For 20 years, Beryl Gardenant has taught various people as the master of his father's sword-fighting dojo in a backwater village. Many have become astounding swordsmen themselves, but Beryl remains quite humble, referring to himself as an old man. His former disciples all disagree, including Allucia Citrus, a girl who graduated from Beryl's training over 10 years ago and is currently the commander of the Royal Order of Knights.
Wishing to reveal her cherished teacher's true greatness, Allucia recommends Beryl to her superiors, leading to his appointment as a special instructor for the Order by imperial command. She delivers the news herself—though Beryl has yet to realize her deeper motive. Pressured by his aging parents, Beryl reluctantly accepts the job and moves to the capital. There, he meets more of his past students, such as Surena Lysandra, now a black-rank adventurer, and Ficelle Harbeller, a prominent member of the Magic Corps. Before long, word begins to spread: not even the strongest warriors can match the "old man" from the countryside.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Gwynbleidd_Alan
As someone who didn’t read the manga and went in completely blind, the premise caught my attention. An older swordsman, finally leaves his quiet village and his job as a sword instructor at his dojo to head to the capital and live up to his reputation as a sword prodigy. It sounded like something with a lot of potential. But... it just didn’t land. The story feels generic and honestly ended up being boring to me. I couldn’t connect with the characters in any way, and I didn’t care much about what was happening most of the time. I won't lie, I was also kind ofweirded out about how seemingly all of his former students were women, wearing revealing outfits, and for some reason they all seemed to be into him. The age gap made it awkward, and the way those interactions were written didn’t help either. It feels like a harem but doesn't commit to that route.
The anime kept falling into the same repetitive loop. Someone would doubt the main character or not take him serious, then he’d pull off something impressive or cool to prove them wrong, again and again. It got old fast, and nothing really developed beyond that. The plot never evolved, and it felt like the show was just stalling until the next predictable moment. Everything else was full of clichés too, like the classic evil church figure, and a world that felt flat and underdeveloped. There was no real lore or substance to keep me invested.
To be fair, the CGI was well done. It blended nicely with the regular art style and made the fight scenes look smooth and satisfying. But even those moments couldn’t save it, since the outcome of every battle was obvious before it even started. The so called twists ended up being nothing more but a predictable mess.
If there was one redeeming thing for me, it was the relationship between the MC and his more or less adopted daughter Mewi. That was actually wholesome and felt genuine. It was the only dynamic in the show that had heart and didn’t feel like characters just acting out tired archetypes.
Curiosity got the best of me. This show seemed interesting at first but it didn’t do anything meaningful with it. Average at best, frustrating at worst.
prakhargr8
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman stands apart not by sheer spectacle, but by its quiet confidence and grounded approach to its storytelling. It is a tale uninterested in chasing the extremes of power fantasies or overblown ascents. Instead, it devotes itself to a more intimate portrait of a man who never sought greatness, only to live with quiet integrity. And in that restraint, it finds clarity. The narrative unfolds with deliberate pacing, choosing nuance over noise and rooting its strength not in impossible abilities but in the discipline and subtlety. What emerges is a character study steeped in humility. The protagonist’s journey is notone of chasing ambition but of becoming someone capable in the face of responsibility, a trajectory shaped more so by necessity. The anime eschews the gaudy conventions of its genre, opting instead for battles that feel weighty not because they’re grand, but because they’re personal. There are imperfections including the occasional stiff animation and a surrounding cast that veers toward formulaic harem tropes but the heart of the series remains remarkably earnest. It never loses sight of what matters: the discipline behind the blade and the burdens that come with wielding it. The show is neither flamboyant nor hollow, it's meditative, composed, and human.
In the end the show's emotional resonance doesn’t depend on overblown action, but on authenticity. Every duel feels like it belongs to a world not of fantasy but of lived experience and profound modesty. All in all the anime doesn’t try to redefine its genre; it simply honors it and in doing so delivers a story of substance rather than theatrics.
