#selio

I wanted to focus on character dynamics here as I believe this episode features the culmination of several of Seiichirou's relationships with the rest of the cast. It's obvious how that applies to one of them, but I think the anime choosing this as a stopping point (as opposed to also going through the events of the third light novel) did feel like it recognized that the end of the second light novel sees the payoff to the build up of Seiichirou's dynamic with several characters. (And it does mean that the possibility of more Bean Counter anime content will always be there, as the third light novel features its own set of conflicts, and there's a fourth light novel releasing in Japan very soon as of the time I'm writing this.)

Let's start with the most obvious one - SEIICHIROU INITIATED A KISS WITH ARESH WEE WOO WEE WOO. Seiichirou has been wrestling with his feelings for Aresh for quite some time now, and it is both very sweet and very hilarious that what finally does it for him is Aresh making sure that Seiichirou still gets his work done before they take a vacation. But you can understand why this is a big deal for Seiichirou, too - Aresh has spent so long trying to get Seiichirou to work less (and he will continue doing so even after this scene), but now it looks like Aresh has accepted that Seiichirou being a workaholic is part of him, and instead of suppressing it, he'll be adjusting their plans to suit those needs.

As many, many fans who have read the manga and light novel will tell you, the culmination of this relationship does involve a sex scene that did not make it to the anime, and it's a special one as it is the first time they do it without Seiichirou needing magical healing along the way. So if you're interested in that part of their culmination, the other canons have you covered.

But there's another part of this dynamic I want to tackle. During the climactic scene with the magical bomb, Aresh protects Seiichirou as it is about to detonate, and Seiichirou laments that this would be another case of Aresh getting hurt for the sake of keeping Seiichirou safe. This is definitely a callback to the previous episode and his conversation with Valtom, and while these circumstances are a lot more dire and a bit more out of Seiichirou's control, there is now a larger part of him that wants to keep Aresh safe. So when, in the carriage scene, he says that he doesn't want to be the only one being protected anymore, he is making sure that both him and Aresh enter this relationship as equals.

It's a sentiment that Seiichirou has expressed a lot in the past, though with a rougher edge - his insistence to make it up to Aresh for the magical healing sex that he's been receiving, for one. But this declaration in the carriage feels a lot more encompassing, as instead of just making sure that one doesn't owe the other, it's making sure that both of them give and receive from each other. (There's probably some funny accounting joke I can make here, but I don't know the lingo, so I'll just bring it up in case one of you can make it yourself.)

We go from one purple-eyed beauty to another as there's also an interesting evolution to Seiichirou's dynamic with Siegvold happening here. Hilarious insistence of Siegvold wanting to be treated as informally as Aresh aside - sorry, Siegvold, there's a long line of people who want to be Seiichirou's "friend" - the whole speech in the prayer room about faith and beliefs puts a hurdle into Siegvold's own idolatry of Seiichirou as Abran's disciple. With his disciple and the Holy Maiden pretty much challenging his and the other churchgoers' faith by applying their own beliefs from their original world - which is basically the age-old debate of polytheism vs. monotheism - Siegvold is left to ponder if his views of Seiichirou, and by extension Yua and even Abran, still hold up.

Before I continue, can we talk about this 100/10 shot like maaaan in another universe this is what we were building 12 episodes up to. They knew what they were doing with this one.

Anyway, it's that culmination that leads into this straight-out-of-a-BL shot. Siegvold mentions here that he's recognized that he needs to broaden his perspective on the situation. And it's easy to make the connections on how this relates to Seiichirou, in that Siegvold also needs to broaden his views of Seiichirou as Abran's disciple. Sure, Siegvold would still be a devout priest of Abranism - and with Seiichirou being Seiichirou, I'm sure our favorite hot priest will continue to be smitten with everyone's favorite hot accountant - but this entire arc gave him new perspectives on how to better approach his faith to make it more open-minded and inclusive.

We already mentioned her, so let's talk about Yua next. Everyone in that room owes her their life after that stunt she pulled, and she attributes this quick thinking to what she's learned from Seiichirou, likening her actions to what he did with the Demon Forest. Seiichirou deflects this and says that what Yua did with the bomb is a lot more impactful, as he only made the plans to seal the Demon Forest instead of actually executing it, but Yua insists that it was exactly the fact that he was behind the plans that makes it attributable to him, giving Seiichirou credit where credit is due.

