'Wise Man's Grandchild' Is More Enjoyable Than It Should Be

It was apparent right off the bat that Kenja no Mago – translated into English as Wise Man’s Grandchild or Magi’s Grandson or The Sage’s Grandson or Philosopher’s Grandson – was going to feature a lot of genre clichés, and was never going to amount to anything special.  And yet, it wasn’t obnoxious at all, since it was self-aware, unassuming, light, breezy, and humorous.  Thus, it ended up being one of the new anime series I watched last spring season.

It tells the story of a salaryman who dies in an accident and gets reborn in a fantasy world as a baby orphaned by a demon attack.  Fortunately, he’s found by a legendary magician hero named Merlin Wolford, who decides to raise him as his own grandson and gives him the name “Shin.”

Due to Merlin’s tutelage, Shin Wolford grows up to become an extremely proficient magician himself.  It’s also partly because he still has some memories of his past life, and thus, applies the science principles and thought processes he vaguely recalls into the magical mechanics of this world – yielding new and more powerful spells.  In addition, he’s been taught by Merlin’s ex-wife, the equally legendary “guru” Melinda Bowen, in the enchanting of equipment, and as a result, he has become capable of making revolutionary and high-level magical gears and apparels.  On top of these, he’s also become an expert martial artist and swordsman after years of training under Michel Collins, the retired commander of the kingdom’s Knight Order.

However, due to growing up isolated in a cabin in the woods and purely focusing on his various training, Shin has never developed practical life skills and common sense.  In relation to this, his social interactions are limited to those shared with his grandfather and the few friends that visit them, like Melinda and Michel.  Thus, he is mostly ignorant of how gifted he is, worrying those who care for him.

To address these concerns, one of Shin’s usual visitors, his “Uncle Dis” – whom Shin is shocked to learn for the first time, after all these years, is the king – suggests that he, who just recently turned 15, moves to the city and be enrolled in the kingdom’s Advanced Magic Academy.  After deliberation, this is agreed upon by Shin and his grandparents.

In the academy, Shin and his classmates grow into a tight-knit group of friends.  Eventually, he becomes their mentor, and after some time, he develops them into an elite club of magicians.  When the kingdom is threatened by demonic invaders, they are promptly turned into a quick-response team against them.

Wise Man’s Grandchild is just an okay anime at most.  Its hackneyed power fantasy beats are simplistically executed and laughably self-indulgent.  And yet, it’s honestly entertaining.  It should be exasperating how constantly the narrative brings up situations where Shin can show off how awesome he is.  But it isn’t the case.  Rather, it’s actually pretty charming.

Objectively, even with the “lack of common sense” as weakness, Shin should have been a bland protagonist due to being forcibly overpowered.  On the contrary, he’s somehow likable.  Meanwhile, his relationship with Sizilien has all the makings of an irritating romantic arc.  But instead of groans, it incites smiles.

Moreover, the dynamic among the Ultimate Magicians – the goofy name of Shin’s circle of friends (an observation that the narrative actually acknowledges; again, this anime benefits from being self-aware) – is a lot of fun.  Despite the lack of nuance in it, their development as a collective is strangely riveting to watch.  And even though each one is thinly fleshed out, liking them individually as well as an ensemble can’t be helped.

In the end, one won’t really be missing out on anything worthwhile if he or she skips Wise Man’s Grandchild.  It’s no notable isekai.  However, it knows what it is, and it makes no pretentions about it.  It’s probably why it’s more enjoyable than it should be.