Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire (2023)

[英雄王、武を極めるため転生す ～そして、世界最強の見習い騎士♀]]

Director: Naoyuki Kuzuya
Studio: Studio Comet
Starring: Akari Kito, Ai Kakuma, Tomori Kusunoki
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
The Hero-King Inglis has his deathbed wish granted to be reincarnated so that he can focus on honing his potential.

Impressions:
These days, if I see a series with "saikyou" ("the strongest") in the title, I'm inclined to pass as I'm sick and tired of OP protagonists, as you've heard me say season after season (with the occasional notable exception). However, I can be lured in with attractive character designs and that's something this series has in its favor. The visual appeal and Akari Kito's performance as Inglis were enough for me to be willing to give this a shot. I thought there could be some interesting things going on with Inglis working to eschew personal glory and also adapt to the new perspective that comes with being reborn as a woman. However, Inglis never grows beyond her basic characteristics of loving to fight and being a big eater. The larger plot involving the conflict with the Highlanders and such was interesting enough at first, but there's not enough substance to maintain that interest. I ended up being rather underwhelmed by the experience, so I can't muster up much of an endorsement. You may want to give it a shot, but you won't be missing too much if you don't.

Rating:
50/50