BeetleR19d
'Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru' was an interesting watch for me. After all, spring 2025 didn't have the strongest catalog of anime to offer, so I wasn't particularly eager about any of the new shows that came out. So when I started watching this anime, I was practically expecting nothing from it. The synopsis and the cast of characters suggested it was probably going to be another 'Generic OP and oblivious MC with his harem' type of show. And after watching it, I can confirm that my initial speculation wasn't far off at all. However, it wasn't entirely on point either, so it's fairto say this anime did exceed my expectations (because I barely had any to begin with).
Note: This is a review from an 'Anime Only' person's perspective. So, I'm not going to judge this show on how well it adapted the source material. Instead, I'll be saying how good it is if you only watch the anime and know nothing about the source material, like I did. I will try to keep this review short.
Plot and Characters (6/10):
I actually liked the base this story has. The protagonist being 40 year old country bumpkin instantly makes it a lot more separable from a ton of generic shows that have 14-16 year old kid as protagonist. But that also makes it kinda awkward when all of his potential love interests bar that loli principal is around 20. Romance aside, the plot was predictable for the most part. I won't spoil anything but the fact that every female character that gets introduced somehow ends up being his ex-disciple was something that I knew would happen (I mean, its quite literally written on the manga title) , but still when it started happening every 2 episodes, It didn't leave a good taste. They could easily solve this by introducing one or multiple students who meet with him in the anime and grows a bond . Probably you can fill Mewi in that criteria but still that wasn't enough, and I don't think she should be considered a love interest. The mystery part of this show wasn't great, but I suspect this was mainly because it had a 12-episode run. I will conclude this part of the review by saying, everything about this anime's plot and characters feels vague. You will mostly follow 4-5 character for 12 episodes but still you will feel that, you barely know anything about the characters at all and that's a huge red flag if you are coming to watch this solely for the story.
Animation and Audio (7.5/10):
The animation was okay. I feel that's the most accurate way to describe it. I of course didn't expect ufotable-esque quality from this show, and probably no one else did either. But it wasn't terrible. The character designs were average in a good way; while it didn't have a very distinct art style, the characters still looked fine.
The voice acting was as usual, nothing to complain about. The protagonist sounded like an old man, and I think that was my only concern regarding the show's voice acting. It would have been awkward if he sounded like a teenager or even a man in his twenties. It needed to be an older-sounding voice to fit his character. The opening and ending songs were fine. I only listened to them once, just a few minutes ago to write this part of the review. So, that pretty much answers whether they were remarkable.
Conclusion (6.5/10):
As I mentioned at the beginning, I came to this show expecting nothing, so the fact that I watched the whole thing means it wasn't awful. But did I thoroughly enjoy my time watching it? The answer is a big fat NO. So you're probably thinking why I'm putting this in 'Mixed Feelings' instead of 'Not Recommended'. I think how much you can enjoy this type of mediocre anime depends on how many of them you've watched. Perhaps a version of myself from four years ago would have liked this show a lot more than the current me. So, in my opinion, 'Mixed Feelings' is justified. This is only worth watching if you have no other decent fantasy show options and are specifically looking for a 40-year-old country bumpkin as the protagonist. That caters to a very niche audience.
Thank you for reading :-)
kiyeyap159
In a sea of less-than-mediocre series, this one rises above the rest. Not by a lot, but by enough to earn it a recommendation. I'd give this a high 7, and rounded up to 8. I don't know if it's a good adaptation, but I don't care about other media, (not) sorry. The animation was surprisingly good, and the (admittedly many) parts that were done CGI-only were ~85% of the way between "crap CGI from 20 years years ago" and "nearly perfectly executed CGI". The 3D animations were surprisingly well done too, not the perfect professional jobs you'd expect from a AAAA game cinematic or latestresearch simulation, but fluid and sensible enough. The show leaned quite a bit into this aspect, and instead of showing us random jumps of body parts and flashes we actually get to see real (and mostly realistic) movement from bodies, hands, and swords. It really takes the series from a 5-6 to a high 7.