This can all be seen as simply a build up to that comedic AreSei scene - and don't get me wrong, it still is, and that's one of my favorite scenes from the light novel - but I think it's such a great culmination of Seiichirou and Yua's dynamic. I mentioned all the way back in my write-up for Episode 1 that this was one of the dynamics that I was looking forward to develop the most, and while a lot of that development happened outside of this episode, this short scene between them felt like a great way to show what all that progress has done. Yua has learned to be more independent and make her own calls, while Seiichirou now respects Yua and sees her more than someone he needs to take care of, even being proud of her as a senpai would to a kouhai. (Which is what leads to that hilarious scene with Aresh.)

I mentioned in an earlier write-up that Seiichirou being an older brother figure to the younger members of the cast is an interesting side of him, and we don't really get to see much of that compared to his relationships with people closer to him in age. But I think it's an important aspect of his character, and how his treatment of not only Yua but also Sigma and Selio evolve over time is really fascinating to see.

Speaking of, there's also a bit of a culmination for Seiichirou's dynamic with Selio happening here, as we see in one of the early scenes that Selio has taken Siegvold's lesson to heart and sees Seiichirou less as a threat to his religion and more as a person with good qualities. It's a pretty straightforward growth to his character that we're always glad to see, but we also find out later on that Selio's gonna miss Seiichirou's visits, seeing as he won't be around the church much anymore. I can relate, Selio - I'm gonna miss Seiichirou a lot too.

It's not time to be sentimental yet, though, as we still have a few more characters to talk about, with Prince Yurius being up next. This one's a more curious one, as for a majority of the series, we do get the sense that Yurius doesn't like Seiichirou at all, with the major scenes we had between them featuring him just taking advantage of Seiichirou's connection with Yua as otherworlders. They don't suddenly become buddy-buddy this episode - and it would've been weird if they did - but they do reach a certain level of understanding about what role the other plays in their respective lives. Yurius knows that he's merely part of Seiichirou's plans to expose the church's scheme, and Seiichirou knows that he's merely part of Yurius' plans to grow closer to Yua - and they're both fine with their dynamic staying that way.

That sounds a lot harsher and colder than the previous dynamics, but it does mean that there's now a level of respect between them that wasn't there before, and that's really the most you can ask for them. Mind you, I use "respect" here very loosely considering Seiichirou himself admits that he doesn't even treat Yurius with respect (which Yurius acknowledges), but the fact that they're able to come to this understanding at all is already a big step into their dynamic, considering how antagonistic they were to each other in earlier episodes.

Radim is a lot more optimistic about it, as he sees the improving relationship between Seiichirou and Yurius as enough ammo to recruit Seiichirou to work directly for the prince, since he knows that Seiichirou is instrumental to getting Yurius and Yua together. I love that they included this bit since it really is full circle - Seiichirou went from Yurius not wanting him to be in his orbit at all to being recognized as someone who would serve the prince well, much to Seiichirou's own horror.

I of course pointed that out as a segue to our next character, Camile, who also wants to recruit Seiichirou into his own department. That should be less of a surprise, though, since Camile was on the line to be Seiichirou's "friend" long before Siegvold arrived. I've said many times in previous write-ups that Seiichirou and Camile see each other eye to eye in a way that even Aresh has trouble keeping up with, and that's on full display with this episode's first scene, as Camile already knows what Seiichirou plans to do with his church assignment before it even crosses Aresh's mind.

But the culmination here isn't in where they do see eye to eye, but in where they don't. Camile makes a suggestion of what the next step could be after Seiichirou's church investigation - putting a "leash" on the church - and Seiichirou immediately recognizes it as something that is not only out of his capabilities as an assistant director of the accounting department, but also something far larger than what he himself wants to deal with. You see him deflecting this suggestion by reporting what he's already done amid the investigation's aftermath, and while Camile looks shocked at the rejection, he does recognize it for what it is - Seiichirou setting his professional boundaries.

