The Faraway Paladin Episode 1 makes its debut as one of the non-sequel titles in the Fall 2021 line-up. The show starts off on a fantastic note setting up a very interesting world. Some major features are evident early as the show looks to stand out in the increasingly cluttered isekai genre.
The first and biggest thing of notice is how beautiful the show looks at times. The art and visuals are absolutely top-notch and it’s clear the director put in a lot of hard work. As such it truly pays off, striking contrasting colors, combined with great detail makes this show an early contender for best cinematography.
So to explain, The Faraway Paladin episode 1 introduces the audience to a young William Maryblood, our protagonist. Born in a temple to three strangers, Gus, Mary, and Blood. At this point, there’s not a lot to say to separate this show story-wise. ‘The modern man who gets reincarnated into a fantasy world’ is a super common plot device. However, what interests me is that they do not explain how he died yet.
Granted, since he is currently reincarnated, his previous life isn’t really relevant anymore. However, this detail means that our connection to the character is only to the current version. The focus of the show is on world-building, and I really like that.
Also, in case you didn’t notice, I mentioned earlier that Will was born to three people. Biology doesn’t really allow that, so how did this come about? As it turns out, Will is currently the only one alive, since Gus, Mary, and Blood are all undead. The whole city in fact is dead and far removed from civilization, with no explanation as to why yet.
Gus is a ghost magician who is Will’s magic teacher. Blood is a skeleton warrior, who will teach Will swordplay and combat tactics. Mary is a priestess mummy who is Will’s general education teacher and teaches him about the world. This alone makes this show unique as, while their roles aren’t exclusive, the setting very much is.
This show provides a very unique setting and prompts some deep philosophical questions that seem to be a running theme. Very early the show seeming wants to prompt 2 major thoughts for viewers. The notion of what makes the world what it is, as well as what morality means.
I love that this show holds nothing back early. The world is both gorgeous and mysterious, and the director did a great job of drawing interest. With so much more to learn and beautiful visuals, this show has become a must-watch early into the season and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
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All images are via The Faraway Paladin Episode 1 stream on Crunchyroll.
The Faraway Paladin Official Site
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