English Dub Season Review: KING’s RAID: Successors of the Will Part One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The demon lord Angmund has returned to threaten the kingdom of Orvelia, and there’s no one who can stop him. The only chance the citizens have is a Holy Sword called Aea which has the power to destroy the demon king. A knight apprentice named Kasel sets out to reclaim the sword and restore the kingdom to order along with some friends.

Their journey is long and arduous, packed with trials and tribulations brought about by demons and magical beasts alike, but in the end Kasel and his band of companions manage to track down the sword. But the question is, will he be strong enough to wield it?

Our Take:

A kingdom threatened by evil. A king on his deathbed. A young knight in training who wants to become a hero. KING’s RAID: Successors of the Will starts out like many other medieval fantasy stories. Sure, there’s a few twists and turns along the way, but for the most part it sticks to a pretty basic story structure that makes it easy to guess the show’s origins: that’s right, it’s based on a popular mobile video game!

You can imagine what the main characters are like based on that information, and you’d probably be right. The main hero is training to be a knight in a castle and turns out to be the son of the king who lives in the castle. His name is Kasel. It’s not subtle. He goes around slicing down villains and proclaiming that he wants to be a knight who can protect everyone. He’s a hero with a heart of gold who always tries his hardest. Then there’s his companions: classic fantasy side characters like the priestess and the mage. Everyone is pretty bland and forgettable, apart from the fact that Kasel eats spiders which is very gross and at least gives him something to stand out for.

The story is like a video game in that it feels like there’s one main quest and a bunch of side quests. Narratively, the thrust of the story is that there’s only one way to defeat the demon lord. That’s the Holy Sword Aea, and since Kasel is the only one who can potentially wield it, he’s got to track it down. So he and his compatriots go on the trail of the sword while helping out villages and encountering baddies along the way. This drop is only the first half of the season, but it ends on a mid-season finale type of note, with Kasel unconscious and the others helpfully recapping their adventures up until that point.

In regards to the production quality, that’s probably the most redeeming part of the show. The character designs are respectable enough. I wasn’t in love with any of them, but I didn’t hate any of them, either. Likewise, the animation itself isn’t flashy, but the direction is okay and sometimes the action sequences manage to look pretty engaging. The English dub is serviceable as well — the writing can be fairly dull, but that’s probably not really the fault of the translation.

Overall, I’d say KING’s RAID is a solid enough show for those who like medieval fantasy adventures even when they’re not overly exciting or well made. It feels like something you’d see on Saturday morning, perfectly fine for some entertainment value but not something you’ll want to rewatch or remember down the road. Of course, that could change once the second half of the season drops, but for now, I’d say I’m fine letting Kasel keep on sleeping for now.