REVIEW: ‘Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend On The Bean Counter’ Episode 9 — “I Made A Plan”

Isekai Office Worker Episode 9, “I Made A Plan,” sees Kondou’s (Kent Itou, Mashle: Magic and Muscles) work at the church take an unexpected turn when a chance encounter leads to inspiration. We also see some new hints of growing feelings for Indolark (Tomoaki Maeno, Octopath Traveler 0) from Kondou. 

The opening segment of Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 breathes a little life into the episode. After once more being found unattended in the church, Kondou is taken to the almshouse, where he can be observed without interrupting his watcher’s normal work. While there, he learns about the expectations of the orphans who work there and the limitations their current lives put on their futures. 

While being introduced to the almshouse, Kondou runs into Yua (Yuna Kamakura, The Grimm Variations), who is volunteering there. It is through Yua’s concern for the children at the church that Kondou gets some inspiration: why not build a private school for the orphans there? 

Indolark’s feelings are growing for Kondou but he really doesn’t know how to behave around people.

Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 celebrates the positive impact this opportunity would have on underprivileged kids, while tempering it with realism. Just helping kids may be enough to excite Yua, but Kondou knows that won’t be enough to get both church and government backing. Without these essential supports, the project would be dead before it began. 

Kondou shines as he pitches the idea to the bishop and other necessary parties. Framing it as a boon for the church, thanks to what it would do for the organization’s image and bring in more parishioners, and by extension, more donations and funds. Unsurprisingly, this serves as a great motivator. Hard to complain when everyone involved is winning. 

This grounded approach to pursuing social improvements lends a bit of realism to the scenario. Rather than simply having Kondou show that the project could be afforded, having him go the extra mile to incentivize those in authority with projections of funds and recognition shows that both pure altruism, in the case of Yua, and self-serving motivations often have to find common ground for things to get done. Somethings stay the same, even in another world. 

Kondou continues to shine, proving to be beneficial to everyone around.

The other side of Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 continues to explore Indolark and Kondou’s relationship. With the second expedition set to begin soon, Indolark is focused on making sure Kondou will be okay in his absence, since the former won’t be making the trip this time. Though Indolark does betray some of his ulterior motives, stating that he’d never miss a chance to get his hands on Kondou. 

This comment, followed by a kiss that doesn’t look overtly welcome from Kondou, once more highlights the problems with the way this story has played out. It states in no uncertain terms that part of Indolark’s decision-making about Kondou’s treatments is simply wanting to be with him. Not a sound starting point for medical judgments. It also once again shows Indolark’s disregard for Kondou through the completely one-sided kiss. 

That none of these elements illicit any concern from Kondou continues to baffle. He’s clearly a sharp person with an analytical mind. How does he not see why any of this is, at best, questionable? Rather than show concern for any of this, Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 pushes the protagonist in the other direction entirely. 

Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 is another example of how this series continues to fumble its romance.

When Indolark goes to leave the next day, we see Kondou make a frantic appearance to say goodbye. Wrapped in a blanket and clearly flushed with the thought that he might’ve missed him, this is the first time Kondou has taken actions that feel potentially romantic. 

But this scene falls utterly flat in Isekai Office Worker Episode 9. Given the mountain of red flags Indolark has raised, it still looks bad for Kondou to be shown willingly coming around to the idea of being with Indolark. Though at this point, maybe he’s realized he doesn’t have a choice in the matter and is simply making the best of it? You may be doing something wrong when that feels like the most likely reasoning behind the advancement of a romance narrative. Thankfully, this is the far smaller portion of the episode. 

Isekai Office Worker Episode 9 continues to flounder. While there are some interesting moments involving Indolark’s interactions with the church and Yua, the romance angle feels beyond saving at this point and only weighs the rest of the proceedings down. 

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend On The Bean Counter Episode 9 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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