a very fun anime to watch. Kenzaburou made up for weakness of the rest of the cast and story, with it's unique gimmick, sucked me in strong enough that I actually want to know how it develops, instead being here just for comedy and references. So yeah, I would honestly recommend this anime, especially if you, like me originally, skipped it because it looked like "another one of those".

tl;dr A refreshing take on the villainess genre. It mixes the typical "reincarnated into an otome game" trope with the outside perspective of a middle-aged dad and otaku, which brings a new kind of charm and comedy. While the animation, art, and OST are only slightly above average, the show stays consistently good from start to finish. Don't expect anything amazing, but it's definitely fun and worth checking out if you’re into the genre. If you are curious but not into the genre, watch up to episode 4. If you are not enjoying it by then, drop it. The rest of the show stays the same. ---The review--- The moment I saw the announcement for this anime, I was genuinely hyped. Finally something different from the flood of Isekais and the repetitive "Reincarnated as a Villainess" setups that always fall on the same tropes, but this one actually tries something new. It's still part of the villainess genre, but here, the twist is that the main character is an old man, a dad, and an otaku. And we are not following the story inside the game world from a young girl's perspective, but from his perspective as he gets pulled into the otome game his daughter played. His interactions with this modern game world are genuinely refreshing, and his "dad mode" whenever he talks to characters who are around his daughter's age is both funny and heartwarming. I enjoyed every episode, no annoying antagonist was doing bad stuff "just because," and that alone already puts it above many others. However, this is also a weak point, because there was no clear 'enemy of the hero,' and there were no real stakes. I think that is one of the reasons this anime never improved, but just kept the same good level from start to finish. So why only a 7? I rate shows based on a formula I came up with myself, not just enjoyment. Even something I really liked can get a lower score if the other elements aren't strong enough. The animation is slightly above average. It's not bad, definitely not trash-tier, but it's also not anything special. The art is in the same boat, better than your average seasonal anime, but not something that will stand out years later. I'll be honest, I barely noticed the OST. It exists, which means it did its job by supporting the scenes quietly, but I couldn't recall a single track if you asked me. That's not necessarily bad, especially since this is more of a slice-of-life type show, but still, if you don't remember the music at all, it's not great either. The story is where this anime really shines. An old man stuck in an otome game, as the villainess, is something I haven't seen in this genre before. It's funny, it's cute, and even though the emotional impact isn't huge, it's more than enough to keep things interesting. The setting isn't anything unique, it's still the typical "reincarnated into an otome game" scenario, but at least they explained the world and magic system a bit better than average. The enjoyability is high. Some episodes felt a little weak, but never to the point of dragging the show down. It starts good and stays on that level the entire way through. That consistency is nice, but also kind of the problem. It never dips, but it never really improves either. No big development, no surprising peaks. Just good. And while that's not bad, it's not enough to push it beyond a 7 unless everything else is amazing (which it isn't). The characters are nice, but underdeveloped. That's probably the biggest weakness. Some of them show up again and again, but we barely know anything about them. I can only remember like three names: Grace, Bell, and Luka, and the only reason I even remember Luka is because he looks like a girl. I wish they had gone deeper into the characters around Grace, it definitely could make a bigger difference. Overall, I had a lot of fun watching this. It's interesting, different, and something I would easily recommend if you are a fan of the villainess or isekai genres and want to see something more refreshing. If you are not into those genres but feel curious, give it a try up to episode 4. If you are not into it by then, feel free to drop it, what you see in the beginning up to episode 4 is what you'll get through the entire show.

i recommend this villainness isekai usually go from normal girl to villain girl but this one is from dad to villain girl which is the twist already, every time he do something to make him bad opposite will happen, villain and supposed to be mc in the game are either besties or teacher/pupil relationship, story was school and good vibes only honestly so theres nothing much to remarks, the mystery is good in my opinion but still lacking specially with the villain's mother and supposed to be mc's mother too i guess thats just how mystery works, if theres season 2 i guess they will reveal it including how dad got reincarnate into the game, and how his daughter and his wife can see what his doing in tv and can help him outside the game, hoping for some villain romance but dad makes it everyone and every gender loves him and i will disregard the romance since it would look like ntr lol

I went into this anime not expecting much...however it managed to subvert my expectations. Not only does it breath a bit of fresh air into the tired isekai genre, it gives a unique twist on the reincarnated into an otome game branch of isekai that has been prevalent for several years now. While is does hold onto the basics of certain tropes, there are slight spins on some of them that keeps it from becoming another predictable series that you only pay half attention to at best. Now that isn't to say it is witout it's flaws. It ticks pretty much every trope for the type of series it is and yes there the predictable formulas are still there in part, but it's enjoyable enough due to the way it's twisted and changed some of the tropes and formulas that you overlook all the flaws. Overall it's well put together, even if the story is a bit lacking at times, and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the comedy isekai, fantasy, and/or visual novel generes. If you are a fan of the more action heavy isekais, this may not be for you, but I'd recommend it all the same. I'm hoping it gets another season so and can flesh out a bit more of the world and characters. If nothing else it's made me want to read the source material.

