Sword Dad or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Isekai 

The sword is pretty much the Watson of this story. He's the main character and narrator, but he's not the protagonist. Fran is the equivalent of Holmes in tbis world, the story revolves around her. Fran is the protagonist

Oh god, the "no hands" joke. Too far man. That scene and the Blue Cat scene really do show that this show isn't afraid to not pull punches and just be full on brutal though.

Sword Dad and Murder Kitten is in my top 5 Isekai series, and is probably the most wholesome while still good series of the genre. The relationship between Shishou and Fran is ABSOLUTELY the reason to continue the story, and at no point does the story ever lose sight of that. It DOES focus a bit on the various relationships and friendships Fran develops with other characters, but Fran would literally not trade Shishou for anything in the world, and Shishou would do almost anything for Fran's sake. And throughout all of their travels and with each person they meet, Shishou is always focused on Fran's wellbeing and how he can help her grow not just into a powerful adventurer but also as a good, well-rounded, and happy person. It's also the only anime where I feel like I know with absolute certainty that the father/daughter dynamic will NOT become something ... else.

Fran is a perfect combination of moe and badass. She is cute, yet ruthless. I totally enjoy seeing her grow in strength and as a person and her VA totally nails the role.

So what I'm getting from this is that the sword Isekai is a cut above the rest.

I love how much Fran stands up for herself when she’s treated like shit. It’s very satisfying when she puts racists and corrupt nobles in their place.

YES. I totally agree with this. The fact that its a wholesome father/daughter dynamic is also really nice to see

Finally, a male protagonist in an isekai without a harem

I feel the series was written as a bait-and-switch with it's Isekai title when it's actually a really unique and endearing fantasy story. There's no self-insert MC, no egregious power fantasy, no harem, and I even forgot it was an Isekai while I was watching. It's just like a really fresh-feeling anime with good elements. Besides the likability of Fran and her dad, I also had a lot of fun watching them execute "JoJo moments" where they pull off some clever strategy to win - which is just so much more satisfying than just resorting to a hidden power-up or being OP as hell.

Gotta love the "dad simulator" genre. Especially when the daughter is so cute & badass.

yea i wasn't sure about his one either at first, luckily the show got my attention on episode one!! Fran is such an adorable and bad ass character! And i'm sooo glad that the relationship between Fran and sword dad isn't disgustingly creepy old dude sleezing on a little girl!!! It's a genuine father and daughter relationship ! I love this show so much.

Fran is an utterly adorable little murder hobo!! Her love of curry and love for Shisho makes her possibly the cutest Anime character since Tsumugi from Sweetness and lighting.

I was devastated this didn't get as much attention it should have thank you

Considering how well received the anime and the light novel is, I have an inkling that it might receive a season 2. Edit: See! I told y'all it's coming.

Compared to many of those paint by number isekais, the background scenes are also surprisingly diverse. No simple circular city, no generic forest X, and so on.

sword dad is also analytical while Fran is instinctual so they both contribute

As a long time fan of Sword Reincarnation, I'm just happy that more people are enjoying this story. Also, yeah, Fran is here to stay lol

Im a believer of Fran singing about curry supremacy!

Sword Dad and Badass Cat Daughter is definitely one of my favorites this season.

"I'm a dad, actually" 😀😐😳

"Hey dad look! No Hands!!!" Fucking destroyed me, I don't care if it was too soon it was the gift I didn't know I needed

I love this light novel/anime. I love that it focuses more on adventure and action than setting up a harem. I love the proggression in both Fran and Teacher's combat capabilities (as the author makes sure to periodically remember us the readers that there are a LOT of characters and monster way stronger than then. And also makes sure to balance their stronger habilities with big liabilities nad limitations later on). For once in a while watching/reading an isekai I felt unsure about the MC getting to win a battle againts one of his enemies, and got interested about wich strategies they may use to overcome then. In fact, for once in a very long time I CARED about what may happen to the MC (FRAN). I love that the dynamic between the leads has no implied romance. In general, I love that they don't include any romance at all or waste time with dating and fanservice (romance scenes in isekai are usually boring since the male lead doesn't have enough personality to make the romance interesting). I love that they only keep two characters as part of the main party, which allows them to focus on their relationship and not have to give lines or time to others, which tends to slow progression a lot (especially on harem types). I love the balance between a relatively hostile world and moments of tenderness and fun. In general, I love that this author has managed to avoid the clichés that I hate the most about “isekai”. The concept may be very simple but at least it is better executed than many others that keep releasing tome after tome by putting new heroines in each volume or making the MC go and see what happened to the ones he found several volumes ago. Do you plan on reading the LN for this one?

