The Faraway Paladin (2021)

[最果てのパラディン]

Season 1

Director: Yuu Nobuta
Studio: Children's Playground Entertainment
Starring: Maki Kawase, Katsuyuki Konishi, Yui Horie
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
A reincarnated boy is raised by the specters of three heroes to become a champion of the gods.

Impressions:
When I first started this series, I thought it would be a fine alternative to Mushoku Tensei, taking a similar premise but without the protagonist having the same scummy tendencies. However, I'll be honest with you, as we moved into the second arc of the story, my interest began to wane, whereas Mushoku Tensei continued on strong over a longer timespan. I've tried to figure out where the show lost me, but I can't really find any technical fault with the storytelling. Yes, I do feel they should have recast Will once he became an adult, but that's not that big of a deal. I was invested in Will's training as we were getting both good character development and worldbuilding judiciously doled out while keeping a bit of mystery. You would think that Will going out into the wider world would be exciting, but it mostly fell flat with me. Like I said, I can't find any technical faults. All the pieces are there, but it just wasn't working for me. Production values are generally good with only the occasional cut corner that stands out a bit. If I could get a solid handle on what it was that caused me to lose my enthusiasm for the show, I might rate this a bit lower, but as I can't, I'm not going to ding it for that. I think there's enough value to be had to make it worth a watch, so consider giving it a shot.

Rating:
Watch It