Yet another otome game villainess isekai anime. We've been getting a steady amount of these in the past couple of years, and this ones gimmick is that it's a 52 year-old dad who is now gender swapping into the role of the villainess, and I would have been perfectly happy if that was the only twist because I do like a good gender swap anime... But wait there's more, not content with just having that twist, we have the 'Liselotte' twist, if you've seen the PVs you will know what I'm talking about The anime was fun, it was funny, I liked the MC, while it didn't really deliver on the gender swap aspects, it did deliver on the parent swap, This series works when its centred around Grace and the world of Love & Beast, any time spent away from the MC, away from this world is time wasted, it falls flat, it loses its charm, it was in my opinion a poor choice by the writer, shifting perspective back to the old world, letting you know what his life was like, sure it sounds good on paper, but it disrupts the flow and takes you out of the moment, it would have been better if it just went full Isekai When it comes to characters, the MC / Grace is great, hands down the best thing in the series, and is the character that carries the series hard, every plot point in the series is designed to create a comedy situation for the MC to shine in, and the other characters in the world of Love & Beast function as support characters to further make the MC shine. Scenes with the MC's real world family are lacklustre in comparison. None of the characters get an real growth or development, the story is lacking, everything is in service of of the comedy elements, in service of Grace, which isn't really a bad thing, but there is no depth to be found here, just a good comedy. Overall I would say it is a good series, it is not amazing, others have done various elements better, but this is an enjoyable watch

This anime feels like a true sleeper isekai, what's seen on the surface might sound wrong but turns out the dad is a total model citizen and the show is very laid-back without any pervy moments that you'd usually expect. The anime starts off typical, dad gets hit by the infamous truck-kun and he gets reincarnated, as the vilainess in a women's dating sim. The typical route would show Grace be a total ass to the game's MC Anna but because dad sees everybody as kids he acts very caring towards everybody in a typical parent manner and that's where it gets interesting as the game completely derailed and turned into something unique. The world building inside the show feels very expansive and interesting, with two sides of the coin of real life and the isekai world being shown it's great to see the parallel between the two with the dad's family and the game the dad's in. The characters inside the game also felt very lifely with a lot of the characters given some background and personality to make them actual human beings and not just one and done. Overall the anime currently feels a bit slept on, which I guess a bit understandable because at first I was questioning what the hell the anime is going to be like when I went in blind judging from the title AND cover, and I'm glad I took the shot way back when it was just released because it's one of the more memorable gems I've stumbled upon that is just funny, entertaining, and also heartwarming(with some sad undertones beneath) I'm giving this one an 8.7/10, a season 2 feels like a must but since the manga is still fairly new, we'll just have to wait if there's not enough source material.

I planned to watch just one episode during lunch yesterday and ended up binging the whole thing... While the premise is similar to other otome and non-otome isekais, the execution is refreshingly original. The MC is a 52-year-old civil servant, a former and current otaku, and—most importantly—a loving husband and father. This matters because the anime subtly teaches life lessons that you’d normally only hear from a happy and experienced parent. It almost feels like someone like that was involved in the writing. But don’t get me wrong—this isn’t some preachy, lesson-driven anime. It’s just a welcome part of the story. The anime kept me laughing and eager to see what happened next. The characters are relatable and likable, and it was surprisingly refreshing to see no hint of ecchi and barely any romance. The only thing holding it back from a 9/10 is its gag-anime-like structure, which sometimes made scene transitions feel a bit slow. That said, with a current average rating of 7.5/10 and low popularity, this anime is definitely underrated.

There's a lot about modern isekai that makes me bored and disappoints me, but none of that happened in this anime. The characters were likeable and easy to root for. Ojisan is such an otaku and well-meaning guy that he endeared himself to me immediately in the first episode. I also really like the kind of commentary on maturity happening in the background of the show. I also loved all the references to old school anime from Ojisan's formative years. This anime was the anime I looked forward to the most during its cour. I loved every episode. I really liked the twists presented in the story and I would love to see a sequel. If you like isekai, you might like this one too. If you're tired of the villainess turns a new leaf stuff, then you might be disappointed.

It really is odd when the arrogant villainess suddenly becomes very kind and polite, but it is also very rare that a 52-year old man is isekaid into being a villainess. In From Bureaucrat to Villainess, do we follow Kenzaborou, who has been isekaid into the body of the young noble lady Grace. Which brings a lot of change to the world around Grace, since she suddenly has the memory of a man that is loving a father, hard worker, and just has a lot of life experience. The story also really takes a twist, since he realizes it is the world from his daughter's otome game. The plot of the show follows a lot of common tropes from villainess isekais, but is greatly twisted by having an unorthodox main character for this genre. As a whole is the plot very much pushed forward by the main character, with their personality doing most of that. This gives a story that keeps making twists away from what is expected, while slowly building a bigger plot up in the background. Which results in most of the show having a story that goes episode by episode instead of larger plot arcs, which has a refreshing effect to it. The characters in the show are very much straight forward, with them showing their individual character types right off the bat, and then staying in that line. It is only really the main character that sees some degree of progression, but that is based around them getting more used to the fantasy world and learning their culture. The side characters are sadly very lackluster with them barely seeing any change as the season progresses, which results in them seeming very plain. So pure character wise is the show being carried by the main character, with just some support from the side characters. But what really makes this show unique though, is the whole idea of having a 52-year old man in a teenage girl's body. This is in no way done in a creepy way, and is instead used to show how some plotlines are solved in an instant by an actual adult, while others become harder since they are hard for him to relate to. Which gives the show its uniqueness and helps make the show seem fresh and appealing, since they do play with tropes in a way most can’t do. So overall it is a great watch, that gives a refreshing look at the villainess trope, but I would only watch it for the concept, plot and not hope for any larger character arcs. Therefore, if you want a refreshing and unique look at the villainess trope, can i only recommend watching this anime.