Taking a bit of a break from the isekais, I decided to give Scooped Up By An S-Rank Adventurer! a try. This story stars Lloyd, a white mage who was seen as too weak for the hero’s party and quickly banished. An S rank party in need of a white mage recruits him and immediately notices his incredible skill as they find success in their adventures.

Story wise I really like this show a lot. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel with this format but it does tell it very well. In this world the threat of the Demon Lord has been dealt with but not without consequence and those consequences seem to involve Lloyd to some degree. We get fed bits of these details here and there and it’s paced well to not tell us too much at once while still being engaging. There’s a lot of world building in this show as well where you have different types of magic. I won’t go into detail about the types but there’s a lot of lore around them that I also liked seeing.

As far as things centered around Lloyd and his party the adventures are really fun to watch. These quests are pretty typical in stories like this but what makes them great is how the story creates a way for every character to shine. These characters all have very specific party roles and the story gives challenges that allow each role to shine in some capacity. Sure Lloyd does the most being the lead but it’s a very well shared spotlight that gives everyone memorable moments.

I also really enjoyed how the story immediately starts with Lloyd’s training as a child. It sets up so much from his lack of confidence in his skill to sprinkling in the teases for all of the major lore filled moments. So it was a great intro that has a nice hook. It also sets up character development really well as Lloyd steadily gets more confident in his abilities thanks to working with the S rank party. The only real flaw in the story is the banished from the hero party concept. It takes up very little time in the season and at no point did I really feel like it added value. Lloyd was already lacking in confidence beforehand so this didn’t change that. Plus his original party shows up very little that they ended up being forgettable.

The Hero’s party aside the characters were all very interesting. Sure Lloyd and his party are pretty one note but together they bounce off each other well. So as a whole it’s a lot of fun to watch them in action. Characters that are directly tied to the lore are also interesting. They include Lloyd’s teacher alongside a party full of clearly powerful people. It’s fun watching them work on the sidelines and further teasing events to come in the show. Lloyd himself is fun to watch and is overpowered but with a catch. He’s a white mage so he can buff and provide support but he has no attack magic. I like that as it means he is both powerful, but can’t be independent of the supporting cast.

Overall I really enjoyed watching this show a lot. It has charm, great character dynamics, character development and lore to it. The hero party concept falls flat and feels pointless but it takes up so little time in the season it doesn’t have any real impact on the viewing experience. I’m interested to see where this show goes from here.