'Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu' is one of those shows where, if I sit down and pick it apart there are lots of problems, but the reality is I still kind of enjoyed myself watching it. It never blew me away, yet it also never made me want to drop it, which counts for something.
The basic setup, a “genius” prince stuck with a kingdom in debt who secretly wants to sell it off and retire, is simple but quite fun. It is not trying to reinvent fantasy politics so much as give you a slightly cheeky, low stress spin on it, and for me that made it a pretty easy watch. Wein gliding from crisis to crisis while complaining about having to work, with Ninym quietly keeping him on track, is a dynamic that carries a lot of episodes on its own. Even when the supposed brilliant plans boil down to fairly obvious moves that only look impressive because everyone around him is bizarrely incompetent, there is something oddly cosy about watching the cast keep stumbling their way to victory.
If you want truly sharp strategy or airtight politics, this is not that show, and the whole “genius prince” angle starts to look a bit shallow if you poke at it, in the way that anything proclaiming to be genius but written by people who are not tend to be. Battles can feel basic, enemies conveniently foolish, the series often talks like it is playing 4D chess while actually running on simple tricks and lucky breaks, which can be frustrating if you go in expecting something properly intricate. The art is normally alright but sometimes it can be very rough around the edges. However, for me, those issues stayed in the background rather than ruining the experience; I clocked them, rolled my eyes a bit, and then went back to enjoying the banter and seeing what kind of mess Wein would talk his way out of next.
What really kept me watching were the characters rather than the schemes. Wein and Ninym feel like a proper partnership, with her deadpan competence balancing his theatrics in a way I found genuinely likeable. Falanya ends up being more than just the token little sister, and Lowellmina brings some spark whenever she shows up, turning the political side into a playful game of wits rather than a dry lecture. I never felt deeply attached to anyone, but I liked spending time with this group, and that did a lot to smooth over the rougher plotting. I know some people probably hate how whiny the MC is but it’s not so bad and honestly sometimes I can totally relate to him.
In the end, 'The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt' landed in that pleasant middle spot for me: flawed, a bit shallow in places, but strangely watchable and never a chore to get through. I would not hold it up as a masterpiece of political fantasy, but as a light, slightly smug kingdom management comedy with a likeable central duo, it did its job well enough that I was happy to keep pressing play.
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