WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR FROM BUREAUCRAT TO VILLAINESS: DADS BEEN REINCARNATED From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dads Been Reincarnated Is a fantasy isekai anime featuring your classic overworked Japanese bureaucrat. Wait I said that right: its a fantasy isekai. But lets not get hasty and dismiss it as just another isekai slop show. This one offers a unique and surprisingly nuanced take on the genre a refreshing twist that sets it apart. Our Character 550https://cdni.fancaps.net/file/fancapsanimeimages/29727102.jpg Kenzaburou Tondabayashi and Grace Auvergne are in fact the same person. For now I will be referring to him as Kenzaburou or Dad and Grace will be discussed later in the review. Backstory Kenzaburou Tondabayashi age 53 is your classic overworked Japanese bureaucrat living happily with his wife and daughter. The three of them share a passion for otaku culture and gaming and as a bureaucrat Kenzaburou ensures they live comfortably without any financial issues. Grace Auvergne on the other hand is a royal daughter of the Auvergne Family and the designated villainess in the otome game Magical Academy: Love Beast. The Plot The story unfolds with two intertwined events. While Grace was horseback riding in her backyard a sudden commotion caused her horse to rapidly jolt resulting in Grace losing her balance and hitting her head. This led to Dad Kenzaburou Tondabayashi gaining consciousness in Graces body instead of his realworld one. Meanwhile in his own world Kenzaburou was heading home after another hard day of bureaucratic work when he saw a child playing with a ball in the street and a semitruck rapidly approaching. He heroically pushed the child out of the way getting injured in the process of saving them and was subsequently reincarnated into the otome game Magical Academy: Love Beast specifically as the villainess Grace Auvergne. Dad thanks to his fondness for gaming and having discussed the games plot and goals with his daughter knows the narrative inside and out. He understands how to navigate the games world but not in the way a villainess antagonist is supposed toby spiting the games FMC Anna Doll and giving her a hard time. Instead due to Dads inherent bureaucratic ways and parenting Grace unexpectedly becomes the true MC of the game. Everything backfires on the original plot thanks to his managing social meetings as if they were stressful government meetings. Not to mention he accidentally rizzes up almost everyone he interacts with simply due to the elegance manners and appeal of his speech. This ironically results in Dad failing to achieve his original plan of helping Anna Doll go down one of her 45 possible romantic paths with the male characters even as he diligently tries to guide her behind the scenes. Animation and colors The art style is colorful expressive and clean nothing overly flashy but it perfectly captures the comedic expressions and maintains a warm inviting tone. The magical effects are decent and character designs are distinct enough to be easily recognizable. The OP is catchy with an energy that perfectly fits the series giving me a bump of chicken vibe. This means its quirky fun and just a little bit absurd perfectly setting the tone for the shows unique humor. The background music effectively does its job though it doesnt particularly stand out. Meanwhile the ED is also quite catchy and very flashy boasting an array of impressive effects. Now lets talk about the bad parts The anime could have explained the reincarnation more effectively by introducing Dad through a betterintegrated backstory within the first few episodes. For instance they could have split the focus: dedicating 8 to 12 minutes to his life in Japan and the remainder to the villainesss buildup in the new world. Instead the execution felt incredibly confusing. They allotted only about 35 minutes to Dads initial backstory in Japan before shifting focus to Graces character development. It isnt until Episode 3 that the main Grace plot and Dads strategic planning truly begin to take effect. Final Thoughts If you like isekai but are tired of overpowered teens then From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dads Been Reincarnated is a show for you. Its charming clever and manages to blend dry adult humor with cute parenting moments. Its not the most actionpacked series out there but its got heart and brains in all the right places. 8/10 for me