Readers: when was the last time you watched a really, really fun fantasy anime? I’m not merely talking about adventures that bring wonder to the eyes, which is fine and dandy of course. Nay, I’m talking about a fantasy series where every character seems to be enjoying life at its fullest, as they bring smiles and laughs to themselves and those around them. I ask this because An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 is a show that legitimately knows how to have fun with its characters, its situations, and — most importantly — its audience.

Based on the manga by Ippei Nara, An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 focuses on Hajime Shinonome (Makoto Furukawa), a silver-ranked adventurer. As a child, he lived in the slums and attempted to survive as best as he could. When he got older, he started his adventurer journey, but watching too many comrades die during missions made Hajime reluctant to get attached to anyone on his adventurers. That’s when a young girl, Rirui (Sayumi Suzushiro), appears during one of Hajime’s missions, as he rescues her from a slime monster.

As Rirui’s life situation is similar to his childhood, Hajime decides to take the young girl under his wing and help her become a strong warrior herself. But it’s easier said than done, thanks to Rirui’s small stature and her stubbornness regarding listening to warnings. This results in Hajime having to save her butt on countless occasions, sometimes making him wonder why he decides to take care of her in the first place! However, Rirui has a power growing inside of her, as it’s revealed that she’s a succubus that can grow into a full woman at night.

For some of you readers, that last bit might make you raise an eyebrow or two. I know some of you might be still recovering from Usagi Drop syndrome, so this worry is understandable. Rest assured, there’s nothing weird that happens between the grown-ass man Hajime and the young Rirui. Quite the contrary, anytime it seems Rirui becomes smitten by Hajime, the older adventurer usually says or does something incredibly stupid that snaps her back into reality.

Even with another succubus, Veronica (Shizuka Ito), joining the fun in An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29, almost nothing ecchi ever happens. In fact, every woman who seems to develop a crush on Hajime quickly realizes that his skills in romance are nonexistent. Case in point, when the guild’s dungeon destroyer, Sekihime (Saori Hayami), confesses her feelings for Hajime, she almost immediately regrets her decision. The reason: Hajime responds to the love confession like Coach Steve from Big Mouth would.

Yes, while Hajime is a hero in the Dungeon, he’s a loser in the art of love. And even though the likes of Rirui and Veronica may go back and forth between their feelings for Hajime, they wake up to just how problematic this guy is when it comes to matters of the heart. You want Hajime to rescue you from monsters and other beasts; you’d never want to ask him out to dinner. It’s this back-and-forth that helps make the chemistry between Hajime and everyone else a real joy to watch.

Quest-wise, An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 takes things mostly on the easier side. Some slime monsters, a couple of tiny bad creatures, and other wicked things roam the dungeon protecting the treasure and other goodies. But when a big nasty one like the Spikesaurus appears, animation studio Hornets (Somali and the Forest Spirit) gets cooking hard with the fight sequences. In fact, even the hero himself doesn’t walk away from these fights unscathed, and for your sake, I won’t spoil what happens here.

But when things calm down, this anime has tons of fun with its characters. Hatching mysterious eggs, learning the tricks to even the toughest dungeons, and getting stupid haircuts show these characters having a ball with their situations. (Okay, Hajime is straight-up pissed with that last one!) Every moment has its great balance of sweetness and hilarity, with this show delivering on humor akin to the classics Magical Circle Guru-Guru and even Slayers.

Basically, An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 is a fun time for everyone. The characters and their friendships grow in great ways, the situations are entertaining, and the comedy is the right amount of goofy that’ll leave you grinning stupidly by the time the end credits roll. Fingers are crossed that An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 won’t be a one-and-done season, as I could easily watch Hajime and Rirui go on quests and talk smack at one another for many years to come!

An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 can be viewed on Crunchyroll and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-12 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.