This is the best shot of the episode btw, no contest

Anyway, Camile's expectedly impressed with Seiichirou for being able to maneuver his way out of the assignment, and his attempts to recruit him later in the episode means that he's not afraid to challenge those boundaries, but I do see this as a culmination in the sense that they now know where the other stands, similar to Seiichirou and Yurius. This is one of the times where I do think the elaborations made by the manga and light novels make this dynamic a lot more fulfilling to see, but it's still a treat to see it play out in the anime.

OK, one more before I wrap this already long post up - let's talk about Norbert. We don't actually get much of Norbert in this episode, save for being an unwilling participant of the above lunch scene with Camile, but we do also get Seiichirou passing down his role as arithmetic tutor of the school to Norbert in the end, which is what leads to that scene with Selio I talk about above. That does feel like a mini-culmination, as it's an extension of how Seiichirou has become better at delegating tasks instead of doing everything himself.

But I wanted to bring Norbert up specifically because of something that wasn't included in the anime. If you noticed in my intro above, I skipped certain manga chapters when I mentioned which ones were covered by this episode. That's because the second half of Chapter 39 as well as Chapters 40 and 41 of the manga take a little detour from the plot and focus on a set of extra chapters from the light novel called Norbert's Reports.

Basically, Norbert's Reports are a series of letters that Norbert writes to the king of Romany - which, as a reminder, is his biological father - who tasks Norbert of keeping an eye on the Holy Maiden's tagalong, giving a bit more color as to why Seiichirou was appointed to the accounting department. I mention this because I cannot stress enough how absolutely wonderful these bonus chapters are, as it not only takes us through a lot of the plot through Norbert's perspective, it also gives us what is, essentially, the 12-episode culmination of Seiichirou and Norbert's dynamic. I'm not gonna go into it more since I'd like you to read it yourself when you get the chance - and I have a feeling that Norbert's Reports are going to be what the OVA is about - but I wanted to dedicate a few paragraphs for it since it's one of my favorite parts of the light novels, and I was overjoyed when I found out that it would eventually be adapted to the manga.

I didn't wanna end this without mentioning him again, so I LOVE YOU SIGMA YOU DESERVE THE WORLD!!!

And that's all I have for you! This anime adaptation was by no means perfect, but I enjoyed it very, very much. Bean Counter continues to have one of my favorite storylines among all the BLs I've read, and I'm glad this anime has introduced this incredible series to a lot more people.

Both the manga and light novel are still ongoing, with the light novel in particular getting an unexpected fourth installment after the third one was meant to be the ending. If you're interested in picking up where the anime left off, the anime covered all of the events of the first and second light novels (which is also where the manga is at right now), so you can start the third light novel to see what happens next. But I still highly recommend you read the manga and earlier light novels, as there's a lot of nuance and elaboration happening in several scenes that the anime didn't have the space to cover.

The finale of the anime has Sei and the others going back to the church to put an end to the suspicious activities once and for all. Like they (and the viewers) predicted, Cipriano is the culprit behind the assassination attempt on Sei and is the one doing the embezzlement and storing Yua’s magic behind her back. What is his motive? He’s actually a heretic who believes in a goddess called Melke and ridicules Abran. He hates everything related to Abran, especially anything revolving around the Holy Maiden and purification. It’s to the point that he reveals his purpose of gathering Yua’s magical power—making a magical bomb that he plans to detonate inside the church. Fortunately, Yua’s powers have grown to the point that she’s able to stop the bomb with ease now. It makes me so happy to see her grow into a capable person. While Cipriano is stopped, he isn’t forgiven, so both he and Bishop Mateus, who was his accomplice in a way, got punished.

Other than that, the episode is mostly Aresh swatting away the other men trying to get too close to Sei as Kamil and Siegvold both express fondness towards Seiichiro that Aresh isn’t having; poor Nor for being the third/fourth wheel in the cafeteria scene. Fortunately for him, Sei is falling for Aresh to the point that he initiates a kiss towards him for the first time. It’s also revealed that Sei wrote a reply letter when he got Aresh’s first letter that he never sent, but Aresh received it when Valtom found it in his drawer. His feelings for Aresh is also apparent when he is protected by him as the bomb was about to detonate. Knowing how much Aresh risked his health and safety for him before, he realizes that he wants Aresh to be safe too. It’s definitely a nice conclusion to how he behaved throughout the story—not that it’s bad.

