The Faraway Paladin: Anime Thoughts and Review
| Genre: | Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Heroes, Isekai |
| Recommend: | Highly Recommend! |
Finished watching S1 of “The Faraway Paladin” (最果てのパラディン) (世界盡頭的聖騎士) and I simply cannot recommend it enough. It’s really good and I absolutely recommend all fans of fantasy/magic RPGs genre to watch it!
Update: S2 will be airing in 2023 Autumn! We definitely need to see more of William’s journey and his growth.
There are so many things that I enjoyed about “The Faraway Paladin” (Saihate no Paladin) but what really drew me in was that the series reminded me of all the reasons why I love the Fantasy genre as a kid, and still do today as an adult.
If you are like me, who doesn’t care for all the harems, sexy busty ladies and lewd sexual references and all sorts of cynicism that has been dominating the fantasy/magic RPG light novels, manga & anime genre in recent years, “The Faraway Paladin” is a harken back to the days of traditional fantasy that is alit with positive values and just frankly good characters and a great story.
Highly recommended! Please watch it if you can! And do check out the original novels as well.
Read on for my review and thoughts on this absolute gem of a series. ^ ^
P.S: The other under-rated gem of the Winter 2021 Anime season is Ousama Ranking. (Stay tune for my review soon) The Vampire Dies in no Time and Isekai Shokudou S2 also comes recommended!
Page Contents
What is The Faraway Paladin about?
The Faraway Paladin is a fantasy story set in an isekai world. In the City of the Undead, lives a young human boy who was raised by three Undead – Blood the hearty skeletal warrior; Mary, the graceful mummified priestess ; and the crotchety spectral sorcerer, Gus.
As the only human living in the ruins far from human civilization, William grew up with plenty of love and training as his Undead family taught him everything they know.
However, William holds a secret. He actually has memories of his previous life: a life filled with regrets in our world. Determined to have a different life in this new world and to unravel the mysteries of this faraway land, William sets out on a journey that places him on a path in becoming a Paladin.
Resolving to defeat all evil, in the name of the Goddess of Flame, Gracefeel, William gains valuable companions along the way as the secret and tragic past of his Undead Family comes to light.
“I promised you. It’s gonna take a while, but I’ll tell you everything. This is the story of the deaths of many heroes. It’s the story of how we died, and it’s the reason you grew up here.”
My Thoughts on The Faraway Paladin
I truly enjoyed watching S1 of “The Faraway Paladin”. It’s definitely one of my favourites in the Winter 2021 anime season. ^^
Having seen and read quite a number of isekai/fantasy series that were frankly more meh than yay over the years, I’m really happy to share that “The Faraway Paladin” is really one of the more outstanding isekai fantasy genre novels and – now – anime adaptations out there.
The Faraway Paladin is a harken back to the days of traditional fantasy that is alit with positive values and just frankly good characters and a great story.
Indeed, the Faraway Paladin is a good solid fantasy grounded (i know it’s a little oxymoronic but u get the idea) in love and family. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see a hero who grew up with so much love and care from his adoptive parents and grandfather.
In an age where cynicism and bitter origin stories are now the rule instead of the exception, this is a rather welcome change. More importantly, the story shows us how positive parenting and good role models are really important to one’s outlook in life and upbringing.
We see what happens (in William) when great parenting is done right. We see how much growth one can achieve when you have the right mentors and friends in your life. And we see how family is truly, truly, much more than blood relations. ^ ^
There are just so many positive themes in this series that it makes you feel quite optimistic and hopeful when watching S1. It certainly also helps that The Faraway Paladin has a good story and plenty of interesting characters to back it up!
With a world that has become exhausted from fighting a global pandemic, I believe I speak for many that such optimism is very much welcomed and needed.
However, that’s not say that The Faraway Paladin is not without its moments of heart-wrenching sadness (tissues-warning!). No spoilers here so I won’t elaborate but do get your tissues ready!
Family
One of the key themes in The Faraway Paladin is really that of “family”. There’s this constant emphasis on how the love, support and acceptance of your loved ones can really help to make a positive difference in one’s life.
