Although Kenzaburou Tondabayashi is a 52-year-old bureaucrat, he is well versed in reincarnation stories where a protagonist suddenly awakens in a fantasy world. After being hit by a truck, Kenzaburou lands in that exact situation. However, what baffles him is the fact he wound up in the world of an otome game—as the young villainess and the daughter of a duke, Grace Auvergne.
Fortunately for Kenzaburou, he is somewhat familiar with his new world, as it is based on the game called Magical Academy: Love & Beast. He was a proud father in his previous life, and he often listened to his daughter rave about the game's setting and characters. Armed with background knowledge and a lifetime's worth of dad skills, Kenzaburou strives to make the most of his new life, though his kind-hearted nature makes it difficult to fully embrace the role of a villainess.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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KANLen09
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated! - Sometimes, it takes Best Dad to become Best Girl. And the results speak for themselves. It has become all the more intuitive that when one genre breaks out, many more works will follow in its stead. And one such feature in the Isekai/fantasy realm is the villainess reincarnation theme, which has more or less become prevalent since the COVID decade of the 2020s. But yet, like the genre itself, many authors hoping to make the bank and buck the trend have largely been seen on the sidelines for being not innovative or creative enough or otherwise just feelinglike your stereotypical reincarnation story with nothing new to offer other than tried-and-true tropes that can quickly get old fast.
Well, not anymore, because there's a new player in town, and guess what, this is pretty good! Introducing female mangaka Michiro Ueyama's Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan a.k.a From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!, your stereotypical villainess MC is not carried by the same person who got reincarnated but instead, a loved one in the family, and a father figure no less. How stupid and ludicrous this premise can be, it depends on your personal take on this rather innovative twist in the genre.
What happens when you combine Truck-kun with a rather old man just being a hero to save someone's life, even on the cusp of death? You'd get 52-year-old salaryman Kenzaburo of the Tondabayashi family, having died and then reincarnated again, only to find himself filling the shoes in the otome game of Magical Academy: Love & Beast as its notorious villainess of Grace Auvergne, literally being a harmful figure for those around its central character in the premise itself. However, what makes this even more lucrative is that the game itself is loved by his otaku daughter, Hinako, even to the point that she's playing the game to help guide her father, who's trapped in-game, to progress its story and hopefully save her dad in the process alongside her mother-cum-his wife, Mitsuko, who is also an Otaku. What more could you ask from a family of Otakus who treasure video games and see their father's antics play out in the game itself?
As it turns out, quite a lot. We all know the tempers of notorious villainesses in numerous shows of the past, but Grace Auvergne is one villainess who defies that very exact term because Kenzaburo is now the one who is controlling her, instead of the in-game soul that was supposed to tie the game elements altogether. Consequently, the antics of the Tondabayashi father screw over the entire game's logic, which is now being led by his Otaku nature, which is one that's unfamiliar to the otome genre and its gimmicks, to change the course of the game, story by story, bit by bit. Still, what was supposed to be the story of the main heroine of Anna Doll and the love interests of the crown prince, Virgile Vierge, and the many other Ikemen of the magic academy's Student Council, with Grace (or rather, Kenzaburo)'s input of trying to understand the world of the otome game around him, creates quite the trouble that contributes to the allure all to her/him from both the heroine and her Ikemen love interests, plus the people from both within the academy and also those working in the Auvergne House. It's the superpower that twists and turns the game around from evil to good, and it's thanks to this Elegance Cheat skill from Kenzaburo's experience as a salaryman to showcase his forthcoming politeness, without the player himself understanding why his plot to remain faithful to the game's story only hilariously goes from bad to worse, thus making him the side main character instead, to both his wife's and his daughter's chagrin. It's for the humour and laughs, I'm telling you that.
I always have faith when it comes to studio Ajia-do's works, despite some missteps (that weren't to blame production-wise) in the past. The endearing touches that give the show its Midas touch are all over the place and treated with such elegance that you could tell that rookie director Tetsuya Takeuchi and his staff team have the delicate balance going into making the show look as elegant as possible (I'm telling you, the Elegance Cheat is real).
