Overview (Spoilers Below): After being wrongly fired from his party, an enchanter begins a new life.
Our Take: We all love a good comeback story involving a protagonist proving people wrong with their special skills. However, it’s becoming increasingly annoying having a protagonist get kicked out of a hero’s party because they’re “weak” in any of them. This latest anime showcases that this trend is now slowing down, regardless of the quality, as Orun Dula becomes the next victim of a hero’s party’s ignorance. Dula is not only an impressive swordsman, but he can also enchant several spells in a span of seconds, which would’ve made him a formidable member of the Hero Party led by his childhood friend Oliver. However, that isn’t the case, as Oliver kicked Orun out of the party for being weak, comparing Orun to Selma Claudel, the land’s most powerful enchanter. Thus begins another anime that features the usual routine: a selfish hero’s party kicks out a member for being “useless”, and that member goes on a journey with their new allies, impressing them with their special skills. This time, Orun allies himself with Selma and her young sister, Sophia, who was abandoned by her own party in the dungeon. These so-called “hero parties” should know by now that a party isn’t just about strength, but also about each member’s skills and how they benefit others. Given how Orun functions as both a swordsman and an enchanter, I won’t be surprised if Oliver shoots himself in the foot for kicking him out. Overall, the first episode played off its familiar tropes exactly what you would expect from a “kicked out of hero’s party” anime, for better or worse, including its adventurer’s party system. However, it does offer some promising aspects that could help prevent the series from becoming the master of none. One of them is Orun, whose generosity and swordsmanship make him another tolerable protagonist in the genre. Not to mention, he has a notable disdain for selfish hero parties, as evidenced by his confrontation with Sophia’s former party. That alone could play a role in Orun’s journey, particularly when he later comes across his former childhood friend. The other is the animation produced by animation studio42. I assume this is the studio’s first anime adaptation, as I couldn’t find any previous works. If so, then what the studio did to its style was commendable enough to highlight its promise, especially regarding Orun’s battles with the dungeon goblins. Other than that, this seemed like it could be another throwaway yet bearable addition to this anime trend, but we’ll see.