The Fall 2023 Anime Preview Guide

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer

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The life of an adventurer isn't always a glamorous one. Belgrieve finds this out the hard way when a deadly encounter robs him of his leg and the ability to pursue his dreams not long after setting off for fame and fortune. But fate isn't finished with this retired adventurer. While gathering herbs in the wilderness, he discovers an abandoned baby girl and names her Angeline after deciding to raise her as his own. Angeline grows up to become a top-tier adventurer in her own right, yet after venturing out into the world and making a name for herself, fame, fortune, and power hold no allure for the accomplished S-rank adventurer: her heartfelt wish is for nothing more than to see her father again.

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer is based on a light novel of the same name by MOJIKAKIYA. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Thursdays.

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Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Some series throw you in at the deep end. This one slowly wades into the water like the story is freezing cold, and it's afraid to get wet. That's a convoluted way of saying that the first episode of My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned as an S-Ranked Adventurer is entirely set up and not even a particularly interesting set-up. Its primary function is to introduce us to retired adventurer Belgrieve and his adopted daughter Angeline and how much they miss each other after Ange left their village for the big city five years ago. That's…about it, really.

It is nice to see how close the father and daughter are in what I am assured is a completely familial way. They have a warm relationship, and if Ange is a little cuddly as a twelve-year-old beyond what many would expect, it isn't creepy in the least, especially when you consider that she's about to leave to seek her fortune at the Adventurers' Guild, which means leaving home for the first time. Bel is entirely supportive of his daughter's choices; it's not necessarily what he envisioned her doing (possibly in part because he lost a leg below the knee as an adventurer), but he will allow her to do what she wants. Ange's desire to adventure is almost certainly because she worships her dad. When she's not anxious about getting home to see him, she's busy telling people how awesome he is…which makes it a little suspicious that no one else seems to have heard of “Belgrieve the Red Ogre.”

While that could indicate that she's built Dad up in her mind, a few places seem to contradict that. First of all, he taught her everything she knows, which speaks pretty well to his depth of knowledge, and we also see him teaching local kids and doing what looks like an excellent job of it. He may not be as amazing as she thinks he is, but he also could be much more than most people know, which is the more interesting possibility. But even if he's just some washed-up old(ish) guy, there's a real sense that to Ange, he'll always be a hero, and that's very sweet.

It would be nice if this looked better to help boost interest in continuing from here, though. We barely see any action, just barely animated shots of Ange jumping toward the action, and this has one of the worst-looking walk cycles I've seen in recent memory. The horses are also less than stellar, although they look better than a few others from past years, although trust me, that's faint praise. This isn't entirely without promise, but with a bland introduction, a brownish color palette, and limited animation, I find it hard to drum up the enthusiasm to watch another episode.

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Nicholas Dupree
Rating:
This premiere always feels like it's juuuuuust short of being really good. There are a lot of things to like about it, for sure. While the setting seems like a generic fantasy world, the down-to-earth, lived-in way it's presented creates a cozy world. The characters are simple but likable, carried by some delightful vocal performances. The premise, helpfully provided in full by the title, is a solid twist on the typical adventure narrative. It looks to be free of that dreaded twist that made If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord a total no-go. I came out of the episode having a perfectly fine time, and in a leaner season, I could easily see myself watching another episode to see where it's going.

And yet, there's just something missing – a small, absent piece in every element that keeps it from working as it should. Part of it is the production. All the action scenes in this premiere are stiff as a board and cutting every corner they can to make it through. As said, the vocal performances are charming as all get out, but they have to carry the dead weight of the awkward and inexpressive character animation. While Ange and Belgrieve have a sweet relationship, their personalities have yet to advance beyond “loves her dad” and “loves his daughter.” The dilemma of Ange wanting to visit home but constantly being stymied by her sense of responsibility as a top-rate adventurer is enough to carry one episode. Still, it's nowhere near enough of a hook to build a whole series.

None of those weaknesses are death blows, but combined, they're enough to leave this episode feeling incomplete, more suited for a one-off story of a fantasy anthology series than the start of an entire TV series. Like, I can imagine this being an episode of Restaurant to Another World where the leads meet up and share a meal before saying farewell. It's decidedly harder to know where the story might go from here, and in such a busy season, that almost certainly means I'll forget about checking in on it. If you're interested in a low-key fantasy jaunt, this might be serviceable enough, but it's a shame it couldn't be a little more polished.

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Richard Eisenbeis
Rating:

I have to admit, I'm enjoying the emergence of the “middle-aged guy in a fantasy world” sub-genre. Manga like Backwater Old Man Becomes A Swordmaster or The Middle-Aged Newbie Adventurer are some of my current favorites—and it's not just because I am middle-aged now myself. These stories, including My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer, are all about men whose lives turned out far different than they envisioned when they were young, yet, they've discovered that happiness is not off the table—and that it may come from places they never expected.

For My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer, this comes in the form of becoming a father. Belgrieve was an up-and-coming adventurer yet was forced to retire early when he lost his leg. In his sorrow, he returned to his hometown and acted as a village guard and all-around handyman. Yet, it's finding a baby in the woods and raising her that truly heals him—giving him a new purpose in life.

However, as much as the story is about Belgrieve, it's also about his daughter. Ange sees her father for who he truly is—not the washed-up adventurer he believes himself to be but a man of endless kindness and a pillar of his rural society. The running gag of the episode is that, while she longs to return to his side, she keeps getting caught up in adventures that prevent her from returning home. Yet, while she complains constantly about this—and is incredibly frustrated by it—she never abandons those in need. Why? Because she believes she is doing what her father would have done and doesn't want to appear lesser in his eyes (even though there's no chance of that happening).

While it was both touching and good character development, I hope this gag doesn't get drawn out for too much longer. When she left to become an adventurer, Ange was just a child. I look forward to seeing Belgrieve get to know the woman she has become—and to see if she can get him to understand not only how she sees him, but everyone else as well.

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James Beckett
Rating:

Dang! I wanted to like this one, after seeing the trailer for it. I am nothing if not a sucker for wholesome dad anime, and “Gruff but loving ex-hero raises a feisty young heroine who kicks ass” is exactly the kind of premise that could get me interested in an otherwise generic fantasy premise and setting. Unfortunately, the premiere of My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer Preview hardly does anything with that potential, and instead opts to indulge in all of the same tropes and cliches while occasionally throwing in a scene where Angeline, our heroine, reminds us that she loves her dad, and Papa Belgrieve does the same thing.

Honestly, it's a little baffling to me that this show goes so far out of its way to brush over all of the material where Belgrieve raises Angeline and forms that loving relationship with her, all so that Angeline can go out and kill time with a bunch of lame side characters and the same kinds of “Generic MMO Fantasy RPG Hero's Guild” quests that we've seen a million times before. I get that there's the whole “My Daughter Left the Nest” part of the premise to live up to, but while Belgrieve's self-doubt and solitude make his segments somewhat interesting, they aren't enough to carry the whole story. Angeline, for her part, has almost no personality outside of constantly complaining that she can't make it home to visit her pops. Maybe the show would improve dramatically with some cozy, domestic scenes with the two together, but who's to say?

It doesn't help that the show is very much lacking in any kind of visual personality. The animation itself isn't terrible, but the direction of the show is just very flat and uninvolved. There's nothing dynamic, exciting, or interesting ever happening on screen, which makes the comedy less funny and the fantasy adventure less thrilling. It's a shame, but I think this is the last time I'll be checking in with My Daughter Left the Nest unless someone tells me it gets a lot better in a hurry.