The Winter 2023 Anime Preview Guide

Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire

Hero-King Inglis's last wish is to live again as a warrior. When he awakens, he realizes he's been reborn to a noble family as a girl. Even when rejected from the knighthood, she sets out to be the most extraordinary squire there ever was.

Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire is based on Hayaken's light novel series and streams on Crunchyroll on Mondays.

Caitlin Moore
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You know, I've never cared much for series about being reincarnated for a fresh start. It just seems pointless when part of the reason reincarnation is a fresh start is because you don't retain your memories. If you're going to have a story where characters have memories from previous lives, isn't it much more interesting for them to have to cope with the baggage of their previous selves? Plus, it just seems weird to have the mind of a much older person in the body of a child… but then again, I'm convinced one of the kindergarteners in my class is actually 65 years old because he makes bad puns and gets excited about early dinner, so maybe these series are on to something.

I did enjoy Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire (Venus Symbol) more than the majority of its ilk, though that is faint praise indeed. That could very well stem from Ingris being a girl who swings a sword with the best of them, even at five years old. It's way more fun to watch a five-year-old trounce and humiliate a cheating teenager with the sword, even if it is enhanced by magic, than watch a dude stand still and shoot magic out of his hand while onlookers gape at his power. The swordfighting wasn't especially thrilling, but it got the point across. Magic being largely forgotten in this world means a greater emphasis on physical combat skills, albeit magically enhanced. Otherwise, the episode hit most of the standard beats. Did I find it more entertaining in part because of Inglis' gender? Yeah, probably. Turns out, I like power fantasies more when I can project myself more easily on the character.

One thing gave me pause, not in the content of the episode but in the opening. Inglis and her compatriots are wearing some kind of uniform, and it looks more like something out of a Hooters-lite restaurant than a… school uniform? It's hard to say, exactly, but I don't think these characters are serving up wings while mastering the blade, even in garters and underbust vests. That backless number is something, though, yeow.

Richard Eisenbeis
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Of the three genderswap anime we're getting this season, Reborn to Master the Blade is my favorite. Part of it is the fantasy world aspect. And part of it is there's just something about the soul of a likable old man in a young girl's body that makes for a great comedic foil. In Inglis' past life, he was a true hero who gave his all to be a wise king to people and protect them for years to come. Now all he wants is a life where he can be a bit selfish and do the one thing he never had time for with all his responsibilities: master the blade. Of course, that's doesn't mean he's a self-centered asshole. He does care about the safety and feelings of those around him and will help them however he can. He just no longer wants the responsibility of caring for everyone—which is completely understandable.

It's also interesting how he reacts to his new body. While he is shocked to not be a man at first, he is more than used to it by the time he's five. But there's also the sense that he doesn't quite see the body as “him.” Rather, he sees his body more objectively—musing that his own reflection is like having the granddaughter he never had in his past life. So, it's not that he will be a beautiful woman in the future but rather that his body will be. This disconnect likewise implies that while his physical sex has changed, his gender (and likely sexuality) have not. It means you are who you are, regardless of the shape of your body, which is a message I can support.

Other than that, this first episode is standard fare—our overpowered hero does overpowered things. That doesn't mean it's any less satisfying to see a literal baby kill a dragon or a five-year-old knock the stuffing out of a cheating teen in a duel. Likewise, his single-minded focus to challenge powerful enemies with his blade adds some lighthearted humor into the mix. All in all, even if there is nothing groundbreaking here, I am all in for a fun fantasy adventure.

Nicholas Dupree
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In the somehow nascent genre of “super strong guy gets reincarnated in the same world, even stronger” goes, this one's alright. It held my attention more than The Strongest Sage With the Weakest Crest, at the very least. But while the premiere managed to be a decently entertaining way to spend half an hour, I can't shake the feeling that we're all just going through the motions with this setup.

I've lost count of how many times I've seen a premiere like this, following a full-grown adult's mind as they inhabit an infant body and commentate on everything around them. Chris, as she's now known, is precocious and capable well beyond her years, and she constantly reminds us of that as she narrates everything that happens in front of her. She's more knowledgeable than anyone else because she knows the Old Magic ways that have seemingly been forgotten since her first life as the indomitable hero-king. So we can rest assured that even as a 5-year-old, she's more powerful than anyone else, just in case we were worried she'd face an actual challenge. The only twist here is that Chris was a man in her previous life, and she briefly freaks out upon restarting life as a girl. But even that stops mattering after it's brought up, with Chris seemingly adapting to her new body with no issue or further comment.

I don't know, maybe this being an altogether competent premiere has me imagining a more interesting version of this setup. Chris was previously the king who founded this kingdom she's living in, so wouldn't it have been more interesting to see her experience life as a commoner rather than a well-off noble with immediate access to sword training and simple luxuries? Maybe that perspective change could let her reflect on how the customs and culture of the kingdom have changed since she founded it. Or perhaps living as a girl could force her to acknowledge the constraints this seemingly patriarchal society – that she created, mind – places on women. For all I know, that will actually happen since the title implies she becomes a squire rather than a knight, but that's never brought up in this episode. So all I'm left with is Chris vaporizing a dragon and beating a paper-thin bad guy to show us how OP she is.

On the plus side, this episode did move pretty quickly and didn't get bogged down in over-explaining its magic systems and lore. The production is middle of the road, but if you want to see some cute anime girls in fancy armor, this seems like a solid source.

This season has had more than its fair share of first episodes that are perfectly fine and not much else. Add to that list Reborn to Master the Blade, the swords and sorcery fantasy series about a venerable old king who died with mild regrets that he chose to found a country instead of becoming a master swordsman, and so got that chance in his second life with the minor glitch that he was reborn as a girl. To this story's credit, Inglis only sees being reborn in a feminine body as an issue before maybe the first minute or so of the reincarnation. It quickly becomes apparent that Inglis is Inglis no matter the shape, and since Inglis retained the blessing of the goddess that marked him out for greatness when he was king, it looks like she'll be just fine in her pursuit of sword mastery this time around. It's also worth mentioning that it isn't ever a question of whether or not being female will be an issue for Inglis' ambitions; we see very early on that her mother has had sword training, thus indicating the only thing that has changed for Inglis is the adorable face in the mirror.

This tracks with what I remember of the first light novel. This is a faithful adaptation thus far, including Inglis' general attitude. It also makes her victory over a particularly nasty specimen who shows up to train with her father's soldiers all the sweeter because he is feeling all the humiliation that it is possible for a thirteen-year-old boy to feel after being summarily defeated by a five-year-old girl. Again, to the story's credit, Inglis' dad is thrilled beyond measure that his kid turned out to be a sword prodigy, gender not even factoring in. Basically, the gender aspect feels an awful lot like a gimmick, with the real meat of the story being that Inglis has a second chance to fulfill dreams that went by the wayside the first time around.

The presentation here is much more basic than the story itself, even if we ignore a few oddball choices like the fact that, amongst the nobility, it is common to match your clothing color to the color of your eyes or that Inglis' nickname is Chris. The character designs are nice enough, and the little girls are appropriately cute, but everything else is pretty rote, including the monster design. It's also, at this point, essentially fanservice free, so if you're looking for that, you'll want to check out Ayakashi Triangle before this one.

There isn't much to say about Reborn to Master the Blade beyond the fact that it is set up to be a story where the character's gender is less important than her ambitions and her skills. Presumably, all of the other characters will not recognize that at all times, and that's where the tension is likely to come from, along with any things that have changed since Inglis' first incarnation. It's a good enough episode, one that merits giving it a few more weeks to prove itself, and it has the potential to be a decent watch.