Sound was pretty good too. You can hear the armor clinging, feet dragging on dirt, etc. Not sure if it's always up there, but in the few fight scenes I re-watched it was pretty impressive. Background music was fitting and didn't feel off at any point. The ending song grew on me.
Story does have issues and so far is mostly forgettable, as many others have pointed. Not that much interesting stuff going on, nothing too deep, and lots of time spent on the students who are exclusively women (well, except that one guy who appears for ~30-60 seconds in total), and are there probably to tick all possible preference boxes (design, height, body type, hair color/style, age, speech, personality, ...) for the audience. Thankfully, this doesn't degenerate into a harem or turn creepy (stay classy, mister Swordmaster). A big part of the story is about and around these students, but we don't get too much details about them, their training, or their current aspirations; only brief flashbacks and a few interactions for mostly short-length current events. The first few episodes and the last few episodes are the more interesting ones, and it is left at an incomplete state just as some politics seem to be starting. Almost none of scenes make a big impact, but some are somewhat memorable. Anyway, regarding the main premise...
The "OP MC who doesn't know his strength" trope is executed mostly well and mostly believably. He wins the fights against his younger, talented students, but usually the way he wins makes some sense. He's been their teacher, and it should be expected that he knows at least some of their weakness or bad habits. It also makes sense that's he's strong despite his "old age", since from early on we see him practice along with his students *and* practice solo every day, and later on we also see how he has some experience in actual fighting. He often says "I could only win like this once", and it seems believable (almost?) every time because he's also teaching his opponents/students and we often see them improve in the next episodes.
If you've read so far, you might be thinking: "But shouldn't all that stuff be taken for granted?". No. There are 10+ similar series (i.e. "OP MC") coming out every season, and not even 1 in 10 have this level of effort put into them. Some use the "budget" as an excuse to do subpar work, while others like this make the best use of what they were given. If you're even thinking about watching this, it likely means you've already watched all the A+ tier series out there, so yes, do watch this before watching anything else from the B-F tiers.
Nebu1on
I found the first few episodes of this anime enjoyable. A unique story, some decent action, and it was overall just a cozy and fun show. Then about halfway through it completely drops off and absolutely nothing happens for multiple episodes. It got so boring I nearly dropped it. Out of nowhere it suddenly picks up again in the last couple episodes. I can't give it a good review because of how weak segments of the show are, but it does come together in the end. I'd recommend this show for people who want to watch a chill one or two episodes before bed and don't wantto think too much. If you're looking for anything more than that, don't waste your time on it
PanzerIV-J
I found From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman to be generally quite good throughout its entire airing. That’s not to say there aren’t issues—there definitely are—but I don’t think they’re major enough to make the anime unenjoyable for most people. I'll start with the issues, then talk about the strong points. Issues- Slow pacing The pacing is pretty slow across the whole series. Honestly, a good half of the episodes feel like a drag because they try to stretch things out just to hit a good stopping point. I really don’t like when it feels like two episodes could’ve easily been combined into one—it ends up feeling likemy time’s being wasted. I think a lot of viewers will probably feel the same way with certain episodes. This is easily one of the worst aspects of the anime and probably the one that bothered me the most.
Characters & plot points
This ties into the pacing issue a bit. The characters are somewhat realistic in how they think and feel, but they kind of fall apart when it comes to growth and development. It sucks watching a character go through events and not really change or become more interesting. There are some moments where it feels like something is going to happen, but then it just... doesn’t. It's frustrating.
Main character Beryl & the female cast
I don’t dislike Beryl as a character, but I really don’t like how nearly every female character in this anime is a former student of his—and on top of that, most of them seem to have some sort of crush on him. I wouldn’t mind this so much, but the age gaps are kind of uncomfortable. Beryl is 44 (according to the wiki), and most of the women seem to be in their mid-to-late twenties or even younger. That’s a pretty big age difference, and it feels weird when several of them are young enough to be his daughters. Now, to be fair, Beryl doesn’t flirt back—he’s too dense to even notice they’re into him—so that helps a little. But still, it’s an odd dynamic.
