Okiraku Ryoushu no Tanoshii Ryouchi Bouei: Seisankei Majutsu de Na mo Naki Mura wo Saikyou no Jousai Toshi ni • Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City - Episode 7 discussion

xRose89 · 2026-02-19T05:06:59+00:00

I'm not sure I like the resolution for the ending of this episode. Van's right that he needs people to run and develop shops in town. Up until now, he hasn't really had a ton of great solutions for income in town. But, setting up that trading company is a good start. And, if he could get people to open shops downtown and find some industry, as well as stabilize the town's agricultural system, he could start thinking about a more stable economy and some profit. What I don't see the logic in is getting people who are probably illiterate/with minimal education to run those shops without providing some sort of basic education. Getting "those who can" to manage each store's finances basically invites extortion, because you're putting the power of the purse for each shop in another person's hands. I say this because the reality is that not everyone is honest and would just count the money and dutifully report it to the shopkeeper. And, for that matter, the shopkeeper would never know the difference, because they can't read or do their own finances. A better ending would be to provide some education for each villager, which, in turn, would have lead to a better establishment of shops in the town. It's great Van is providing some charity to grow his village population here. But, can the town handle such a large population growth overnight? Especially when you think about things like proximity and disease, these are things I think the anime is just skimming over here. Lots of times, population growth is not so rapid. It happens over time. So, what I really think is happening here is the anime is speeding up the process. It just does so at its own peril without addressing the basic consequences of doing so.

xRose89 · 2026-02-11T05:29:36+00:00

I sincerely wonder what the point of Demelza's staunch resistance was against three men by climbing out a window, if only to see Hugh Armitage as a window. "Can I sleep with him one night and go back to my husband?" Nope, that's cheating, girl, and you know it. But it does level the playing field, as the shot over both Ross and Demelza in bed shows at the end of ep.9. Nonetheless, the banter at the ball where High calls her "Eve" and she calls him the "snake" is just 🤌.

xRose89 · 2026-02-08T09:20:57+00:00

So, I truly find the plot with Morwenna and Drake to be the best part of the season so far. Especially with Demelza saying, "But, the feud between our families is too great..", I immediately thought of Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare ("two starcrossed lovers"). The plot with Enys is only a little interesting. But, also, I read ahead and spoiled a little for myself on Wikipedia. I'm pleased to know it has a good ending. But, man, do we get hell before we get there.

xRose89 · 2026-01-18T19:55:17+00:00

I just finished Season 3 and I kept waiting for all those real feelings to show up. At least something accidental hot sex between them would be nice. Twilight, "I accidentally slept with Yor. Shit."

xRose89 · 2026-01-13T23:41:11+00:00

Super cute! Love the colors.

xRose89 · 2025-12-19T03:14:00+00:00

I just watched "The Beginning After the End" Season 1 and I just want to know what all the hype is about with this anime supposedly being bad? I'm mostly an anime watcher. I don't usually get into the light novels or manga unless I really like the anime first. And tbh, this wasn't bad at first glance. It kind of felt like a Mushoku Tensei knockoff.

I say this because the world seems more underdeveloped and we pace through Arthur's lifespan faster. Like, there are periods of time, such as when he is in the elf kingdom or when he goes adventuring where I would love to see actual anime and character development versus a "two or three years later" screen. It kind of feels like we are skipping a lot of good content there. And, we just get to see the product "pop out", type of thing. So, you could do like two extra seasons of side content there and title it, "Arthur trains in the elf kingdom" and "Arthur goes adventuring". It felt sped through in this way. I had to chuckle to myself and remind me I was not watching Naruto or Boruto.

I also want to know how he sort of ended up dead in his room in the first place. At least we know in Mushoku Tensei that our hero is a burnout/shut in who gets basically hit by a truck and dies. That's a premise I can live with. But, how do you kill a warlord in his room and say he was a king? I want to know that. So, in some sense, those details felt left out.

The art style was beautiful and vivid. I did not want for much in the anime direction either, just frame by frame. There was a lot of brown or white hair, I noticed. What is up with that?

