REVIEW: ‘Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend On The Bean Counter’ Episode 1 — “I Got a Job”

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Episode 1, “I Got a Job,” is a boys’ love isekai produced by Studio DEEN, following salaryman Seiichirou Kondou (Kent Itou, Oshi No Ko) as he accidentally gets pulled into another world. In Isekai Office Worker Episode 1, with nothing to do and corporate brainwashing firmly taken hold, he launches himself into the accounts of his new home, hoping to settle the royal register. But what he discovers shocks him.

Few things are less appealing to review than an isekai pilot. The nature of the genre means that a large part, if not all, of the opening episode will center largely on the core character getting their bearings in the new world they find themselves in. This is true for Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 as well, though a few elements of this pilot amplify the tedium a bit. 

The big element compounding this series’ slow start is Kondou’s personality. Hyper-fixation on accounting is not a personality trait that steals a scene. His need to work and straighten numbers offers little to gravitate to in the character as the episode plays out. 

Bland visuals hold Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 back.

While this makes the character struggle a bit, he does show secondary characteristics that could build a compelling personality. His analytical skills extend beyond numbers, and he shows strong concern for those around him. Great traits for a protagonist to have, as long as they see use. 

The other thing that holds Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 back from drawing you into its world is the bland visual design. Very flat colors and uninspired designs fail to craft any visual elements that pop out. Despite being drawn into a fantasy world with magic, monsters, and knights, nothing feels fantastical at first glance. 

While there is a lot to struggle through in the show’s opening entry, there is some solid foundational work done as well. The questions Kondou’s dive into the kingdom’s accounts brings to light hint at possible problems. These questions provide a level of intrigue, building hope that something compelling could come from the accounting element of the MC. 

Kondou’s questions about the magical world are refreshingly practical.

The biggest setup, though, surrounds the reason for the isekai event itself. Kondou is only here because he tried to save a stranger, Yua Shiraishi (Yuna Kamakura, The Grimm Variations), from being pulled into a magical portal. It turns out she was summoned to this place to take on the role of Holy Maiden and save the kingdom from a dark magic maiasma. 

Kondou’s reaction to this setup and the questions he asks about it are refreshingly practical. Given that Yua has been effectively kidnapped, he harbors some clear hesitance at accepting everything that they are told at face value. However, Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 doesn’t have Kondou jump to paranoia either, giving him a reasoned stance that no one should find concerning, given the circumstances. Unless, of course, there is something to hide. 

Kondou does seem to have one ally in his new home, the seemingly stern and cold Captain of the kingdom’s elite knights, Aresh Indolark (Tomoaki Maeno, Cells at Work!). Despite coming across as indifferent and aloof, the character goes out of his way to covertly tip off Kondou about things that will impact him. This caring beneath a cold facade is familiar in romance stories, but it sets up intrigue around the character. If details that make up Aresh can craft a compelling character, the familiarity of his persona will hold up fine. 

Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 ends on a nicely placed hook.

As the episode wraps, Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 puts Aresh and Kondou together as the latter suffers a dangerous medical event. Likely serving to bring the two together in a more personal way, this closing cliffhanger leaves the narrative on a nicely placed hook that helps encourage a return to the series’ next episode. 

Isekai Office Worker Episode 1 gets off to a slow start, but does enough work setting up plot lines that there is plenty of potential to be found here. Hopefully, future entries will be able to build on the hard work this pilot has done. 

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Episode 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.