Strongpoints-
The fight scenes
The fights are easily the highlight of the show. Every battle is well done—fun to watch, visually interesting, and a great showcase of each character’s abilities. If you’re in it for the action, this anime delivers every time.
The story
Despite the pacing issues and awkward harem stuff, the overall story is actually pretty solid. Most of the scenes build up to a good payoff, and the plot in general feels well-structured. When the characters do show even a little progression, it’s satisfying. There’s definitely a good story under the surface—it just takes some patience to get to it.
All in all, I’d say this is a pretty good anime. It has its problems, but nothing so bad that it ruins the experience. If you’re okay with some slow pacing and a few questionable character dynamics, you’ll probably enjoy it.
7.5/10
bossunhimeswitch
This is one of those offerings that comes out every cour that's good but not thrilling. What kept me coming back for more and looking forward to it each week were the characters, especially the main character Beyrl. He's very straight-forward, humble, and luckily not a perv. It made this harem gathering anime really interesting and gave it a fresh feeling. Unfortunately parts of it do move kind of slowly and things that should be punchy don't always punch (hence a 6/10 instead of an 8/10), but I grew to really like Beyrl and some of the other secondary recurring characters and wanted to knowhow their story would play out. The first season ends in a place that works as an ending with no further seasons but I would still like to see more of this story even if it is a bit simplistic like our hero.
If you're looking for an easy watch that does have some stakes to it, then this might be the anime for you. This might also be an anime worth watching if you're looking for a hero who seems to be aroace and content with a lack of a romantic life. If you like your harem hero a bit pervy or super into the girls in the potential harem, then you will be disappointed.
HERMIT_PAIMON
I started watching this because mc looks like Paul from jobless reincarnation ( no shame in accepting ) No expectations from start , I literally thought this would be a another avg fantasy harem but it proved me wrong . Our mc is a gigachad , ultimate rizzler , op fighter Most imp thing in this show is choreography and use of cgi , I am pretty impressed ( literally crossed my expectations ) Animation , Moments , VA , Landscapes etc are fluid and smooth . Every less loopholes . Only complaint is that they skipped many parts from manga .If they adopted exactly my rating definatelywould be higher .
Overall show is enjoyable and watchable at same time . You can bing in 1 sitting .
Sketchopotamus
This show captured me IMMEDIATELY. Love the whole premise of the show, the main character just is a humble lovable dude, who isn't even that old but they play it up in the show because he's not a teenager. I watched the first two episodes and immediately had to read the manga. That's where the issues started. The main character is strong. REALLY strong, and we don't really get that idea as much in the anime version. The manga captures little moments, frames even, of a thought process, his skill, his dedication to show how terrifying he actually is. The anime skips over those moments,and slightly changes it from the manga.
I'm not one to say that every show should always follow the manga 100% and that's not reasonable to expect that either, but some of those frames, TINY moments showed a lot of his underlying depth and strength as a compelling character that just wasn't added at all.
It was an enjoyable show that led me to a better version, and I'm thankful for that
phillipbrule
One of the biggest nothing burgers I've ever watched. The MC pretty much has a harem of his old girl students begging for his attention. He's humble a clueless which is kinda nice but there's basically no plot. The MC doesn't feel passionate about anything, even sword fighting. He just seems to like swordsmanship and care only once he's actually in a fight. He's not that interesting yet he's still the most interesting character in the show. Overall this is the definition of mid. I would give it a 4 but I don't know if I can say the show is actually bad, but therewas nothing really good about the show except the OP and ED.
andylaode
"From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman" – A Solid 7/10 Okay, real talk: this anime is **pretty good**, but man, it’s got some *choices*. Let’s break it down. The Not-So-Great Stuff 1. The "Not-Quite-Harem" Harem So, it’s kinda a harem? Beryl’s got a fan club of former students (all gorgeous, of course), but the show doesn’t fully commit. That’s a problem because: - Harem fans will feel blue-balled. - Non-harem fans will side-eye the weird age gaps (dude’s 44, and half these women could be his kids). At least he’s oblivious, but still… *yikes*.2. Pacing? More Like Snailing
Some episodes drag **hard**. You’ll watch two characters stare at a tree for 10 minutes, and then—*boom*—sudden sword fight. Could’ve cut half the filler and lost nothing.
