KonoSuba was the surprise breakout hit that no one really expected. It was first ridiculed for the hilariously poor production qualities from Studio Deen, but that somehow ended up becoming a part of its unique humor. Its unconventional take on the isekai genre, with a relatively weak protagonist who only survives on his wits, and a group of misfit female companions also contributes greatly to its success. But since KonoSuba, not many anime have been able to duplicate its formula, even Combatants Will Be Dispatched! the other isekai anime from the same author didn’t manage to replicate KonoSuba’s success.
So it is quite a surprise to see an under-the-radar anime come the closest to KonoSuba in terms of its initial style and humor. Winter 2022’s The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt is also attempting to walk that fine line between poor production quality and intentional humor. It features a protagonist that is trying his hardest to sabotage his own success and failing miserably at it, as well as a group of interesting female characters, especially his assistant/childhood friend/love interest Ninym (incidentally voiced by the same voice actor as KonoSuba's Megumin, Takahashi Rie.)
As its overly detailed title suggests, the anime is about a genius’ prince’s attempt to raise his poor and weak nation, Natra, out of debt. The titular prince, Wein Salema Arbalest secretly just wants to sell his nation to its much stronger neighbor, Empire Earthwold. He planned to make his nation more attractive by strengthening it first, so he can sell it at a good price and retire early. But his continued quest to put in the minimum amount of effort and lay flat continuously backfires, and his nation is becoming much stronger than he had anticipated.
It is important to note that this is not an isekai anime, it’s not technically a fantasy either, the story takes place in an ancient world with no magic or special creatures, so plans and strategy take center stage. This is actually a good thing for this anime because it clearly does not have the funds to produce any full-on war or show magical powers, as even the simple character conversations scenes often look poorly produced. In the anime’s first episode, an entire battle is enacted using mostly still images and dots on a map, with some exposition thrown in for clarification.
Strangely, this cost-saving strategy actually works for the overall tone of the anime, because it is about a deeply indebted nation with very little resources, so it is only appropriate for the anime to imitate this sense of impoverishment on screen. This style also made the battle incredibly fast-paced (though some would say rushed), and feels surprisingly like a strategy-based game. This is a similar situation to KonoSuba, where its protagonist Satou Kazuma is also constantly in debt and looking for ways to make money, so the poor animation matched its characters’ predicament and even added an extra layer of hilarity.
Despite being incredibly competent, Wein is not the most hardworking or motivated person, just like KonoSuba’s Kazuma. Wein the Prince still has to pretend to be a charismatic leader in front of his people, but he dreads waging war and just wants to cut the losses. Yet his plans worked way too well for his own good, so he often throws temper tantrums in front of Ninym to de-stress. The contrast between Wein’s two sides and the blending of the serious with the absurd is a type of self-deprecating humor that’s quite reminiscent of KonoSuba, though admittedly, KonoSuba does it better by being way more over the top.
With just one episode out, there is no telling how bad the animation quality will get in the future, or if the production can repeatedly turn trash into treasure and sustain it for a whole season. They have to be making smart cost-cutting decisions rather than just offering up bad animation. If they can step up the humor and introduce more likable characters while also emphasizing the strategies that are so important to the plot, things may just end up working out for the best, just like they do for Wein.
