Heroic Legend of Arslan

Episode 21

This episode begins with one of the rare moments when The Heroic Legend of Arslan still feels like something special. This adaptation of the story has been so stale and lifeless, but at least we get a reminder of why this story has a cherished place in Japanese fantasy literature.

It's traditional in fantasy adventure stories with these kinds of plots (underdog pushes against a Goliath with more power/cunning/connections) for the hero to assemble a ragtag group of allies from all walks of life on his journey. Arslan's group includes his trusty bodyguard, a disgraced former strategist, a traveling musician, a priestess, two kids, and a foreigner. What The Heroic Legend of Arslan gets right is how this group would be accepted once he comes to reclaim the throne. In more typical examples of these stories, once the hero reaches his goal, they're all one big happy royal advisory council family. More realistically, the people who are used to being native to these positions would likely get resentful of some plucky outsiders taking their spots. That's exactly what happens here. Zaravant and other privileged sons are antsy about having to answer to Sindhurans and troubadours, and Narsus knows something must be done to preserve Arslan's authority (and his own).

There's also the fact that not everyone would want a royal appointment anyway. That's the case with Gieve, a free spirit who'd rather wander the world than be chained to a court position. He's the perfect fall guy for Narsus's gambit to prove that Arslan is willing to dismiss buddies who don't show proper deference to rank. Gieve pisses off Esfan, the brother of Shapur—that Parsian captain that Gieve mercy-killed back at the beginning of the show. Esfan seems confused about his brother's death (or he too is part of the gambit) and blames Gieve. Narsus, Arslan, and Gieve make a show of things and Gieve is "banished," though he's really off on a mysterious mission for Narsus. I'm guessing this mission is to woo Kubard to Arslan's side, as the bulky hermit is already looking ambivalent about helping Hermes. Gieve is better suited to that kind of task than as a court advisor, that's for sure.

He gets to offer his anonymous help later in the episode, when Zaravant's company gets stranded by the Lusitanians as the war heats up. Arslan's company can't find them, even when they send out the youngsters as scouts. It's an otherwise unremarkable battle scene, with the same wonky animation as usual. Gieve's music instantly brightens things by signaling the army's location. He's the only musician the audience knows in the cast, and similar music is used earlier in the episode during his scenes. One of the best things about Gieve episodes is the spike in the quality and variety of the musical score.

Gieve gets a strangely sentimental moment with Farangis at the end, making me wonder if she hasn't been secretly fond of him for a while. It's a nice (hopefully temporary) send-off for his character, just as I'd started to find him irritating. I'm glad to be reminded of why I liked him so much in his first appearances. The Heroic Legend of Arslan has a colorful cast, and it's better when they have more to do than just repeat the same gags. Hopefully, this Gieve episode is an augur of similar things for the rest of the main cast, as Narsus finds ways to negotiate their presence at court.

It'd be wrong to frame this too strongly as a Gieve-focused episode. Thankfully, there's also important plot and character motion on the Lusitanian side. Most importantly, we find out that Guiscard is aware of Hermes's plans. There were hints of this before, when he figured that Hermes had his own agenda not purely for the good of Lusitania. (I mean, why would it be? Hermes has no other real motivation to help them take over the country, and he hasn't helped his image with that thinly-veiled contempt for their religion.) Guiscard plans to pull one over on Hermes at some point. It's the most interesting Guiscard has been in a while, as the stoic and trusty advisor brother behind the goofy Innocentis. I'm eager to see where this goes. Hermes thinks he has the Lusitanians twisted around his finger, but nobody could be that oblivious—especially not Guiscard, who seems pretty smart. I don't see how Hermes expects to defeat Guiscard's allies, much less Arslan. He's getting cocky too, setting up Bodin's former castle as his own, complete with fancy throne.

Even in episodes like this one, centered on one particular character, The Heroic Legend of Arslan continues moving toward its endgame. It takes time away from the main focus to move around other pieces, making sure we always have a look at the bigger picture. If the series had started doing this earlier—for example, during the Sindhuran arc—it would be much stronger for it. As it stands, it's better late than never. This episode isn't quite as strong as the ones that preceded it, but it's still moving in the right direction for a fulfilling ending.

Rating: B+

Heroic Legend of Arslan is currently streaming on Funimation.

Rose is a music Ph.D. student who loves overanalyzing anime soundtracks. Follow her on her media blog Rose's Turn.