3. Character Growth? More Like Character Maybe
The cast *feels* realistic… until they don’t. Some have great setups, but then their arcs just… fizzle. Like, *hello?* Where’s the payoff?
---
The Good Sh*t
1. Fight Scenes Go *Hard
The action? **Chef’s kiss.** Every battle is crisp, creative, and hype as hell. If you’re here for swordplay, you’ll leave satisfied.
2. Story’s Actually Decent
Under all the pacing issues, there’s a **solid plot**. When it *does* click, it’s *chef’s kiss*—just wish it happened more often.
---
Verdict
Look, it’s **flawed but fun**. If you can handle:
- Slow moments (*bring snacks*)
- A *questionable* harem-lite vibe
- Characters who sometimes forget to develop
…you’ll enjoy it. 7/10—good, not life-changing. Watch it for the fights, tolerate the rest.
Sidarif
This anime turned out to be a pretty enjoyable watch overall. It’s not overly complicated or groundbreaking, but it has its own charm that makes it fun to follow from start to finish. One thing I found interesting was the fight scenes. The anime uses some 3D models during the battles, and while they may not be the smoothest at times, they didn’t take away from the excitement. In fact, some of the action scenes looked pretty cool because of it. As for the main character, I honestly couldn’t tell whether he was meant to be “overpowered” or just average with bursts of brilliance. However, one thingis clear—he’s definitely an excellent teacher. His way of guiding others and sharing his experience stood out more than his fighting ability, which made him feel like a unique kind of protagonist.
The supporting characters were also fun and added to the overall enjoyment of the anime. I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but it’s a solid, feel-good show that’s easy to relax with.
If you’re looking for a simple, straightforward fantasy anime with some decent action, likable characters, and a bit of humor, this one is definitely worth checking out
patkarunungan
I enjoyed watching 'From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman.' It's a bit different from the average slop. § Overview Beryl Gardinant is an instructor for a sword school in a rural area. He did not achieve his dream of being a master swordsman — or so he thought. One day, thanks to his former student, he received a summon to become a special sword instructor for the knights of the Liberion Order. Thus begins Beryl-sensei's adventures. § Notes1. This is not isekai, and I'm glad it did not start with some guy dying and getting reincarnated into a new life.
2. The protagonist Beryl Gardinant is middle-aged, and most probably in his 40s. By honing his craft for so many years and teaching it to different students, no wonder he is a great swordsman. It might feel contrived that he (and no one else) is overpowered, but at least no one can deny that there is an explanation for it.
He is sometimes challenged by magic users and if there are an overwhelming number of enemies, so it's not boring. He does not obliterate his enemies quickly.
3. You will notice that many of his former students are attractive women, and they tend to have romantic feelings for their former teacher.
One may be tempted to call this a self-insert for middle-aged guys, and it can function as that. But to criticise it as merely self-insert is reductive. Even if you don't insert yourself in Beryl-sensei, he is an interesting character whose time has come. He may be old, but he hasn't reached his potential. If there's anything that anyone can feel inspired by this story, it's the fact that no matter how old you are, as long as you haven't reached your potential, it's still worth pursuing goals that will help unlock your potential.
I cited this quote in my review for Medalist:
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
--- a quote often attributed to George Eliot
If Inori in the Medalist can achieve much despite being late, Beryl-sensei can also do the same in this anime.
