English Dub Review: Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles. “Royal Lineage”

Overview

Rio and the others have traveled to the royal capital of the Kingdom of Karasuki with the village’s annual tribute as guards. With their duties fulfilled, Rio and Sayo head into the castle town. They enjoy a meal and are doing some shopping when wandering warriors attempt to abduct a young girl. Rio jumps into the fray and easily defeats them, saving the girl. Her name is Komomo and she’s the tax examiner Hayate’s younger sister. Hayate’s father Gouki receives a letter from Yuba. What he reads astonishes him and he and his wife, Kayoko, visit the lodgings where Rio is staying. They reveal to Rio that they once served his mother, Ayame…

Our Take

This time around we learn about Rio’s past and boy it’s a doozy. I didn’t think the show would give us more insight into who Rio’s parents were and the personal decisions they made that eventually lead to their deaths.. At the very least, the rest of this journey has been quite positive for him as he met both sides of his grandparents and other family members.

It’s also laughable a bit that the world bends itself backward for Rio’s protagonist status for how flawlessly capable this character seems. However, I can completely do without the later scenes with disturbing implications of kidnapping and sexual assault. Also, it leaves me to wonder after Rio’s revenge is fulfilled, where would he settle? etc.

So far, the most mildly entertaining aspect about this show is that it checks as many cliche isekai/fantasy adventure tropes as possible and proudly doesn’t even fuck. As with the rest of this show, his backstory is something that sounds good on paper, but the execution and incorporation of its narrative could possibly make or break the proceedings of future episodes.