If we are to believe anime as a source, there’s a truck around every corner waiting to send you to another world. Isekais is to anime what fentanyl is to the US — a pandemic. But with tens of isekais debuting every season, it’s becoming exceedingly difficult for a story to stand out. Yet, standing out is exactly what From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! does, and it does it well. I know plenty of weebs would rather violently stub their toe than watch another isekai, especially an otome-themed one. However, Michiro Ueyama can have a hearty ojousama-style laugh at people who think this is “just another isekai.” Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan SPOILERS AHEAD (Up to episode 5).
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! — Summary
One day, 52-year-old bureaucrat Kenzaburo Tondabayashi sees a vicious truck preying on a young child. Deciding that’s a level of malice that won’t happen on his watch, the pro gamer ojisan leaps to the rescue. While he manages to prevent a local kid from becoming an obituary, he doesn’t fare as well. And due to Truck-kun, he finds himself isekaied/reincarnated as the villainess in his daughter’s favorite otome game, Magical Academy: Love & Beast.
As an otaku at heart, Kenzaburo (now Grace Auvergne) embraces his role as the villainess. But his kind and fatherly aura prevails, and he soon transforms the haughty Grace into a beloved fixture of her school. He manages to befriend and wow all the characters who formerly were against Grace in the game. So much so that the peasant girl, Anna Doll, whom Grace berated in Magical Academy: Love & Beast, quickly endears herself to Kenzaburo/Grace.
As he becomes accustomed to his new life, his family back in Japan realizes that the comatose Kenzaburo is living in the otome game his daughter played. Even more absurd is that, at moments, his family can help him along the story he now finds himself in.
From Bureaucrat to Villainess — Why You Should Watch It
As someone who spends way too much time reading doujins, I never thought having an old bald dude inside a hot waifu was going to be wholesome, but life continues to surprise me. Michiro Ueyama did a fantastic job portraying the gap-moe with Kenzaburo/Grace. Grace is the kind of person who crashes out when Starbucks doesn’t have oat milk. But with Kenza-ojisan living in her body, his meekness transforms Grace into a paradigm of elegance. Everything that followed because of his actions constantly had me chuckling or laughing.
But if comedy were all a show needed to succeed, many more shows would earn reverence. Most people reading this won’t feel tempted to watch it based on comedy alone, especially since From Bureaucrat to Villainess lacks any lewdness. And I’m pitching it to J-List followers. But I have a small mind, so I’ll always mention the obvious first. However, consider this: When did you last see a gender-bent show handled appropriately?
Usually, when an anime dude walks up as a hot waifu, the first thing he does is explore his new body and embrace horniness. And while that may be what God intended for us to do, it can be off-putting for many. Here, Kenzaburo’s life experiences prevent that. From the beginning, he understands Grace’s position and does all he can to protect her image and standing. His wanting to do this adds to his confusion but also endears us to him. And while most isekais are full of OP characters and God-gifted cheats, we don’t get that here. While Grace has an aptitude for sorcery, Kenzaburo only borrows that aptitude. Couple this with his wit/personality, Grace’s looks, and the show’s overall demeanor, and you end up with an enjoyable watch.
A New Type of Isekai?
To sell From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated! as merely a comedy and gender-bending show is a disservice and a huge one. If you take a minute to mull over the Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan plot, things get esoteric fast.
There’s been a handful of isekais where our and the fantasy worlds meet. In shows like Gate and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf, the protagonists and their otherworldly companions interact in both worlds. But From Bureaucrat to Villainess gives a different twist to otherworldly tales — our world can affect it. Kenzaburo’s family’s ability to see his journey in another world and lend a hand opens up a whole new sub-genre of isekai. Or maybe it doesn’t. I haven’t read the source material, so a lot can still happen with the show being right by its halfway mark. But those who know that the isekai genre can still throw solid punches would do well to keep up with this show.
Production Details
From Bureaucrat to Villainess simulcasts every Thursday on HIDIVE and via Muse’s different services. Aija-do Animation Works animates the show under the direction of Tetsuya Takeuchi. The show’s lead and initial supporting voice cast includes:
- Mao Ichimichi (TenSura, A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics) as Grace Auvergne
- Kazuhiko Inoue (Pop Team Epic, Naruto) as Kenzaburo Tondabayashi
- Akira Sekine (Senpai Is An Otokonoko, Nisekoi) as Anna Doll
- Tomoyo Kurosawa (Arknights, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) as Hinako Tondabayashi
- Takako Honda (Tokyo Mew Mew, Hanasaku Iroha the Movie: Home Sweet Home) as Mitsuko Tondabayashi
- Kaito Ishikawa (Dandadan, Negaposi Angler) as Crown Prince Vierge Virgile
- Ryouta Suzuki (Dr. Stone, Tying The Knot With An Amagami Sister) as Lion Auguste
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