Finally! An Isekai where the slave is freed and the slavers are brutally murdered!

Excited to see the adaptations of [The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady] as well as [No Longer Human in Another World], they're very good.

The best way I can describe this series is a "shonen isekai". No harems, no sitting around one setting for seasons on end, just a focus on the main characters getting stronger, meeting people, and seeing the world. It's honestly one of my favourites for that reason, right up there with Slime with Slime being a lot more political even if it does suffer from some of the tropes more typical to isekai. Plus Fran is the most brutal cinnamon roll, she'll absolutely adorable one minute and slowly torture information out of someone the next. It's also nice that there's none of that self-righteous "Oh no, we can't kill these people, we have to be the good guys!" like a lot of isekai. No, Fran will absolutely kill people that need to be, or if not killing them there will be an actual reason besides that angle.

This is actually my favourite anime this season. It's not the best anime by a long shot, but it is the one I look forward the most to each week. It's an interesting premise, and Fran is just adorable, but incredibly strong. The gap moe is strong here.

It is both refreshing that this anime deals with the issue of slavery so promptly and correctly, and sad that it's only refreshing because so many other anime have a bad habit of the main character becoming the "good" slave owner.

That Tristan is a dad has aged me by eons

Fran is a wonderful combination of cute and killer, just like actual cats.

This show is definitely on my watch list, just waiting a little longer so I can binge it

Just an FYI Fran is not the "psudo protag" she is equal to if not more important then master in the story the story is not about the sword it's about fran

the fans got a story about a goofy/cute duo facing impossible odds and coming out on top with teamwork and skill. the animators have a chance to animate a little cat-girl being wholesome and cute. the fans want a story about a cat-girl being wholesome and cute. the fans want a story about a dad being wholesome and goofy. this story must continue.

Good to get used to it because god knows we're not getting any less of them season by season, gotta find some diamonds sometime

Fran is just the sweetest little bundle of joy ever! and seeing her getting progressively stronger with each episode but still being a kid is such a breath of fresh air

Ok I'm going to blow your mind here. Fran is literally catgirl Denji. The reason for Fran's optimistic outlook is the same reason Denji is so happy to get sleep in a bed and eat jam. The manga for sword dad is great and so is the much more silly side manga where sword dad and fran get isekaied again.

This has been my favorite series to read and when i heard it has been adapted my excitement was through the roof. So far it hasn't disappointed me. I hope we can get more in the future and i will continue to read the light novels as well as the manga version. Very few series i have read has pulled me in wanting more and having to wait for the next light novel release as much as this one has

I'm not going to pretend that the sinful glut of bullshit Isekai is not a rampant problem in the industry, but when isekai hits highs, they are spectacular highs. Truly some of my favorite shows in the last 10 years have been isekai.

You're a dad? Nice! I'm happy for you!

This one is definitely in my top 5 for Isekais! Love Fran, can't wait to see what happens in season 2

The arcs that come after this season ends were great fun. I hope we get a season 2.

I like that the show has both brawl out fights and fights that can only be won through tactical analysis and wits. Then there is the "chop the bad guy in half right where he stand 'cause fool be running his mouth too much." All in all, definitely a show I'd want to have a second season/read the source material (the art is very clean).

thank you for the video, anime dad.