Still, it is unfortunate that the story ends with Sei and Yua still trapped in the isekai world and whether they will return or not is still left ambiguous. I do wonder how the overall story will end since it’s still on-going. Will they really go back? Will Sei leave Aresh behind? I honestly might have to buy the manga going forth… Regardless, I do like that the ending is happy in that the private school is finally in session and Yua and Julius are getting closer.

Regardless, one thing I really like about Bean Counter as a whole is that, while it’s BL, it doesn’t focus just on the romance aspect, but more on the world building and the characterization. It kind of shows that BL has gone a long way from being just a story about two guys falling in love and getting together. Now, there’s entire storytelling in addition to romance, which is what I enjoy most; it used to be uncommon back in the day. As a writer myself, I personally enjoy narratives, hence why Bean Counter was interesting.

Though, I do admit that this adaptation was mediocre in terms of quality, but it was still decent to watch. I know some of my moots on Twitter loathe the quality, but I’m someone who takes what I get and try to find the good side to things. Still, it’s nice to have BL animes in general. However, I do think the manga version is better than the anime. If you want to read the manga after watching this, the anime basically covers six volumes, which are what’s available in English. Basically, it’s incentive that you start the journey over and look at much prettier art as you do. By the way, the story is actually a light novel series, but I don’t think the light novel got licensed in English—please correct me if I’m wrong.

Overall, this wasn’t the best BL anime adaptation, but it’s still a decent watch for those curious about the genre. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for more BL media to get anime adaptations. Let me know your thoughts on the finale and the anime as a whole!

I admit I am neither a scholar of Journey to the West, nor Buddhism in general, but at this point I wonder if Siegvold's obsession with "renaming" Seiichirou has anything to do with the obsession with renaming characters in Journey, and particularly Sun Wukong (who turns the heavens upside down, similar to what Seiichirou does in Romany), who is given the name, "Pilgrim" and is largely referred to (and sometimes refers to himself, largely as an introduction) as "Disciple" (of Tripitaka). Journey's a pretty important story in China, Japan, and Korea, so it wouldn't surprise me that there's something here amidst the heavy Christian references to that.

I like this shot of Seiichirou:

I saw people commenting that Seiichirou is a capitalist, and while that's, I guess, to a degree true, I think folks forget that... he's an accountant and he has to justify his decisions to higher-ups in a way that they'll accept. When he was talking to Camile about the efficiency of training people from non-noble families and giving them an education, and explaining how it was efficient, this was part of a conversation to convince the prime minister to support the effort with funds and political capital. You can of course convince people in politics in other ways, but focusing on how it will actually better help society from an economic standpoint is a political talking point, too. And you can see how "efficient" is a malleable term to Seiichirou. Were he in Aresh's place, he would stay abroad to deal with new threats rather than coming back to the palace and then heading out again, because it's more efficient to handle everything in one trip. Part of all this is the back and forth of Aresh and Seiichirou with the efficiency thing... and also because Seiichirou doesn't like wasting extra time and effort on things he doesn't have to. It's more efficient to get everything done at once than wasting time arguing forever and going back and forth. That's not necessarily capitalist, it's just logical. It's also less wearing on the team and means that when they're back, they can better focus on issues back home rather than constantly going back out again (something Seiichirou accounts for in the first trip he was on, including considering Yua's state with her magic use). Seiichirou considers a lot of factors in his decisions, not just the protection of capital. And if you actually look at what he's thinking about (which is more obvious in the light novel and manga, as more time is spent on his thoughts and he talks more), he very obviously thinks outside a purely capitalist lens. It is more beneficial for people and society and general if more people are given an education and more opportunity in life. That's not purely a capitalist thing. It lets people think for themselves and decide where they want to go, not just rely on either the church or a charitable noble for direction, or depend solely on their boss. And it's part of what he emphasizes with Yua from the start: he wants her to try to be more self-aware and aware of her options, rather than relying on nobles and the church to direct her to their own whims. Forcing people to live with the status quo means more suffering and that those in charge have more control over the populace. Sigma's journey in particular is part of Seicihirou trying to give people more options for their future, because once given that education and opportunity, they can do amazing, unexpected things that typically benefit lots of people.

