English Dub Review: I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability “I Reincarnated as the Seventh Prince”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

A mage, lacking both talent and lineage, is burned to death by the magic he loves. He’s reborn as Lloyd, seventh prince of the Saloum Kingdom, with his past memories intact. One day, in a forbidden library, he awakens a demon that wields ancient magic…

Our Take:

Lo and behold, we have yet another reincarnation series involving a protagonist obsessed with their desires in another life. However, this one doesn’t involve the character suffering a comical demise in the real world. Instead, it’s a sorcerer in a fantasy world who gets toasted during a duel and reincarnated in another life as a ten-year-old prince. I guess that’s one way to differentiate from other anime with similar concepts, but that doesn’t make it any special.

The first episode follows the same structure as any other reincarnation anime, in which the weak sorcerer obsessed with magic was reborn as Prince Lloyd, the seventh prince of the Saloum Kingdom, blessed with a magical bloodline. However, his memories from his previous life are intact, meaning he has all the time in the world to study and master the arts of sorcery. His perseverance to study leads Lloyd to a hidden archive where he finds and releases a powerful demon named Grim, who’s imprisoned for nearly destroying the kingdom. Unfortunately for Grim, Lloyd’s tremendous power proved too much for the demon’s ancient magic, resulting in him being Lloyd’s familiar until he finds the right opportunity to overpower the young prince.

In short, “I Reincarnated as the Seventh Prince” is exactly what you’d expect from an isekai reincarnation series regarding its formula, for better or worse. It’s got the protagonist reborn as a young child, a couple of teases in its world-building, and plenty of OP moments from the protagonist’s immense magical abilities. Also, the concept constantly reminded me of Sweet Reincarnation, which also involved a protagonist (Pastry Mill Morteln) obsessed with something (making sweets) reincarnating into a young child. Both characters, Lloyd and Pastry, are eager to fulfill their desires instead of the traditional paths they’re given. However, whether Lloyd will follow the same development as Pastry is still being determined.

Overall, this is a pretty derivative and humorless start to yet another reincarnation fantasy series that may or may not improve in future episodes. Based on the episode alone, Meg McClain seemed like a solid choice to portray Lloyd’s obsessive and ecstatic personality. Additionally, the animation style by Tsumugi Akita Animation Lab, which combines 2D and CGI animation, looks passable so far, with the main highlight being the swordplay between Lloyd and his instructor, Sylpha (Morgan Berry). Before diving into the show, I also read some speculation that it’s been described as “shotacon pedo-bait” regarding Lloyd’s “feminine” appearance and how the women treat him more fondly than usual. The episode did have moments when the series became oddly obsessed with showing off Lloyd’s bare legs, but I wouldn’t make a big deal out of them unless the show does something really discomforting involving his appearance later. All I care about right now is the series’s quality, which I hope will get better as it progresses.