Back to Beryl's harem, he does not lust after his students even if technically speaking, there's nothing wrong with doing so. By the time they meet again, they are now adults. His father actually asks Beryl-sensei to find himself a wife. Beryl is just unwilling to look for one at the moment.
4. The art direction doesn't seem to stand out. It seems only serviceable. But if you look at the background art, especially in the ED, it's above average.
5. The tone is a bit more serious than the average anime, but it hasn't reached its potential because of the limitation of the 12-episode format. The plot involving the internal politicks of Sphenedyardvania was barely developed even if, more often than not, it has been central in the anime. I believe if this story were to be taken in its logickal conclusion, it would be better than what has been seen in the anime.
§ Conclusion
This is an enjoyable anime, especially for older guys. Implicit in the message is that it is not too late to have your adventures and your harem. But even without that, the story has potential.
NOTA BENE: A grade of 6 out of 10 means that I find this anime slightly above average and I enjoyed watching it.
A 6 means a decent score and one notch above average. If you're the kind of viewer who treats anything below a 7 as irredeemable, I'd encourage a broader, more nuanced approach to rating.
My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.
thewiru
You can polish a stone until it shines as much as gold. Alas, it won't turn into gold, because it is a stone. Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru possesses many good technical aspects: The production team reached for HEMA specialists so it could get historically accurate swordsmanship forms, exercises and choreography, it has one of the best TV Anime 3DCG I've even seen, as it was made by the same studios that worked in the latest Gundam projects, it brings high tier seiyuu, it is the currently best rated non-sequel Passione TV Anime in four years... yet it is still a stone. Those character designs aren't terrible,but you have already seem them somewhere, be it a manga, anime or video-game. People joke about "Paul Greyrat protagonist", but we also have Cagliostro from Granblue Fantasy, Saionji Usagi from Taimadou Gakuen 35 Shiken Shoutai, and the list goes on.
The backgrounds aren't terrible, but they're the same towns and fields you've seen in any medieval fantasy anime.
The artstyle isn't terrible, but it likely won't be anyone's favorite either.
I like ecchi in my fantasy anime, but the fact that this one chose to be so realistic everywhere else ended up putting Allucia's armor in a sort of "uncanny valley".
This anime has a premise — a very talented swordsman whose all students became very successful, yet can't accept his talents due to an inferiority complex — that would work flawlessly were this a comedy anime (In the molds of, say, One Punch Man or Mob Psycho 100) or more to the drama side, focusing on his overcoming such complex. It is neither here, the premise mostly being only used to justify our protagonist being as strong as needed by the plot. Granted, perhaps due to only being a fantasy anime and not a narou isekai, the power-levels are pretty low, so that only amounts to the realistic "He's just very good with the sword".
I won't speak on it's differences from the LN and manga, as I haven't read either, but it seems to be that the manga recognized some of the weaknesses of the original and decided to do heavy changes in order to make it "more interesting", changes that didn't come to the anime.
Structurally, the anime... isn't very good? It's not uncommon for something to be set-up in an episode to look like it will span an entire arc... only to be completely solved in the very next episode. Sum this with the fact that the anime has a lot of "fluff" (Episodes were our protagonist just hangs out with another character, though not much development happens), and in the end the anime ends with the viewer having no idea on what it is about or what would come next (There is a sequel announced for 2026, so in case this is a split-cour, it makes this not as bad, but still...).
Not as bad as a stone, probably one of the better stones, but nowhere near as good as gold.
Andrewapps
Story: 4 Characters: 4 Animation: 7.5 Sound: 6.5 Enjoyment: 5 Overall: 5.4/10 Notes: I am getting sick and tired of this fad lately, of a show each year which centers around a middle-aged guy that thinks he's weak when he's actually overpowered, with women flocking to him like he's a chick magnet, and *nothing* happens. I'm talking plot-wise, romance-wise, character development-wise... *nothing*. It is a slog, from start to finish... why do these shows keep getting greenlit? Like me, are there tons of people who try out these mediocre shows, praying for just *one* of them to do *something* with the potential that is there... just to be disappointed time andtime again.
