The ending of Shirohiyo: Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble: Raising My Baby Brother With Memories From My Past Life isn't conclusive. I think many of us saw that coming; not only is it the norm for anime series based on long-running light novels, but it also couldn't have reached a solid finale without sacrificing its pacing. So yes, going into this second half, you should be prepared for a “read the novels, kids!” ending. That's perhaps emblematic of Shirohiyo as a whole: a decent, disposable piece of entertainment that is neither surprising nor terrible, but distinctly middle of the road.

The second half has a greater focus on Ageha utilizing his memories to good use, which isn't quite as endearing as the start, where Ageha was acclimating, and we dealt more with his family situation. Regulus is, of course, still present, but he's been more or less downgraded to “adorable sidekick” from being an actual character. That's a bit of a mixed bag, like so many things about this series. There isn't much that can be done with a character of his age in terms of plot unless you're going for a School Babysitters or Baby & Me sort of story; that is to say, where a child raising a younger child is the main thrust. Shirohiyo doesn't want to do that, or at least only that, which necessitates that Regulus take a backseat to the more classic isekai elements. Since, unlike Ageha, Regulus is a normal toddler, he can't be taken to business meetings or the opera, and with those being important features of Ageha's greater plans, he has to take a backseat.

Interestingly enough, the same happens with Princess Hyakka. Her initial role in the first five episodes was to be the catalyst that got Ageha moving. Her gifts (both physical and magical) put him on the path to making good use of his past life memories. But with that done, she becomes more of an occasional sounding board for him, passing the role of patron god over to Igor, one of her divine friends. Like Hyakka, Igor functions to give Ageha what he needs in the moment to continue moving forward. I like this role for the deities, because it puts more of the onus on Ageha himself. They can help him, but ultimately, Ageha must use his skills and knowledge to move ahead, not OP blessings. Does the divine fabric Hyakka gave him help him create better hair ornaments? Absolutely, but he had to have the wherewithal to make beautiful hair decorations in the first place; the fabric is just a bonus. It's Ageha himself who's important, not the benefits of being an isekai protagonist.

That helps to keep this series more engaging than many of its brethren, even as it proceeds down a familiar path. Using real-world economic know-how to save a fantasy kingdom is hardly a plot revelation, and the way that Ageha collects powerful elves around him is also a variation on a well-worn theme. The same can be said for what he does in the realm of food innovation; his heavenly peach ice cream does bring the recipe for the treat to his new world, but that it saves Mary the opera singer adds to the very pat nature of the plot point – it exists to make Ageha look more impressive to those around him.

As is often the case with these partial adaptations, it feels like this cuts off just when some important and interesting pieces are about to come into play. Episode eleven sees Ageha making his first friend, and Igor drops the information that there's another isekai'd soul close by. But more frustratingly, we don't know what, if any, progress Ageha is making on changing Regulus' future. As you recall, part of Ageha's devotion to his little brother is to prevent him from growing up to become a murderous swordsman. It's clear that little Regulus adores his big brother, but he's also learning swordplay, so the risk is still there. The way that Regulus freaks out when Ageha begins to lose weight can be seen as highlighting it; while it's pretty normal for little kids to be alarmed by anyone's change in appearance (my sister screamed when our father shaved off his beard), it's also a reminder that Ageha needs him to maintain his love to avert a crisis.

Ageha's weight loss in episode twelve is something of a relief on the visual sense, not because of any objections to plus-size people, but because the show is incredibly bad at drawing it. Ageha looks misshapen for most of the series, as if they had no idea how to draw someone who isn't thin, and that's a major detraction overall. The rest of the artistic choices may not be great (although I do appreciate all of the elves being a different shade of blonde), but that was a major sticking point, visually. Voices and music continue to be perfectly fine in this second half, and on the whole, Shirohiyo manages to glide to a stop, like a sled on a hill that's not quite steep enough for good sledding. It's certainly not the best show of the Spring 2025 season, but it's also not the worst. To damn it with faint praise, Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble: Raising My Baby Brother With Memories From My Past Life is fine – and that's about it.