Accountant Kondou Seiichirou finds himself in an alternate universe in The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol. 1, from creators Kazuki Irodori and Kikka Ohashi. And his first job there is to, well, find a job. But in a universe where spells, potions, and holy maidens exist, Kondou’s dedication to his new accountancy role might be what saves the world.
The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 1
Kazuki Irodori (Writer), Kikka Ohashi (Artist), Yatsuki Wakatsu (Original Writer)
Yen Press
August 2, 2022
It’s Pride 2023 and why not celebrate with a queer manga? That’s what WWAC’s manga editor Masha suggested. I picked The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, an isekai manga (where the protagonist is transported to a different world) with strong hints of BL (boy love). Big thanks to Masha for telling me the meanings of these terms, by the way! The book is adapted by Kazuki Irodori from Yatsuki Wakatsu’s original work and drawn by Kikka Ohashi.
I can’t say I’m overly familiar with manga, but I’ve ended up reading some pretty fabulous ones thanks to WWAC. My favourite so far is Witch Hat Atelier and The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter has all the things I loved about that series plus a healthy dose of realism.
I’ll be honest—the title of The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter didn’t make sense to me even after I’d completed it. What books? What bean counter? But I get the meaning now—I believe it’s a clever bit of wordplay around protagonist Kondou’s job as an accountant and his tools for doing mathematics. Love it!
I completely love the world building. Yes, please, I want to know exactly how time is calculated in this dimension. I want to know the exact denominations of the currency and the exchange rate with Japanese yen. Give me all the details! This is exactly what I adored about Witch Hat Atelier, and I’m delighted The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter spends time sharing those moments with us.
It does help that Kondou is such an affable and believable nerd. Okay, yes, he is manga-hot—a pretty boy with glasses who everyone keeps saying is old and has dark circles around his eyes. (Dude actually looks like a Grade-A twink, but I guess this world has very exacting standards.) I think it’s hilarious that Kondou immediately asks for a job—but also, wouldn’t we all do that? One’s first thought is going to be procuring shelter, food, clothing—how else do you get any of that unless you have money? And let’s face it, as much as we’d all love to have a journey of discovery in a new land, how many of us have the luxury of imagining life away from our work desks? So yes, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter is shockingly real and practical. You get that job, Kondou!
Having said that, Kondou’s 10-6 job with a 2-hour lunch break and six-figure salary sounds like a dream. I’d even brush up on maths for that (no I wouldn’t).
There’s a real life trope you don’t often see in fiction—the newbie joins a crappy job only to found out everyone’s being doing a terrible job this whole time. That’s exactly what happens to Kondou. Within days, he finds out his colleagues and superiors are basically pencil-pushers—they don’t actually do anything. Of course, Kondou, coming from our world where he was always working for very little pay, takes it upon himself to right all the wrongs in his department. And he proceeds to lead an overhaul that will have far-reaching consequences, including making him many enemies.
Kondou’s dedication to his work is also hilarious at times. The man faces literal death at one point and is overcome because he’s concerned about the ton of work still unfinished. Capitalism! It exists in fantasy lands too. Boo! I would hate having such an overachiever as a colleague, though.
There were so many moments when I saw myself in Kondou—no, I can’t do maths, we’ve established that. But there’s a panel when he shares his fear of becoming middle management and I laughed out loud. I mean, who can blame him? Who wants that kind of pressure? You’re basically sandwich filling!
As you’ve probably guessed, volume one doesn’t have much romance in it. The story is mostly focused on Kondou’s understanding of this new world and how he navigates its unfamiliar social and political structures. But there is a romance hinted at and the beginnings of it play out in the final chapter of this book. Where it’ll go, I’m not sure, but I’m invested, mainly because Kondou’s love interest, if you can call him that, is almost exactly as dour as he is. Aresh Indolark is the captain of the Third Royal Order, the only group of royal knights who use swords and spells. Aresh is also the kind of man who wouldn’t crack a smile even if you pulled the corners of his mouth. He looks like an emo guy with great hair and a permanent aftertaste of lemon on his tongue.
In all honesty, I expected a sunshine and doom-and-gloom pairing in The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter— aren’t a lot of romance stories about opposites attracting? But Kondou definitely does not have a sunshiney personality. Dude is way too intense about his work— see aforementioned point about him dying! And Aresh is just as intense about the safety and security of the people. I’m genuinely interested to know how these two are going to find common ground for a romance to bloom.
As much as I love comic book colours, I also love the black and white style of manga. It’s so clean yet so richly detailed. Kikka Ohashi’s art in The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol 1 is no exception. You get a complete sense of space and scale—how grand Kondou’s accountancy department feels as opposed to the claustrophobic marketplace. The elegant clothes and uniforms. And I love that all the characters have distinctive faces so you always know who you’re meeting. Even though everyone looks super-pretty, they’re all unique.
I really enjoyed The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter Vol 1—it’s wonderfully escapist yet relatable. The fantasy elements were well-explained and added to the air of mystery. Kondou maybe an intense protagonist but he’s also the source of much hilarity. The art is beautiful and captivates the reader with every panel. I cannot wait to read the next volume and follow Kondou’s journey to being the best accountant this dimension has ever seen.