In Blood, Mary and Gus, we see great parental figures who taught the protagonist (William) everything they know. The trio constantly drew from their own life experiences, strength of character, knowledge and wisdom accumulated over the years in their teachings to William.
Indeed, even though they are the Undead, it didn’t stop them from giving all their love to William, a human child that appeared out of nowhere, caring for him as he was their own child/grandchild. Gus might have his reservations (understandable and practical) at first but even he eventually settled into his role of the strict but caring Grandfather.
And when you finally get to the backstory on the 3 heroes, you can’t help but feel a tug on your heart-strings that William really ended up being the child that Blood and Mary had imagined before their heroic sacrifice 200 years ago.
Blood, Mary & Gus’s love for William, along with their exemplary deeds as heroes are also what constantly grounds William. We see how they become William’s Guiding Lamps and Moral Compasses, as he embarks on his journey.
I really love how the anime series took the time and episodes to show William’s childhood and the various life-lessons he had received from his family. I think having these episodes allowed us to fully appreciate the bonds William has with them and why what happened to his family later had such a profound impact on him.
My name is William G Maryblood.
The fact that William chose his name as a combination of all 3 heroes’ names just says it all, doesn’t it?
Oddly enough, we don’t really see such positive family dynamics much in mainstream manga/anime nowadays. More often than not, the reverse holds true, where the protagonist/characters have a challenging or even a bad childhood. And when they do have an okay/normal childhood, any positive family support for the (main) characters is either glossed over or relegated to the background.
So I’m really heartened that we see lots of positive family dynamics in The Faraway Paladin. ^ ^ Maybe it’s a sign of me getting older but it’s just comforting to know that there are indeed protagonists that comes from a loving and supportive family, you know?
The themes about family being more than just blood relations + how family love transcend species in The Faraway Paladin is also shown in another make-shift family – Meneldor & Granny Marple -which I really liked.
Despite their on-screen story being brief (compared to William’s family), you really see how Marple helped to change Meneldor’s life for the better, by guiding and accepting him for who he is. Plus she also never sugarcoats things for him which I felt was exactly what Meneldor needed at that time.
I want to pull myself together and listen to Granny. Move forward courageously and do what I should do.
Marple was definitely the parent and family that Meneldor never had while growing up.
In The Faraway Paladin, families always look out for one another.
Blood relations or the same same species doesn’t matter at all. Family is family.
And that’s how it should be, isn’t it?
Second Chances
Another theme that resonates strongly throughout the series is the idea of “second chances“.
Unlike many of the light novels and adaptations dominating the fantasy/isekai genre now, the “reincarnation” into another world isn’t simply a troupe or a cliché that is used as a convenient device to kickstart a story and then left forgotten.
In “The Faraway Paladin”, we see how William often references to his past life as a motivation to how he wants to live his life differently in this new world.
僕が無駄に……気付かずに捨ててしまったものを、誰かが再び与えてくれた、そんな気がした 今度こそ……僕は生きるんだ この世界で、生きるんだ
Someone gave me something that I wasted … I had thrown away without realizing it, and I felt like that … This time … I’m living, I’m living in this world…
It’s precisely because he remembered the feelings of regrets in his past life that makes him want to do better and change his life with this “second chance” that he was given. Don’t you think that this gives a much more meaningful and heartfelt dimension to the “reincarnation into another world” troupe?
Apart from William, the idea of second chances were also a recurring theme with many of the characters in The Faraway Paladin.
With William, we see how Blood and Mary had a “second chance” to raise a child of their own.
Bitter and hurt, Meneldel received a second chance at life when he met Granny Marple. Shunned by the elves and betrayed by humans, he would have ended up selling himself on the streets if not for Marple.
The life of a half-elf is too long!
William himself also gave Menelder a “second chance” after his plot to attack the village for supplies was thwarted by William himself. And in doing so, both William and Menelder gained a friend that they can trust with their lives.
