Heroic Legend of Arslan

Episode 10

Episode 10 of The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a deceptive one. Not much happens in the larger plot. Aslan's group is stalled in getting back to the capital and facing the Lusitanians, facing a Parsian insider as an adversary instead. It would be easy to dismiss as "filler" if you skim through it, but looks can be deceiving. It's actually an opportunity for character development for our young hero—or rather, revelation of character. We've watched Arslan grow up across the past nine episodes, but now we see the evidence of that growth.

Arslan is still an idealistic young man, but under Narsus' careful tutelage, Arslan's idealism has met with realism. He doesn't trust people automatically who give him places to stay and shower him with compliments. He realizes he's someone that a lot of people want to use who don't necessarily value him as a person. Even before Daryun and Narsus point out that something's a little fishy about the way Hodir is treating Arslan, he figures it out on his own. When Hodir challenges him on this, Arslan even points out the difference in the way that Narsus and his other allies treated him: Narsus gave him a place to stay, but not because he was plotting behind his back. (Everyone knows that Narsus is an expert plotter who easily could have done that.)

It's interesting in light of Narsus's claim at the top of the episode that Arslan should leave strategizing and valor to the people who work for him, or that it's unbecoming of a monarch. Arslan shows that he's plenty good at those things, and also that he's going to need those talents no matter how many handlers he has. If he only relies on others, all someone needs to fool him is to separate him from his allies. That's exactly what Hodir tries to pull here, but it backfires because Arslan didn't listen to Narsus's advice. By the end of the episode, Narsus realizes where he went wrong. He even advises Arslan not to take his word as law on the slavery issue, but to find his own way.

That brings us to the twist at the end of the episode. After Arslan and his allies kill Hodir in battle, Arslan rushes to free his slaves. However, the slaves are more concerned that Arslan's people killed their master, and they retaliate against him. He asks Narsus why this happened, and Narsus reveals that he was met with a similar result when he tried to free the slaves of Pars. He told them to leave the capital, but they came back. (There's some cool direction in this moment, with Arslan in blue shadows while the campfire illuminates Narsus. Arslan is shrouded in ignorance, but Narsus has seen the light.)

It's difficult to ascertain why this would happen in our modern world, where slavery's inhumanity to man is taken for granted. The Heroic Legend of Arslan's explanation is that change is scary. Even if new freedoms are ultimately better for you, the fear of having to adjust to a new life can cause you to cling to the familiar. More freedom comes with as many new responsibilities as it does rights. This is why oppressed people will sometimes fight for a status quo that hurts them in reality. It's because Narsus understands this that he believes in an end to slavery. He knows that this phenomenon isn't due to infantilized nonsense about whether slaves can "handle themselves" without masters. (This was a common historical argument in favor of slavery). Narsus has just learned that merely freeing people isn't the answer. You have to listen to what those people want and need, and provide a lifeline for them outside of the institution they've known from birth. It's a cautionary tale against people in positions of privilege assuming they know what's best for those under them.

It's one of the many lessons Arslan will have to learn if he is to become king. He's already showing signs of finding the "happy middle" I discussed at the beginning of the series. He can lay down the law while realizing that his father's stubborn ruthlessness is wrong. (Well, if Andragoras even is his father, because I've seen enough stories like this to know that Narsus and Daryun wouldn't question Arslan's parentage if it wasn't going to come up again down the line.) There are too many signs of things to come to dismiss this week's installment, even if it didn't include the plot bombs of previous weeks. The Heroic Legend of Arslan could stand to slow down a little, and this is how it's done.

Rating: A-

Broadcast Dub Thoughts

I was eager to hear The Heroic Legend of Arslan dubbed. The show can be difficult to follow while subtitled, especially with all the additional on-screen text (when new characters and places are introduced). So far, it's held up to my expectations. The naturalistic-sounding dialogue and acting are perfect for this series. Occasionally, it tries too hard to sound flowery and old-fashioned, as in one line where Arslan says "Why ever would you think so?" like it should just roll off his tongue. Most of the time though, the show's good at balancing its ancient setting with dialogue that feels fresh to modern ears.

Aaron Dismuke sounds a little old for Prince Arslan in episode one, where he's 11 years old. He's a really sheltered, wide-eyed kind of kid, so I thought Yūsuke Kobayashi's more childlike take fit him better. However, I have a feeling that Dismuke will grow on me in future episodes. He fits Arslan's mix of playfulness and seriousness, but just sounds like an older version of him than what we see in the first episode. It's a good thing we don't have long to wait for the character to grow into his more teenage-sounding voice. Otherwise, the casting is solid. I especially like Ricco Fajardo's trusty Daryun and Stephanie Young's stoic Queen Tahamenay. Mike McFarland also makes a great narrator.

It's hard to judge this show's dub based on the first episode, when many of its more distinctive characters have yet to show up. I can't really know how I'll feel about it until I know what they'll do with my favorites: Narsus, Gieve and Farangis. Still, it's a very strong start.

Heroic Legend of Arslan is currently streaming on Funimation.

Rose is a musicologist who studies film music. She writes about anime and many other topics on Autostraddle.com, her blog and her Twitter.