S-rank daughter, I Parry Everything, Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Chilling in my 30's, Lv 2 Cheat, and those are just the ones that come immediately to mind. None of them are good, or even *close* to good, and this show is no exception. And as it is like the 10th time I'm watching a show with the exact same core idea, and progressing at the same, obnoxiously slow pace... I have even less patience for this one.
The craziest part? This guy might just be the weakest of all of the main protagonists. Like, at the end of the day, he's just a guy with a sword. That's it. Set 50 archers against him, or several high-class mages, or just anything else that can overwhelm him, and he's toast. He might very well be the best swordsman to ever live [pressing x to doubt], but he's still just a guy. And yet he STILL has to be involved in every. Single. Damn. Thing. Going. On. I just can't... I don't think I can watch another show like this, because it's actually starting to bother me.
Which, to be honest... isn't fair to this show. It's not *bad*. Just... mediocre. Painfully, annoyingly mediocre. Good animation, but hardly ever gets to shine. Solid character designs, but wasted on such bland characters. Tons of potential for intriguing drama, or a sizzling romance, hell even a harem... but nothing. Just random action, where the MC beats up the fodder of the week. With the animation quality also sneakily dipping as the episodes tick by, that and lots of people complaining saying this adaptation completely butchered the source material... I'm left wondering whether I should even continue this boring fantasy show.
Believe me, if you're an anime veteran, you've seen this show before. And if you're relatively new to the anime scene? ... Still don't watch it. Seriously. Save your time and energy on something else.
RyanAwol77
Oddly one of the strong anime titles from Spring 2025. The story follows a swordsman teacher from the countryside who got a gig teaching royal knights in the capital. The story is well paced which allow the side characters to shine alongside the main character. It may not be ground breaking story telling, but it follows a structure that's easy to follow and will definitely entertain you in the end. In comparison to a classical harem anime, while the main characater is surrounded by cute girls, I do appreciate that not all of them were in love with him. Some do feelromance, while others feel respect towards a teacher, or love towards a father figure. It doesn't denigrate the entire female cast into the main characters' potential hook up partner.
One of the interesting thing about this show is that it actually takes account real life sword fighting techniques. This informs me that the production took the time to put care into the making of this series. Mad props to the team.
In terms of music, it's as average as it goes.
Apart from that, the animation is pretty good. While I can tell that they are working on a smaller budget, the action scenes aren't all relegated to a power point format. Thankfully there is some sakuga action, which works really well for an anime that focuses on swordfighting.
hazeltons
“Katainaka no Ossan” is decidedly average. There is nothing about this show that stands out. And that’s ok. It appears perfectly content with its mediocrity, serving as just another unremarkable addition to the endless stream of isekai anime. The series features, much like its protagonist, an understated narrative that, unlike its protagonist is most definitely not secretly great. It’s a show designed as a low-key, unchallenging background noise that you can easily watch while doing some other activity without ever getting confused about what’s going on. In fact, the story is so predictable, unsurprising, and insubstantial that, even if you do get distracted and miss outon entire scenes, you can easily fill in the gaps for yourself. And the pacing of “Katainaka” is so slow and contains so little action or plot developments, that you'd have to be away for quite some time to lose track of the story.
All of this doesn’t make the show bad, per se. It isn’t particularly good either, but it *can* make you feel good. It’s mostly a slice of life in a medieval fantasy setting, but for people with daddy issues.
And about those daddy issues…
Beryl, the protagonist, is called “old man” (or some variation of it) 273 times during the entirety of the show’s runtime. I know because I counted (actually, no I didn’t—but you get the point, it’s a lot). They really wanted to drive in the idea that he is old enough to be those girls’ dad. And how many girls! It seemed as though he had only trained females, which for an average anime enjoyer might not seem so surprising, considering we have an entire subgenre dedicated to multiple girls flocking around a spineless bastard, but in this one occasion, it does seem a little off. Mainly because this is not a harem show (check out the genres tags here on MAL) and tag or no tag, "Katainaka" feels much more like a slice of life than anything else. Romance? Can’t say it’s not there. More than one girl is or seems infatuated with Beryl. But does the show promise reciprocity and development in that area? Not in the slightest. He really does act as though he is the girls’ dad, which can be a little awkward, but considering nothing really happens, it’s actually almost… wholesome.
