#reincarnated aristocrat

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World' #1

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World #1 by MiraijinA, Jimmy, Tristan K Hill

castle politics

fantasy

isekai

political science

social commentary

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Navigating the treacherous course of a territory in turmoil, Ars Louvent is too young to know what he's actually doing. Or, he should be. It's not as if he has much of a choice. His father is ill, his neighbors encroach his borders, and the regional duke's two sons are about to kick off a civil war. Ars is too young to know what he's actually doing. Or is he?

REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT v1 is a gem. Not because it's exceedingly original and difficult to find, but because this story is nestled comfortably in a niche genre and the author executes its narrative to absolute perfection. This is not a reincarnation story with overpowered heroes, a harem of young hybrid animal ladies, or tales of gruesome death around every corner. This novel is about political gamesmanship, the methodical merging of economic and military interests, and the people-management calculations made in the shadows of increasingly corrupted statecraft.

This novel focuses on the people who manage the land, as well as the personal relationships, economic hardships, and territorial disputes that come with being a minor lord in a much larger chess game. Readers who want their feudal lordship brimming with bloodshed should look elsewhere. Similarly, readers who want their isekai narratives packed with inexplicably outsized magecraft should look elsewhere.

Ars's ability to view people's skills and abilities via an old school RPG status screen forms the foundation of the book's trajectory. He knows when a soldier might fare better as an archer, rather than as a hand-to-hand combatant. He also knows when a political leader is more heavily inclined toward betrayal than facile loyalty. And in the case of his unexpected engagement to a friendly lord's young daughter, Ars also knows when someone is shockingly skilled at political subterfuge.

AS A REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT, I'LL USE MY APPRAISAL SKILL TO RISE IN THE WORLD v1 is a fun book but can be difficult to follow. The novel wields dozens of place names (territories, counties, countries), people (attendants, lords, dukes), and alliances (mercenary groups, duchy coups), and it pays to have a notepad at the ready. For example, Ars, the acting lord of the Lamberg territory, finds himself thrust into the spotlight, lending needed information and aid to House Pyres, which is guided by Count Lumeire Pyres, governor of the County of Canarre, in his support of Lord Couran Salemakhia, eldest son of the ailing Lord Amador Salemakhia, the Duke of Missian, of the Summerforth Empire. Got all that? The more complex version includes Lord Couran's rival (brother), Count Pyres's rivals (neighboring counties), a plausible assassination attempt, and more. This is not a book one can put down one day, and nonchalantly pick up a week later.

Layered and complicated though the character dynamics may be, the novel is written very loosely. The book is full of clever writing and amicable characters. Ars is overly cautious but more sarcastic than not. He shudders at the thought of using his appraisal skill to climb the political ranks ("Could you imagine just how much of a pain in the ass being an emperor would be?" page 54). Unfortunately, some supporting characters earn more space on the page than others, but there's plenty of room for them to grow.

Ars recruits a skilled mercenary as his personal retainer, locates and hires a marginally intelligent but comically vain mage to lead his army, and strikes a lucrative deal with a crossdressing information broker whose intelligence and combat prowess are second to none. Ars may find it a royal pain to seek out those capable of helping him achieve his or his greater lord's goals, but the deeper he wades into the waters of governance and intrigue, the more he values the hunt for what it is ("I was starting to appreciate that there was always a lot more to a person deep down than what my little power could tell me about them," page 273).

The novel's pensive approach to domestic statecraft, as well as its deliberately obsequious view of domestic political relations, includes social commentary on enslaved peoples, arranged marriages, feuds among royalty, the economics of betrayal, the imperatives of nursing a good strategist, and more. REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT v1 goes deep, intentionally, and the book can feel like a tome packed with entertaining but immaterial lore, but in reality, everything boils down to "medieval territory management," as the author says in the afterword. Still, it's a gem.

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[nialldeleon231]

Segunda temporada de 'Reincarnated Aristocratat', en nuevo postér y tráiler

Opening del anime: La segunda promoción del anime As a Reincarnated Aristocrat I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World Temporada 2 (Tensei Kizoku Kantei Sukiru de Nariagaru Season 2) revela los nuevos desafíos de los personajes peincipales. La serie animada As a Reincarnated Aristocrat Temporada 2 (12 episodios) empezó a emitirse el 29 de septiembre de 2024 mediante la plataforma de…

[kodanshamanga]

NEW Kodansha Print+Digital:

📚As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, Vol 8📚 By Miraijin A

🗡️Licia aids Ars in winning Paradille, now leading Canarre's army; he goes to battle against Alpharda with support.