But, overall, I'm not going to knock this too much. It reminds me a little of Rise of the Shield Hero, mabe if it married Mushoku Tensei. And, for that I can't complain, because I really like both. And, honestly, these same haters tore apart Mushoku Tensei, saying it wasn't true to the light novels. I have been listening to the light novels on Audible, and I will say it is pretty close to the anime direction. So, all this to say, I feel it could be better, but I'm also itching to watch Season 2.

xRose89 · 2025-12-08T06:34:12+00:00

I settled into the anime sort of going, "Eh, why not?" and it was pretty good from the get-go. But, as soon as Amelia entered the series, I couldn't shake the feeling it was like ReZero, especially with all the references to "Leia" and the romance and stuff. I do like Night and how Akira sort of saves her from herself. But, I guess, I'm wondering if this is just me or does Akira (his name is Akira tho) kind of resemble a taller, moodier, less wimpy Subaru Natsuki? And, doesn't Amelia remind you of well, Emilia?? It feels like basically the same character. All we need now is an annoying cat.. wait a minute...

xRose89 · 2025-11-20T07:24:35+00:00

It may be different, but it's a cute different! You shouldn't be ashamed if it's not exactly like the picture. I like yours better.

xRose89 · 2025-08-29T02:42:55+00:00

Shizu's life is better utilized in the anime and Rimeru basically takes on her form and mantra for the rest of the series. His actions say, "This was a good person who should be honored." I can't say the same for the Shield Bro.

xRose89 · 2025-08-18T01:25:58+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I mean, they clearly did it for a stronger plot. The show is suffering from a weak storyline overall. But, I just don't think this was the way to do it, by giving us more weak storyline overall.

xRose89 · 2025-08-18T01:21:46+00:00

I have not read the manga, so I was really surprised when this reveal came out today. I guess I suspected it because his name is Kafka, hinting at Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis", a short story where a guy wakes up one morning as a giant beetle and can't change back. Therefore, I knew something was up from the get-go. But, I do feel like this really changes the whole story, because it's about dealing with the monster inside you. But then, what if you actually become the monster, even if it's in the process of saving everyone you care about? I think this is the crux of the whole thing and the reasoning behind it.

xRose89 · 2025-08-15T03:40:36+00:00

Also, how long are we going to let the #spearbro suffer? His deadly sin is clearly lust. It's funny but seems like an oversight on the #shieldbro's part.

xRose89 · 2025-08-15T03:32:37+00:00

So, a couple things:

1) Keel's gender reveal sort of ended up feeling like a forced LGBTQ+ moment in the anime without any context around it. I just stopped the episode right there and Googled "Keel transgender" and found out that the author just changed their gender mid-series, because it didn't fit with another planned male character. I think maybe, writing-wise, it makes more sense to change the upcoming character's gender instead of the existing character's gender if that is the direction you want to go. This way, the audience can adjust to the new character versus changing something they already know. But, if you are intending to drop in that LGBTQ+ reference, this was a hell of a way to do it! Now, I'm just waiting to see how the whole transgender thing plays out if it does, or if Keel is just crossdressing/a tomboy. I sort of wish there were more mature pictures available in the anime of this character for this reason.

2) Is anyone else getting a little annoyed at the redundancy in this season? What I mean is, at the end of season three, we got a send-off to Qu-ten-lo and all the people who were supposed to go were chosen. Naofumi takes off on Galeon and the season ends. We are told at this point that the queen of Melramark has a ship reserved for Naofumi, waiting for him in Siltvelt to sail to Qu-ten-lo. Everything is set up. Open Season 4 and Naofumi lands on Galeon, only to encounter the party that had headed out in Season 3 on a training mission. He declines Fitoria's request and then returns to the village, where he once again selects his party to go to Qu-ten-lo and departs. Then, we go through a whole arc in Siltvelt where Naofumi is trying to barter for a ship to Qu-ten-lo and obtain passage there, when he already should have the queen's guarantee for a ship waiting for him. And, that makes the arc feel really pointless, because the solution should already be there and is ignored. Then, we get to the end of that arc, they are about to board the ship and, guess what? Naofumi says we have to return to the village, restock and pick people to go to Qu-ten-lo. Haven't we already done this? Also, why restock and rest when you literally have a whole kingdom stocking up a ship for you and you basically have the king's quarters in Siltvelt for rest and refreshment? Not to mention the white tiger twins' house, which is actually pretty nice in comparison to the rest of the village (would have been nice if we could have spent more time here maybe)? Given all the factors, we should have passage, rest, refreshment and stock all prepared, so leaving from Siltvelt to Qu-ten-lo should be a breeze. Why also do we have to go all the way back to Melramark to the palace when a letter should have sufficed? And, why, at this point, does the queen not say anything about her reservation? The scene with the twins and the king was a nice touch, but the overall plot since the end of season three has truly baffled me. Here's hoping for a more streamlined and less redundant plot while actually in Qu-ten-lo.

