I Thought Appraisal Skill Was Mid… Then Ars Built the Most Broken Team in the Anime

Spoiler Warning: This review talks about major events from both Season 1 and Season 2.

I Honestly Thought This Was Going to Be Mid

When I first started As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, I genuinely thought this was going to be another pretty normal isekai.

The animation looked okay.

The story did not seem particularly deep.

And even the opening gave me this feeling of:

“Yeah… this is probably going to be mid.”

But somehow, episode after episode, I just kept watching.

Then suddenly I had finished both seasons.

And honestly?

I had a really good time.

Ars Is Basically a Pokémon Trainer

The funniest way I can describe Ars is that he is basically a Pokémon trainer.

His Appraisal skill allows him to see people’s hidden abilities and future potential.

So instead of becoming some ridiculously overpowered swordsman himself, Ars basically runs around collecting talented people.

And his first Pokémon was Rietz.

Rietz starts as someone being looked down on because he is a Malkan, but Ars immediately sees how much potential he has and gives him a chance.

From that moment onward, Rietz becomes ridiculously loyal.

Sometimes a little too loyal.

Someone could probably look at Ars slightly disrespectfully and Rietz would already be thinking about pulling out his sword.

But honestly, I understand it.

Ars was one of the first people who actually believed in him.

Then Ars Found a Walking Nuclear Weapon

Charlotte might be one of the funniest members of Ars’s team.

When she first appeared, she had a pretty rough attitude and did not trust Ars at all.

Then she finally demonstrated her magic.

Holy 🍩.

She basically launches a small nuclear weapon into the sky.

Everyone just stands there staring.

From that point onward, Charlotte’s job becomes extremely simple.

Problem?

Fire.

Big problem?

More fire.

Enemy fortress?

Probably even more fire.

There is even a moment where Raven questions whether bringing Charlotte into dangerous battles is a good idea.

Then she demonstrates her magic.

Raven basically changes his mind immediately.

Fair enough.

Rosell Was Probably the Funniest Accidental Recruitment

Rosell was another character I ended up really liking.

Ars originally goes looking for talented hunters and sees Rosell’s older brothers.

They look strong.

They look experienced.

Surely one of them is the person Ars is looking for.

Nope.

Appraisal basically points toward the tiny crying kid.

That tiny kid eventually becomes one of the smartest people around Ars.

By Season 2, Rosell is helping create military strategies, reading enemy plans, and even having a hunch about Thomas’s tricks before they fully happen.

Ars basically went into a forest looking for a hunter and accidentally found ChatGPT.

Raven Was Where This Anime Actually Got Me

Raven completely changed how I felt about this anime.

At first, I expected him to just be the typical strong fantasy father.

Instead, he became one of my favorite characters.

He was a great warrior.

A good lord.

A good husband.

And most importantly, a genuinely good father.

One of my favorite moments is when Raven realizes Ars is not ready for war.

Instead of insulting him or forcing him to become some emotionless warrior, Raven shows him the reality of taking another person’s life.

Ars cannot handle it.

He vomits.

He breaks down.

And Raven does not shame him.

That scene made Ars feel much more human.

Raven’s Death Actually Hurt

Then Raven’s health keeps getting worse.

Eventually, Ars loses him.

And honestly, that hurt much more than I expected.

Raven had been there from the beginning.

He watched Ars gather Rietz.

He saw Charlotte’s ridiculous magic.

He supported Ars as he slowly started becoming someone capable of leading Lamberg.

Then suddenly Ars had to continue without him.

That changed the entire feeling of the story for me.

“Do I Have the Face of a Warrior Now?”

One of my favorite callbacks happens later when Ars visits Raven’s grave.

Earlier, Raven told Ars that he still did not have the face of a warrior.

Now Ars is preparing for battle without his father beside him.

He stands in front of Raven’s grave and basically asks:

“Do I have the face of a warrior now?”

That scene hit hard.

Especially because this time Rietz, Charlotte, and Rosell are standing behind him.

Earlier, Ars was the child being left behind.

Now he is the lord preparing to lead people into war.

That was probably one of the best character progression moments in the anime.

Licia Completely Fooled Ars

When Licia first appeared, Ars used Appraisal and saw that she had extremely high Ambition.

Immediately, this idiot started assuming she was some dangerous political schemer.

Meanwhile Licia was basically just trying to figure out whether her arranged fiancé was actually a decent person.

The misunderstanding was hilarious.

And surprisingly, I ended up really liking their relationship.

Licia is not just there to become “the wife.”

Her diplomacy ability actually becomes extremely useful.

Especially in Season 2.

Licia’s Negotiation Skills Were Actually Awesome

Season 2 gives Licia some really good moments.

Watching her negotiate was honestly fun.

She slowly increases offers.

She watches people’s reactions.

She pretends to become desperate.

She even uses other people’s personalities as part of her strategy.

