English Dub Review: Farming Life in Another World “A Hospitable Heart”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Hiraku realizes the importance of diplomacy when the demon lord and the dragons establish contact with the Great Tree Village.

Our Take:
The show’s second half starts with Hiraku performing his first task as the mayor of the Great Tree Village: diplomacy. What better way to accomplish this difficult task than with the Demon Lord’s generals and the “fearsome” Dragon King? So it appears that this tranquil series is going down the “politics” route amid the characters’ farming duties. It’s enough to make the show’s repetitive narrative slightly enjoyable, with emphasis on the “slight”.
On the diplomatic side of things, Hiraku tells one of the demon generals, Beezel, that he’ll offer the Demon Lord ten percent of his harvest as a yearly tax. Beezel accepted the offer, but only due to his fear of Hiraku’s village being protected by his powerful allies. So that’s another reason having Ru, Tia, and many others stay in the town paid off well. Of course, with the residents constantly getting visitors, Hiraku decided to build an embassy to house overnight guests to maintain diplomatic relationships.
The episode’s second half sees more visitors arriving to the village. This time, it’s the Beastmen, the miners and hunters from Howling Village, who agree to trade silver, iron, and glass for food crops. Dragon King Dryme also agrees to ferry trade goods between the two villages in exchange for wine. So it looks like the fearless Dragon King may not be as threatening as we expect unless he says otherwise.
As for the Beastmen, it’s revealed that these “beastly” creatures also have young women who are asked to move into the Great Tree Village. Of course, having a village full of women and only one male is too much for Hiraku. So Hiraku asked the Beastmen to have their men live in the village as well. Unfortunately, their “male counterparts” are actually young boys incapable of marrying anyone for at least a decade. Despite the minor setback, he at least gained more of a balance between female and male residents in the village.
With its addition of diplomacy and trade agreements, “A Hospitable Heart” injects enough charm and humor into the narrative to maintain my minuscule interest in the series. Part of the humor is due to the Demon Generals and Dryme, the Dragon King, with the former characters feeling frightened about the protectors of Hiraku’s village. Dryme’s constant obsession with wine also got a few laughs from me. But, of course, these political relationships are just the beginning of Hiraku’s new duty as the village mayor.