The Faraway Paladin

Episode 10

Another serviceable episode from The Faraway Paladin. This is mostly setup as we begin to move into the next phase of the story. Up until now the emotional stakes were high but the scope was relatively limited. There have really only been four characters or so in the narrative at any given point (William and his three found family at the start, and now William and his three party members). On top of that, we have only seen the immediate locales, and very little of the wider world beyond. But the world and the cast are starting to open up, and to do that, it takes time to establish these new parameters.

Reystov joins the crew and ups the party count to five. It's another of those “generic” fantasy scenes of adventurers going to taverns and recruiting more adventurers. I think the added wrinkle that makes it stand out is Reystov having a bit of a background with Robina. The hook involving her desire to write an accurate story about his adventuring and him being cagey about it is a good introduction, and gives the audience more of an impression beyond “he is the new guy.”

The drama surrounding the church and the knighting ceremony is interesting too. I like the detail that William really has no idea what any of the behind-the-scenes actors must be like in a vaguely medieval setting, and his earnestness is at odds with a lot of their practical concerns and political machinations. The fact that his knighting (paladining?) ceremony gets a fair bit of screen time is good too, as that would be critical to the making of a knightly figure and ties him into the paladin class beyond just “shiny fighter.” My only real concern at this stage is that, without knowing whether or not the season will end after one cour, I'm not sure there's enough tension or excitement built up to end on a satisfying note. If the plan is to stop around episode 12 or 13, I'm curious what they intend to do with so few episodes to spare.

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

The Faraway Paladin is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.