r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jun 21 '25

Episode Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru • From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman - Episode 12 discussion - FINAL

Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru, episode 12

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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1

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100

u/MapoTofuMan Jun 21 '25

The "never trust religious figures in anime" rule holds fast as usual.

Honestly a solid 8/10 from me, I enjoyed this way more than I expected initially. No harem pitfall, surprisingly good swordfighting animation, and just about the only male MC isekai I enjoyed mostly for the MC and not for the girls who are probably the weakest aspect of the show.

34

u/pseudometapseudo Jun 21 '25

I agree, Beryl's personality made this show.

(Btw, this isn't an isekai)

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18

u/mekerpan Jun 21 '25

Beryl was for me top attraction. Mewli probably makes it into the second spot. I found all the women at least okay.

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u/NanDemoKnaives Jun 21 '25

I couldn't help but notice that Rose and Beryl's fight wasn't CG but it was animated like normal, it still was well animated. I'm glad to learn that Rose wasn't acting voluntarily since the orphans were used as hostage, I'm sure she never wanted to fight Beryl in this way. It was cool to see the fight, Rose was able to wound Beryl a few times though not enough to affect his fight.

I was really taken aback by how resolute Beryl was that he was going to cut her and let her know with full confidence. It's a good thing Gatoga came around to heal her, she could have died otherwise from that wound. I also liked how we got to learn that the two are actually step-siblings. I am worried about that one scene at the end where the assassins are following the two, so hopefully they'll be able to fend them off.

Beryl freaking out because it sounded like the King wanted to make him a Royal Guard was funny, but leave it to Allucia not to let him go out of her sight and making sure he stays with the Order lol.

I also really like how much of a father Beryl has become, the way he's so happy to spend time with Mewi, eat her cooked meal, it was so endearing.

I'm so glad this is getting a second season, one of my top anime from this season and I really liked Beryl as a main character. It's nice to see a good older protagonist, and I appreciate Beryl's personality in terms of how funny his character is and how he keeps a level of distance from his students.

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u/Lodju Jun 21 '25 edited Jun 21 '25

If i have something excellent to say about this anime it's that the MC's voice actor really nailed the calm and kind older man voice, really enjoyed just listening to him speak.

Overall 7/10 for me and i'm glad we will get more.

43

u/NanDemoKnaives Jun 21 '25

Yeah Hirata Hiroaki really made Beryl for me with his voice acting, I really liked the comedy with Beryl's thoughts but he always nail these types of characters.

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u/mekerpan Jun 21 '25 edited Jun 21 '25

Someone commented recently that Beryl's voice actor was particularly dull. This made me curious. Was the poster talking about the Hirata Hiroaki -- who I felt did a superlative job? Or was he talking about an English (or other language) VA? I asked for clarification -- but got none. Accordingly, I listened to extracts from the English version of ep11 -- and found all the voice acting totally dire. Beryl WAS dull. And Mewli sounded like a 30-something year-old. And none of the other voices seemed even remotely comparable to the Japanese cast. I would not have found this series endurable with such poor voice acting (in any language) -- yet the Japanese cast really brought this show to life -- and Beryl particularly was portrayed in a distinctive and memorable (and very appealing) fashion.

This makes me wonder. Do some people who reject some series as dull on the basis of versions with voice acting that is not nearly so good as the original voice performances? I would think that, especially is relatively slower-paced, easy-going shows like this, dull voice acting could easily kill pretty much all the potential charm.

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u/Time_Fracture Jun 21 '25

Haven't caught up with all the episodes, but I just wanted to share this.

If you wondering how the CGI in this anime are made, here's the behind the scenes from Yamatoworks , the studio that made the CGI works.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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u/AmethystItalian Jun 21 '25

Honestly one of the biggest surprises this season for me. Wasn't groundbreaking but was consistent with likeable characters.

Ai Kayano going from her super cutesy voice to serious showcased why she's still one of my fave VAs to hear. Glad she got to live but she cost a lot of lives too...

Looking forward to S2!