And what about the fantasy? It’s secondary to the character relationships, and in fights, swordplay takes precedence over magic, so we aren’t left with much else other than the usual RPG elements and the medieval setting. As far as the genre goes, “Katainaka” is quite bare bones in this department. I would say that the most powerful element of fantasy present in the show is in regards to the unconscious desire of the female cast for a daddy. In regards to the action and adventure, it isn’t much different. Adventure is basically non-existent and the action is comprised of a limited number of fight scenes, of which only a couple are for real. Most fights are, literally, practice.
Alas, last but not least, characters. To be an effective slice of life show, one must make interesting characters the audience can connect and sympathize with. Once again “Katainaka” fails miserably in delivering the goods. Characters are shallow and their personalities can be separated into two groups: Beryl and… those that are somewhat infatuated with Beryl. The only notable difference between the members of the second group is that a few of these characters present, at first, some kind of strange resentment and rage towards our main character, but eventually acquiesce and accept him as their daddy and master of all things due to his undying kindness. And there really isn’t much more to it than that. That’s “Katainaka” in a nutshell: Beryl is a humble and merciful old man (and the show makes sure to emphasize that he is old AND humble, all the time) that draws in all the young women around.
But does that mean "Katainaka" is a bad anime? Not really.
Despite all my criticism (I’m just doing my due diligence as a reviewer), it’s not a show that gets on your nerves due its flaws, nor does it get you riled up due to its achievements. It simply falls flat. It’s not a show that you’ll remember 10 years from now (maybe not even 5… or 2…) but it’s not egregious. It can even be fun. Fun in a kind of peaceful, mundane way. It’s a show that can keep you company during sleepless nights and listless days that don’t offer the luxury of sitting down to enjoy an anime with your undivided attention. In these moments comes “Katainaka”, just a little something to put on the phone and listen to while you plow through trying times.
Albis-sama
What lured me in is the middle aged MC and I find it amazing how almost all his students are high ranking adventurers or officials meanwhile he's a country bumpkin, it makes you think about their dojos history (It would be nice if they were detailed as to why their dojos technique are better than the others) The MC's fighting scenes indeed are a bit lacking but him showing manners that he's aged after every fight is hilarious like example complaining about muscle pains and the way he thinks is more mature and being nonchalant with the girls flirting at him. Overall I enjoyed this, if youwant a mature MC that isn't a big pervert then give this a try. I'll read the manga to know what happens after I'm curious how he will become a well known swordsman and mentor.
Rokuuu
This show is not too bad, not insanely good, about average. My favorite thing is how the swordsmanship is rather accurate, even the fancy moves don't go against the laws of physics. Beryl as a swordsman, and a swordsman only, he's pretty good. But as a character, Beryl is rather generic, unremarkable average good "midle aged" guy who's dense as a doorknob, too humble even for humble people, He could've been much more charming if you ask me. I didn't like how solutions to problems come by quite easily with little to no effort from the characters involved, i felt somepontential if they chose to be slightly obfuscatory about things, than reveal them in due time at a "climax"
Animation was pretty decent, art was decent, voice acting was pretty good, i'm happy about those.
Now we hit the sore spot, the supporting characters especially the girls were underwhelming, some of them were there but all they do is praise Beryl & get ignored outside of combat scenes.
Conclusion: The show is alright, i had fun here & there, was especially impressed by swordsmanship sequences, they were mostly correct and i loved it, story was a little empty & characters lacked depth & development but in the end, i enjoyed most of it despite its shortcomings.
I say watch it over 12 days, might just enjoy it!
