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Management of a Novice Alchemist (TV).




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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11442
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Sun Oct 09, 2022 2:59 am Reply with quote


Management of a Novice Alchemist (TV)

Genres: fantasy
Themes: alchemy

Plot Summary: Orphaned Sarasa just graduated from the Royal Alchemist Academy, and that means her longed-for life of elegance and riches is close at hand. As a graduation gift, her teacher gifts her a house to set up shop — but Sarasa’s dilapidated new digs are beyond far-flung.

The novice alchemist is stuck in the middle of nowhere with a business to run and supplies to gather from a very dangerous natural world. Whether it’s facing down frightening fantasy creatures or finding creative ways to attract customers, Sarasa has her work cut out for her as she achieves her dream of becoming the greatest alchemist around.

October 3, 2022 (Mondays; HIDIVE)
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Spastic Minnow
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Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4630
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 8:03 pm Reply with quote
It's a nice comfy show. Lots of warm fuzzies.

But it has always hinted at an edge. Our girl has a tragic past. Sarasa is OP, but you learn there may be a downside of being so powerful. Treacherous people, and life and death being on the line is something taken as part of the proceedings.

And so we have Episode 8.
(spoilers)
Her parents were killed by bandits. Local bandits are showing up, creating a danger to the town she loves. Finally, they confront her alone and straight up say that if she doesn't give them her money, they will kill her, as they have done to others before. As she goes through a rare memory of her father telling her that you can't turn a blind eye to bandits... She starts to take out the motley crew by herself. BUT, being the show it is, it's all bloodless, they yell and scream but no one is shown to be seriously injured. What you SEE is the bad guys getting "beat up." But what is figuratively being said is "offer no mercy, take no prisoners" and as they beg for mercy, she refuses and the scene ends in a flash of light.

They are not mentioned afterwards.

Sarasa just killed like 20 guys there, didn't she?

They could wiggle out of it, but I wonder if they will?
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15576
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Dec 20, 2022 4:19 am Reply with quote
Episode 12 (finale)

This show was actually one of my top shows of the season. Quite often I have said that I would be interested in the economics of a fantasy series, with business and the such, and I think that Management of a Novice Alchemist has actually been one of the closest to that image that I have actually seen. The show is a cute girls doing cute things show, and the heroine is noted as being super overpowered in things like her mana and skills, and although they might conflict with the struggling business side I might want to see, it was at least comfy. With the tallying at the end of the episode as particularly evident of the type of shows it is.

It wasn't really an animation heavy show most of the time, but all of the designs were cute. It say in a really sweet spot of not being too dark, but with a bit of danger, magical beasts could be killed and harvested, and neither melodramatic nor boring, which I might complain about another fantasy show that might try to do its thing. I might say that it wasn't as funny as similarly cute shows, but perhaps that worked in having it be consistent rather than just have something as just for a joke. And I think that I could imagine playing. While it also talked about resources impacted the economy around the town.

I had been thinking that I had been super down lately on all new shows, not appealing to me like had happened in the past, but this was one that I think overcame that. My rating will be Good (7/10), worth seeing, especially if you want fun fantasy economy.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4158
PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2022 11:51 am Reply with quote
Sarasa may be a novice alchemist but she's a born entrepeneur and at the end of each episode, I love going through the tally to see how and what she's doing as well as what she's doing next. I ended episode 11 wondering about the salamander and how much it was worth and exactly how it'd be used, which was finally accounted for in the last episode. What wasn't included in the show was this little gem:

Salamander sales: 80,000,0000
Repayment of House of Lotz debt: -65,000,000

Call me crazy... but did Sarasa just buy an entire Lordship? She fully indentured Iris... and Kate somehow... into working for her until the arbitrary day Sarasa says the debt is paid.

I thought she was going to outright buy her parent's trading company but she seems to have bigger fish to fry. But she's just helping people, of course. At a price.

Sarasa hates bandits and her ultimate goal would be in the realm of politics, I think.
[snaps fingers] Right, one of her reoccurring fees was to an orphanage, most likely hers. In order to do what she wants, she either has to set up her own kingdom or... start a democracy. Maybe that's why Sarasa was cozying up to the mayor's daughter.

Management of a Novice Alchemist is a sweet and innocent adventure into starting a fantasy business... until you read between the tally lines.
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