Sometimes all it takes is a second chance, along with a little acceptance, love and patience, and someone’s life can change for the better.
This is a good adage to remember and live by.
Realism
Even though The Faraway Paladin is a fantasy story, we actually do see quite a fair bit of realism in the characters and story. This definitely came as a welcome surprise. ^ ^
The ability to make money and use it wisely is as important as a sorcery
Now if that wasn’t a dash (or should I say bucket) of realism in this fantasy story, I don’t know what it. ^ ^
I was pretty amused that the concept: Money makes the world go round (or Gold to be more accurate) was the same for this isekai world. No one is a greater proponent of this concept than Gus and we see how well he has taught William of this fact.
William is shaping up to be a pretty shrewd and effective negotiator, all thanks to Gus’s teachings. ^ ^ Although his cavalier attitude towards money can be rather worrying for a travelling hero. Good thing he has Tonio and Meneldor to watch his back.
I also enjoyed how the series took the time to show how being a hero isn’t always just about defeating monsters/demons and evils. A lot more thought and planning, as well as teamwork and support from a whole community, is needed rather than a “hero” simply swooping in to save the day and then just leave.
There is definitely a lot more to do and much more responsibility to bear when one takes on the path of a hero.
Another series that explored this idea pretty well was The Rising of the Shield Hero.
William G Maryblood
Another reason why I enjoyed watching The Faraway Paladin is because of its protagonist. William G Maryblood is definitely a hero that we can all look up to and root for.
For those who know me well, they will be the first to say that I very often prefer the supporting characters to the main protagonist in many of the manga/anime I’ve read and watched. Rarely do I find myself liking the main protagonist more than any other characters. ^ ^
Happy to share that in The Faraway Paladin, William is indeed the character that I liked the most.
William is just so genuine and likable! Apart from his own innate kindness and strength, William’s humility and constant reflection of his actions makes him a truly remarkable hero. I really liked how he constantly strives to do his best in everything that he does. It’s also rather inspiring how he resolves to use his “second chance” at life to do better for himself and for others.
In this world, my power has already gone out of the normal track.
What I personally liked about The Faraway Paladin is that despite being an overly-powerful character, the series acknowledges and often remind us that William is but still a teenager that is new to the realities of the world.
No matter how much his family has tried to prepare him for the outside world, he is still a young man from a world that was 200 years ago. Add on to the fact that he had no human contact for the first 15 years of his life, William’s naivety and trusting nature can sometimes back him into a corner.
So William is really fortunate to have people like Meneldor and Tonio watch out for him, both in life and his finances.
I refused to admit my robust strength… If I do, I’ll have to be alone in a high place. Also I’ll have to be unique… It’s so scary… so lonely.. so torturing… I don’t want them all…
As with any teenager, William also has his moments of doubts and regrets. The moment he realized that he almost lost Meneldor in a battle with the demonic beasts caused him to sink into depression. I really wanted to give him a hug when he came to the (wrong) conclusion that in order to protect the ones he love and keep them from harm’s way, he has to accept this loneliness and despair – by settling everything by himself.
Fortunately, as with any great story, we get to see how William eventually manages to overcome his insecurities, guilt and worries with the support of his friends, companions and family. (For more details, check out the next section where I talk about William and Meneldor’s friendship).
As long as everyone is here, we’ll find a way.
By the end of S1, William realizes that you can’t win or defeat evil just by shouldering the responsibility by yourself.
I really liked how S1 ends on an optimistic note.
The Faraway Paladin: William & Meneldor
There are some Spoilers in this section so please read with caution! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
Every good story worth its salt would have likable and interesting characters. The Faraway Paladin is no exception to this rule. I personally found Bishop Bart Bagley and Duke Ethelbald Rex Southmark to be really interesting and layered characters.
