English Dub Review: I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! “One Who Was Once a Friend”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Yuke decides to head back into Achromatic Darkness to save Jamie, but Simon stands in the way.

Our Take:

It bears repeating that there’s nothing more pleasing than seeing Thunder Pike get the punishment they deserve, with the previous and this week’s episodes being no exception.  But, regarding their fates from the Orcs, the light novel adaptation of I Left My A-Rank Party offered some of Thunder Pike’s members a much more gruesome demise.  Barry was violently killed by the creatures, but Camilla’s fate happened to be way worse, as the Orcs took her as their breeding mate.  For something that seems innocent on paper, this concept certainly doesn’t hold back on how it handles assholes like the Thunder Pike members.

Sadly for its fans, the anime adaptation reduced its violence to appeal to a younger audience, which is understandable given the source material’s darker approach.  I can’t say much about this change since I haven’t read the source material beforehand, but I will say that any type of punishment they receive is better than leaving these ignorant A-rank adventurers unscathed.  To no one’s surprise, Simon’s demise is no exception, as his last resort to kill Yuke resulted in him being tormented by the Shadow Stalkers for the rest of eternity.  To the episode’s credit, it reflected the consequences of letting pride and selfishness control one’s emotions, leading them to a path far worse than death, even if the direction for its thematic material was pretty bare bones.  As for Besio, let’s say he won’t bother Rain anytime soon, thanks to the dark magic Yuke received from Persephone.

Of course, since Simon and Yuke were seen as former friends, the episode also attempted to invoke some emotion into this farewell.  The problem is that Simon is too much of an idiot to make me feel bad for him, even when the Shadow Stalkers attack him.  However, I will give the show this: Stephen E. Moellering did an impressive job of making me loathe Simon through his vocal performance.  Does he elevate the show itself?  Not really.  But when it comes to displaying a despised character’s descent to madness, I’d consider Moellering the right man for the job.  That, along with Jamie’s redemption and Clover’s confrontation with Simon, make “One Who Was Once a Friend” a satisfying yet thematically inept end to Thunder Pike’s selfish reign.  Good freaking riddance to the worst A-rank party in the world!