Even the OST sounds good...in its elegance (sorry, but this show is full of elegance puns that it's just SO noteworthy). Once again, Cider Girl (from their last venture from Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu a.k.a Komi Can't Communicate's Season 1 OP) delivers yet again another nice OP song, on top of a rather iconic ED song by actor Ken Matsudaira that's a Japanese mainstay. Regardless, you can't complain about a well-composed OST.
To say that Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan a.k.a From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!, has been a blast to watch from start to finish, I feel that it's rather underrated and underappreciated for such a work that provides a unique twist to an already proven formula. It has got its "Just for Laughs" comedic gags that strike puns at the very heart of Otakudom, and is so unserious in its BS delivery that no matter if the game's story was canon or filler, it would provide more or less the same delivery one would expect of a show like this.
Expect this villainess reincarnation story to surprise you, and just enjoy the heart and soul given that it's every bit worth your time.
And like the Student Council's vice-president Richard Verseau would say on a pun: Son-sational!
Marinate1016
Ever since Hamefura burst onto the scene 5 years ago, the villainess genre has been booming. Every season we get 1-2 entries and while they can be hit or miss, Tensei Ojisan is a massive hit. 50 year old salaryman reincarnated as a cute villainess? This guy’s living my dream! This show is amazing. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, the cast is excellent, strong yuri vibes, it’s genuinely funny as hell and most importantly, the MC actually acts like an adult that got reincarnated rather than a teenager like in the vast majority of fantasy series! Every single episode went by in a flash,I found myself cracking up for half the runtime and smiling from seeing Grace doting on characters like a loving father for the other half. If you’re a fan of villainess/otome series or characters who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing and being praised as a genius by the cast, this is a must watch!
I won’t sit here and say that everything in this show is original or groundbreaking. But the execution and writing makes it fun as hell. The biggest thing that separates this series from the increasingly popular villainess genre is Grace as an MC. Having the mind of a 50 year old salaryman in the body of a young noble understandably leads to some hilarious moments, but it’s her maturity that really does it for me. Grace acts like a doting father, making sure everyone’s ok, taking charge in situations and giving advice. The biggest conundrum she faces is forcing herself into the villainess role when she really just wants to chill and play a supporting role. No matter what she does, people end up praising her as a genius. She tried to escape the MC allegations for 12 weeks and couldn’t get it done and I’m very glad.
The comedy really landed for me in this show as it pokes fun at a ton of traditional otome and more general otaku tropes. Additionally, Grace finding herself in the craziest situations every week and having to BS her way out of them usually resulting in characters falling deeper in love with her was great. The supporting cast really were a joy to watch, especially Anna who’s gay af for Grace. Genuinely spent most of my time laughing watching this show, especially when Grace’s family on earth came into the fold and you see how their dynamic worked. It’s a really fun series that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is very easy to digest.
This might be the most underrated production of the season. Ajia-do, who also did Honzuki, put some of their best work into this show. Had surprisingly great animation, the style is really pretty and the direction was also solid. For a series that’s so low stakes and has relatively little action, I was constantly blown away by how good basic scenes like spell weaving looked! The soundtrack is also really good, top marks for the production values.
This show doesn’t reinvent the wheel and it’s probably not going to make you like villainess shows if you don’t already. It has a lot of the same tropes and Grace despite her best efforts does become a harem MC, BUT again, it’s that execution and Grace’s maturity that set this apart for me. I mean tbf, even without that I’d probably like it because I am a massive otome stan, BUT it’s no doubt that they enhanced the experience. Grace and Anna will never beat the yuri allegations and Grace is forever going to be an icon. Had a blast watching this and I’m going to miss it very much. It actually reminded me a lot of Tsunliese which is another villainess series with a different twist on the genre. Highly recommend this one if for Grace and Anna’s banter alone.