As someone that has LOVED the Light Novel way before the anime was even announced, I must say: You absolutely nailed every single point you make in this video. And you did that while not even having finished the second arc of the story! All the points you listed are things that will stay true, even 10 volumes into the story. Some of them will even go into more detail/focus later on. And on top of that, the series also manages to occasionally throw in some twists and unexpected turns. I'm not gonna spoil anything, as it's incredibly fun to stumble upon those moments. But the story manages to stay extremely consistent with it's own rules and established facts, but while occasionally throwing in the unexpected into the mix. And yes, Fran and Shishou are both an incredibly OP team in the series. But even 10 volumes into the story, they are still far from the top of the world. Even with all the achievements and titles they earned, with that absolutely busted skill system they have, there are still people out there that can easily bring them down. Oh and one thing you didn't mention: The series puts a lot of detail into the skill system, how it works, and how to exploit it. Shishou and Fran do combine various skills together to create new effects, come up with very interesting uses etc. As someone that loves to play video games, and occasionally also loves to BREAK video games, this is extremely fun to witness.

Isekai is a subgenre for the fantasy genre in anime. There's a sub-subgenre within isekai subgenre, called villainess isekai. Keep an eye out for them because they can be actually surprisingly solid.

one of the reasons I decided to watch this anime is because I initially skipped on the spider isekai and later went back and loved it. So if the anime isn't about bland protagonist with a in your face fanservice harem I think I'll try it, not everything needs to reinvent the wheel, some times you just want to relax and watch anime

Really hope this keeps getting more seasons. This is my favorite new series this season. I'm caught up on the manga version and the series keeps getting better and better. It's a great mix of Shounen battle but with more violence and a protagonist who is willing to kill her enemies instead of the usual "friendship is magic" you see in most Shounen.

the ost for this anime was so good i was stunned when it came in on the first episode

I too will continue to watch Sword Dad, and hope that we get more of Sword Dad in the future. Also I am absolutely steeling what you have called it.. because it is easier than the actual name.

I'm pretty sure all the VTubers I watch are completely seiso, since they say so! I do love this show though, Fran is both adorable and badass, and I just get the overwhelming urge to give her headpats.

I’m a web novel reader. I’ll just say you’ll get more of what you want from Sword Dad as you go along. Be it in other mediums or in animation.

This show is surprising good. I brushed it off at first but I'm glad I gave it a chance

another isekai that I love will be out on january, i can't wait to see it animated "Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi"

Isekai is my guilty pleasure. I can watch and enjoy almost any isekai shows.

I've still only got mild PTSD from the hands scene. The joke got me bro.

I had a realization at one point. I was watching Mushoku Tensei and I briefly forgot it was an isekai since that aspect hadn't been brought up recently. There are some amazing isekai anime out there (like Mushoku Tensei), but some of them would probably be amazing even without the being isekai.

I reached that point of stop worrying a few years ago, by reading the novels and manga adaptations (i got good at filtering stories from their first chapters) Glad to see the anime watchers are reaching that point too

Stanley Kubrick would be proud of this title.

The show is also unexpectedly brutal at times. The blue cat dissection was more surprising than Denji's first kiss

To me, the main virtue of isekai over simple fantasy, when well done, is the opportunity it gives for organic exposition. With a main character who grew up in this fantasy world, you sometimes have to ask why they need anything explained to them. It can be done poorly, of course, but the setup is easier when the protagonist is an outsider, like the audience.

Considering that we had two, TWO, isekai this year that essentially endorsed/encouraged slavery and turned the female slaves bought by the MC into sexualized love interest simps for said MC, this one really was a breath of fresh air. Not only was the slaver swiftly and appropriately dealt with (rather than collaborated with) the *cat girl slave* who in any other typical story would be prime fodder for lewding was actually NOT sexualized and became the the protagonist in her own right. And the cherry on top is the *genuine* father-daughter relationship that cannot (on account of him being a sword) and will not become a gross husbandry romantic relationship.

