From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

Episode 8

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Episode 8 steps into the ring with my least favorite theme of the series and manages to handle it more deftly than I anticipated.

I've made no secret that I don't enjoy the implications of having all the various former students not-so-subtly crushing on Master Beryl. They are all technically adults so there's nothing outright illegal about it, but it just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Given that Master Beryl is still a teacher, it's just a theme I'd rather not explore or dwell on - certainly not in a light-hearted manner.

Thankfully, most of my fears were alleviated by this episode. Allucia may have had other plans, but Beryl manages to deflect them both in and out of the ring. When Mewi makes the obvious even more obvious and tells him that Allucia was hitting on him, he doesn't even deny it - he shuts down the discussion completely. Beryl even goes so far as to say that he should never stop worrying about keeping that professional distance and the appearance of impropriety. That's great, as far as I'm concerned. I continue to worry that the series will play around with variations of this theme using the other former students (perhaps even replaying similar events repeatedly), but for now, the danger has passed and was handled well.

The fight itself is quite good. I'm glad that Allucia is not an easy opponent for Beryl, admitting outright that she is a more powerful fighter. It's his greater practical fighting experience rather than skill with the sword or esoteric knowledge that wins him the fight - and he does so hoping to encourage her to keep honing her craft to become even better.

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From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Videos on Saturdays.