Tensei Ojisan gets 9 out of 10
TheEasternModie
This show is a bit of a disappointment for me, because it could have been great, but it wants to be a parody without understanding the underlying genre (the villainess genre) well enough to be a good one. Which isn‘t to say that the jokes can‘t be funny, but the jokes aren‘t varied enough to carry the show throughout its whole runtime and the story and characters are basically non-existent. To give you an idea, imagine Konosuba (a parody of the standard Isekai genre), but take away all the actual story elements like the party meeting and fighting different demon army generals and also takeaway all the arcs that give you a better understanding of the main characters, so that their only contribution is to say their one line jokes like „Explosion“ all the time and nothing more. This is in principle what this show is. But if you want to read a more detailed explanation, continue reading.
1) Story
The story starts quite funny, because while you have the typical villainess genre setup with it playing in an Otome game, it‘s not a female player that gets transferred to this world, but a 52 year old salaryman from Japan, who only knows this game, because his daughter played it and now he has to live his life as the villainess of the story (named Grace). And that‘s pretty much everything there is to say. This is the first big issue with the show: it has no actual story. Usually in villainess anime, there is some form of motivation that drives the plot forward. Most often, it is the knowledge of the player that the villainess is going to have a bad ending as she usually gets punished for her actions, so they try to avoid that. But here, our MC just wants to play his role as the villainess. Despite being an Otaku knowing that this isn‘t what you‘d do in that situation. And also, he is obviously fumbling this idea which is one of the main gags. At some point, it is mentioned the goal might be for him to reach the ending of the game, but since we have no clue what that „ending“ is even supposed to be or if he has to be careful, the show is just a random collection of Slice of Life elements with no deeper story.
2) Characters
Now you might say, Slice of Life elements sounds fun. And they are on the surface. But if you don‘t have a story, then the characters become important, because you want to see them develop or just interact in different situations with one another. This is a second big aspect of villainess shows as these are not so much about strong powers, but dialogue choices as the underlying games are usually Otome games where you can romance different options. Sadly, this aspect is also heavily underdeveloped. Again, in a setup like this, you would expect some form of conflict coming from the fact that the MC is in the role of the villainess. Usually, the villainess already has some form of reputation and maybe even a group that copies her behaviour, so a sudden shift in personality means that people now either start to target her as well or they are very cautious expecting some deeper plan behind this nice facade. You know, something that makes the MC have to actually interact with these characters, understand them on a deeper level than what is shown in the game and by that, form new relationships. But not so here. Yes, Grace had a reputation, but from episode 1, everyone just accepts her shift in personality. Even the other bully characters completely change in the first episode to copy her new, more graceful appearance. Not only that, but all of the characters are very 1-dimensional. Again, a big thing about shows like these is usually that the MC gets a new perspective of the other characters because instead of them just being romance options, they can interact in all kinds of ways. But not so here. For one, because our MC doesn‘t know the game well enough to even make a comparison. But secondly, because all of these characters only have one quirk that gets repeated whenever they are on screen. And nothing more. Most egregious is that when it comes to Anna, the original protagonist of the game. Again, the show copies a lot of the surface level elements, like her being a commoner in a school for nobles and who is picked on by the villainess in the game, but instead of creating an interesting new relationship, Anna‘s whole character gets reduced to saying „Sasuga Grace-sama“. Yes, I know that the original MC (as well as basically ever other character) falling for the new villainess is also a trope of this genre, but at least put some effort in and don‘t make it happen in episode 1 already. Now, there might be ONE exception to this and this is Grace as they gave her a „reason“ to become a villainess, but this comes with its own problems. First of all, it's not really explored and only hinted at in a total of three short scenes. But more importantly, this whole "backstory" starts to make less and less sense the more we learn about Grace's surroundings. It's again very surface level. The author understood that the villainess shouldn't just be a villainess because she is in the game, but they didn't care enough to craft a world that actually supports this idea. Which in return means, the opposite happens as Grace's reason for being a villainess ir more or less just "because it's in the title of the show". Maybe they have a bit more planned with that in the future, but considering the show misunderstood every other part of the genre, I highly doubt it.