At one point, I thought the negotiation was completely falling apart.

Then the anime basically reveals:

Nope.

Licia planned around that too.

Okay.

Respect.

Their Romance Was Surprisingly Cute

I honestly did not expect to care that much about romance in this anime.

But Ars and Licia were really wholesome.

Their relationship slowly changes from an arranged engagement into something genuine.

Then Season 2 suddenly gives us Ars basically saying:

Why wait until after the war?

Let’s get married now.

Then they kiss.

And eventually, the entire season ends with their wedding.

There is only one slightly hilarious problem.

They still look like children.

I am watching this beautiful wedding scene thinking:

“Aww, this is wholesome.”

Then another part of my brain is going:

“Why do the bride and groom look like they have homework tomorrow?”

Fantasy anime is wild.

Ars Gets Way Too Much Credit Sometimes

I have to say this.

There were moments where Ars received so much praise that I genuinely started laughing.

Rietz is destroying enemies.

Charlotte is deleting half the battlefield.

Rosell is doing calculations.

Licia is negotiating.

Mireille is creating insane strategies.

Pham is gathering intelligence.

Then everyone turns toward Ars like:

“What an incredible lord.”

Bro.

Your team did everything.

Ars is basically that one friend in an online battle royale who gets two kills while everyone else gets twenty.

But somehow he is still the squad leader.

But That Is Also Ars’s Real Strength

The more I watched, though, the more I understood why people respect Ars.

His real strength is not fighting.

It is people.

Appraisal allows Ars to see talent.

But Appraisal does not magically make people loyal to him.

Rietz stays because Ars believed in him.

Charlotte stays because Ars gave her a future.

Rosell stays because Ars recognized something nobody else noticed.

Pham and Shadow eventually pledge loyalty because Ars treats them like actual human beings instead of disposable tools.

That part comes from Ars himself.

And honestly, that might be more important than his Appraisal skill.

Mireille Is an Absolute Menace

Mireille might be one of my favorite characters introduced later.

She appears looking like a lazy alcoholic.

She drinks.

She sleeps.

She barely looks serious.

Rietz constantly gets annoyed with her.

Then Ars uses Appraisal.

Monster.

Her intelligence and leadership ability are ridiculous.

The mock battle was when I really started enjoying her character.

She does not simply fight normally.

She turns everything into psychological warfare.

And somehow she is doing all of this while looking like she needs another drink.

Mireille vs Thomas Was Basically a Battle of Wits

Season 2 eventually gives us Thomas, who becomes a really interesting opponent for Mireille.

Their conflict is not really about who is physically stronger.

It becomes a battle of wits.

Thomas uses misinformation.

Bluffs.

Traps.

Psychological pressure.

Fake plans.

Then Mireille, Rosell, and the others have to figure out what is real and what is 🍩.

I actually liked that a lot.

Especially because Rosell eventually starts seeing through Thomas’s plans too.

Our tiny crying forest kid has come a long way.

Thomas Was More Tragic Than I Expected

By the final episode, Thomas loses and gets captured.

Couran even gives him a chance to join his side.

But Thomas refuses because he already pledged loyalty to the other faction.

So he accepts prison instead.

Then we finally understand more about his relationship with Mireille.

Apparently, Thomas had been carrying this inferiority complex toward his sister for years.

Meanwhile Mireille did not really think about him in the horrible way he imagined.

A huge amount of that rivalry existed inside Thomas’s own head.

In the end, what he really wanted was surprisingly simple.

He wanted Mireille to acknowledge him.

That actually made me feel kind of bad for him.

Pham and Shadow Slowly Became Family Too

Pham and Shadow were another part of the anime I slowly started enjoying more.

At first, Shadow is basically a business relationship.

Ars pays them.

They gather information.

Simple.

But over time, Pham starts seeing Ars differently.

Most nobles treat people like Shadow as disposable tools.

Ars does not.

Eventually Pham basically decides:

Yeah.

I want to follow this kid.

And officially pledges loyalty to Ars.

At that point Ars is not even finding Pokémon anymore.

The Pokémon are walking toward him and throwing their own Poké Balls.

Rietz Somehow Got His Own Student

Near the end, we meet a red-haired fighter who initially made me nervous.

I thought:

Please do not introduce some random new character who suddenly makes Rietz look weak.

Thankfully, the situation was much more interesting.

The red-haired boy has incredible physical ability.

But Rietz immediately sees that he relies too much on raw strength and is extremely easy to provoke.

Then after realizing how much experience Rietz has, the kid basically goes:

“Master, please take me as your student!”

I laughed.

Rietz started this anime as Ars’s first retainer.

Now talented fighters are looking at Rietz like he is some legendary teacher.

That is actually really cool progression.

My Romance Antenna Also Detected Something Suspicious

I also started getting romance signals from two completely different directions.

