The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountain

Episodes 1-3

And we're back with season 2 of The Faraway Paladin! A lot has changed in the time since season 1, both for our lead William, and for myself as a reviewer. For one thing, I have since listened to the first two Faraway Paladin novels in audiobook form. I think that experience was very helpful given that the novels provide a lot more insight into William's internal monologues, his thoughts and feelings on certain situations, etc. That perspective elevates the material in my opinion, and helped me form a stronger connection with William. When I watched season 1 without that context, I mostly felt he was well-meaning but a bit bland. Now I have a greater appreciation for the character and his goals in the world.

Season 2 starts very strong in these first three episodes by leaning into exactly that. We have three tales: one adventure with Bee to a magical academy, one adventure with Menel involving a bit of beast hunting, and finally meeting a group of dwarves and learning the backstory of the Iron Mountain. In all three instances, William is kind, thoughtful, and patient with others. This continues to be the main reason others are drawn to him in setting and what makes him endearing for us as the audience members.

I think it is this inherent goodness and tendency towards self-sacrifice that makes William a protagonist who is easy to root for. While I certainly understand why others may enjoy the more wish-fulfillment-focused isekai series, I often find them very difficult to relate to. Far too often those series end up boring me to tears as the protagonists have no real challenge in any area, be it combat, love life, or anything they put their mind to. William is a lot easier to connect with because he is capable but not necessarily the greatest to ever live, and because of his kindness towards others, you get why people would be drawn to him and want to spend time with him. His training under Blood, Mary, and Gus certainly gives him a leg up, but it's a fact that is not lost on him either. He often remembers them in flashbacks and strives to live up to both their examples and their expectations for him.

One of the issues I struggled with in season 1 was that once William left the area where he had been raised, it felt a bit aimless. It was hard to get much of a sense of where he was in the world, where he was traveling to, what was nearby, etc. Many stories have some kind of home or hub that the protagonists can always return to both to center themselves and give the audience somewhere to hang their hats so to speak. Even in stories with a heavy emphasis on travel, the home/hub can be mobile (think of the Star Trek Enterprise or Space Battleship Yamato) to help the journey never feel too far from home as it were.

This is all to say that I think my favorite new element here in season 2 is the addition of Torch Town. As opposed to William and company walking around out in the world without much clue as to where they were, we now have Torch Town to act as a hub for all their adventures. It is clear that William's efforts to improve the surrounding area are bearing fruit as more and more people seek refuge in Torch Town, and it helps me as an audience member know that this is where we will end up at the end of any long adventures or exciting events. It also allows new story elements like the bar fight that William manages to handle by his presence/recognition alone, and the dwarves seeking solace in the town because they have heard of his deeds.

The only real qualms I have thus far is that the visuals are still just sort of so-so. The animation is completely fine, but it never really wows me either in character acting or detailed action. The show's color palette is a very gritty look, with lots of earth tones with deep browns, stark grays, and dark greens. This is fine and I understand the thematic intent of wanting the world to seem more realistic and gritty. The issue I have is that it can be difficult to tell certain scenes/locations apart and everything looks washed out, making for very little visual distinction or excitement. That's not to say that it is bad, just not exciting either - the animation and visuals are very functional, no more no less.

All in all, I'm excited by what season 2 has in store and I'm looking forward to seeing William's story continue.

Rating:

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Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountain is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.