3) Comedy
But okay, so much for story and characters, but as mentioned in the beginning, this show wants to be a parody and one might say that they don‘t care much about anything else but the jokes. So are they any good? Yeah, they got a few chuckles out of me every so often. Obviously, since there is no development in story or characters, the jokes stay mostly the same over the course of the show, you will basically have seen them all by episode 4, but they can be fun regardless. There are jokes about the MC having a „cheat skill“ where all his actions and words get translated into „noble form“ which is kind of fun. There are obviously his attempts at being a villainess and either fumbling, because he is too much of a good guy or people around him misunderstanding and reading more into his actions (which is one of the jokes normal villainess genres like to do as well). There are the jokes around the other side characters, like how one is constantly doing dad jokes, which our MC obviously appreciates. And then, since our MC and his whole family are Otaku, there are obviously references to other shows. But this last point in particular was the weakest, because these references are often not included properly. For example, there is a father-son-Kamehameha reference, but the story didn‘t support this and it wasn‘t even funny in the moment. It was literally just „We need a reference here as a joke, pick one“. All in all though, I do think, the jokes are good and if you don‘t mind them not developing and just cycling through them, then you can have a fun time.
4) General criticism
Finally, there is one last critcism I want to adress, because while it might not be a big issue, I found this really annoying at times. As mentioned, there is no story or character development and obviously, you can‘t just have jokes every second, so one question might be: How is the rest of the time filled? Mostly by exposition. Really boring exposition. I am not joking. There is a whole exposition scene to explain the simplest four-element magic system I have ever seen for several minutes. And that‘s not even the worst part. The show repeats exposition at several points. This magic system? Yeah, it gets explained to us once when they basically get their element (to avoid spoilers I leave that vague) and a second time, when they fight for the first time with that element. It wasn't complex enough to have one exposition scene, but they really went and said "Make two boring exposition scenes". And this example isn't an exception, they did this several times over the course of the show, which resulted in some really boring moments.
5) Summary
All in all, the show is fine. It‘s a simple parody like a lot of the Isekai parodys where they just make fun of the surface level elements. If you like the jokes, it can be entertaining, but it‘s not a show where you should expect anything more. And it's definitely not a show where you will be interested in future seasons. For that, it just doesn't do enough or anything at all.
Necris
It’s a mediocre anime, but it's well-made, which makes it surprisingly enjoyable. The pacing is very good, and the gags are actually quite funny. I found it better than other "reincarnated as a villainess" series, and I believe there are three reasons for that: Respect for its characters – In many hastily made shows, characters are nothing more than simple plot devices, used and then shelved until needed again. Not here. While the characters are definitely simple and not explored in any meaningful way, they still have their own personalities, agendas, and goals. The pacing – It doesn’t try to cram as much content into its runtime asother shows do. It’s not a constant barrage of dialogue and action. There are pauses between characters' lines and moments for them to "think" about what to say next. I know this might sound obvious, but a surprisingly large number of anime—even some popular ones—fail at this, making them boring and annoying to watch for me.
A coherent plot – The story doesn’t feel like the author is rolling dice every chapter to decide what happens next.
Suwanaide
(Completed series in roughly a week) I almost feel like the best way I can describe this anime is "fan service for middle aged people." I'm close to 48, my wife is roughly the same age. We both loved it. I'm not the most experienced anime watcher on this site, but at this point I'm at around 4,000 episodes total across various genres. My wife's probably at around 4,500. I don't think I've ever identified with a character in an anime as much as I did with Kenzaburo Tondabayashi, the MC. His character is a couple of years olderthan we are, had a normal job before he was transported into the video game, is all around a good guy and a good father. But beyond that, when he's sent into the body of a teenage girl, rather than doing what it seems every other anime does, he isn't a perverted hornball. He relates to everyone with the mentality of a middle-aged dad, doing his best to make the lives of the high schoolers better. The anime doesn't even do the usual isekai thing of making him try to make up for some mistreatment of his own real-life past, and become the most popular person in school. He actively tries to put the spotlight on who he knows is the main character of the game. I kinda feel like this is what most of us would do if we found ourselves in that situation. You know, after the initial panic attack.
The animation in the show is fine, the music only really gets to shine in a couple of episodes. The voice acting is very good (I can only speak for the Japanese cast, as I watched the sub). Kazuhiko Inoue is perfect as the dad.
