This was a show I stumbled upon because I took one look at the title and I really wanted to know where it was going with that. The show stars a boy named Usato who is pretty average in school but one day he ends up walking home with the president and vice president of his class, two students who seem socially way out of his league. As they walk they are immediately summoned to another world to find out while his classmates were intended to be summoned Usato was summoned by accident. He ends up having an affinity for healing magic which peaks the interest of the captain of the world’s rescue squad Rose and she forces him under her wing for the most extreme training imaginable in order to make him the best healer possible so he can help his classmates with the impending war with the demon army.

The story is very interesting. There’s a lot of ways you can really take it’s unique approach to healing magic but what I really like is how it elevated the healer status. Normally it’s a role relegated to some kind of support but here healers are the main characters and it’s easy to think there’s no way a show like that would be entertaining but here we get a truly one of a kind presentation as to just how dangerous a healer can be. I don’t want to just outright spoil all of the ways you could argue these methods are the wrong way to use healing magic as some involve major plot points but one thing in particular I liked was how healing was used to train Usato faster than average. As he’s strength training he uses his healing magic to heal his sore muscles and his fatigue to keep going far longer than he could otherwise and the rapid succession of straining and healing the muscles accelerates his growth. It’s this interesting fusion of actual muscle growth with anime superpowers in a way that makes perfect sense that makes the story of Usato’s growth just that entertaining to watch. Rose not only focuses on his physical abilities but his mental fortitude as well often using extreme methods to challenge his body and mind so that when it comes time for him to enter the battlefield he’s ready.

This is where we get to my favorite part of the story and that’s Captain Rose herself. Rose is first seen as this very extreme mentor with very harsh methods of training people, one of which includes literally beating them, then healing them only to beat them again to toughen them up. It’s easy to think this is overdoing it until the story takes the time to explore her background and motivations and my gosh was it so well put together. I came to appreciate not only the perfect logic Rose uses for her methods but why her background makes her so headstrong into making sure Usato’s training is done well. Another example I’ll give is Rose has Usato carrying a test civilian through a mock battlefield and at first it seems like it’s to test his ability to dodge attacks, which it is in part, but it also tests his mental ability to handle being in that situation as we see him tire faster than normal because of the mental strain. This attention to detail is what fascinates me most about how well put together the story is.

Another part of the story that fascinates me is how the characters interact. While Usato’s classmates are technically the heroes they are not the focus of the show so they show up every now and then; however, it’s the dynamic between Usato and these characters that’s fun to watch. One of his classmates is really happy to be there while the other is very apprehensive. Usato’s mindset fits perfectly in between these two as he’s both accepting of his new situation but also has his doubts and having such a balanced mindset compared to the other two characters makes their conversations fun to watch as he helps both of them with the flaws of their respective extreme mindsets of the situation. While on the surface Usato doesn’t really stand out from your typical anime protagonist personality wise but he has an incredible amount of charm and it’s great to see how that has a massive impact to those around him.

Now the overall story of the demon army approaching isn’t really touched on much in this season so there’s not a lot to say at this time. I definitely want to know more about their motivations and I’m hoping that the writing for these characters is on par with what we’ve seen so far. There is a few battle scenes mostly through training with a larger battle in the end but you’re really not watching this show to be entertained by the fight scenes. They weren’t bad but there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about them except for the opportunities to display more character growth.

So overall I like this show a lot. It really does elevate healers to a main character status by using very practical applications to a healer in unique ways to improve training but also takes the time to show all of the reasons why a healer really is such an important role in combat. Not only that but Captain Rose has an extreme but attention grabbing way of training Usato and the more we explore her motivations behind it the more we can empathize with her methods and resolve. It makes for one of the most well developed mentors I’ve seen in a long time. Now while it does emphasize combat you’re really not watching the show for incredible fight scenes those aren’t all that remarkable here. This show is entirely for those who love stories that feature well put together characters who go through captivating character growths over the course of the season with several heart to heart conversations that help to facilitate that growth even further. These characters are very fun to watch and the season ends on a note that sets it up perfectly for another season which I will be very quickly to watch if we get one.