Continuing the positive theme of good role models in “The Faraway Paladin”, we actually do see a surprising number of good mentors that have appeared in the story. However, no spoilers so I’ll talk more about them when S2 comes around. ^^
For this review, I’ll focus on the two characters that I’m fangirling on anchors the 2nd half of S1: William and Meneldor! (Or Will & Menel as they call each other ^ ^)
I personally really liked the growing friendship and bond between William and Meneldor. And come on … we all know that despite Menel’s “resistance”, his prediction on the public’s reaction to Bee’s song will definitely come true! ^^
As with most great friendships in the anime/manga/novel genre, the two characters had a rocky start to their friendship… (well mostly from Meneldor, William had wanted to be friends right from the start ^ ^)
Admittedly, the path of their friendship is a rather common one. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it but the process is still one that is enjoyable and heart-felt to watch.
I really like how Meneldor’s feelings for William changes for the better as the episodes progress. When you see how their friendship progressed to a point where Meneldor is all “death to all who would dare threaten his bestie friend” (re: Duke Ethelbald) and friendly ribbing with each other, you just can’t help but feel happy for the both of them.
We have to remember that Meneldor was once betrayed by his human companions. William himself, for all his gentleness and kindness, is prone to bouts of depression and self-doubts as well.
I’m afraid to be alone and afraid of no one around me.
To have Meneldor be the one to pull William out of his self-doubt and depression was poignant and fitting, seeing how Meneldor himself had once thought of ending his life as well.
I really liked this development for Meneldor and it shows that he is indeed moving forward courageously as he had promised Granny Marple.
And honestly, can we just take a moment and marvel at how great a friend Meneldor is to William?
Despite having his arm broken and “slighted” by how weak he is compared to William, he never gave up trying to reach William.
I don’t have the right to stop an emotional coward like you… But we’re friends. Since we’re friends, I’ll always stay by your side. If my friend does something silly, I should stop him.
Meneldor is truly the friend that we all need. Someone who stands by his friend and wouldn’t hesitate to knock some sense into them if they are acting silly. He will always have William’s back and will never abandon him.
The best thing that I love about their friendship is how genuine they are both to each other. William is never condescending about his strength and power to Meneldor. (Well except for the time he lost himself to depression). Similarly, Meneldor doesn’t feel jealous or upset that he might not be as strong as William is. Instead he is motivated to grow stronger so as to catch up to him soon.
I’ll prove to you that you’re not a monster very soon.
Just as William gave Meneldor a second chance by stopping him from committing a crime he would regret, Meneldor’s words and friendship saved William’s heart. I can spend hours gushing about them but I’ll refrain for now. ^ ^
Having a friend that can grow (strong) alongside of you, that’s really something that we all hope for but very few people are fortunate to have. (Another series that we see similar friendship goals to aspire to is The Promised Neverland. Highly recommend. Do watch/read it if you haven’t!)
William is very fortunate and blessed to have met so many great people in his life, isn’t he?
Magic
A review about any Fantasy series is never complete without mentioning the all important Magic! I was pleasantly surprised that the magic system in The Faraway Paladin was also reminiscent of those found in old school fantasy series. There’s just something about casting spells in an “ancient” language (usually old elvish) that makes it really special.
In the Faraway Paladin, Magic is a character all by itself. One of my personal favourite is the hygiene spell used by William. That’s so handy on any trips, right? And it does address my age old curiosity on how adventurers or paladins keep clean on their journeys.
For those who might be interested, the anime team did up a Magic section on the official website. Check out the 魔法のことば section here. They also kindly included a glossary of Magical terms here as well.
It’s in Japanese but google translate works well. ^^
Conclusion and Season 2
All in all, “The Faraway Paladin” is a good Fantasy series with good characters. Although it may not be a classic like “The Record of the Lodoss War” (yet), it’s definitely miles ahead of many of the light-novel fantasy genre to date.
So you can imagine my surprise when I did a search online and I found quite a few scathing reviews on the series by several anime watchers. While I understand everyone has their own preferences, I find some of the criticisms to be a little unfair.
As mentioned throughout my review, there are so many things that I enjoyed about “The Faraway Paladin”. I’ve always been a big fan of Fantasy + magical RPG type of stories but I admittedly have been shying away from this genre in anime/manga in recent years. As I have mentioned in other reviews, there has been an influx of isekai series (more meh than yay), so I am now generally more selective with what I watch/read now.