There's none of the other "fan service" to speak of in this anime that I can remember. No saunas, jiggle-physics, or panty shots. It's not that kind of show. There are a few battles, which aren't bad considering the show they're in. But don't expect it to be Solo Leveling or anything like that.
There's very little tension in the show. There aren't real "enemies" to speak of. Most of the plot is moved by "progressing the game forward to finish the game" which would, one expect, get the dad out of the game. The wife and daughter are watching/playing/intervening in the game from the outside, and there's a secondary plot which I won't spoil here, which adds a wrinkle to it and really makes me hope there's a second season. But on the whole, the show is mostly about its heart and its humor, which is wholesome without being corny. And as the show goes on, you do get the feeling it's building up to something bigger.
I will say that despite giving it a 10/10, I have a small fear that the "bigger" it's building up to might be too big for the show's vibe. Like, I get that the need to explain how and why the dad is in the game, and the mechanics of it all. But I don't want ponder the universe of this show the same way I did with Tonari no Yōkai-san. That's not what I'm here for.
Chuy_diazz
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.
PsykoMutt
These villainess shows tend to run a few different routes, and usually be defined by the strength of their gimmick. In this case, the reincarnated villainess being an aged otaku bureaucrat makes for a fantastic gimmick, and they are absolutely delightful. Seeing both how he reacts to this delightful, if generic fantasy world, as well as how it translates through his new form is fantastic. The side cast is fine. The heroine of the game is probably the standout of the side cast, with pretty much everyone else feeling exceedingly tropey, or verging on background haracters. Honestly, the mystery of his existing within the game world andhow it reflects in the real world is what had me coming back, but the season ends on a cliffhanger. We’ll see if the show has enough staying power in a possible season 2.
Zeno_Artaxerxes
An isekai where an old man, which is somewhat knowledgeable with the anime world, but still a normal father that acts normal, which works an office job, gets isekaied into an otome game that his daughter was playing, in the villainess's role. This was a really nice surprise! It is an unique villainess isekai! And I am not talking about the fact that the MC is a 52 y old office worker. Cannot say what the unique take is as I think it would be a spoiler, but trust me, I think you will find it interesting as well. The only problem is that it wasn'tthat worked on in this season... at least not as much as I wanted. But in the next season (which hopefully will come), it will play an even bigger part, I can bet on that.
The plot is pretty simple: magical academy of the nobility in a kingdom where a commoner was accepted, which is the original game's MC, and the villainess that would pick on her... if only. That was the original game idea, but now we have our old man in that role! This goes onto the comedic route where it shows what a 52 y old office worker with its working habits, which is also a father and knows a bit of gaming and anime culture, would do in an otome game. And it delivers. A lot of the jokes hit really well, and the presentation is top notch. I didn't feel any problems like the scenes would be cringe or some sorts. It actually is wholesome af to see him in that role. He has an idea of what he has to do, to maybe "finish" the game and get out of that world, and is trying to do just that. The worldbuilding in this anime is also pretty good, something that I didn't expect from an otome game. I would say that the only thing I can pick on it is that the story, the actual main plot of it, does not progress much, and even at the end of the season, I kinda have the same questions, or even more, that I had gained at the beginning of the anime. It's just scenes that only add different scenarios with the same result, sometimes giving a ink of the real plot here and there. But as it is mainly a comedy, I would say it isn't such a big deal... Also, there are quite a lot of references in this anime, especially to the older stuff.
The characters are what you would expect. Pretty boys, most of the basic stereotypes being here like the goofy one, the acting serious one, the strong type etc. You get the idea. But their interactions felt pretty natural to me, no forced things. The boys aren't really the main point anyway, it s the relation between the original game's MC, the commoner, and our old man in the body of the villainess, and how it progresses. Gotta respect that there wasn't any fan service as well.
Story: 9 -- Pretty basic, but it has an unique take on the genre that I really like and see a big potential in.
Art: 9 -- The art is pretty good. Gotta love the fact that they didn't use CGI for a lot of things where other animes would do it. Not many fights tho, so can't really say much regarding that. But it was pleasant for my eyes to see all the scenes. In certain moments I did feel like they ran out of budget and did a few tricks to save on it.
