How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (現実主義勇者の王国再建記, Genjitsu Shugi Yūsha no Ōkoku Saikenki) is a 2021 television anime series based on Dojyomaru’s light novel series of the same name. The adaptation is directed by Takashi Watanabe and produced by studio J.C.Staff. Staff credits also include writers Gō Zappa and Hiroshi Ōnogi, and music composed by Akiyuki Tateyama. The anime first aired in Japan in July 2021, with its second cour airing in January 2022.
This post has been updated to also include Part 2’s release, which I received on February 2023.
Background:
“Suddenly summoned to a fantasy world and betrothed to the princess, Souma Kazuya is crowned the new king. Unlike the royalty before him, he won’t be using swords or magic to rule. Will his administrative reform really get this kingdom back on track?”
Plot Synopsis via Crunchyroll, September 2022
As I have mentioned many times before, the Isekai genre is vast with many different variations. Most of them tend to be power-fantasy and harem type shows, but there will be some that go into a different spin to the mix like this year’s recent isekai series Uncle from Another World. But there was also another different type of isekai that puts less focus on action and more on discussion with How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom which is pretty much about talking politics and economics.
Despite what I just said, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is a surprisingly enjoyable time with a great cast of characters and an interesting take on the story as a whole. There really is no end-game boss that threatens the world, and you could argue it’s more of a slice-of-life show with mini different storylines throughout. The light novels from what I heard struggled to sell in Japan but did way better in the west thanks to J-Novel Club so hopefully the anime gets another season because I really enjoyed the adaptation.
Funimation acquired the streaming and home video rights for the series with an English dub to go with it, and its second-cour was among the last to be streamed under Funimation before Sony merged the distributor with Crunchyroll.
Limited Edition Contents:
In a surprising but welcoming move, Crunchyroll provided How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom with a limited-edition box set, with a slot for Part 2 to fit in.
The limited-edition box set features a rigid box that houses a Amaray case with a slipcover as well as a 32-page booklet and a cardboard box featuring 4 art cards, a functional quill pen, and a 11″x17″ Landia Kingdom map. The artwork used for the case is the same for the slipcover, so UK owners who get the UK variant won’t lose any artwork. The booklet is small but features some character designs, illustrations, information about the world and interviews.
The artwork is free of any information and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Funimation limited edition releases.
The SRP for the limited-edition set was $84.98. The North American Funimation limited editions don’t have an exact unit count. I acquired the limited-edition release from United Publications, which arrived on time as Rightstuf received stock early as well – though it wasn’t cheap due to the exchange rate taking a hit, so the value of the sets went up as a result.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with slipcase, Amaray packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification
- 32-page Booklet
- 4 Art Cards
- Functional Quill Pen
- 11’x17″ Landia Kingdom map
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Crunchyroll
Released: 27th September 2022 (Part 1), 22nd November 2022 (Part 2)
The limited-edition release for How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Part 1 contains the show’s first 13 episodes (which covered the first-cour of the show’s airing run) across two Blu-ray discs and two DVD discs, with the encode and authoring done by Crunchyroll. Audio options include Japanese audio with English subtitles and the Funimation English dub.
The release for How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Part 2 contains the show’s remaining 12 episodes (which covered the second-cour of the show’s airing run) across two Blu-ray discs and two DVD discs, with the encode and authoring done by Crunchyroll. Audio options include Japanese audio with English subtitles and the Funimation English dub.
The white subtitles are unlockable during playback and the disc regions are playable on A & B for Blu-ray, and 1, 2 & 4 for DVD in NTSC format.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | Part 1: 2 BD-50s Part 2: 2 BD-50s |
DVD Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 |
| Video | Standard Definition in NTSC format 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Region | 1 2 4 |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | Part 1: 2 Part 2: 2 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Part 1: Disc 2
- How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Voice Actor Q&A
- Special Live Stream Video
- Promo Videos
- Commercials
- Eyecatch Gallery
- Textless Opening Song “Hello Horizon”
- Textless Closing Song “Kazanear”
Part 2: Disc 2
- Special Live Stream Video 2: New, Blu-ray Exclusive, Special Program
- Promo Videos
- Commercials
- Textless Opening Song “Real-Eyes”
- Textless Closing Song “Lights”
DVD On-Disc Extra Features:
Part 1: Disc 2
- Eyecatch Gallery
Unboxing Photos:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Final Notes:
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Parts 1 & 2 are available to order through multiple retailers across the United States. The limited edition Blu-ray & DVD release is available to order on Amazon UK via AmazonGlobal, Rightstuf and United Publications. The UK variation is available on Amazon UK, Anime-on-Line and United Publications.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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