I love Seiichirou thinking fondly on Aresh XD Also this hug was cute.

To a degree, I think there's an issue with Yen Press' English translation of the light novel (wouldn't surprise me, they change a lot of things, especially to remove cultural stuff, like honorifics, even in their Japanese works), but this is how the line in Aresh's letter is in their translation of the light novel:

“Now that we’re apart, I can’t help but wonder about the past, before we had ever met.” - Light Novel Volume 2, [Chapter Four] Contemplated Magic Power

Seiichirou in the anime focuses on how he can't imagine living without Aresh, but the line from Aresh always rung out to me as Aresh thinking about Seiichirou's past that he doesn't know about. Because Seiichirou has explained some things - like what his family home looked like - but not necessarily more than that. And Aresh is curious about that.

Before this, in a part that is cut from the anime, Seiichirou stresses more obviously about Aresh's current exploits:

“Coming from a world without any magical beasts and where he had been generally divorced from danger, such childish emotions made Seiichirou wonder what he would do if something happened to Aresh. He should have guessed that this was going to happen and stopped Aresh…” - Light Novel Volume 2, [Chapter Four] Contemplated Magic Power

This is also more obvious in that, as evidenced in the After the epilogue of the light novel and in the manga, Seiichirou writes replies to Aresh that he doesn't send (which he views as his own childishness/ill judgment, in comparison to Aresh's actions, which Seiichirou views as Aresh childishly trying to get Seiichirou to praise him). Because he's not sure how to handle things:

This is a central part of Seiichirou's worries. He was kidnapped by Romany, and he wants to go back home to his life and his parents (who have, potentially, been dealing with their son going missing and assumed deceased). But his growing attachment to Aresh will make that departure difficult: he's not just leaving a place that kidnapped him and brought him harm in many ways (including nearly killing him with its very air, the assault from people who work in Romany, and various insults and antagonisms), he's also leaving someone he actually cares for. So the question is: does he distance himself from Aresh to save them both from that pain, or does he let the feelings take over and stay apart from his family and the life he knew for good? Because he cares for Aresh, deeply. He likes being in romantic and physical relationships (he comments he enjoys what they do together, if not quite in the same way Aresh does), and he likes doing that with Aresh. But his relationships always end in disappointment. Will this one be any different, especially when so much is against it, whether that's Aresh's position or Seiichirou's choices? And he doesn't want to hurt Aresh with his departure, either.

I really like this shot:

This sequence with Ist is really cute:

Ist just looks really handsome here and throughout the episode.

Why does no one in the palace other than nobility and high-ranking people have chairs lol We see Seiichirou sitting on one in his office sometimes (and sometimes Helmut as well), but the people in Ist's department are all either standing or kneeling on the floor lol And as shown in previous episodes, most of Seiichirou's peers just stand around with no chairs in sight.

Talking with Yurius about the school is also a way to ensure there are fewer detractors to the plan. Yurius is the crown prince, has his father's ear, and has power over the other nobility and the guards. Getting more than just Camile, Siegvold, and Helmut on his side means Seiichirou's plans will have fewer people opposing it, and more to fight for it. It's manipulative and again, there is a sort of capitalist aspect to it, but again, the idea is meant to help those without have more options in their future. You have to do what you can to cause progressive change, and viewing that purely from a "capitalist" lens is silly. Yes, Seiichirou does note he's manipulating Yurius because the palace's budget is tight, but when you consider that Yurius was born into a system where the public pays him an exorbitant amount to just exist, and will do more when he's king, it seems fair that at least some of that gets invested back into the public. It's a conversation you hear a lot from folks commenting on the British royal family and how much wealth they have accumulated not just from taxes but also from real estate and other investments they own by dint of being royal, and how, you know, maybe it's not right that all of that is hoarded by a small group of people.

Also, you know, Yurius has made Seiichirou's life a lot harder and endangered him. Getting back at him this way, in a way that aligns with Yurius' duties to his people anyway, feels fair.

Radim being Yurius' wingman is just lol Well, at least Yua is smarter than both of them.

