Now Streaming: THE FRONTIER LORD BEGINS WITH ZERO SUBJECTS, How to Rule

First lesson: Be a good ally.

The Frontier Lord Begins With Zero Subjects S1
The first episode is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

After 20 years of faithful service, the King grants his excellent solider Dias his very own domain. One immediate challenge: the land is empty; his only subjects are blades of grass.

The next morning, he is awakened by a young warrior woman, Alina, with a horn in her forehead. As she questions Dias, her horn changes colors. Finally, she decides to take Dias to her nearby village, which Dias somehow did not notice when he was scouting out his new domain the day before.

All is explained by the village Chieftain: the people in that village all have a horn, filled with magical material. They can cast a spell of Concealment that makes them all invisible. Another spell enables the horn to change colors, depending on the situation. Red is a warning of danger; white signals that all is fine; and blue indicates that the situation -- or in this case, all the answers that Dias gave to Alina's questions -- will improve the situation for the tribespeople.

Thus assured that Dias will be an ally for the village -- who are otherwise engaged in warfare against the King -- the chieftain assigns Alina as an instructor and protector for Dias. Alina is none too pleased with the assignments, but things change when Dias is able to prove his "manliness" by slaughtering half a herd of cattle-like animals.

Dias proves his "manliness" further to Alina, to the extent that by the conclusion of the day, she makes a startling declaration to Dias.

From its opening minutes, the show appealed to me. Obviously, Dias is a strong and capable warrior, yet he is also a modest and self-effacing fellow who has been guided by his parents' dying wishes to live a life of service to others. This makes him a very appealing ruler, one who is more interested in making life better for his subjects than lining his pockets with gold (or the equivalent in this land).

As an adventure story, the action takes precedence, yet it's all laced with wry humor, reflecting Dias's personality. The closing credits strongly suggest that Dias will soon gain more subjects who will be more than happy to live in his domain.

Here's the official synopsis to confirm that:

"The war is over, and hero Dias is finally rewarded with land of his own--only to discover it's a barren frontier with no people, no villages, and no sign of civilization. With nothing but endless grassland ahead of him, Dias sets out to build a domain from the ground up. But after meeting Alna, a mysterious girl with a blue horn, his lonely frontier is about to spring to life."

I've added the show to my watchlist, which was an easy decision.

Image ©Fuurou/EARTHSTAR Entertainment/TheFrontierLordBeginsWithZeroSubjects Project.

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