This manga has thus far been an absolute masterclass in how it approaches the story, the genre, and the characters.
The isekai genre has been, for a while now, grossly saturated with an abundance of sub-tier stories usually involving harems, easy living, slavery, overpowered abilities, lazy cliches and stereotypes, etc. Not this story.
Perhaps most brilliantly is how the author takes the same stupid cliches you’ve read over and over again and manages to breathe fresh life into the characters. I genuinely care about the characters.
The MC feels like a good balance of maturity and humility, with his past traumas helping to show why he acts in the manner he does. And yet he also manages to come off as naive and innocent, with a surprising stubbornness behind his actions. He doesn’t do what he does because it is the easiest way. He doesn’t do it because it will work. He doesn’t do it for the glory. He does what he does because he feels it is right.
The usual stereotypes of corruption, violence, and evil are also absent so far. Bandits aren’t just thugs who kill. Bandits are shown to be regular people who do bad things because they need to in order to survive. The leaders of various factions understand that their actions have significant ramifications to the people they are responsible for, so when they argue and bicker at each other while trying to establish control it doesn’t come off as just corrupt leaders vying for power.