Forum - View topic(The) Faraway Paladin (TV).
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Season 01: (The) Faraway Paladin (TV) Season 02: (The) Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountain (TV 2) Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 5 volumes, written by Kanata Yanagino, illustrated by Kususaga Rin) Demographic: Shounen Animation Studio: Season 01: Children's Playground Entertainment Season 02: OLM (Oriental Light and Magic), Sunrise Beyond Genres: action, adventure, comedy drama, fantasy, supernatural Themes: aristocracy, dwarves, elves, gods, isekai, knights, medieval, reincarnation, sorcery, spirits, undead Plot Summary: In a city of the dead, long since ruined and far from human civilization, lives a single human child. His name is Will, and he's being raised by three undead: the hearty skeletal warrior, Blood; the graceful mummified priestess, Mary; and the crotchety spectral sorcerer, Gus. The three pour love into the boy, and teach him all they know. But one day, Will starts to wonder about his origins. Will must unravel the mysteries of this faraway dead man's land, and unearth the secret pasts of the undead. He must learn the love and mercy of the good gods, and the bigotry and madness of the bad. And when he knows it all, the boy will take his first step on the path to becoming a Paladin. Air Date & Platform: Season 01: October 9, 2021 (Saturday) Available on: Crunchyroll Season 02: October 7, 2023 (Saturday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Season 01: 12 episodes Season 02: 12 episodes Total: 24 episodes |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#1
As far as I'm concerned, a good Isekai work needs the three components: 1. A compelling narrative. 2. Relatable characters. 3. An interesting world setting. If all three conditions are met, then everything else tends to fall into place. This season's entry meets all three conditions for me, so I'm happy to watch this to the end. A traditional high fantasy work with no gimmicks is always welcome. The first episode is the usual world-building episode. We are introduced to the main cast, the world they inhabit and how they interact with it and each other. We are not told why the three former adventurers (now undead) took the trouble to raise a human boy and provide him with edible food which they themselves no longer require. The argument between the Warrior and the Mage shows it wasn't completely for altruistic reasons, but the boy Will (with his former memories as a real-life human) treasures them as his family and doesn't have any prejudice against them as undead. The gods seem to mirror the polytheistic pantheon of the ancient era, with the important emphasis on Stagnate as the ruler of the undead and interestingly enough a deity the dead can contract with to continue existing as such. Even devotees of other gods and goddesses (like Mary) can make a contract with him, which is surprising since it's a heavy price to pay to become undead. Mary has to undergo her daily immolation for Will's sake, so it's not like she abandoned her faith to her previous patron when she made the contract. The three guardians have their own secrets, but they've promised to tell Will everything when he reaches a certain age and has accomplished enough in his training. I'm already curious as to what convinced them to raise Will, so looking forward to that. The ED animation and song look like they'll be next week's OP if the usual tropes are anything to go by, so it looks like the eponymous Paladin has mortal companions as his party members instead of undead like his guardians. What that means for the overarching storyline is another matter, since the series is not revealing much beyond Will's upbringing for now. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#2
Is Will what he is because of his foster family's tutelage? Or is it because he's retained memories of his previous life and has an edge in not having to learn some topics completely from scratch? Maybe both? Whatever the answer, his upbringing is coming along nicely, but the one thing which hasn't changed is why his adopted family is training him so hard and for what purpose. The years pass and he's almost at his coming of age ceremony. This world he's in sets the bar early (roughly the same age as Daimyo heirs) so his adopted family have been pushing him hard. He respects them a lot, so he's doing everything he can to meet their expectations. As far as the oath is concerned, he's going to pick Gracefeel since she features so prominently in both the OP and ED. What his oath is going to be is anyone's guess though. Mary is right in that Gus is incredibly transparent with his intentions. The other two are hiding secrets like he is, but Gus is terrible at being discrete. He's been called out before by Blood regarding this, but he's willing to risk upsetting Will in favour of keeping the secrets. He's obviously seen something in his astrology, and it's clearly troubling him. The world building is toned down somewhat in this episode, but it's still fun to watch. Will getting the first of his magic weapons is one milestone, so the evil-looking blade he's seen wielding in the ED animation is most likely next week's milestone. I like the ED song better than the OP, it's also got plenty of shots of a surprisingly diverse cast. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#3
With this episode, most of the background lore is established and the main plot starts moving as Will is finally forced to leave his adopted home. The story behind his origin and why three powerful Undead beings have been his adopted family is finally brought to light. Besides the divine pantheon introduced previously, it appears the "High King of the Eternals" is another powerful entity with clout in this fantasy world. Before finishing his grand plan for world conquest, the aforementioned three beings put a stop to it at a heavy price. I'm not sure why, but the King's design makes him seem more human than demon, but not sure if it's a design decision or something which will be significant down the line. Blood and Mary told most of their story, but they've left something out. For some reason the Echo of Stagnate has descended to claim their souls, so they left something out in their story regarding their contract. I'm guessing they made a bargain with their liege regarding raising Will, but it looks like Gus isn't going down without a fight. That's probably why Gus made that offer to Will as he probably saw this coming; although it looks like Will didn't need to throw the fight since he went all out. With this episode, the question why Mary is still given divine gifts of bread is answered indirectly. Although the contract with Stagnate was an outright betrayal, mitigating circumstances and the need for Will to eat food convinces Mater to continue providing gifts to the Undead beings even though she didn't have to. With next week's episode title, it appears Will has settled on his guardian deity. He has to travel alone, so I'm guessing another Echo descended to speed up his decision making. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15483 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I figure that we are just about past the prologue for the rest of the story by this point.
