Lord Ars Louvent, heir of Lamberg, stands in front of the memorial of his father, Lord Raven. Chaos engulfs the Empire of Ansel, as popular revolts and independence movements rise all over the land. Ars feels his loss but assumes his new role as the head of the family with confidence. Before being born in the fortified Louvent Manor, he was an overworked salaryman who played strategy video games at night, until he died of a heart attack. In his new world, he grew up full of love and enthusiasm for his medieval-looking entourage with Victorian servants, even as he saw its cracks. He also discovered a superpower of his own. He can see hidden talents in people’s “stats”, and thus discover a genius archer in a mediocre spearman or an Oda Nobunaga-level strategist in a despised Malarkan beggar. As he wanders around the lively streets of Lamberg, still a little kid, Ars wonders what the collapse of the Empire will look like, and if he will be able to use his Appraisal skill to protect these people in the new world.

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. That the isekai premise is familiar is kind of an understatement, but the story is full of unexpected little moments that manage to sell it anyway. The art direction helps a lot. The images and the colors are vivid, and the music is on point: the hopeful fanfare accompanying the funeral of Lord Lovent, and the grief, admiration, and commitment Ars expresses to its tune got to me. The salaryman backstory told in about five seconds of horror-style scenes with sinister shadows manages to convey all we need to know about our protagonist’s love of community and fantasy. And that was the other element that helped me get invested. The OP ability of our protagonist is oriented towards others. Even if this is the umpteenth episode of this kind I have watched, I felt his love for Lamberg, for its customs and its streets, for the people around him and for his father, as well as his own happiness when he managed to give others a push in the right direction. My mind isn’t blown just yet, but I’d really like to see Lord Ars build his dream team, create strong bonds and overcome the fall of the Empire. So here we go!

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As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, etcetera, etcetera can be streamed on Crunchyroll.