From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!

Episode 9

I hate Rubik's Cubes because I've never been able to solve them. It's probably because I've never had the patience to sit for ages twisting the damned thing endlessly to get all the colors to align, nor do I see the point spending time studying a complex algorithmic solution. Seems like Kenzaburo has a similar opinion, considering his… unorthodox method for solving one in this unprecedented Rubik's Cube-themed episode. What's next? An episode 10 Bop-It! party? (No, it looks like next week is the obligatory cross-dressing episode…)

It's all Lucas' fault, as usual. When entering a vault filled with dangerous magical items, Lucas should be forbidden from touching anything. In fact, his fellow student council members really should have tied him up, sedated him, and buried him in airtight box, but unfortunately their lack of forward planning leads to them all becoming imprisoned in an off-brand Rubik's cube, meaning Grace and Anna must rescue them. As Kenzaburo's daughter identifies, this aspect of the Love & Beast game was supposed to have been an optional quest to allow Anna to pursue increasing affection points with her chosen romantic interest. Poor Kenzaburo could never solve more than a single side of the blasted cuboidal monstrosity, and even Orion's (Hinako's) suggestion of dismantling it and reassembling it doesn't work.

This episode is mostly a collection of puzzle and riddle-themed skits where each male romantic interest is supposed to help Anna find her way out of the magical labyrinth. As usual, it culminates in Kenzaburo unwittingly heading towards a harem ending with everyone falling more deeply in love with Grace. Poor Hinako's given up protesting, merely looking on in defeat.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this type of episode, it feels too much like a videogame plot (which I'm aware is kind of the point), so I was about to mark it lower than average… until Kenzaburo breaks out the karaoke. Two thirds of the way through the episode, an unprecedented alternative/fakeout ED sequence hits, as Kenzaburo gleefully belts out the stunningly catchy ending theme to legendary 1979 Leiji Matsumoto movie Galaxy Express 999. The sheer audacity of this sequence had me grinning from ear-to-ear, and by itself earns the episode an extra star.

Creatively daft touches like this are what elevates Bureaucrat to Villainess far about the vast quantity of bland, inspiration-less isekai dreck that infests the anime streaming pipes. Kenzaburo's such a delightfully geeky, genuinely likable protagonist. I wonder what unexpected delights might be in store for the rest of the season?

Rating: