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I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1 Review – Best In Show

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I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1 – Quick Summary

In I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1, “I Couldn’t Be a Hero, so I’m Working the Register”, Raul Chaser, Airi Ortinet, and their hero allies had fought a long and hard campaign against the Demon Lord. And they emerged victorious! Great news, right? Well, maybe for peace. But the government, having no more need of adventurers, disbanded the heroes. Now, Raul is working as a salesman for Magic Shop Reon. It’s not his first choice, but he has bills, and the job at least gives him a paycheck. He pines for the old days, and those recollections only get worse when a new applicant hands him a résumé. Who is this new job seeker? And how will Raul react when he finds out?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1

I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1: Fino was ready to defend the store's honor!

Fino was ready to defend the store’s honor! The honor of Nova Luminous, too! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Fino is a practical soul. At the beginning of this episode, she is little more than the spoiled daughter of the Demon King. At the same time, we get hints that such an upbringing might not have been great for her. We’ll get into that more as the series goes forward.

For now, though, Fino is a child of power, so she thinks in terms of power. When Oldman Hiramatsu came into the store, Raul had to shake his head at what he knew was about to happen. Fino wasn’t ready to accept whatever it was Raul thought the old man was going to do. So, getting all fired up, Fino said (09:42), “What’s wrong? We can take down that old man with a single punch.”

Fino gets points for her willingness to protect her co-workers!

Best in Show Moment for I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1

I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1: Raul had not been trained as a salesman

Raul was happy about peace breaking out. But sales wasn’t what he had trained for. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Ecchi Material Ahead! Be Warned!

Before you read any further, you should know, if you don’t already, that this is an ecchi series. Actually, it’s a very ecchi series. So if that’s not your thing, please stop reading now. I want to respect your sensibilities. I want you to know that I respect your sensibilities! And if this genre is not your thing, I respect that, too. And if you’ll go ahead and respect that I do enjoy this genre, then we’re all good!

I still publish a lot of PG-13 material. In fact, that’s mostly what I publish. And I hope you enjoy those posts! Please feel free to focus on those and ignore my reviews of series like this one. I not only won’t mind; I’ll support your decision to do so.

But there are some series that are more adult-oriented series that speak to me, and this is one of them. I hope to convey why through my reviews of the next 12 episodes. So if you don’t mind a little ecchi in your anime, I hope you’ll enjoy these reviews.

For me, in terms of “fan service,” the bottom line is this: I’ve studied human artistic representations of the female form, and I see no difference between Aphrodite of Knidos and Lala of To Love-Ru. I even wrote an editorial about it. Nope, I’m not kidding. Whether an artist depicts the female form in stone, in oil paints, in acrylic paint, or in a cell of anime, there’s no difference. Art is art.

I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1: Nova brings an artistic flair to the series

Nova is quite the artistic character! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

This series stands out to me for several reasons. One of those reasons is on display in this episode: Raul’s reaction to the government shutting down the hero program. Have you ever been in the military? Have you ever worked for someone in the military? I’ve never served, but I’ve had the privilege to work with and for ex-military folks across my career.

I remember one gentleman. He had served in one of the branches of the US special forces. I found his approach refreshing: no nonsense, straight to the point, absolutely relentless, and endlessly innovative. Those were all traits I admired. Yet, I saw the difficulties that corporate America put in his path. I’m sure you’ve seen the same phrases used arbitrarily – not a team player, lacks polish, all the weasel-words that boil down to: “You’re far too competent for us, and you’re making us look bad. You’ve got to go.”

Delivery: The Perspective of Those Who Served

There might be two sides to every story. There might be a valid perspective behind those criticisms. But after all’s said and done, I had to ask myself what those folks expected. People in the military, especially the elite members of special forces, have been trained to succeed. They are trained to eliminate obstacles. So of course they will swat aside trivial turf battles. In the grand scheme, those mean nothing.

But to those whose identities are tied up in that turf, well, you see where this is going.

This episode portrayed that idea in an honest and affecting way. The episode started where many fantasy series would have ended: at the climactic battle where Raul, Airi, and their compatriots overthrew the Demon Lord. And suddenly, Raul found himself working as a salesman.

I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1: Raul had to train a demon

Raul had trained to kill demons. How was he supposed to train one in his own store? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

He didn’t exactly fit in. He was too brash. His manner was too blunt – traits his training had given him. Standing alone in the store, having sent Fino off to enthusiastically start sweeping, Raul remembered where he had come from. He remembered the massive celebration that commemorated the fall of their enemy. And he remembered standing with the other heroes from his party, dejected, because they knew their journey was at an end.

“There’s not even a need for the combat skills we had honed,” he thought (08:13).

In saying that, he reminded me of all the ex-military officers I had worked with. Raul’s tone, his manner, even the emotion in his voice struck me as utterly authentic. Yeah, we were moments away from Oldman Hiramatsu flipping up Nova’s skirt. Sure, in another few moments, Raul would accidentally release Fino’s breasts. But I’d argue that those moments just enhanced what Raul was feeling.

Because another trait I’ve come to associate with those who face death is a rather high tolerance for ecchi material.

What did you think of Raul helping Fino realize she should not use dish soap for her hair? What were your favorite moments in this episode? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

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5 thoughts on “I Couldn’t Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job Episode 1 Review – Best In Show

    1. Thanks for saying so! I enjoy learning how different viewers react. The sheer volume of ways different people can react to a single specific piece of fiction fascinates me!

      1. Absolutely! Trying to review stuff like this is always interesting for me too. I want to explain what I didn’t like – we’re here to give our opinions, after all – but I also try to be fair to the shows. Seeing what others liked or disliked too is wonderful with that.

  1. I passed the show up when it first aired, and then watched it later. Not too long ago, I think. I remember enjoying it, and remember the main characters well enough, in a fuzzy sort of way. But the episode? I remember nothing at all. I read through your post top to bottom and was surprised to find nothing at all coming back. Still, I’m kind of happy to see the post, as I remember enjoying the show, and it doesn’t get mentioned all that much.

    This was one of the shows I came back to and actually enjoyed. Doesn’t always work (didn’t work for, say, Highschool DXD), but it worked here. Still, that old man? The girl with the green eyes? The girl with brown hair? None of them ring a bell. Just the hero and the demon girl; I remember them.

    1. I’m still a little surprised that this shows so little mention. At the end of each of my reviews, I try to link to the Reddit discussion of the episode and reviews from two other bloggers. I couldn’t find any of the still publishing bloggers who covered this episode by episode. I could only find one on YouTube!

      Raul and Fino are the most memorable characters to me, too. Nothing against the other characters, but these two lead felt like they worked well.

Please let me know what you think!

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