The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt

Alternate Titles

天才王子の赤字国家再生術
Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

Synopsis

Wein Salema Arbalest is the son of King Owen and the Crown Prince of a small nation called the Kingdom of Natra. But when his father falls ill, the job of running the country falls to him, and he becomes Prince Regent. Together with his beautiful and capable aide, Ninym Ralei, he portrays the image of being a genius prince working tirelessly to improve the weak kingdom, but behind the scenes, he actually can’t stand the responsibilities that have been shoved upon him and hopes to be able to sell out his country and live a life of leisure!

Background

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt is a light novel series written by Toru Toba and illustrated by fal_maro that has been published by SB Creative under their GA Bunko imprint since May 2018. As of August 2021, 10 volumes have been published. The light novel is licensed for English release in North America through Yen Press, who have published eight volumes as of December 2021.

A manga adaptation illustrated by Emuda has been serialized on Square Enix’s Manga UP! online manga magazine since October 2019 and has been published in five collected tankobon volumes as of December 2021.

A TV anime adaptation was announced during the livestream of the event GA Fes 2021 held in January 2021. The series is being animated by Yokohama Animation Lab and features Masato Tamagawa as director and Xin Ya Cai as assistant director, with Deko Akao handling series composition, Ryunosuke Oji handling character designs, and Toshihiko Sahashi composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is “LEVEL” by Nagi Yanagi and THE SIXTH LIE, and the ending theme song is “Hitori to Kimi to” by Yoshino Nanjo. The anime will premiere in Japan on Jan. 11, 2022 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and AT-X.

Characters

Wein Salema Arbalest (Voiced by: Soma Saito)
The 16-year-old prince of the Kingdom of Natra. After his father falls ill, he is declared Prince Regent and becomes responsible for the well-being and future of the kingdom. He is an excellent politician who is trusted by his subjects. But underneath his facade, he’s actually a lazy slacker who just wants to sell off the country to shirk his responsibilities and live a comfortable life as a hermit.

Ninym Ralei (Voiced by: Rie Takahashi)
Wein’s aide. She is a beautiful 16-year-old Flahm girl with white hair and red eyes. She provides a wide range of support to Wien, from political to combat. She is Wein’s childhood friend and is strict but caring with him. She is one of the few people who know Wein’s true nature and understands the plight of the kingdom.

Falanya Elk Arbalest (Voiced by: Sayaka Senbongi)
The princess of the Kingdom of Natra. She looks up to her older brother Wein and trusts him immensely. She is still at the age where she wants to be pampered, but she is also studying to become a member of the royal family so she can help her brother as much as possible. She also looks up to Ninym like an older sister.

Lowellmina Earthwold (Voiced by: Nao Toyama)
The second imperial princess of the Earthwold Empire and Wein’s schoolmate from his time studying in the empire. When she was a student, she hid her real name and went by Lowa, a noblewoman from the countryside. She is very clever and wily, and has even played Wein for a fool.

Fisch Brandel (Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa)
A resident ambassador dispatched from the Earthwold Empire to the Kingdom of Natra. She is a calm and capable young bureaucrat and has earned the trust of Lowellmina as her aide back in the empire. She keeps a close eye on Wein.

Nanaki Ralei (Voiced by: Yuki Sakakihara)
A young boy with stark white hair and red eyes who acts as Falanya’s bodyguard. He is taciturn and blunt with everyone, but he cares for Falanya. He is highly skilled in combat and has a keen observational eye.

Zeno (Voiced by: Yuki Nakashima)
A high-ranking officer in the Marden Liberation Army. She serves as a stand-in for Prince Helmut, the leader of the army. She is an intelligent officer with a keen sense of insight, but her desire for revenge against the Kingdom of Kabarinu, which conquered the former Kingdom of Marden, can cause her to let her emotions get the best of her.

Gruer Soljest (Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka)
The king of the Kingdom of Soljest. He is one of the most gluttonous and obese men on the continent, and because of this he is unable to do anything on his own and always relies on his beautiful maid. However, his tolerance and skills in military strategy make him highly praised by the people as a great king who helped the kingdom become powerful.

Lachram (Voiced by: Daiki Hamano)
The captain of the Kingdom of Natra’s army. He has a calm demeanor but on the battlefield he is a skilled combatant with a prowess for spears.

Manfred Earthwold (Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi)
The third prince of the Earthwold Empire. He is soft-spoken and gentle. Though he holds Wein in high regard, he sees him as a danger to the empire.

Bartholorush (Voiced by: Kenichiro Matsuda)
The second prince of the Earthwold Empire. He is a heroic man of military might and prowess. He sees Wein as a valuable asset and wants to get him under his control.

Gardmeria (Voiced by: Mamiko Noto)
A woman with great political power, she sows confusion and chaos in order to further her own interests.

Torcheila (Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya)
The princess of the Kingdom of Soljest and Gruer’s daughter. She becomes interested in Wein after meeting him.

Deuterio Earthwold (Voiced by: Ryuichi Kijima)
The first prince of the Earthwold Empire. He is fighting his brothers for the succession to the throne and has a particular advantage being the eldest son. He is rather uncompetent and unable to think rationally. He becomes jealous of Wein when he becomes more popular in the empire than he is.

Hagar (Voiced by: Takayuki Sugo)
A veteran general in the Kingdom of Natra’s army. He used to be a renowned general whose name was known across borders, but he was forced to leave his country for some reason, and after wandering, he decides to serve King Owen. He thinks highly of Wein’s talents.

Music

Opening Theme Song: “LEVEL” by Nagi Yanagi and THE SIXTH LIE
Ending Theme Song: “Hitori to Kimi to” by Yoshino Nanjo

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Toru Toba
• Original Character Design: Falmaro
• Director: Masato Tamagawa
• Assistant Director: Xin Ya Cai
• Series Composition: Deko Akao
• Character Design: Ryunosuke Oji
• 3D Director: Yoshihiro Tsukashita
• Art Director: Hirotsugu Kakoi
• Color Design: Fusako Nakao
• Director of Photography: Natsumi Uchida
• Editing: Mai Hasegawa
• Sound Director: Ryousuke Naya
• Sound Production: Studio Mausu
• Music: Toshihiko Sahashi
• Animation Producer: Yuuma Oogami
• Animation Production: Yokohama Animation Lab