I am rather enjoying this show. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#4
Will makes his vow, but the manner in which he does it exceeded my expectations. I don't think he'll get more get-out-of-jail chances going forward, but he's thrown in his lot with the lamp goddess and will walk the arduous path Blood said he would thanks to his vow. Considering the two deities in this episode are the polar opposites of each other, if Will fails to stop Stagnate this time round he'll have no problems facing the Echo or undead minions in future should he survive his encounter. In tabletop terms, he's acquired his Paladin class and a few of the perks which go with it. The three Undead entities certainly take lots of punishment. I think Gus was severed in half, Blood lost most of his rib cage and Mary some of her preserved innards yet they could still wake Will up in the morning. Stagnate really has to claim their souls if he wants them to stay down; although dialogue indicates he might spare Gus as his link to the High King remains the strongest of the three. Will starts his outbound journey next week, so more of the cast featured in the OP and ED will eventually take their bows. It's a small cast to date but they've put in shifts to endear themselves to the audience if next week is to be the last appearance for some members. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#5
I didn't think Will was going to pull it off, but the series is giving him a few more breaks before making him pay for the effort for the rest of the series. Mater's intervention was a surprise but not unexpected. Daily bread since Will was born was a sure sign that the Goddess hadn't given up on her once-living devotee despite the daily conflagration. Everything after that came exactly as Will anticipated; he's right that none of it would have been possible without all of the training from his adopted family and the newly granted powers. I'm not surprised Gus was allowed to stay since Stagnate himself admitted Gus can't be claimed yet. He bought himself ten years, but Will needs to figure out something during that time since his departure means the Seal will eventually disappear and a world-conquering demon goes on the march again. Not sure if this is something the series will cover in its airing, since it looks like something long-term which may or may not be resolved in its still-ongoing source material. Will now has a full name and has started on his arduous journey. He's going to meet the first of his new companions next week if the episode title is any indication. With the prologue officially over, it's now time to see what the outside world has become and the lengths Will must go to pay his debt and revitalise his patron at the same time. The post-credits scene is really nice. The pair did get what they wanted, although not in the intended fashion. It does answer a lingering question as to whether the two of them really could call themselves parents though. |
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AniPharma
Posts: 34 |
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This series is criminally underrated and being overshadowed by so many other good shows this season.
Definitely deserves more than 9 posts for series discussion here. |
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AniPharma
Posts: 34 |
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Really though only 7 posts here? This is an isekai it should be skyrocketing.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#6
For a first step, Will is making small but significant progress towards fulfilling his vow and helping his patron goddess regain faith. It's the sort of episode which is perfect for throwing in more world-building since not much actually happens while Will slowly walks towards civilization. We now know that human inhabitation of the continent/island is limited, and that Will's childhood home was essentially the capital of the Demon Lord and as far as south as it could possibly be from everything else. Will himself is treated as a warrior priest, which is probably the closest thing to Paladin this series can come up with as far as fantasy terminology is concerned. The half-elf Menel is featured prominently in the ED, and this is the first episode which sees him formally introduced. More cynical and worldly than the optimistic and somewhat naïve Will, he's a good foil as his affinity with the fae gives Will more options should the going get tough. I like how Will employed all three of his adopted family members' policies in resolving the raid aftermath. The one moment of comedy comes when Will employs the money trick which Gus raved about even after death. Unlike the miserly Gus, Will's generosity means Gus's wish for money to be used and circulated for a cause is fulfilled. Official announcement of more cast members has already been made, so it remains to be seen how Will will finish the second half of this adaptation now that he has made contact with civilization. Whatever happens, he's in good stead to prosper as his training has equipped him with more than enough to make his way in the post-demon world.