Love this series. So cute...and bloody.

thankfully season 2 of this anime was confirmed and greenlit

I agree, most of the Charakters feel rather Real and often have a positiv and negativ side and aren't completely evil or completely good (Atleast most of the Times) same goes for Kingdoms. In most Fantasy works Human Nations are either super strong and is being super evil or they are rather weak and are super friendly for no good reason. Not here tho, which i like, the World Building Generally is very good. I say that after having read to Volume 10 of the LN

People need to learn that Isekai isn't a bad thing, most are just fine/fun enough, some are true gems. :P like ANY FUCKING GENRE! I have read and seen SO MANY lazy battle shounens, so many high school romance shoujos, so many sports series, etc... I think hating a genre type sucks lol.

I started watching this and reincarnated as a slime about the same time and enjoy this way more, eagerly looking forward to each new episode and I don't feel bored watching it.

I don't get the criticism that Isakai gets. You don't hear people brush off mecha anime just because a lot of it is trash. To me the fact a show is Isakai is rarely a consideration onto weather I like a show, and instead I judge it by weather I get enjoyment out of it in other ways. For example I like the darkness in ReZero, the humor in KonoSuba, the clash of cultures in Gate, and the utter tragedy in Mushoku Tensei.

When I started the manga, I especially began to appreciate Fran as an unlikely anti-heroine. She's adorable, smart, kind, thankful, and driven towards excellence, but she also becomes empowered to show her dark edges: what she'd use power for and what attitude she can afford to take towards other people. The adventures she has yet to have in the anime remain a thrill so far as I have seen with the manga.

Yer Fran is something. It isn't really shown here but she isn't completely un-tainted by her time as a slave. She has a few beserk buttons. The first is anything to do with Blue Cats as we have already seen. The second is insulting Teacher. The third is implying they are going to make her a slave again. Along with that she really is an adorable murder hobo. She is ruthless. And well lets just say her having healing abilities is not a good thing for people that draw her wrath. As somehow I think her usage of them would make the Medic proud.

I loved the first season of this anime. I don't know why many dislike this series. The ending of the first season is so beautiful.

So I do really like the concept of Isekai because fundamentally it's about exploring a completely different world and has the narrative advantage where the character we're following knows as much about this world as the reader making that discovery process more natural.

What I thought was noticeable is that all the characters who did not give Fran the respect she deserved wound up with their legs cut off.

I think one of the things that's great about Reincarnated as a sword is the fact that it's aware of all the tropes that make other JRPG-Isekai like Shield Hero, So I'm a Spider, Reincarnated as a Slime, and many others often feel so bland. Rimuru's in a tough spot? He must have picked up some skill somewhere which solves exactly this problem at this moment. Kumoku nearly killed? One of her skills levels up *just* in time for her to use it to escape. Naofumi facing an incredibly strong threat he barely survived the first time? Naturally, he can just blitz them with alcohol since his tolerance is infinite. They all rely on something about the character happens to *be* at the time the fight starts to carry them out the other side. They don't get stronger, they just better understand how unstoppably OP they are in the moment. Fran and Shisho don't do that, the show's not about showing them learning a skill, and then masterfully executing it afterwards. *Spoilers for ep 9 past this line* Like when we first see Shisho use Parallels minds in ep 6, it shows a flashback to Fran attempting to use parallel minds to cast a spell and it left her with a headache. Shisho saw then and there that while he may have no issue using that skill to its fullest, sharing it with Fran would do little to benefit her at that time, so when we see him execute it multiple times later on for his purpose, it cements it clearly that he it definitely the spell side of her Spellsword class, so it's surprising, and satisfying when in ep 9, she manages to use it to cast a spell and have it land on Amanda, because we saw how much that skill strained her in the past, and we see how it still strains her despite her successful use of it. Being an adventurer of her aggressive caliber is stressful and taxing in ways that other anime just don't express adequately. SO it's refreshing to see that after all the effort she put it, using the skills that taxed her to the point of incapacitation the first time she used them, still had her passing out from mental exhaustion afterwards. Then there's the matter of how she wants to be the one who wins the fights. Shisho is her teacher, and as such she understands that Shisho is much stronger acting on his own accord than when he's letting her formulate the plan. When she goes up against Amanda, she asks that he let her do it herself, and with the Dungeon, she wanted to kill the goblin king and queen on her own and was rather dismayed with Shisho did it by accident. So there is some degree of her knowing that if she wants to truly get strong, she needs to fight and grow on her own rather than relying on Shisho whenever things get difficult. This makes it so that while Shisho and Fran working together optimally are a nigh-unstoppable duo, the story can still focus on nerfing that duo by having Shisho play the role of a passive participant rather than an active agent in conflict in a way that allows the growth of Fran to truly shine through and her effort pay off, rather than just having her show of whichever new skill she most recently picked up which would 'just so happen' to solve the exact problem at that moment. Fran truly desires to work and get stronger, and to that end, she *refuses* to have Shisho work at his optimum potential unless absolutely necessary, which I find to the a phenomenal testament to her intent to actually strive to achieve her stated goals on her own, rather than just letting the strength she happened to luck into do the work for her. I really want to see her fight with the swords she got from the bluecat and the demon, since those have the promise to see just how skilled as a swordsman (or swords-cat?) she really has become.

