For most overworked individuals, the idea of being whisked away to a new world with zero responsibilities sounds like a dream. For Seiichirou Kondou, a fantasy land is just another place to do some overtime. Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter is a new BL anime with a protagonist who does NOT get the isekai memo of using his new environment to get a fresh start on life. That’s where the handsome Commander Aresh Indolark comes in, determined to get Seiichirou to take better care of himself. For fans of BL, romances with adult love interests, or even a good reminder to take your lunch break, let’s talk about why Bean Counter is the anime for you! What is Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter About? Seiichirou Kondou is your average overworked corporate drone when he stumbles upon an isekai in progress. However, instead of avoiding the trip to another world, Seiichirou attempts to save the girl being summoned through a magic portal. His attempt fails, and he ends up being pulled in with the girl who’s destined to be the Holy Maiden for the Romany Kingdom. While the Holy Maiden is expected to do something about the demonic forest the kingdom is worried about, Seiichirou has zero obligations. Instead of letting himself get the rest he so sorely needs, Seiichirou volunteers to join the Royal Accounting Department. He’s become so used to working that he can’t fathom taking a break! Luckily, there’s a handsome commander named Aresh Indolark who’s going to make sure Seiichirou learns a thing or two about self-care. It won’t be easy, as Seiichirou is set in his workaholic ways. The Healing Power of Physical Intimacy No matter how many times his new coworkers tell him he can rest, Seiichirou continues to overwork himself. This escalates quickly when he discovers that there are tonics in this new world that help reinvigorate him when he gets too tired. To him, it means he can work even more. To his body, however? It means shutting down. Seiichirou learns the hard way that he can’t handle the magic of the new environment he’s in, which means drinking too many tonics does major harm to his body. Aresh is on the scene and healing him immediately, but in order for Seiichirou to feel the full benefits of his power, the two have to be physically intimate with each other. While some pairs take an entire season to hold hands, Seiichirou and Aresh fade to black by episode two! This, of course, leads to tension, but not because the intimacy is unpleasant. It’s because Aresh is, clearly, catching feelings, and Seiichirou? Well… he’s more focused on making sure the kingdom’s budget is in order. Getting Isekai’d Into Self-Care Bean Counter is perfect for fans of a clueless romantic protagonist and the “stoic around everyone but you” guy who keeps pursuing him. Aresh and Seiichirou are basically a black cat meeting a workaholic, but make them two adults living in a fantasy world. What really makes this BL worth watching, in my opinion, is why Aresh is so persistent with Seiichirou. The romantic tension is there, of course (especially with the whole “gotta be close to you to heal you” angle), but alongside the slowburn is a very simple, but important, message. Seiichirou needs to take care of himself. Aresh isn’t just there to hold him or kiss him when the magic overwhelms him. He’s also making sure he eats a good meal and gets sleep, all things Seiichirou has been neglecting for a long time. Aresh is basically the personification of aggressive self-care. You are gonna rest. You are gonna eat. You are gonna stop working. Bean Counter is full of genuine conversations about the importance of self-care. More importantly, perhaps, is how it highlights how difficult a concept like self-care is when you’ve never had a moment to rest. Aresh often asks Seiichirou why he acts the way he does, attempting to understand it so he can try to lead the man toward the beauty of getting eight hours of sleep. The honest responses from Seiichirou are, frankly, painfully relatable. Why is he working so much, especially since, in this new kingdom, he doesn’t have to? “Perhaps it’s to establish my self-worth?” Ouch. “Maybe it’s my way to build a sense of self or even a form of self-affirmation.” Double ouch. Seiichirou’s entire being is tied to work, even when he complains about being exhausted and knows he’s being overworked. But he’s become so accustomed to working that it comes naturally to him. Why take a lunch break when you can get more work done? Why delegate the work so you can breathe when you can do it yourself? We can champion self-care all we want, but it’s not easy letting yourself rest when you’ve been made to feel like work is what gives you value. But Aresh, being the man that he is, figures out ways to work with it. “If you want to prioritize your work, it’s all the more important to maintain your health,” he says. It’s a start, at least, and one that will hopefully lead to Seiichirou not having a crisis over eating lunch during, well, lunch! This may not be what you expected to get from a series where kissing is necessary whenever the protagonist falls ill, but that’s what makes Bean Counter stand out to me. That said, if Seiichirou could realize that my boy Aresh sees him as more than an annoying coworker who needs to rely on him for an energy boost, that would be great.
