The Ossan Newbie Adventurer is split into two distinct arcs. The first follows Rick as he attempts to get his F-rank adventurer's license. This arc is all about introducing Rick, the world, and his main love interest, Reanette. But more than anything else, this first arc is a comedy and one built around a single joke: Rick doesn't understand how strong he is.

To say this joke is run into the ground would be a massive understatement. It is the punchline for nearly everything he says or does. Time and again, someone belittles him for being a 30-year-old newbie, he takes the words to heart only to blow them away with some over-the-top showing of strength—and somehow still doesn't realize his power. It's to the point where it loses any sense of comedy it might have once had.

The good news is that behind that joke is actually a fair bit of quality character development. When it comes down to it, for all those years, there was no one stopping Rick from becoming an adventurer other than Rick himself. He had a set idea of how things were supposed to go. When that didn't happen, he simply fell back advice on from friends and family—putting his dream on hold rather than compromising on the purity of his dream. So he spent his entire adult life doing a safe and stable job, but with a bit of himself always holding on to the hope that one day he'd live his dream.

Rick is an example of people who talk big but never do the hard work or take the risks needed to succeed. However, he is also a person who was able to change that. When the chance arose, he ran towards danger rather than from it. With his newfound drive, he became someone who might actually be able to accomplish his dream.

The reason one antagonist after another gets under his skin with their words of derision is simply that he's been telling himself the same things most of his life. He hears his own inner doubts in their words. The only way to deal with his doubts was to focus singularly on the goal of getting stronger—and he's been pushing on with his head down for so long, that he's unable to make himself look back and see just how far he has come. Honestly, his is an inspiring tale with a good moral. It reminds us that it's never too late to chase our dreams—and never too late to become better versions of ourselves despite the inner demons that haunt us.

With Rick coming to accept the fruits of his labor, the second arc of the anime mercifully does away with the core joke of him not understanding how strong he is. Strangely, the anime almost immediately transitions into a tournament arc. Now, this is not to say that tournament arcs are inherently bad but to have it as the show's second arc (and the focus of the majority of the overall runtime) feels like a bit of a misstep. In general, the point of a tournament arc is to flesh out the extended cast—to give them their own individual moments in the spotlight without the main character overshadowing them. The issue here is that, in most anime, a tournament arc happens after we've been well-introduced to the supporting cast—already had adventures with them—so having them on their own shows a new side of them. This is not the case in The Ossan Newbie Adventurer. Only two of the main players in the tournament arc are barely introduced in the first arc, Broughston, and Angelica, and are basically one-note. The other two main players, Geese and Kelvin, are completely new.

But while the choice of plot framework feels odd for this point in the story, it's used to great effect for developing these four characters. It's basically just used as an excuse to delve into their individual backstories while having the action climax of their personal tales take place in the ring of the tournament. Each of their stories explores one aspect or another of the relationship between natural talent and hard work, with the fights between them acting as proxy battles for these themes. Add to that some excellent twists and turns—not to mention some fun fights—and you have a surprisingly enjoyable arc.

Of course, in a show with fighting at the center of it, the visuals are quite important. If the action is too static or hard to follow, it lacks the needed excitement. Given that The Ossan Newbie Adventurer was hardly the most hyped anime of the season, I was expecting a mid-to-low level of quality in the animation going in. However, that is not what I got. From fight scenes to dialogue scenes, The Ossan Newbie Adventurer is above average at all times. The character designs are clear throughout and the action is easy to follow. Now is that to say it is visually stunning? No. There are more than a few budget-saving animation tricks and noticeable drops in quality here and there. However, the overall visual presentation is undeniably above par, especially with the occasional creative use of surreal visuals to highlight the humor on screen.

The music is average, if largely forgettable, except its opening theme “Kouya ni Sake yo Boukensha-tachi” by Akira Kushida. Rather than a modern J-pop or J-rock hit, this song feels like it should be part of an anime from the 80s, which is a perfect tongue-in-cheek joke as the anime is about a 40-year-old man.

All in all, The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible is one of those shows that feels like it's better than it has any right to be. It drags out overused plot contrivances like a hero not understanding how strong he is or a tournament setting but then uses them perfectly as tools to explore the characters on a deeper level. The animation is better than average and the direction adds a lot to how exciting and humorous the story can be. While I wouldn't go quite so far as to predict it will become a cult hit in years to come, if you enjoy non-isekai fantasy anime with a solid mixture of comedy and heart, you should definitely check this one out.