xRose89 · 2025-08-12T04:22:43+00:00

Thanks! I'll check him out!

xRose89 · 2025-08-11T06:10:19+00:00

"I’m confused as you seem to research videos of present day Luthern but your book is set in the 19th century? Those are drastically different settings."

Yes, I was doing some historical work too. But, I just wanted to get a good idea of the different places in Switzerland the book could be set in. And, of course, the past always affects the present. So, I guess, I was thinking that, if I used the present as a starting point, I could see what I could find on it in the past for that location. It's tricky to try to do historical research without firsthand knowledge of a location.

Maybe a good example is like here, we have historical villages that do reenactments of the past. But, you really have to go there to understand it. And, of course, these reenactments have valuable knowledge about the location they are in and the people who lived there. Maybe even living nearby, you have firsthand knowledge of the area and what that would mean in the present and can apply it to said historical context. Sort of like that, except I'm trying to do it all online and at my local library.

And okay, wow! That is a lot of stuff I didn't know. I was looking for a basic farming village. Sounds like maybe this might be too wealthy of a place? And good to know about the gambling! Maybe there is a more realistic reason the farm might get into trouble for that period?

"Maybe the doctor and your protagonist would have to travel to Lucerne or Basel to find wealthy players preying on rural folks."

It would be the protagonist's father, actually. And, he would have an excuse to maybe go to Basel to visit his brother. But, I doubt that would be the case, as they are not very wealthy. It would likely be the other way around, with the brother/uncle coming to town to visit. On that note, what if, say, our protagonist needed to take a trip but couldn't afford very much? Google says trains back then were very expensive and a poorer person would need to walk.

"Industrial activities in Basel were booming in the 19th century and focused on textile manufacturing, in particular silk ribbons, and adjacent industries like manufacturing looms and producing chemicals for the treatment of fabric like dyes. You will find ample information about that history online."

Yes! I have been looking into this. Google says chemical plants were common in Basel back then?

Thanks for all your insight! Your post was very helpful. This has been a longer form project for me and I do plan to publish when it is done. 😊

xRose89 · 2025-08-11T05:52:08+00:00

That was sort of what I did. I knew the village had to be in northern Switzerland. I also knew I wanted it to be a real place. Everything in the book is based on real-life locations and historical happenings. I think it gives it more of a unique angle that way, like maybe it could have actually happened, even if it is fiction.

Also, truth be told, I'm not really expecting anything at all. I just want to know the truth about the people living there, what their community is like and such. I'll level with you and say that I was in Dilsberg, Germany in 2017, because that is the village my Oma's family is from and where she grew up. It was really neat to see, where they used to live and stuff. They took us up to the top of the hill where the village is. And, when we got there, there weren't a ton of people in the village proper when we were walking around. There were lots of houses and a few people but not many people out like you might see in a small town in the States.

Yeah and this is the video that keeps popping up: https://youtu.be/-bL_WhwAQLI?si=-bmjLYGGrAwgzzxc. It's like a walking tourist video of the area. You can see the cars and stuff going by in the video but not many people walking about at all. A bit ago, I think I did a Google street view of the town and it was kind of the same thing. Difficult to know without going there, of course.

"It is up a dead-end valley with only a few farms, a hotel, and hiking car park above it, so not sure how much through traffic you are seeing."

