English Dub Review: The Beginning After the End “The King Survives”

Overview

An unexpected ability helps Elijah save Arthur’s life, as they try to find a way out of the dungeon.

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, the aftermath of the dungeon disaster pushes Arthur and the surviving party members to their limits as they struggle to escape and recover from the chaos left behind. The episode does a solid job of highlighting the growing bond between Arthur and Elijah, while also expanding on their backgrounds and abilities in a way that makes the group dynamic more engaging. Sylvie’s return was easily one of the standout moments, bringing some much-needed relief after the constant tension and giving the episode a stronger emotional payoff.

Lucas continues to spiral further into villain territory, and while his actions are clearly meant to drive conflict going forward, the execution can feel frustrating at times. Some moments involving the dungeon escape and power scaling were definitely shaky, but the episode still managed to keep the momentum going thanks to its emotional beats and character interactions. Elijah especially stood out here, proving himself dependable and loyal while adding more depth to the cast beyond Arthur alone. The setup for the upcoming trial also adds a different kind of tension that could make the next episode interesting if handled properly.

Overall, this was one of the more enjoyable episodes of the season despite its flaws. The animation still has inconsistent moments, but there were flashes of genuinely strong visuals mixed with solid emotional scenes and character progression. While the adaptation continues to receive criticism from source readers, the anime still succeeds at delivering entertaining fantasy drama with enough intrigue to keep the story moving forward, especially now that the fallout from the dungeon incident is only beginning.