[iwillwringyourneck]

[anime-food-daily-postings]

anime food #05

anime: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World

[tetrix-anime]

Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru (As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World) - Season 2 Blu-ray Volume 1 Bonus Novel Illustration

[animescreencolle]

Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru E04, E05

[faline-cat444]

He looks like an aged Simon

[thena0315]

Chads

[nijigasakilove]

Charlotte my beloved

[mojo72400]

Miguel's Daily Wake-up Call

Miguel: *asleep, naked on his bed* Lyla: Miguel, it's morning. Please wake up. Miguel: *doesn't budge* Lyla: *whispers on his ear* If you don't get up, I'll have to get mischievous. Miguel: *wakes up and slowly turns to the side to see Lyla* Lyla: *in her human height, lying on her side, dressed in her bra and panties* Miguel: *screams, sits up and covers himself with the blanket* Why are you dressed like that?! Lyla: *sits up* What? It's comfortable. Miguel: *looking away, blushing* Put some clothes on! Lyla: *points to her body* These are clothes. Miguel: Put more clothes on! Lyla: *annoyed* Fine. *materializes Miguel's casual shirt on her body* Miguel: Why are you wearing my shirt?! Can't you wear your own shirt?! Lyla: Well yeah, but I feel like wearing your shirt today for no reason. Miguel: *pinches the bridge of his nose* No puedo más. I just can't even with you this early in the morning. Lyla: *materializes her phone and takes a selfie of herself and Miguel* Miguel: *leaves his bed and dresses himself in a bathrobe* Just prepare my breakfast please. Lyla: Okay, right after I make this post. Miguel: *leaves the room* Lyla: *types her caption out loud* "Feeling disappointed in my boss' performance last night, if you know what I mean" and send. The Spider Society will have a field day with this. *dematerializes her phone* Now, time to make some breakfast for Miguel. *pops out of his room*

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'Reincarnated Aristocrat' #2

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World #2 by MiraijinA, Jimmy, Tristan K Hill

castle politics

fantasy

isekai

political science

social commentary

war

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Off to war!

Sort of.

Ars Louvent, leader of a tiny barony and otherwise small fry in a metastasizing civil war in the Duchy of Missian, makes purposeful strides toward maturing in his role as a civil leader of the people. Readers may query why a 12-year-old boy and his group of retainers, awkward and outcast though they may be, feel destined to contribute to several war councils. Regardless, REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT v2 makes good on the author's promise to complicate the politics of Missian as much as possible, if only to expose Ars to new, fun, and strange scenarios that push his plucky little appraisal skill to its limits.

Conflict is on the horizon, and Lord Couran Salemakhia is calling upon his allies to position him for steady progress toward eventual victory. Ars somewhat comically complains that he is of little use for much of the novel. But in truth, the young man fills in many of Lord Couran's numerous and often unobvious gaps in strategy and organization.

Need an ambitious advisor or two for the war council? Ars attends the meeting with Rrietz, Rosell, and Mireille Grunzeon in tow. Mirelle is his newest retainer: an exiled, warmongering alcoholic with ties to Salemakhia's brother. She's a petty woman, but her eye for detail is second to none. Quite a find.

Need a stealthy way to overtake nearby land and county while marching toward the final battlefield? Ars hires the delightfully surreptitious Pham, the cross-dressing spy master, to pull off a handful of clever clandestine scenarios.

REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT v2 reads like a bridge between daily life as Ars knew it (as seen in the first volume) and the eventual and strident chaos that awaits the duchy as civil war festers in earnest (likely occurring in the next volume). The current book leans more heavily into equitably merging statecraft and battle strategy — an interesting and far more attractive narrative turn than either in isolation. For example, a good portion of the novel is dedicated to conducting cross-border negotiations with the Duchy of Paradille (to acquire supplemental infantry forces). Can Ars overcome Duke Mahkfa Sarcassia's blind allegiance to the empire? Or sidestep the uncanny brilliance of the duke's smarmy retainer, a "genuine, hardcore edgelord"?

The war council debates are fun, albeit brief, and the story's assorted ambassadorial negotiations provide crucial insight into the necessity of rounding out Ars's skill set (along with Licia and Rossell's). One thing this book does extremely well lies in its portrayal of how Ars becomes increasingly integral to Missian's future through his accidentally brave political intrepidness.

And when Ars is presented with the truth of a bloody battlefield? What happens then? Interestingly, he becomes frightfully aware that using his appraisal skill to spare the life of an enemy soldier, mage, or strategist invariably means condemning all others to death:

"I believed that averting my eyes from the consequences of my actions was unconscionable for a person of my status [..] They were dying because I hadn't picked them out as being talented, so I felt I had an obligation to see this through to the end [..] Taking part in the battle meant putting your life on the line, and I knew they'd accepted the possibility of their deaths, but I still couldn't help but grieve for the futures that had been denied to them" (pages 223, 234-235).