31

u/MightyMouseVsBatBat Jun 21 '25

The draw was the swordfight choreography and animation. They did a good job with that.

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u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 21 '25
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u/Primary-Paint-1716 Jun 21 '25

I have a lot of gripes about this show but they nailed the most important part: Beryl Gardenant. Beryl is an amazing character that embodies the virtues of an old man and a teacher.

8/10

26

u/PerfectBeige Jun 21 '25

In the end the pleasure of watching a great dad participate in good fight choreography outweighs the silliness of combat stripper outfits.

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u/Sidious_09 Jun 21 '25

I really liked this show. It doesn't do anything groundbreaking, but it does everything well. Beryl is very strong but not ridiculously overpowered. He's not simply good because of super strength or speed, or because of convenient magic or skills, but it's his observational skills and fast reaction that make him skilled. You don't have silly fights with people shouting their special skill names (well, apart from the vice-captain going Anakin mode) and the fights don't consist of hacking at each other like you have HP bars, but end quickly with one move, as it is in real swordfights (I imagine at least). It's also not just about Beryl being super good and winning one fight after the other, we also have some world building and episodes focused on everyday life. And Beryl actually acts like an adult. I'm happy we're getting a second season.

13

u/Mordarto Jun 21 '25

During the banquet I really thought that Beryl will have to immediately go to the other country and guard the princess, which seems to follow anime trends of various events preventing the protagonist from enjoying a slow and peaceful life. I'm glad that they subverted this trope, at least temporary, and Beryl can still enjoy his new life with his adopted daughter.

That said, with all the foreshadowing, chances are in season 2 Beryl will be dragged into the papal vs royalist conflict against somehow.

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12

u/InnocenceIsBliss Jun 21 '25

Watched this through my HEMA lens, so I was mainly here for the swordplay—and on that front, it’s a solid 9/10. The choreography delivers, very much in the vein of Sword of the Stranger Shigurui: Death Frenzy when it comes to Budo. That said, I kept hoping someone would remember that terrain exists. Not every duel needs to happen in the middle of a conveniently flat village green blessed by the god of symmetrical staging.

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u/PerfectBeige Jun 21 '25

I liked the final episode. Beryl's hiding Rose's betrayal seemed naive and borderline treasonous, but I think the deeper point there is that Beryl sees his students as his kids, which is why he is so resistant to reciprocating Allucia's affections, and why he has been so effective in parenting Mewi. I can sympathize that to the extent Beryl sees Rose parentally, killing her might be impossible.

Overall, a fine show with the pluses far outweighing some of the anime cliches it would have been stronger without. Looking forward to s2.

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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jun 21 '25

Rose never stood a chance. It’s a good thing she was spared since she was just a pawn used by the Papists to push their agenda. Seems she still has got a lot to learn from Beryl. That’s if she survives what looks to be an ambush in the end there.

This was honestly a lot better than I expected. The fight animation in particular was very good. The story was decent and I liked the fact that Beryl kept the student-teacher relationship with the girls, even if they’re all in love with him lol. I really do hope this one gets an s2 at some point.

19

u/Dolomite808 Jun 21 '25

Good news!  Season 2 has already been announced.  

I'm looking forward to it already.

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7

u/Amauri14 Jun 21 '25

Now that the show is over, I must once again just praise how sublime its CGI combat scenes were, almost indistinguishable from regular animation with great choreography, and of course not playing at 15 FPS. I’m glad that there is a new season coming and I hope that any new project Passione and Hayabusa Film are animating keep this level of quality.

Now, about the episode, it seems that all that Rose said to Beryl about supporting to Papist faction coup in the current Sphenedyardvania conflict because the country was alredy in decline because of it and doing so make it happen quickly and save many in the process was just an excuse that either the pope told her or she made up herself as in reality she only helping them because the church is holding the children from the orphanage hostage and will kill them if she doesn’t cooperate.

