English Dub Review: The Faraway Paladin “The Boy from the City of the Dead”

Overview:

Will was born in the city of the dead, where he was raised by three undead. Although he was nurtured with love, Will questions his existence in this life-forbidding place where he is the only human alive. He discovers his three parents are secretly hiding something that may explain this mystery, and as if this weren’t puzzling enough, he has yet to discover that still more secrets lie within him.

Our Take:

Each season gives us the gift of a new isekai to watch. This season one of those options is The Faraway Paladin, another reincarnation story but this one has its own twist. Will it be able to keep your attention in a busy fall season?

What would you do if you were suddenly being raised by a ghost, a mummy, and a skeleton? It sounds terrifying but to be honest, it’s rare to see such loving and caring “parents” in anime. Gus, the ghost, is responsible for teaching Will all about magic. What makes the magic system in this really interesting is it focuses on the power of words. Words carry a lot of power and weight and in the world of The Faraway Paladin that manifests in magic.

Blood, the skeleton, might be the most terrifying of the three but he’s very much the doting father. He teaches Will survival skills and how to fight. But you can tell he cares very deeply for Will and will do whatever it takes to protect him. Though sometimes he doesn’t quite realize that a hug is just a hug, not a sneak attack…

Mary, the mummy, is of course the mother figure. She teaches Will what are probably the most useful skills. How to cook, clean, and garden. It’s refreshing that Will himself admits this in the episode and doesn’t underestimate how useful these skills are. Probably has to do with the fact that he remembers his previous life, which is a story beat that while overused I love a lot.

Erica Mendez does the voice of Will. If you are familiar with her work at all you will know she’s very versatile and can voice strong male characters just as well as she can female characters. Rounding out the three other characters are Kirk Thornton who I am glad is playing someone who seems nice for a change. Bill Butts voices Blood, I’m not too familiar with him but he made a great first impression in this episode. Veronica Taylor is Mary and I love how talented she is. Her most recognizable role is being the voice of Ash Ketchum in Pokemon, so she’s basically one of the voices of my childhood.

The Faraway Paladin has a unique premise (well as unique as an isekai can be anyways) and a cool power system so far. I hope the cast expands to include more humans or something. Nothing against the undead cast but Will needs some human interaction too. I am definitely looking forward to more episodes from this one.