If you want company to discuss this series and its apparent lack of popularity, go here: animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3167614 Since this series is reviewed by the website, it has its own discussion thread in the talkback sub-forum. Just like every other series reviewed on this website, viewers are free to choose which forum thread they wish to participate in. [Removed snark and combined posts. Errinundra.] |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#7
Although the episode is mainly about Will and Menel fulfilling the terms of the agreement they made last week, there's a surprising amount of world-building weaved into the episode. Demons require humans or their corpses to perform rituals, they have some kind of link with Stagnate as their victims don't always die but end up undead instead and ghosts can manifest as a result of strong feelings of regret or attachment to a particular cause. Marple is an interesting case: unlike the other villagers who were transformed into some kind of ghoul, she died but stayed behind as a ghost, one so powerful even Will was apprehensive on what action to take had she been hostile. We already know Will won't have any issues with combat for the foreseeable future having faced down an Echo and won, so it's more about Meneldor's character development and backstory. He's been an outcast for so long that he's used to solitude, but longevity exceeding that of regular humans brings its own emotional challenges. As for Will, he's giving his patron goddess work and more believers with each proactive decision he makes so it all works out so far. The pair will likely gain further party members as well if the ED animation is any indication. If next episode is about Will and Menel taking on the demon lair challenge, then I'm curious how all of the ensemble cast featured in the ED are going to get airtime with whatever episodes remain. This is slated for one quarter, unless the animators are planning for two and haven't made an official announcement to that end yet. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#8
The second half of the season begins after last week's summary. Two new characters and more world-building both for Will and the audience's benefit. To be honest I expected a slow episode after the exertions of the last two episodes, so I'm happy to see how new things affect Will along with his new companions. Turns out Will's adoptive family were modest in addition to their numerous attributes. Will never heard about the deeds of his tutors, so he's obviously moved by the Wyvern tale long after it had taken place. He's right in how the story is slightly different from reality because of the character traits being shuffled around, but otherwise he now has a mid-term goal in his travels. The halfling bard and human merchant are in the first season ED, so this is the formal introduction for what looks like the two newest members of Will's party. Zero combat ability, but they have other traits which are of great help to Will and Meneldor on their journey. The bard's repertoire of stories and music are the biggest draw for crowds, which the merchant Tonio uses to his advantage to do business. The latter may have no eye for hiring good bodyguards, but he's no fool and has appraised Will very accurately given the short time they've spent together. It is the last conversation which hints at the next overarching story arc which will hopefully be resolved before the adaptation finishes airing. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15483 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I really liked the halfling bard, Goodfellow, super excitable with a love for a good story. I remember a while back I was doing some personal research into what the different fantasy (D&D) races value, and my findings for halflings was that they value a good story over just monetary value.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2863 |
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#9
I didn't expect an actual wyvern would show up for Will to prove himself after last week's fable featuring his adopted family. Menel has said it many times, but Will is exceptionally strong by current standards yet has no self-awareness. Unsurprising given his upbringing, but it's already causing problems with the local liege. The world-building in this episode is cleverly done, there's less narration in the traditional sense and more sightseeing. It looks like a medieval fantasy but with Roman bathhouses and magic to replace Victorian-era streetlighting. However, hierarchical ossification and racism are just as prevalent in this world as they would have been in Will's previous life. Also, it's an interesting reaction from the priest regarding Will's registration. For whatever reason, using religion as a pretext to plot must be quite common in this world. Without the Wyvern Deux Ex Machina, Will would never have met the current sovereign. Ethelbard is not as straightforwardly sage as he was made out to be last week, more like a canny politician with an eye on public relations. Considering executing Will for his request despite being a wyvern-slayer isn't as outrageous as it sounds, as the army Will would gather on his own could easily be turned against Ethelbard in a rebellion. Menel can't help Will here since he's considered a half-elf subordinate and knows he is not allowed to intercede as an equal. There's not much airtime remaining if this is going to stay as a three month adaptation, so I'm wondering how this adaptation intends to finish its current arc to link to potential future adaptations. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15483 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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My thought was that Will's makes it look a whole lot like someone showing up to display their might, and then negotiating out of a ruler to essentially take a fraction of the kingdom's territory as a vassal or defunct leader in his own right, after hearing that they can't effectively protect it themselves. Even if Will looks to be doing it for altruistic reasons, his request could either way make them look weak, and have people decide to split and follow Will in creating a new dominion. Honestly, I am actually quite enjoying this show, where I was kind of beginning to think that Will being hyper competent was actually acting as a detriment to this series. But the seeing him be pretty naïve to the ways of things, panicking in an unhelpful way, and being a bit clunky with interactions, yet also super humble where he takes all criticism as a chance to grow rather than people not understanding how awesome he is. Such as I expected the priest to just be flat out evil, which he might still be, but there was also something there about being humble that went back to Will's trainers. Also, Bee is totally an awesome character, and kind of a tragedy that she has been introduced so late in the show. Kind of reminds me of from Goblin Slayer where the Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer feel like the right kind of wester fantasy race stuff. |
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