English Dub Review: From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman “The Old Country Bumpkin Takes on a New Position”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
A few months into his appointment as the Liberion Order’s special instructor, Beryl Gardenant is settling into his new life in the capital. One day, he’s visited by Lucy and Ficelle, who ask him to become a temporary instructor at the Magic Institute. Beryl joins the sword magic course where Mewi is enrolled, witnesses Ficelle’s teaching methods, and finds himself facing off against her…
Our Take:
An old country bumpkin’s work is never done, especially since Beryl is now recognized as a master swordsman. From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman had some enjoyable moments, including Beryl’s escapades with his students, in its first season. Besides that, it’s a standard fantasy anime that utilizes its “teacher reunites with students” premise and animation to mostly overcome its weak voice direction. While I’m not overly excited about the next chapter of Beryl’s journey, I remained pretty hopeful that season two would deliver something worthy of its continuation regarding its plot.
With the first episode of the new season, the show aims to continue Beryl’s current role as a swordsman teacher, as well as a caretaker for Mewi. At the same time, it introduces Beryl to another new job he’ll cover amid his new life in the capital: institute teacher. Here, he’s introduced to the world of sword magic, courtesy of one of his former students, Ficelle Harbeller, who specializes in this skilled blend. Apparently, Will Serfort from Wistoria has got some competition regarding the combination of magic spells and swordsmanship. From what I remember, Ficelle didn’t get enough screen time in season one, as it focuses more on Beryl’s friendships with Allucia and the Liberion Order. Thanks to this episode, it’s possible that the show is seeking to compensate for it with the season’s focus on sword magic and even Beryl’s growth.
But, even with these promising aspects, the second season still didn’t show any signs of improvement in the voice direction for the English dub. Beyond the average execution of its narrative tropes, the vocal performances in the dub remain subpar in terms of emotional range, notably Wissall Homayun, who still sounds bored when conveying Mewi’s “tough girl” attitude. Additionally, there were a few times where the dialogue didn’t match the characters’ mouth movements, and they’re honestly quite distracting. At least the animation is still looking pretty good, especially for the swordsmanship maneuvers, notably the sparring match between Beryl and Ficelle. In short, the first episode of season two is what I expected from my experience with season one, for better or worse. But it won’t be long before I grow even more exhausted by the anime’s dub version.
