The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance

Episode 6

Episode 6 of The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance, titled "A Calamity of Kings," has the same technical problems as previous episodes. Heck, I don't know if the battle animation has looked this bad since the beginning of this season. The bad-CGI mooks who all have the same face were extremely noticeable this episode, especially in the scene where Hermes and his army ride into Ecbatana. In spite of these technical goofs, this was probably the best episode of the season so far.

What "A Calamity of Kings" lacks in visual prowess, it more than makes up for in plot movement. The episode finally moves us back to Ecbatana and the political machinations of the Lusitanian characters. As usual, The Heroic Legend of Arslan is at its best when dealing with the politics and plotting of the main cast, rather than battles and diversions with side characters. This week, several major players from the previous season—Guiscard, Etoile, and important new faces like Irina—take center stage once again.

This episode is most important for what it establishes about Guiscard and Etoile, as we see just how vile Guiscard has become. Remember when he seemed somewhat content to play second fiddle to his brother the king, knowing he was the better politician but feeling loyal to him? All that is over now. Guiscard has locked up his brother and more or less taken his place as ruler. He even has a plot to kill his brother that nearly comes true when he uses Etoile's faith in him against her. It's all the more tragic that Innocentis seems to think that Guiscard is on his side and would never order his imprisonment—only for Guiscard to try and engineer his execution. We know Guiscard is behind the gambit, but he confirms it by sneering after it goes wrong, then throws his two pawns under the bus.

The scheme begins with Etoile appealing to Guiscard on behalf the king, who has asked her to tell Guiscard about his imprisonment by "Guiscard's soldiers." Innocentis, living up to his name, thinks Guiscard doesn't know what his soldiers are doing for some reason. Guiscard insists he's only doing this because of the king's ill health, then has Etoile escort him to a high room where the brothers will talk. The room is really hiding Irina, the princess of Maryam who we met in Hermes's flashback in episode 3. Irina wants to kill the king for having conquered her country, and she nearly succeeds, stabbing him in the chest despite her blindness. Unfortunately for her, Innocentis is so large that his fat protects him.

I really felt for Innocentis in this scene, which is a huge accomplishment given everything we saw of him in season 1. His army needlessly took over a neighboring land, killing characters we cared about in the process. They're the whole reason Arslan has been driven from his home in the first place. Still, it is tragic that Innocentis believes so much in his brother and yet his brother coldly betrayed him. There's also something really heart-wrenching about watching him struggle against Irina, clueless as to why she's trying to kill him. He also clearly has no idea what to do in this situation except squirm away from her futilely. It makes it all the clearer that Lusitania's reign of terror across the world probably has little to do with its foolish king. His advisors, ruled by power and religious fanaticism, are really behind the corruption, using him as a pawn. Ultimately, it's something he has in common with both of the girls in this scene, being unwittingly moved into place by Guiscard and his men.

Even with his plans torn asunder, Guiscard has to protect his own grasp on power, so he blames Irina and Etoile for the murder and sentences them each to death. That brings me to the second major character thread: Etoile's crisis of faith. She's beginning to wonder if the version of the world she's been taught—where heathens are evil and followers of Yaldaboath are the only people she can trust to be good—is as true as she thought. Arslan already cracked this belief, but her own countrymen's cruel treatment is what ultimately shatters it. To people like Guiscard, Etoile is nothing but another pawn. Even Innocentis, while good-naturedly promising her whatever she wants if she helps him, still only took notice of her because of what she could do for him. Arslan is the only one who sees her as a person with her own intrinsic value. Alfirid's brother, who is in Ecbatana to rescue Princess Irina, manages to escape with Etoile, at least valuing her as someone who doesn't deserve to be a pawn. She takes the opportunity to go with him to find Arslan and his group, knowing that at least Arslan is worth following.

Before this though, we get the triumphant return of Hermes. It comes right in the nick of time, as Guiscard's men are about to burn Irina at the stake and behead Etoile. Hermes cannot abide what they plan to do to his childhood friend, and his men rescue Irina as Hermes declares that his alliance with Guiscard is off. Executing Maryam is a step too far for him. It's interesting that in an episode where Guiscard loses his remaining humanity and morality, Hermes gains some in return. Apparently, Irina marks the limit to just how far Hermes will go for power. It makes me wonder what exactly he feels for her, but also gives me a lot of hope for Hermes as a character. Underneath the mask and the cold ambition, he is human enough to care for people who have cared for him.

This episode has featured probably the most plot and character development of anything this season so far. While Arslan and his gang are stuck searching for pirate treasure, the rest of Pars's political game has just been thrown for a major loop. I'm sure the remaining two episodes will be spent in Gilan, and I'm curious to see Shagard's plan unfold. However, I'm most curious about where this episode's events will lead. What is Hermes's plan for Irina? How far will Guiscard go for power? Will we find all this out before the season is up?

Rating: B+

The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance 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, and on Twitter.