Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord Gets Anime Adaptation

Good news for anime and light novel fans! The popular Japanese light novel series Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City is getting an anime adaptation. The announcement was made during a special event called "OVERLAP Bunko All-Star Grand Assembly SP 2025", which was streamed live on ABEMA on April 20.
So far, we don’t know the cast, animation studio, or when the anime will release. But fans are already excited. The illustrator Kururi and manga artist Maro Aoiro even shared new artwork to celebrate the big news. The light novel is written by Sou Akaike and was first published online in 2020. It was later released as a printed book in 2021 by Overlap Bunko. The series has seven volumes in total, and a manga version is also ongoing. The next manga volume will be out on April 25 in Japan.


The story is about a young boy named Van, who is the fourth son of a noble family. One day, he remembers his past life as a working man in Japan—even though he’s only two years old! Van is smart and gifted, but when he learns he has a rare magic called “Production Magic,” his family is not happy. They send him away to take care of a poor village.
But instead of feeling sad, Van stays positive. He uses his magic and knowledge to improve the village. Slowly, he turns it into an amazing city that surprises everyone.
The story became popular very quickly. It has over 300 million views online. It also won third place in the Paperback category of the 2022 Next Light Novel Awards. Both the light novel and manga are available in English through Seven Seas Entertainment.