To wit, the novel retains much of the minutiae of intrastate governance. The previous volume was full of it. And readers will still need a notepad to keep track of all of the names of people, places, castles, vassals, retainers, and more. At this point, one is resigned to the fact that these unnecessary details are but a woeful affectation on the part of the author. Further, when Lord Couran orders the County of Canarre to march into battle, Ars and his crew tread through several smaller counties and take to the field of conflict on multiple occasions. The good news is that Mireille, the new strategist, while being snarky and lazy at all hours of the day, becomes a bear once the swords are raised. The bad news is that readers still don't have a map of any kind, and the book's growing breadth of terminology only complicates the theater of the mind.

But the book is another surprisingly entertaining read. AS A REINCARNATED ARISTOCRAT, I'LL USE MY APPRAISAL SKILL TO RISE IN THE WORLD v2 illuminates the relationship between duchies, clarifies the dynamics and alliances of the civil war, and introduces new characters and retainers whose detriments compete more earnestly with their skills.

The light novel's diversity of personality is probably it's most significant contribution thus far. Licia's obsessiveness. Rietz's anxiety. Charlotte's ego. Mireille is a fun character, and one hopes her role will increase as the war effort comes into greater focus. Another new character, Shin Seimallo, is an annoying engineer with an eye for airship design. Shin is likely a plant for a future adventure.

And the protagonist, Ars, is cleverly designed such that he never knows as much about himself as he knows about others. When the young man engages Lord Couran about such things, he merely shrugs his shoulders:

"I'd more or less surmised that my Valor and Intelligence were less than exceptional, but I had yet to pin down my Leadership or Politics scores, even in a broad sense [..] I didn't believe I was talented, in any case, but I didn't see anything wrong with indulging in the fantasy every once in a while" (pages 112-113).

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[archivemind]

[kodanshamanga]

NEW Kodansha Print:

🔮As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, Volume 7🔮 By Miraijin A, Natsumi Inoue and jimmy

🧐Ars turns his attention to ending the stalemate in the war of succession.

[chaztalk]

A Story About a Grandpa and Grandma Who Returned Back to Their Youth

Studio: Gekkou (Temple)

Summary: Ine and Shouzou, two pensioners well into their 80s, are mysteriously returned to their 20s one night.

Hey! Tonbu

Studio: OLM (The Apothecary Diaries)

Summary: The story begins with Igarashi, who was disqualified as a pro golfer after a certain "incident" and thus moves to Kagoshima Prefecture's Tokara Islands to step out of the limelight. On these islands known as "Japan's last unexplored wilderness," he encounters a naive girl named Tonbo. As it turns out, these supposedly unexplored islands have a homemade golf course, where Tonbo plays every day. She demonstrates genius-level prowess, playing every kind of shot with just one golf club, a 3-iron. Igarashi is amazed at Tonbo's talent, even as he harbors doubts about her only using a 3-iron. Yet, hidden deep in Tonbo's heart lies a painful, sad past...

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World

Studio: Studio Mother (More Than a Married Coupl, But not Lovers.)

Summary: After thirty-five years of perfectly ordinary life, a run-of-the-mill businessman suddenly drops dead…only to be reborn in another world! Now he must live as Ars Louvent, scion of a minor noble family and wielder of a fabulous skill: Appraisal, the power to perceive the strengths and abilities of others at a glance. He’ll need it, too, because there are plenty of problems to solve in the Louvent family’s territory! Ars only has one choice: recruit the most talented individuals his skill can find, and rise up to new heights in his brand new world!

Wind Breaker

Studio: CloverWorks (Spy x Family)

Summary: Haruka Sakura wants nothing to do with weaklings—he's only interested in the strongest of the strong. He’s just started at Furin High School, a school of degenerates known only for their brawling strength—strength they use to protect their town from anyone who wishes it ill. But Haruka’s not interested in being a hero or being part of any sort of team—he just wants to fight his way to the top!

Whisper Me a Love Song

Studio: Yokohama Animation Lab, Cloud Hearts

Summary: Bubbly, energetic first-year high school student Himari falls head over heels for her senpai Yori after hearing her band perform on the first day of school. Himari tells Yori she just loves her, and, to Himari’s surprise, Yori says she loves Himari back! But when Himari realizes that she and her senpai are feeling two different kinds of love, she begins to ask herself what “love” really means…