If you'd like more about Yurius and Norbert's relationship, especially when Yurius took notice of Norbert's food interests, read the light novel and the manga (as emphasized by Wakatsu-sensei on twitter). I don't know that it'll be included more in the anime (maybe that's what's in the OVA, who knows), but it's in both the light novel and manga. It's pretty sweet, and Yurius cares about his half-brother. This part of the story has more development of Yurius as a person rather than just depicting him as a spoiled brat. Though the anime also cut out his jealousy of Siegvold because he's worried about Yua's interest in Siegvold. It's okay, it also cut out the subplot where Seiichirou wonders if the shared purple eyes of Aresh and Siegvold - which is a rarity - means they're somehow related, and are potentially secretly brothers, the way Norbert and Yurius are. So you know, everyone gets cut subplots. Equality?

Yurius graciously allowing his lessors to refer to him as a "disguised" name/nickname while he's incognito. Masterful.

It's certainly a choice that "bro" is used in the English subs here for "nii-chan" (in the Yen Press English translation of the light novel and the manga, Sigma says, "Mister!"), just like "bro" is used in Yen Press' English translation of the manhwa adaptation of Semantic Error for "hyung". It's I guess sort of less of a wrong one as a replacement for hyung, but not a right one, either. I know Crunchyroll sometimes also does weird English translations for "gege", sigh... Just write the honorific transliteration, it's not that hard...

The way the anime in particular makes the magical power of the statue of Abran very ominous is just alkjdalj I mean it kind of glows in the manga, but it's not the same. Again, the anime is heavily emphasizing the very obvious real-life parallel here. And the ominous music while Siegvold is talking about his indoctrination as a child is just... Well. And Cipriano weirdly rubbing the child's back (which is implied to be him like... checking in/making sure things are okay, but still...)

Aresh's no good very bad day. Not helped by next episode's title being, "I Got Hospitalized" lol The titles in this anime are so funny.

Overall it was a decent episode. Still a lot of cuts, but generally it's fine. I'm really hoping the focus on the second half of this season being for light novel 2 means that a potential future season would cover volumes 3 and 4. Looking forward to Episode 11! This is probably where my second Bean fanfic takes place, based on that title and the season's pacing. Given the series thus far, I imagine we're not getting a ton of, if any smut, so if you want a mix of light novel and manga canon, with more doing the do, the fic is up!

Other thoughts:

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10 (you are here), Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13/OVA

Read the light novel volumes 1-3 in English. Listen to it as an audiobook. Volume 4's release date in Japanese was seemingly pushed back to April 1, 2026. There’s no announcement yet for when the English translation will release.

Read the manga adaptation in English

If you'd like some Aresh/Seiichirou fanfics

I do like how much their relationship has progressed seven episodes in. Sei is a lot more expressive when it comes to Aresh’s quirks and his surroundings now. Aresh is a lot more possessive of Seiichiro, but in a caring way as he’s hell bent on caring for him. It does make me wonder what’s going to happen when Sei returns to his world. I honestly like that Aresh is doing all of this not because he wants Sei to relax and to watch over him, but it’s also to let him know he isn’t alone. He was the only one who asked personal questions about Sei like what his family and home life was like and that’s why his desire to care for him keeps on growing. I also like that he’s known him long enough to know what words to get Sei to comply to his demands like efficient and convenient.

Because this is a new arc, there are a lot of new characters introduced. While we’ve seen Sigma in the first episode, he’s formally introduced here. I can’t believe his name is Sigma… Anyways, he’s a talented boy that Sei is keeping an eye on. I wonder if he’ll adopt him…though, I’m not sure if Aresh is ready to be an adopted dad yet given how possessive he is. There are also Aresh’s house staff who are kind people. Because the second half will focus on the church, two characters are introduced: Selio, a kid who works at the church and Siegvold, a priest. It seems that no one in this world can do their jobs properly because I’d be frustrated if I was treated the same way Sei was when he met Selio. If I was Siegvold, I’d be a lot harsher on Selio for not being informed about anything.  Because of this, Siegvold is a swell guy—he understands the situation and isn’t completely snubbing Seiichiro for being an otherworlder.

