Heroic Legend of Arslan

Episode 13

This is another extremely unbalanced episode of The Heroic Legend of Arslan. The first half is nearly all tension-building and interpersonal drama, and the second half is dominated by a climactic battle. The show is settling into this pattern now, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

For one, I don't know if it's worked so far. It's not an uncommon episode structure in fantasy-adventure anime. However, for Arslan it usually results in dropping the ball for one half or the other. This week continued that "tradition," with a mostly unsatisfying first half followed by an important turning-point fight.

Alfreed had a lot of potential when she was first introduced, but the show is squandering it already. Her character completely revolves around Narsus now. I know she's a young girl with a crush, but it's like she completely forgot what happened to her father and everyone she's ever known last episode. Her crush has completely consumed her. Not only is it bad writing, but she's getting really annoying already. Her only role on the team is to bug everyone about Narsus, ignore Farangis's sage advice, and irritate Elam. This is only Alfreed's second episode, so there are many places her story could still go. That said, this doesn't look promising. The show could at least find a way to be more fun about her crush on Narsus—like with Gieve and Farangis—than just have her pester everybody.

This does get some comedy out of Gieve, as he's instantly jealous of Narsus even when it's clear the other guy doesn't welcome Alfreed's attention. He may only have eyes for Farangis right now, but Gieve is a womanizer at heart. He's losing his game, and resents any guy doing better than him with the ladies. It's cute when Arslan interrupts Gieve to tell him how much he appreciates his work, overhearing but remaining unconcerned with Gieve's personal drama. (As well he should be.)

Fortunately, the first-half silliness segues well into the climactic finale. Arslan tells Kishward about his plan to outlaw slavery. The Young King learned quickly from his mistake with the last fort's slaves, and insists he'll give this plan time, and make sure the slaves have a plan and a safety net. It's an excellent example of how capable a king Arslan will be, able to modify his ideals without abandoning them, and expertly looking out for the well-being of others. Still, Bahman receives some concerning info that makes him hesitant to send troops. That's where things get interesting.

We learn from Hermes's battle with Arslan that he's afraid of fire, as it triggers Hermes's memories of the day his father was killed. At the same time, disturbing hints are dropped for Arslan's character, too. He says he didn't realize he was a prince until he was suddenly taken to the castle one day, after living an ordinary life. Bahman says with his dying breath the team shouldn't kill Hermes, because it will end the "rightful bloodline of the regional family of Pars." The show has all but admitted the twist surrounding our hero's heritage and his claim to the throne. Arslan may be the best man for the job, but should he be considered eligible in the first place, based on the traditional rules?

Luckily, The Heroic Legend of Arslan seems to be all about questioning those rules. If they can take down slavery, why not other unfair hierarchies? The Lusitanians themselves—who unfortunately don't show up this week—prove how much the line of succession isn't everything, with the bumbling Innocentis ahead of the more competent Guiscard. The Heroic Legend of Arslan interrogates its ancient world from every angle. These ideas are nothing new to us in the post-monarchy 21st century, but they do give you more to think about than most fantasy anime.

So it's a shame how much the presentation continues to suffer. I'm not just talking about the lagging episode structure this time, either. I've complained about the animation before, but it really declined this week. There were noticeable shots where the characters' eyes were wrongly spaced, their mouths were drooping, and they otherwise looked inhuman. The Heroic Legend of Arslan needs some better quality control pronto. With all the epic fights in this series, animation is important, and it's not even up to the standards of a less action-focused show.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan is a tricky show to evaluate week to week, because it's such a bizarre mix of strengths and faults. This episode is the perfect example of that: strong moments interspersed with weak quarter-hours. This show has the potential and could be so much better. It just has to start delivering in a bigger way.

Rating: B-

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.