I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Skill – Episode 1

Content Warning: Immolation, mild fan service, sexualization of a child

What’s it about? Magic requires proper aptitude, good effort, and of course, the right bloodline to back all of that up. Enter Lloyd, a reincarnated sorcerer in child form who is born as the seventh prince in the Kingdom of Saloum, with all of his memories–and former love–of magic intact. Graced with the ability to not inherent the throne, there’s only one thing to do: master magic and enjoy doing it!

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I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Skill (hereafter 7th Prince because holy anime, that’s a long title to type and even copy-paste) seems to be upholding one of my favorite tropes: people who just get really into one thing when they get reincarnated.

We start with our main character at a low: beaten, downtrodden, and in gritty black and white. This is, of course, in his previous life as a sorcerer of very few means in a world where commoners must simply remember their place. And the nobility? Well, we all know how they fare, don’t we? Unfortunately, our main character isn’t long for this world, and when he channels his inner Alicia Keys and goes up in flames, it seems like it’s the end…that is, until he’s reborn as Lloyd, seventh prince to the royal family and divinely chosen of Saloum.

Oh yeah, and he’s INCREDIBLY strong. 

Thus begins the journey of Lloyd, a young man who loves to live for magic. He’s also the most baffling baby to ever baby because well…he’s reincarnated. He’s kind of just a general mystery to everyone, and not just in the “children are just weird and sometimes like that” kind of way. No, no, no, Lloyd is born weird and honestly, good on him for staying that way.

And that really is just the tip of the iceberg here.

7th Prince looks really nice: it reminds me a bit of Weakest Tamer, which also had a pleasant to look at design. 7th Prince is definitely shopping at the same market that all vaguely eurocentric fantasy series does, but that’s not a ding: it’s just kind of par for the course right now. I guess what I’m saying is don’t dream of this being distinct from its genre-related cousins. Instead, lean into it and have some fun.

The music here is also good: it’s giving Tales of Vesperia a bit in terms of when you’re initially in the castle. Come to think of it, didn’t that game have a precocious royal? Hmm… anyway, I’m getting off track. Basically, what I’m saying is when you mix the ingredients together, you get a likable protagonist in Lloyd with a very pleasant backing track and nice visuals that are quite pretty most of the time.

And hey, there’s not even a ton of fan service! (Okay, there is a bath scene and like…it’s not sexual overtly but the music sure wants you to kind of google all these upper-class maids working for the royal family. It’s weird. It’s weird and I hate that it cheapens this genuinely fun premiere even one bit.) 

Thankfully, Lloyd just kind of gets to be a weird kid who likes magic a bit too much, in the same way Main is a weird kid who likes paper and books a bit too much. In fact, you should definitely stay if you were drawn to Main: I think there’s a lot of that same flavor to be found in Lloyd. I kind of hope that he just keeps being weird for the rest of his life: weird, and like…maybe a little kind with his riches to those of us who can’t afford books. Y’know, a little think of the commoners attitude. But definitely keep it weird.

Not gonna lie, this is an easy yes for me: I love this specific sub-genre within the overall reincarnation trend. I love that Lloyd gets to just study and learn magic and be happy. It’s wish-fufillment for real world viewers and it fucking SLAPS. Maybe it’s the thirty-something in me, but I kind of just like seeing adults who get a second chance really lean into it.

Like I said, total wish-fulfillment, but I don’t always come to anime to mirror my own existence: sometimes it’s nice to just give into the fantasy of it all and enjoy a story about a commoner who gets reincarnated and uses his status to just read and not be a bother to anyone. Seriously, are any rich white men watching? Please take notes on how to not be a menace to the rest of us.

I found a lot to like at this series: Lloyd being an adult in a kid’s body provides a lot of genuine humor because of the dissonance of how a child of the nobility should behave versus how Lloyd just is. I definitely hope we drop the bit of fan service we got in the middle for more Lloyd just being Lloyd: it makes for good background noise when I crochet and genuinely pleasant viewing overall.

Edit 4/5/2024: One thing was brought to my attention is how much sexualization there is of our child lead. It’s something that I didn’t notice and it’s definitely a mental muscle I need to flex. That said, I find it somewhat insidious that it just kind of just blends into an enchanting, goofy story, but on multiple rewatches, once you know, it’s there and it’s very off-putting and potentially triggering for viewers.

It also downgrades this from an easy yes to a cautious one: I like the premise and think that this sub-genre of fantasy stories is really fun. However, I have zero tolerance for this and ethically do not want to side with this series as being great when it’s got a lot of ick to it that goes against my morals as a reviewer and feminist critic. Thank you to all the comments on this article around this topic. I really appreciate you all helping me see something that I didn’t think to consider. I firmly believe I can always learn and grow, but more importantly, that we should: thank you all for helping me do so!