Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

The king of Natra has fallen ill, leaving the only hope for his kingdom to his son, Prince Wein Salema Arbalest. Known to be capable and wise, he is the perfect candidate to become the prince regent. However, if the prince has anything to say about the matter, he would rather sell off the Kingdom of Natra to the highest bidder!

Since he wields the authority of the throne, no one can stop Wein from auctioning off the country and using the profits to retire in comfort. All he needs to do is raise the value of the small kingdom to maximize his gains. But whether Wein's grand plan will succeed remains to be seen, as his wit often surpasses even his own expectations—much to the benefit of the oblivious citizens of Natra.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ralei, Ninym Main

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Arbalest, Wein Salema Main

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Earthwold, Lowellmina Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Zeno Supporting

Nakashima, Yuki Japanese

Arbalest, Falanya Elk Supporting

Senbongi, Sayaka Japanese

Ralei, Nanaki Supporting

Sakakihara, Yuuki Japanese

Solgest, Tolcheila Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Brandel, Fisch Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Solgest, Gruyere Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Larkurum Supporting

Hamano, Daiki Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Kitazawa, Shiryuu Producer

Maruyama, Hajime Producer

Fukaya, Naruki Producer

Reviews

Jan 31, 2026

the-mental-one

Recommended

'Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu' is one of those shows where, if I sit down and pick it apart there are lots of problems, but the reality is I still kind of enjoyed myself watching it. It never blew me away, yet it also never made me want to drop it, which counts for something.

The basic setup, a “genius” prince stuck with a kingdom in debt who secretly wants to sell it off and retire, is simple but quite fun. It is not trying to reinvent fantasy politics so much as give you a slightly cheeky, low stress spin on it, and for ... me that made it a pretty easy watch. Wein gliding from crisis to crisis while complaining about having to work, with Ninym quietly keeping him on track, is a dynamic that carries a lot of episodes on its own. Even when the supposed brilliant plans boil down to fairly obvious moves that only look impressive because everyone around him is bizarrely incompetent, there is something oddly cosy about watching the cast keep stumbling their way to victory.

If you want truly sharp strategy or airtight politics, this is not that show, and the whole “genius prince” angle starts to look a bit shallow if you poke at it, in the way that anything proclaiming to be genius but written by people who are not tend to be. Battles can feel basic, enemies conveniently foolish, the series often talks like it is playing 4D chess while actually running on simple tricks and lucky breaks, which can be frustrating if you go in expecting something properly intricate. The art is normally alright but sometimes it can be very rough around the edges. However, for me, those issues stayed in the background rather than ruining the experience; I clocked them, rolled my eyes a bit, and then went back to enjoying the banter and seeing what kind of mess Wein would talk his way out of next.

What really kept me watching were the characters rather than the schemes. Wein and Ninym feel like a proper partnership, with her deadpan competence balancing his theatrics in a way I found genuinely likeable. Falanya ends up being more than just the token little sister, and Lowellmina brings some spark whenever she shows up, turning the political side into a playful game of wits rather than a dry lecture. I never felt deeply attached to anyone, but I liked spending time with this group, and that did a lot to smooth over the rougher plotting. I know some people probably hate how whiny the MC is but it’s not so bad and honestly sometimes I can totally relate to him.

In the end, 'The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt' landed in that pleasant middle spot for me: flawed, a bit shallow in places, but strangely watchable and never a chore to get through. I would not hold it up as a masterpiece of political fantasy, but as a light, slightly smug kingdom management comedy with a likeable central duo, it did its job well enough that I was happy to keep pressing play.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by the-mental-one (7)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sep 30, 2025

aerogems

Mixed Feelings

If you happen to be a Warhammer 40K fan and are familiar with the Ciaphas Cain books, this show is pretty similar in nature. The prince just wants to sell his country and live a life of luxury elsewhere, but has to make it appear as if he's not just a selfish jerk and is a high-minded leader who deeply cares about his country. A dichotomy through which hijinks ensue. The problem comes in that the show quickly loses focus and goes from the prince succeeding despite his best efforts to fail, to him being dragged into the internal politics of various other nations and ... there's no real resolution at the end. That's not to say that, taken individually, the episodes aren't enjoyable, but I think they definitely would have been better served as a whole if the overarching story had stuck with the original formula of the prince somehow managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory despite doing everything he possibly can to ensure victory -- victory being a situation where he can offer to sell his country as terms of surrender.

Aside from the plot, the whole harem thing kind of detracted from the story. Every major female character has an unnaturally large bust for their tiny unrealistic frame which would have a chiropractor start thinking it's time to upgrade their boat based on the money they'll be making. Then there's the prince's little sister who seems to have a major crush on her brother, which always feels creepy.

All in all, while it was an enjoyable show, and I wish it had gotten a second season, it would have been much better if they had stuck with the original formula.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by aerogems (4)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Nov 28, 2025

NEEDY_SPY

Not Recommended

You ever watch a show that thinks it’s 10 steps ahead of you, but in reality, it’s just running in circles? Yeah, that’s The Genius Prince’s Guide. The premise sounds great a “genius” prince trying to offload his broke kingdom and retire rich but somewhere between episode one and twelve, the story forgets to actually do anything interesting.

Every episode is just Wein talking big, everyone around him nodding like he’s a god, and somehow everything magically working out. the plot so bad.....There’s zero tension, zero challenge, zero sense that he could ever lose. It’s like watching someone play a game on easy mode while ... insisting it’s hardcore strategy.

The political “drama” mostly boils down to fancy words and predictable outcomes. It’s all bark, no bite. You can practically skip entire episodes and still know exactly what’s happening because nothing really does happen. And when the show tries to get serious? It’s hard to care when you know the universe will bend over backwards to make the prince look smart again.

The visuals are fine,some characters are okay not all, but the writing feels like it’s constantly patting itself on the back for being clever when it’s really just... not. It’s not the worst thing ever it’s watchable, maybe even cozy if you turn your brain off —but for something with “genius” in the title, it sure doesn’t live up to it.

In the end, it’s like a diet version of Log Horizon less flavor, more filler.
A show that wants to sound deep but ends up saying nothing at all.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by NEEDY_SPY (17)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Historical/Fantasy Military Tactics

by seikacity

18 Entries · 5 Restacks

Comfort Fantasy (1)

by icewindz

31 Entries · 21 Restacks

Protagonist is a Servant, Royalty, or a Saintess/Saint in Fantasy/Isekai - Anime adaptions ver. (EXTRA)

by MagicFlier

22 Entries · 18 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for January

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for January. Week 1: January 3 - 9 Anime Releases Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (incl. Koi Imouto!) (...read more

Jan 10, 2023 8:51 AM by Aiimee | Discuss (4 comments)

Winter 2022 Simulcast List [Update 2/6]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of television anime acquired for simulcast release during the Winter 2022 season. Anime series licensed for hom...read more

Dec 29, 2021 1:21 PM by Snow | Discuss (43 comments)

	Poll: Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu Episode 6 Discussion Stark700 - Feb 15, 2022	48 replies	by Blazesword »» Oct 24, 2025 6:26 AM
	Barbaric actions treated as heroic ( 1 2 ) Dragevard - Jan 11, 2022	58 replies	by Kuudere-Hime »» Sep 24, 2025 11:00 PM
	Poll: Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Mar 29, 2022	102 replies	by Acctra »» Sep 13, 2025 12:31 AM
	Poll: Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Jan 11, 2022	157 replies	by Tsukasa_Rio »» May 11, 2025 11:12 AM
	Poll: Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 22, 2022	32 replies	by XArceusX »» Mar 19, 2025 1:05 AM