First:

Rietz and Charlotte.

These two have been bickering forever.

Charlotte annoys him.

Rietz gets angry.

Charlotte runs away laughing.

Classic.

Then we have Mireille and Clamant.

During the snowball fight, everyone else is acting like idiots and throwing snowballs everywhere.

Meanwhile Mireille and Clamant are sitting together smiling and having a drinking competition.

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

I am not saying anything is confirmed.

I am just saying my romance antenna had excellent reception.

The Snowball Fight Was Weirdly Perfect

Episode 22 has this serious moment where Couran and his retainers basically question Ars about his true intentions.

They want to know what this young lord actually wants.

Power?

Territory?

Status?

And Ars gives basically the same answer he has always had.

He wants to create a safe domain where his people can live peacefully.

Then later the episode ends with everyone having a snowball fight.

And honestly, that is kind of perfect.

After all the battles, politics, and death, these idiots finally have enough peace to throw snow at each other.

That is basically what Ars has been fighting for.

Ars’s Rise Is Actually Ridiculous

When you think about where Ars started and where he ends Season 2, the difference is massive.

He starts as the son of a lord in little Lamberg.

Then Raven dies.

Ars becomes Lord of Lamberg.

Then he gains more responsibility.

Then more territory.

Then more political influence.

Eventually nobles are debating whether this young kid should control an entire larger region.

And some nobles Ars helped earlier actually stand up and support him.

That part was satisfying.

Ars never helped them because he expected some future political reward.

But now those relationships are coming back and helping him.

His reputation is slowly becoming bigger than his original little domain.

The Homecoming Was One of My Favorite Ending Moments

After the war, Ars finally returns home with his soldiers and retainers.

People are standing along both sides of the road welcoming them back.

Then suddenly Licia runs toward Ars and hugs him.

That scene was genuinely wholesome.

Especially because she becomes shy afterward.

But it also means something more.

Ars always talked about wanting to create a place where his people could live safely.

Now he comes home after surviving a war.

His people are safe.

They are celebrating.

His retainers are beside him.

His wife runs into his arms.

That is basically Ars’s dream standing directly in front of him.

The Wedding Was Happy… But Raven Was Missing

Season 2 eventually ends with Ars and Licia’s wedding.

It is a really happy ending.

Everyone is celebrating.

Ars survived his first major war.

His territory has grown.

His reputation has grown.

His relationship with Licia has reached a beautiful point.

But there was one person I could not stop thinking about.

Raven.

Raven should have been there.

He was there when Ars first started gathering talented people.

He personally tested Rietz.

He watched Charlotte demonstrate her magic.

He arranged Ars’s engagement with Licia.

He trusted Ars with Lamberg.

But he never got to see what Ars became.

That made the wedding surprisingly bittersweet for me.

I can only imagine how proud Raven would have been.

The Opening Spoils Way Too Much

I also have one complaint that followed me through both seasons.

The opening shows way too many important characters.

Seriously.

This is an anime about Ars discovering hidden talented people.

But half the time, the opening basically tells you:

“Hey, remember this suspiciously important-looking person? Yeah, probably remember them.”

At some point I started predicting future Ars allies simply because they were getting too much screen time in the opening.

Ars does not even need Appraisal.

Just watch the opening.

The Story Is Not Extremely Deep, But It Works

I am not going to pretend this anime is some insanely deep political masterpiece.

It is not.

The animation is fine.

Some situations are convenient.

Ars occasionally gets praised more than he probably deserves.

And sometimes I wanted him to stop being scared and actually take more responsibility himself.

But despite all of that, I never really became bored.

That matters a lot.

The anime kept giving me something new.

New characters.

New political problems.

New wars.

New strategies.

New relationships.

And most importantly, actual character progression.

Final Thoughts

I started As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World thinking it was probably going to be another average isekai.

Instead, I finished all 24 episodes genuinely invested in Ars and the ridiculous family he built around himself.

Rietz went from an unwanted outsider to Ars’s most loyal protector.

Charlotte became a walking nuclear weapon.

Rosell went from a scared little kid to a serious strategist.

Licia became Ars’s wife and one of his strongest political allies.

Mireille became the drunk genius who can turn an entire war into a chess match.

Pham went from paid contractor to loyal retainer.

And Ars slowly became someone capable of carrying the responsibility Raven left behind.

The story is not perfect.

The animation is not incredible.

And Ars himself is definitely not the strongest person in his own team.

But honestly?

That is part of why I liked it.

His greatest ability was never simply Appraisal.

It was finding incredible people and somehow giving them a reason to stay beside him.

I started this anime expecting something mid.

I finished it wanting another season.

And considering how I felt during Episode 1, that is probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

7/10.

Not a masterpiece.

Not peak fiction.

But genuinely entertaining, surprisingly emotional, easy to keep watching, and much better than I expected when I started.

Recommended.