Common Name: Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine
Alternative Names: The Royal Tutor Haine
Score: 7/10, 5/5
Length: 12 Episodes
Genre: Comedy
Summary: Thanks to efforts of its king, a man of equal parts bravery and wisdom, the nation of Granzreich has enjoyed a time of great peace and prosperity. Soon the time will come for the king to abdicate his crown to one of his five sons. The eldest of the sons have already been trained and, for all intents and purposes, he is the most suited. The younger siblings, however, are nowhere near ready to be candidates for the throne and are renowned terrors--scaring away any tutor their father has sent for until now. A royal tutor must be trained in everything from etiquette to politics and various forms of combat, and it would seem one Haine Wittgenstein is the next in line for the role, one he is perfectly suited for despite his social and physical stature.
Review: While the concept of being a Mary Sue or Marty Stu is generally considered bad character writing, I have to admit some of my favorite shows in recent years feature characters who fall into that category--Overlord and Yojou Senki being the two primary examples. I'm not entirely certain whether or not that distinction can fall on generally chill or reserved characters though. Is someone just perpetually an overpowered badass even when they aren't exerting the effort necessary for them to do badass things? I leave that topic up for debate. If ever there was a perfect example of a chill Marty Stu character, it would be Haine Wittgenstein. Apparently unaware of the rule that someone is restricted to being a "jack of all trades, but master of none," Haine is a master of anything and everything he puts his mind to over the course of the show. Swordplay, hand-to-hand combat, horse riding, arithmetic, sociology, and politics are just some of the things he appears to have a mastery over, and he's entirely self-taught at that. If that isn't the example of an intellectual Marty Stu, I don't know what is.
Truly, he is a man among men with the body of a child. That sounded a lot less creepy in my head.
In all fairness though, the entirety of the show's plot rests on Haine's unparalleled intelligence and practical teaching skills. If he wasn't some kind of god-tier mentor character, up there with Koro-sensei from Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, how else would he be able to not only teach the four troublesome princes of the Granzreich royal family and solve all of their personal hang-ups at the same time? Before you ask, yes, that is pretty much the whole of this show, like so many Otome games before it. Over the course of the show, Haine's duties consist primarily of babysitting princes until they're willing to open up to him, thus solving whatever it was that prevented them from being model princes in the first place. Unfortunately, those hang-ups are also what basically define them as characters. Licht, the youngest prince, is a bit of a carefree playboy but is ultimately the most personable and socially-conscious of the princes. Leonhard, the 4th prince, is severely insecure and has a mountain of problems that stem from that insecurity, but is ultimately a good kid. Bruno, the 3rd prince, is a proud scholar who bears something of an inferiority complex due to his eldest brother's academic successes. Lastly, Kai, the 2nd prince, is a kind and caring soul plagued by a naturally stern gaze and an inability to socialize with anyone outside his family.
True as that declaration may be, Kai is 100% my favorite.
Of course, their character arcs don't end with them turning to solidly generic super-princes, but Haine's lessons do ultimately remove part of what made their characters unique or distinct. At least I can praise the show for not featuring scenes where Haine magically "solves" their problems. When the princes do eventually open up to Haine, it's made clear that it'll take some time for their hang-ups to become a non-issue, but at least they're making solid progress. Following the standard though, once all their problems are basically solved, the time comes for Haine's own hang-up to be resolved out of love or respect for him, depending on if you want to take the Otome rules to their conclusion.
Just don't try to get with him. Seriously, we spent the entire show trying to avoid scandal.
The last thing the country needs is a king that's in love with small children.
Despite how basic the show is though, I have to say I legitimately enjoyed it. The art direction was fantastic and eye-catching. The music was a bit pop-y for my tastes, but it undoubtedly would be appealing to the female audience this show is aimed at, an audience who probably likes K-Pop and J-Pop already. I found the comedy to be simplistic but refreshing since it mainly featured exchanges between the flawed princes and their inhumanly skilled tutor. To any fans of Ouran and other such "female only" titles (gag), I'd highly recommend this title. To anyone who isn't a fan of that, I'd recommend it anyway, but with the understanding that it's not a great show. It's just solidly good, and I'm perfectly fine with that.