I want to address the elephant in the room: yes, the animation quality for this episode is staggering. There is a scene where Aresh and Sei are kissing, but it’s panned out. It’s unfortunate that they had to do it since it’s one of their intimate kisses in the manga. But yeah, the first half is a little janky but it does get slightly better towards the second half, in my opinion.

New characters mean more voice actor trivia. Sigma, the boy Sei is fond of, is voiced by Yurie Kozakai. Kozakai has been in previous DEEN BL anime like Yua’s voice actress Kamakura. She voiced Iwata, the neighbor with the golden retriever, in Tadaima Okaeri and Ogasawara’s girlfriend Eimi in Sasaki and Miyano. Another role of hers is voicing Yuki Yoshikawa from Horimiya, which is a bit of a reunion with Seiichiro Yamashita who voices Norbert in this anime and voiced Tooru in Horimiya. Speaking of Ogasawara, his voice actor Yuuki Ono voices Siegvold. Ono has been in a lot of BL anime like Dakaichi as Junta and Hybrid Child as Kuroda. He has also been in Titan’s Bride as Caius, which makes his role in this anime a sort of reunion as Seiichiro is voiced by Kento Ito who voiced Kouichi. Selio is voiced by Shiori Izawa who voiced Mienumon from Appmon and Pochita from Chainsaw Man. To be honest, Izawa isn’t a bad voice actress by all means, but her voice for Selio is a little jarring because he’s supposed to be  around Sigma’s age or a little older, but his voice makes him sound like he’s around ten years old. Maybe it’ll get better if I keep listening to it…

Regarding the mansion’s house staff, Valtom the butler is voiced by Taiten Kusunoki who voiced Rock Bison/Antonio Lopez in Tiger and Bunny. The chef Pavel is voiced by Shinnosuke Ogami who voiced Goryoku in the Danganronpa 3 anime. The maid Milan is voiced by Megumi Sato who has been in Sasaki and Miyano anime as Sasaki’s mother. She’s also been in the Pokemon anime as Clemont’s Dedenne.

While most of the discourse for this anime revolves around the animation quality, I’m doing my best to not talk about it too much and focus on other aspects. Let’s just hope the quality gets a little better next week—it’s best to be optimistic. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Seiichiro is working hard on the project—a bit too hard, in my opinion. He’s also slowly uncovering a corruption conspiracy revolving around the church due to the funds, the sacred relic’s identity and that Yua isn’t supposed to be praying at the church due to it using her magic. This means that someone used the sacred relic to absorb some of Yua’s magic and she isn’t even aware of it. I can see why everyone got a bit worried. On the bright side, Seiichiro is longing for Aresh now! The fact that he hugged his letter and wondered about how he managed his life before meeting him is practically a huge progress. If Aresh knew about this, he’d be dancing with joy.

Still, it’s crazy how Julius is getting a redemption arc. He started off unbearable, but as the episodes progress, he’s not as bad as he appears. He just needs to learn to see Yua as a person. He does have a soft spot for his half-brother Norbert, though. I think that’s one of his redeeming qualities. The fact that he has a secret soft spot for good boy Nor and gave him a basket of his favorite childhood snacks definitely shows his love and affection for him. The whole bout with him disguising himself as a commoner was hilarious though.

There are a lot of silly moments in this episode like Siegvold doing his best to not call Seiichiro a disciple and Ist nerding out with Sigma over their idea of creating a magic reading tool. Sigma is definitely an intelligent boy and I can see why Seiichiro has his eye on him; though, I don’t think Aresh would want to adopt a child given how jealous he gets.

At least Aresh is back! I can’t believe they ended the episode like that, though. It’s gonna be a week before anime-only viewers would see how Aresh would react to Sei possibly being in danger. All I can say as someone who read the manga version is that it’s gonna get intense… Still, it was sweet to see Aresh searching for Seiichiro after greeting the prince, hoping that he could see him and check how he’s been doing for over a week.

Also, you don’t need to be an anime-only viewer to know that Cipriano is definitely suspicious given that he was rubbing the kids’ back, meaning that he definitely has something to do with that boy’s magic going out of control. He already gives off suspicious vibes given his delay of handing the accounting funds to Sei. Is it just me or did this episode fly by so fast? Let me know your thoughts on the episode!