Hell yeah thanks for the video glass reflection your awesome Fran the cat is really cute and badass character of this anime.

For that last crack, I curse you to get a really painful scratch from the next cat you encounter.

It has to be one of my favourate series. Its well worth the read.

I've been reading sword for years now and am so happy to see it finial getting some of the praise it deserves. Man I need to talk about this series with someone.

13:14 In a similar vein, Elden Ring has a bunch of bosses that talk down to you after you beat them, but some of the strongest in the world are like, "Mad Respect." when you fell them. Is pretty cool to be recognized by the upper echelon.

I shacked my head the moment you said "no hands"

You know the one thing that I hate about this show… in the beginning, Sword Dad tells Fran that she should communicate telepathically with him to keep their secret instead of talking out loud and she STILL. KEEPS. DOING. IT. I hate when stories don’t stick to their rules that they go out of their way to tell us… That being said, good show 👍

I am reading the light novel (vol 9 currently) and it is really great. I really do hope that the rest does get adapted.

a good way yo feel about isekai in my opinion; think of it like my different books or games, or just enjoy yhe tomfullery^^

Sorry I'm just now gettin' to this video, was a busy week.

Throughout the light novels it is shown that though they are powerful as a team, there are quite a number of beings more powerful than they are.

The japanese voice actress for Fran also voices Laplace in the mobile game Nikke and her performance in that is one of the best vocal performances I've ever heard. She's also great in sword dad! But in Nikke she's on a whole other level from the rest of the industry.

What I'm enjoying, besides the dynamic of the duo, is that it doesn't shy away from just how brutal the word itself is. And while there are things like super healing to undo physical damage, there is still echoes of emotional damage that makes it feel like everyone in the world is just a little bit crazy, purely from living there. SPOILER: Like when Fran was attacked as per the ending joke, the horror on her face was real.

I have been calling it "The raising of the catgirl hexblade warlock".

Just by seeing it I actually think the anime looks easier/better because I remember reading the webnovel felt like pushing through molasses at occasion. Maybe the light novel is better? Fran also has a much greater cute factor with her face and voice in this, and I’d thought her a kuudere in the webnovel so I was really surprised seeing her smile. They always mentioned that her emotions were shown via eyes rather than face so only sword dad usually noticed. Maybe I’m remembering things wrong? I also don’t remember her having very much of a character but that could be the case here too.

absolutely amazing anime! i love fran and the sword.. so much charm and heart

No Hands! ... You bastard! LMFAO

I wanna see more of the cute Black Lightning Princess so I doo sure hope there is a second... and more than a second season of this show.

Thank you!

I did the hey mom look no hands thing while driving, and laughed at her wigging out because I am a demon child who exists only to make my parents and everyone else suffer.

"Hey dad, look. No hands..." You evil bastard. Jokes aside, it is noted in the WN - at the spider lair - that through using Teacher, she has been acquiring and ranking the skills she's been using. While not nearly as adept as when using him, she can still use another sword without embarrassing herself now. I've only just started the "second season" of material, which carries on with the epilogue, and Fran fights tandem with the Demon Sword.