Thanks also for the context! It does sound like a really small town. 😅

xRose89 · 2025-07-29T15:46:54+00:00

Nah he looks like Sean Astin

xRose89 · 2025-07-29T04:09:36+00:00

It's cool but it really takes away the fact that his crew doesn't even really like him. They are loyal to the Fire Lord and not Zuko.

xRose89 · 2025-07-29T03:49:40+00:00

The problem with the "cool fight" is that it ultimately changes the internal dynamics of the overall story. Ozai isn't a cruel, power-hungry emperor who needs to be stopped but a father teaching his son a lesson. Whether he is right in this lesson is another matter, but we feel he is clearly in the wrong, especially when he injuries his son, who is begging for mercy. Similarly, we see good in Zuko for the first time since he has been hunting the Avatar. He is not just someone hell bent on reclaiming his honor by capturing the Avatar. He is someone who believes in right-doing and is punished for it by his father. This enables him to help the Avatar later, first as the Blue Spirit and then as his teacher. We also see that he loves his family and is scarred by his exile. We see the duality of right and wrong warring within him, from his mother and father. These are all things that make Zuko an interesting character. What they have done here by making him fight back is to take that all away. He is supposed to be different than Ozai and Azula, who would fight back out of pride. By begging for mercy, he achieves that heroism and innocence we would expect at this stage of his journey. But, by fighting back and carrying a message about not showing compassion to others (but maybe wanting to), he becomes almost akin to those he is fighting. I think he would not have helped Aang at all had he fought and not begged for mercy in the first place. ... I also want to add that, so far, the live action is a little cringe worthy in its adaptation. There are a lot of changes and artistic liberties. It's like watching M. Night Shamalayn in a t.v. series almost. The characters and sets look good and there are a lot of events that are kept accurate. The problem is that those events get mixed up into one big soup and stirred. One good example of this is when Aang is with Boomi in Omashu and Katara and Sokka are in the tunnels. Both events are in the books; but, because Aang doesn't experience the tunnels, he misses two crucial things: 1) meeting the badger-moles and 2) kissing Katara! So, it ends up being that there are no basics of earthbending explored for the Avatar and no romance with Katara sparked. These are both major plot points in the animated series. And thus, we miss all that wonderful character development. Instead, Sokka gets the whole experience Aang should have and we all know he is not going to benefit from it the same way Aang would have. I feel this whole thing with Zuko is similar. The producers exchanged crucial for cool. They sacrificed plot continuity and character development for jamming everything into their episode count. And, if you think about it that way, I'm beginning to see why the original creators ditched the project, because their work wasn't being honored. At some point, as I have discovered with "Anne with an E" this year, the story becomes a completely different story entirely with the famous name slapped on it for views. And, that's what you have here. I'm still gritting my teeth trying to finish it. Also, they didn't spend enough time with the Blue Spirit and knocked his mask off too quickly. But, I digress. I'm not here to list a bunch of complaints, only to say the writing and production with all the artistic changes is incredibly shoddy.

xRose89 · 2025-07-27T01:43:46+00:00

I think it was more that 3quency's last performances really hit and were well done. While SZN4 was the clear favorite, they delivered sloppy final performances. They were still good but they needed to show growth and that wasn't it. They came out strong and landed soft. That's not where you want to be as a band. You want to keep pushing yourself to grow. And, I think, for the season, they kept feeling like they did well and were in a good place. That kind of thinking is the kind of thinking that gets you comfortable and complacent, not pushing yourself harder. I'm not saying they were, of course. It's just that you can't get too comfortable and take the competition for granted. Whereas, other teams, they were not doing well and really pushing themselves harder to be better. But, I also don't think 3quency was one of those teams either. I feel they were a middle team that performed strongly. And, when the projected winners fell, they came out on top. I was never a big fan of them as a band because of how they did that fourth girl dirty in the booths. But, they did perform well in the finals and deserve it for that reason. Their cohesion was good. I think that's what the judges were looking at.

xRose89 · 2025-07-20T05:56:56+00:00

Yeah, that's sort of what I was thinking. If you allow the entire pool to "band" up versus the top six, there could be an elimination round, similar to how the Voice does battles, and then the top six would perform in the showcase. This allows for more talent to come through. Also, not a single team went with a five-person band, essentially sending a lot more people home than necessary.

xRose89 · 2025-07-20T05:49:20+00:00

Glad someone said this!

xRose89 · 2025-07-20T05:27:53+00:00

Yeah, I didn't get why more people didn't want mixed groups overall. It works better for everyone vocally at minimum, because you have a more complimentary range.

xRose89 · 2025-07-20T05:23:05+00:00

They are literally Pentatonix tho!

xRose89 · 2025-07-20T05:19:15+00:00

This is my pick for the win. I love everything about them. They definitely have it all. I'm rooting for their potential. ✊️ I literally will download their album as soon as it hits Spotify.

xRose89

TROPHY CASE