Saihate no Paladin - Tecusabi no jama no ó

SPOILER A group of heroes sets out on a journey to the heart of a mountain, where a dreadful dragon resides, which once drove the dwarf nation away. Only this time, they leave Bilbo Baggins and the wizard with a pointy hat at home. Along the way, they meet some elves and it turns out that one of the dwarves is actually the heir to the throne. How does it end? The Return of the King! There's even an army of ghosts... END OF SPOILER Points detracted for glaringly obvious inspiration from Tolkien! But still, it was a very well-done fantasy, I like the pace at which the story is told, it doesn't rush anywhere, the story is easy to understand, everything is nicely explained, and even the characters are likable. I especially appreciate that the main hero actually matures. How can you tell? Like with any anime - he is finally no longer voiced by a female voice actress! Too bad for a certain group of female fans that there probably won't be anything more than bromance with his elf friend... Favorite characters? The local Aragorn, alright, Reystor, but also all the hero's mentors/family, whom I occasionally fondly remember even after the first season. But when I think about it, there isn't actually a character here that I don't like, even Stagnate is suddenly nice and interesting - and no, it's not because she's a woman. It's about the mysterious role she plays in the story, and her interesting motivations that simply correspond to her name. Anyway, Faraway Paladin is still a very good fantasy for me, one of the few really classic, Tolkienesque ones - enough already! I liked the animation (the dragon was particularly great), and the music too, it's a shame that this series always comes out in the same season as (or the season after) some fantasy colossus (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End...), which means it doesn't get as much attention and doesn't fare in comparison with those shows in many aspects... 7.3/10 (23.12.2023)