English Dub Review: The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King “The Balance of the Heart”
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)
Despite Malcius’s misgivings, Sera finds herself less and less conflicted with staying in the village and remaining engaged. Veor invites her to visit the hot springs, but the group is attacked by a Fire Dragon.
OUR TAKE
We’re down to the final third of the series as it becomes clear that Sera is warming up to the idea of becoming Veor’s bride. It’s taken me awhile to put my thumb on why this has bothered me so much despite it clearly being shown as an example of someone in a more pristine and isolationist culture meeting a more grounded and accepting one. That part I don’t mind and quite like in fact, but as they’ve revealed more examples of other women specifically from Sera’s kingdom who all became wives and mothers here, they also all revealed that they were initially taken against their will, just like Sera was. They do all share a similar story of being ardent and dedicated warriors prior to this and finding happiness in their new lives, which seems to be where Sera herself is headed, but…it’s the kidnapping to start it all that I just can’t manage to swallow, not to mention that Sera had her engagement basically forced on her with the necklace, and wasn’t told it could come off until much later. Yes, they say that if she didn’t want to be engaged that it would have never been able to be put on, but that feels awfully convenient. My point is just that this detail really sours whenever this series tries to be wholesome about its core relationship and ones like it, but it’s gonna be a key part for the remaining handful of episodes anyway so I might as well bring up that big black spot on it now that I’ve finally articulated it.
Anyway, luckily there’s plenty of other more interesting and less tainted qualities of this show, particularly its unique fantasy aspects. It’s only shown near the end of this episode but Veor shows that he’s had a secret ability in addition to his big shout power, he can also summon a giant dragon to ride around on! So that’s pretty neat, but it leads into a sudden fight with a Fire Dragon, one that can actually breathe fire which is apparently not default settings for dragons in this world. Also, Sera’s jerk brother has gotten word of her location and will be taking some troops to come get her, meaning we are very much entering the end game of the season now. Let’s see how it all wraps up as next week begins the final quarter of the show!
