Review of Banished From The Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside

Score: 9/10 +Great romance +Good action +Dynamic story with plot twists and fantasy trope subversions as well as likeable characters +Colorful art with good opening song and passable soundtracks +More than meets the eye story and themes that may hit home to young viewers -Slightly rushed ending, but the show still ends on a satisfying note (read below for a more in-depth spoiler-free review) TL;DR - Show subverts expectations and slice of life tropes, tackling relatable dilemmas and themes that may hit home to many young viewers. The story actually moves forward and character relationships are masterfully handled in a mature, natural, and wholesome/cute way especially with regard to the romance. In addition,it is a fantasy setting and comes with good action. I don't like slice of life shows so I rarely watch them because I find them boring or too slow since usually nothing happens. This show is the rare exception. On top of that it's actually a fantasy show and not an isekai so it gets bonus points for being original.

The Details:

This show is misleading in the sense that it's a slice of life show, it's actually more than just living the slow life. It's a show about discovering what you really want to do in life, what you want for yourself, and how you want to live your own life. It dives into the dilemma of a skilled adventurer who tries to live a slow, relaxing life after retiring early after being kicked out of the Hero's party. Throughout the show, there are interruptions to his idle life such as events threatening the town, petty or jealous disputes from rivals, and old acquaintances asking for old favors. As a result, it also isn't boring, it actually has a dynamic story as well as enjoyable action segments. The ending was a little bit rushed, but aside from that the show maintains good pacing.

Side characters won't be super memorable months after finishing the show but they weren't annoying or written in poor taste, they're actually cool neighbors. The MC and his lover however will be memorable as a testament to their spectacularly sweet budding romance. This show somehow doesn't have a romance tag yet it manages to build up a great couple in less than 6 episodes in a way that's done better than most other romcoms/romance shows. And the romance is handled wonderfully and realistically without relying on anime tropes such as tsunderes playing hard to get, or the generic nerd who turns into a handsome hero who suddenly gets all the girls by simply breathing or saying nice things about their hair from your typical power fantasy isekai. This couple actually has history as a couple and goes through things together as a human couple, blossoming with each further step they take with their love life. It's an equal relationship where both partners want and need each other in their life, as well as one where they don't shy away from holding hands and acting shy as if they were still middle schoolers. Essentially, it's an adult relationship, and we don't get a lot of those in anime these days, so seeing something cute, wholesome, and spicy definitely brought this anime up on my tier list.