English Dub Review: I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! “Clover’s Back in Action!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Clover travels to a newly discovered dungeon to undertake their first quest since returning to adventuring.

Our Take:  

Regarding its first half, I Left My A-Rank Party is one of the few anime with enough tolerable merits to excuse most of its formulaic tropes and middling plot.  However, I would say that my favorite part of the show was Simon and Thunder Pike, excluding Jamie, getting the karma they deserve.  With Thunder Pike out of commission and Nene and Jamie joining Clover, Yuke and his crew are now embarking on a new adventure for the show’s second half, which may make or break the remaining season.  This comes in the form of a newly discovered dungeon in Duna, which would likely put their teamwork skills to the test.  There’s also the matter of the other parties exploring the dungeon as well, including a B-rank all-male party called Fullbound.  Fortunately, Clover’s more focused on gathering intel on the new dungeon than competing for the top.  

But, of course, it isn’t without a few issues of their own that would also test their family bond, including the girls’ feelings toward Yuke when confronting the three adventurers from Salmutaria.  At the very least, Yuke’s mistranslation of the girls being his wives conveys Yuke’s unintended innocence in a pretty humorous manner.  Aside from that, “Clover’s Back in Action!” is an expedition-filled episode showcasing the team returning to the field.  It does have some issues with its pacing, especially since it’s another laid-back episode compared to a dungeon-exploring one.  Additionally, the CGI effects on the horses looked pretty ugly when blending with the 2D environments.  But, at the very least, I can take these flaws in this one over dealing with the show’s recap episode any day.  As the title suggests, the team is back in action, and I hope the remaining episodes have something exciting to warrant their return.