Music: 10 -- The OP and the ED are top tier + the extra soundtrack is very good as well.
Characters: 9 -- Gotta love the idea of a normal 52 y old, office worker, father, and a somewhat knowledgeable with the anime world, being transported in such a world.
Enjoyment: 9 -- Enjoyed it fully.
Overall: 9
Right now it has 7.44 from 23.877 Ranked #2200 Popularity #2856 Members 67,015 as of 06/04/2025.
I highly recommend it to people that want to see an unique take on the isekai villainess genre, that is a really good comedy, no fan service and the MC is actually a normal person which makes the whole anime a really wholesome experience.
ZeroMajor12
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'veseen 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.
patkarunungan
'From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!' is a mixed bag. There's so much one can like, and there are some that I don't particularly like. Tondabayashi Kenzaburou is a 52-year-old bureaucrat who was going off from work when he saw a kid about to be hit by a truck but chose to save him, an image that reminds you of how Yusuke saved a certain kid in Yuu Yuu Hakusho. Upon waking up, Kenzaburou sees that he became Grace Auvergne, the villainess of his daughter's favourite otome game, 'Magical Academy: Love & Beast.' *************************************** I'll start using the she/her pronouns when I refer to Grace as acharacter even if technically, it should be a he/him.
Note that too many people would refer to Kenzaburou as a boomer, but he is on the borderline between boomer and Gen X. If he was 52 when the manga was published, he would have been one of the youngest boomers. But if he was 52 in 2025, he is one of the oldest Gen X'er. I'll just refer to him as an old man.
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Before watching this anime, I was uncomfortable with the idea that Grace might get a love interest. After all, the soul within her is a man. But as you watch it, it looks like she isn't and wouldn't be interested in anyone.
One key appeal of this anime is how Grace is fatherly. Grace originally had a bitchy attitude that made anyone fearful of her, and with Kenzaburou's soul in her body, it amuses me so much how people have received well the new grace.
The supporting characters are nice to her. In fact, they are too nice to an annoying degree. She has the so-called the Elegance Cheat that makes whatever thing she does adorable. So she has a lot of people obseqiuous to her. Anna Doll in particular, the protagonist of the game is particularly annoying. She is reliable on what she does, but she is part of Grace's groupie.
Despite me hating on Anna as insufferable, she is still the better support character. She has a good character design despite being a lousy character. In general, the support characters are shit and forgettable.
Another great aspect of this show is how Kenzaburou as well as his wife are weebs long before that term has been coined. There's a lot of old-school anime being referenced or alluded. I especially like the list of old-school isekai mentioned, both anime and non-anime.
This common interest of anime and manga somehow makes you want to respect your elders because so many people have written on the irreconcilable differences among the generations. This anime is an attempt at bridging that gap.
Both the opening and ending songs are so great. They're a bangers. One might take issue is the imagery. Since we're dealing with an older generation, the imagery feels tacky.
I don't like the colour grading. It's not vibrant, and the gender bender combined with the dull colour grading prevents me from fully liking it despite all the good things about this anime I've mentioned above.
§ Conclusion
This is a decent anime. It's entertaining. It has several virtues, but it also has some things that repel you from fully appreciating it.
If you're considering this anime, still give it a try. I may not like it that much, but you might like it.
hannia93
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. Determinedto 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.
Sjama
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 animekept 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.
Trospher
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 gamecompletely 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.
Flacion
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 otomegame.
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.
ErzaDarkchylde
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 thetype 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.
Kamitori
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. ---Thereview---
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.
Kirumin
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 revealit 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
mrfried
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'treally 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
atomicsmal
In so many isekai I literally cannot keep up this one drew my attention, it is silly. It is in fact so silly it is hard to recommend to someone not familiar with the genre. But!!! What it does have going for it is so much heart! You can't turn away from the character antics and how fresh it feels to have a dad come in and look at the teen drama and be like 'no'. It is also animated beautifully? Being full of little character acting moments when a comedy like this usually doesn't get this level of polish. If you've watched a fewisekais before I really recommend this one, it is higher on the weeb scale in that it is not the best rec for someone who has only seen a few anime, this is by geek for geeks here.
