From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

Beryl Gardenant, a middle-aged swordsman running a dojo in the backwaters, lives a quiet life, until Allucia, former student and Commander of the Royal Order of Knights, appears! Beryl’s life is about to change dramatically! City life. Old students. New friends and formidable foes. It’s all too much. But after years of training, he has mad skills, and he’s been dubbed “the backwater swordmaster.”

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman (2025-2026) is a Japanese anime series adapted from a light novel and produced by Passione, Hayabusa Film and Square Enix, broadcast on TV Asahi and its affiliated stations. The story follows Beryl Gardenant (voiced by Hiroaki Hirata), a middle-aged swordsman who runs a quiet dojo in the countryside and has long since stopped expecting anything to happen to him. His peace ends when Allucia Citrus (voiced by Nao Toyama), a former student who now commands the Royal Order of Knights, reappears and pulls him toward the capital. Beryl's engine is simple and comic: he keeps trying to return to his modest life while old students, new allies and formidable rivals treat him as a legendary figure, the backwater swordmaster. Each episode mixes sword duels, fantasy magic and light domestic comedy as he navigates city politics and an expanding circle of companions, including Curuni Crueciel (Yuuki Hirose) and Ficelle Harbeller (Hinaki Yano). Across two seasons of twelve episodes each, the series remains an episodic, lighthearted seinen fantasy set in an invented medieval kingdom. Its tone is breezy and self-deprecating, with warm banter and crowd-pleasing battles. Fans of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Slime Taoshite 300-nen and Restaurant to Another World will find similar appeal in its mix of isekai-style fantasy, comedic underdog heroism and sword and sorcery spectacle.

Audiences rate the series as mixed-to-positive, with the second season rated somewhat higher than the first.

• Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnationisekai style fantasy with an overlooked veteran hero, light comedic tone and sword fights
• Slime Taoshite 300-nenmiddle-aged underdog hero revealed to be formidable, light comedy within sword and sorcery fantasy
• Restaurant to Another Worldseinen fantasy with a seasoned protagonist, swordsmanship and harem-adjacent cast dynamics

Release Date

2025-04-05

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

6.8 / 10 (111)

What is From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman about?

A middle-aged dojo master in the backwaters is dragged back into the spotlight when a former student rises to command the Royal Order of Knights.

What is From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman as mild.

What did critics think of From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman?

Audiences rate the series as mixed-to-positive, with the second season rated somewhat higher than the first.

Which shows are like From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman?

Shows with a similar feel include Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Slime Taoshite 300-nen, and Restaurant to Another World.

How long is From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman?

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: 2 seasons, 24 episodes.

Is From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman still running?

Yes, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman is still running.

Where can I watch From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman?

In United States, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.