I actually find this manga to be a legitimately good slice-of-life with a super understanding, open-minded protagonist who's easy to root for, with one slightly big caveat which is...

...that the female love interest is only sixteen, while Dias is a full-grown adult. And while there's nothing sexual about their relationship so far, it certainly moves fast -- and Aruna and Dias essentially marries within the first few chapters. (They even adopt kids!) The stark age difference here is actually a super noticeable shortcoming in an otherwise really good manga since 1) Dias himself even comments on the fact that Aruna is too young for him, and 2) while she looks her age, Aruna actually acts fairly mature and stands on equal footing with Dias almost from the outset, which makes it even more strange why the author didn't simply age her up. (I'd prefer twenty, but heck, even eighteen would be better than sixteen!)

However, that aside, this manga basically does everything else well. Most notably, what sets it apart from other "kingdom building" manga is that Dias is actually an incredibly open-minded protagonist who relies on others to help him rather than any individual "cheats". In fact, while the narrative establishes that Dias is really, really strong in combat, it also shows that Dias is all brawn and heart with no brain whatsoever to speak of -- and Dias himself knows this.

So instead of the usual OP protagonist coming into "unconquered" land and conquering/colonizing it to their liking, Dias instead makes friends with the natives already living in his territory and actually learns from them how to cultivate his land. In fact, all of the gains that Dias makes in creating a thriving village is all due to the help he receives from those around him. The manga is really good at showing that no man is an island, and that even the smallest member can contribute to the making of a homeland. Dias is, in effect, an "ideal" leader -- one who can protect his people when necessary, but also one who knows when to accept the opinions of those smarter than him.

It's also, quite frankly, one of the best depictions of true cultural exchange I've seen in a manga, where those with different cultures actually come together and learn from each other. There's no implied hierarchy of which culture is better, with no cultures held to be more 'civilized' or more 'primitive'. Even the more animalistic members of Dias's little community gets acknowledgment and acceptance.



This kind of back-and-forth conversation, in which both sides are considered and an actual equitable arrangement is reached, is a far cry from how these exchanges usually go. (Often with one side being shown as the "right side" whose example the other side needs to follow.) And that's really what sets this series apart from all others: that it's so, well, darn respectful of other people.

Now if only the author had aged Aruna up, then I could actually recommend this to people...

... Last updated on February 22nd, 2021, 4:40am

Hmmm I wonder if I and the reviewer below read the same manga. The MC is far from being a non descript, bland character.
The fact that he is not some hot stuff and is not very bright either is part of his character. But he is also incredibly strong and incredibly kind which is way better than the plain, wimpy kid with a heart of gold that you see elsewhere.
Additionally MC is far from useless. He held a post and aided in winning battles before he came to frontier. At the frontier, a place where its people have a primitive lifestyle, his incredible strength became of use again. True, the heroine may have fallen abruptly for him but it's not without a good reason.
Overall it's a good manga and I would recommend it

In one part you have unimaginative author. In other part, you have publisher who's afraid of taking risk. Add the two parts together and you'll get this manga. Story progression in this manga is so easy to predict. Not because the clue is everywhere, but because you've read this kind of suck-ass literature thousands of time. Yeah, it's utterly boring.

The sign of boring-ness starts from the male main character who is clueless. He's not physically attractive. Face very plain. Personality mild. Wealth non-existent. Maybe a bit manly due to his bulging muscle. But otherwise, a very nondescript character. It's very much a blank template character. You know it from the get go the author trying to appeal to readers who feel they don't have anything going for them.

You might try at that point to lazily predict, "Oh, I know he will get many things going for him soon," and you'll be right! Soon, he'll get the cutest girl attend to him. Not long after she will be head over heels for him. Oh yes, "clueless man get the prettiest girl," is the first message this story try to convey. Not "Dork men are attractive on their own right." Or "Sweet men can make girls' heart aflutter." No! It's "Useless man destined to get the prettiest." On top of uninspiring moral, it's pretty low effort writing-wise.

From there you start to notice mediocrity everywhere. The kingdom administration who's incompetent. Snob noble. Former subordinate who stays loyal and can be trusted to never steal your girl. Monster who's said to be dangerous but MC can solo it. Ugh, not one thing is inventive here. Not a second in the writing feels little bit polished. Bleh! Bleh! Bleh!

... Last updated on January 3rd, 2020, 12:02am

This isn't just another "slow life" story, it has a regular pace and there's action, social, and plot progress.

It's not often that the art actively harmonizes with the story to create a better experience, but this manages it. The comedy scenes are funny, the action scenes are dynamic, and the scenes in between set a relaxed tone as appropriate.

The action scenes aren't anything incredible, but they're good and they add some spice when appropriate.

A very good manga, I definitely recommend giving it a read!

... Last updated on September 1st, 2019, 1:31am