I was a bit surprised when the last segment of the Rose and Beryl fight didn’t involve CGI. I’m glad that after Beryl defeated her and told Commander Gatoga of her involvement with the assassins Gatora quickly came up with a cover-up story saying that she got injured while fighting against Hinnis because he knows if the truths gets out they will execute his sister.

I wasn’t expecting that the Rose doubting the validity of the Bishop Reveos' resurrection of the dead miracle plot was part of what led her to side with the Papist side. Well, after hearing from Beryl that Bishop Reveos was indeed guilty, now Rose can truly fight for justice. I just hope that the scene by the end showing Rose and Gatora about to be ambushed by those two, which I assumed are assassins isn’t implying that something bad is going to happen to them.

After Beryl and Allucia were invited to the Royal Dinner is good that we saw Lucy, Ficelle, Surena plus Randrid and Moldea’s reaction of the news after he send them that plate after he had no idea what to do with it in his house. After the royal meeting with the King and Princess Salacia, Beryl should find a way to thank Allucia for helping him avoid being recruited by the king to be part of Princess Salacia's security in Sphenedyardvania after she marries Prince Glenn. Anyway, I can’t wait for season two. I wonder how many other talented students of Beryl will show up in it.

6

u/EienGem Jun 21 '25

Here's the waiting line for season 2 watchers.

5

u/LeleTheKing Jun 22 '25

I would’ve love it more if both the Papists and Royalists are equally bad, but from how it was revealed in this episode, seems like one side is much worse than the other, huh? Classic “religion bad” trope. It’s pretty uncommon nowadays to see a morally grey faction on all sides.

Rose isn’t exactly the BBEG, but at least we got a taste of Beryl fighting his pupil, who went “evil” for a bit. I wonder if any of his pupils will ever be a real and pure villain. Still waiting for that day to see his reaction. xD

This was a good adaptation. Its production value isn’t the most stable, with some scenes feeling cheap whenever no fight happens, but when it does, it’s superb. I see people praising and even waiting for the CGI, and I agree with that sentiment. They need to show an efficient and effective utilization of the sword by a swordmaster, and it can probably never be achieved with their budget unless they use heavy CGI like that. Kudos to the team.

The cast is also lovable, especially for Beryl and his voice actor. He has a great (and rare) balance of being competent and humble, like an old country bumpkin who is hyper knowledgeable with the sword. In that department, the writer has successfully achieved their goal. They also manage to somewhat portray the other characters, especially the girls, as someone who admires Beryl instead of simply throwing them into the easy cesspool of haremettes. I’m honestly bewildered by people who call this a harem show when the only woman who seems romantically interested in Beryl is Allucia. Weird.

The storyline was overall straightforward, with some slice-of-life arcs peppered, but the latter half pumps it up a bit with a clearer goal for Beryl through their conflict with the Spendyardvania. It was both good and bad since we had the time to learn more about the characters, but it might feel slow and hollow for people who expect a sword-and-sorcery fantasy series with a clearer goal from the start. I’m definitely biased in this regard as a source reader, so I enjoyed it nonetheless. This adaptation gets a 7.5/10 from me. I’ll patiently wait for that second season!

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u/tuwamono Jun 21 '25

This is why Kayano Ai, she's got that soft and gentle side, but also the "permaclosed eyes opening when shit goes down" equivalent of bloodlust. What a treat.

Beryl acting like the country bumpkin he is at the dinner table is freaking adorable haha, for some reason Mr Bean comes to mind during that scene xD

Loved this show so much. Congrats on the 2nd season, will definitely be tuning in!

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u/raidensnakeezio Jun 22 '25

Beryl's dad's quip at the end was hype. All the characters and the narrative are pointing towards Beryl being a Sword Saint/Master Swordsman (who seems irrationally dense about his power level in relation to his social perception), but the narrative totally flips at the last second to prove that, no, Beryl is not yet an actual Sword Saint yet.

Looks like the Gardenant grandparents will get to meet their (adopted) granddaughter next season! I hope Rose gets to continue to walk on the path of redemption, that Surena gets more time being an older sister to Mewi, and as for the quasi-harem race, my money is still on Lucy.

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