I'll be damned -- I usually try to avoid anime reviews and related channels but I really-really liked watching this video (long as I try my best to not think about 6:44, all good). Actually went nuts soon as this manga I was reading was getting an anime adaptation and it did not disappoint. Just knowing the source material alone and seeing the first trailer alone made me go AHHHHH SNAP IT'S GONNA BE GOOD, and I'm so FREAKING happy it delivered. So mad that I didn't come up with "Sword Dad" to explain it to others. I can watch a few isekais myself but to actually have one After all, I was also shaking off the case of great manga but terrible anime syndrome with a different recent isekai (Kenja no Deshi), but was also dealing with one a good cut above that was interestingly funny despite its mature themes (Skeleton Knight) but unfortunately ended because 12 episodes giveth but 12 episodes taketh. I know I definitely have become more cynical of isekais, but also have become just as cynical as any anime that introduces RPG elements... only for the main character to utterly and laugh in the face of those said systems. I'm still trying hard to figure out where my stance goes with isekais as they have been changing a bit? Most of the time it really was as mentioned in the beginning of the vid where everything feels the same but with one twist -- along with fanservice being either risque or borderline porn... just... idk man -- Reincarnating... as an Onsen, with your two favorite Samurai Swords that you fetishize over and one that can metamorph into a human, as a Level 1 weakling that becomes infinitely overpowered upon reaching Level 2, as a grandson of one -- I mean two of the most renowed mages in the world, as a hero of the Shield, as a Skeleton Knight, as a person with class changing powers in a world where your class and job are set in stone, as a villainess who ends up in a bad end from the actions of the protagonist, as a slime, as a hero considered a non-hero by the goddess and left to die in a corner of the world, as a summon where I overpowered the summoner(s) and technically tamed them, as a hero alongside my classmates but was nearly killed in a dungeon, as a spider, (These are a mix of anime and manga ones off the top of my head) So many good ones, so many bad ones. Some make me and continue to make me much more hyper-aware and critical of future isekais. I ponder whether I WANT to enjoy it. Skeleton Knight had some mature themes in it but holy crap did it have SO.. many.. laughs to it. The MC had SUCH an infectious laugh. I found myself enjoying it for being a bit lighthearted despite the mature parts of it. Then there's something like the spider one -- which I enjoyed it to an extent... least until it felt like it genre shifted and felt sorta a simple case of MC too strong for the plot and it lessened its lightheartedness a bit, only making me MORE disinterested (in its defense though, people seem to have felt the anime adaptation TRASHED on it and was not executed properly, possibly leading to that conclusion). I feel like I don't do this with other genres, save for Sports anime (screw any powerups or comebacks that feel like ridiculous asspulls or the MC powering up WAY too fast than they should have) but I guess in the midst of typing it and this vid, I AM one of those people who look at isekais negatively, but will still watch a fair amount -- SOME of them have me questioning why I'm still watching it (Kenja no Deshi, watched to completion) or some I just dropped without giving it a second thought (which none surprisingly are coming to mind rn). Here's to hoping that the isekai genre continues busting out good stuff though. 👍 The only reason for me to not watch one nowadays feels more so the sub-genres being disinteresting either in general or at the time (I stopped watching and came back to the "killing slimes for 300 years and max'd my level" because its slice of life angle wasn't something I was feeling during the time of first watch for instance)

Wasn’t season two already confirmed

The biggest reveal is that you're a dad. I've been following off and on since the D2 Brigade days. Oh, right... Haruhi was 2007. I'm going to go have an existential crisis now while watching Sword Dad.

Isekai has been around since before anime. Ever heard of Alice in Wonderland? Wizard of Oz? Orpheus? I'm just saying, be careful what you disparage.

Love this show. It's got an adorable murder kitten, epic battles, well developed foes, a fantastic father/daughter dynamic between the protagonists, what else could you ask for?

I hope they animate the middle aged man who lost his adventurer's license soon. Same energy as this anime. Very wholesome

9:02 For a second I thought he was gonna say he has a daughter lol