A big contributing reason to my decision was that I honestly do not care for the harem + busty ladies + sexual inferences that is now so common with the light novel isekai genre. I know this sounds like a sweeping statement and I’m definitely not a prude.
To be fair, there are some really great light novels out there. However, you have to admit that for every good series, there are a dozen out there which are really just milking the genre.
I hope more people watch this lovely gem of a anime series and also to read the orginal books that started it all. Do give it a chance and who knows, you might have just found a new fantasy series to be a fan of! ^ ^
Highly, highly recommended!
The Faraway Paladin Season 2
Good news all! Season 2 has been announced that it will air in 2023 Autumn! Yay! I can’t wait to see more of William’s journey on screen! Who else is excited?
As I wait for S2, I will be reading the novels! (And guess what, the author actually liked my tweet about the Faraway Paladin when I shared my thoughts online. ^ ^)
More Information
Official Anime Website: https://farawaypaladin.com/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/faraway_paladin
You can watch the entire S1 for free legally on Ani-One Asia Youtube Channel or via a subscription to Disney+.
Original Novel
As of March 2022, there are currently 5 volumes of The Faraway Paladin published in Japanese: Book I – IV. Note that Book III has 2 volumes, hence a total of 5 books. The novels are written by Kanata Yanagino (柳野かなた) with illustrations by Kususaga Rin (輪くすさが)
Kanata Yanagino sensei’s official twitter account: https://twitter.com/yanaginokanata
Note: The novels are currently on hiatus but S1 of the anime only covers book I and II so there is still source material to adapt for subsequent anime seasons.
For overseas fans, the novels are also available in both English (The Faraway Paladin) and Mandarin (世界盡頭的聖騎士). I personally am reading the Chinese translated versions.
Fun Fact: I actually bought the novels a few years ago but I had not opened and read them yet when the anime first came out.
So when I saw the synopsis of the anime, I was like… this sounds really familiar. After a few days of pondering, I realized that I found it familiar because I had bought the novels! Oops. (In my defense, I really have tons of books that I have not read yet.) But it proved that my intuition was right in buying the novels all those years ago because I really liked the story!
Manga Adaptation
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As with the trend nowadays, many popular novels would have a manga adaptation. As of March 2022, there are a total of 8 volumes published in Japan. Vol 9 will be out on 25 March 2022! The manga is illustrated by Mutsumi Okuhashi (奥橋 睦).
For those interested, you can buy the manga and novels from Amazon Japan. ^ ^
As with Kanata Yanagino sensei, Mutsumi Okuhashi is quite active on twitter. He actually drew quite a number of commemorative illustrations when the anime first aired. ^^
Mutsumi Okuhashi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtm_okbs
Music
There are affiliated links in this section. Clicking on these links is at no cost to you but Geeky Travels and Fandoms might earn a small fee from your purchases, if any. Every little bit helps in supporting this blog. Thank you.
If you have been reading my reviews (thank you!), you would have known that back in 2021, “Avid” & “Hands up to the Sky” – both by 澤野弘之 SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] – from 86: The Anime was the song that I had on repeat for many months.
Happy to share that I found my repeat song for 2022 here! Both the ending and opening song for The Faraway Paladin really fits right into the story. The lyrics are especially emotional and relevant to William’s journey. I really like the message of hope and optimism in both the songs.
ED SONG: 「標火」しるしび by やなぎなぎ
If you enjoy the song like I do, you can purchase the MP3 here at Amazon Japan.
OP SONG: 「The Sacred Torch」by H-el-ical//
If you enjoy the song, do support the artist and consider getting a MP3 version of the song from Amazon Japan here.
Do you like the songs too? Let me know in the comments! ^ ^
Check out my other Reviews and Posts
Thank you for reading my review and thoughts on The Faraway Paladin. If you like it, do remember to share it with your friends and family. Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts on the anime. ^ ^
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Before you leave, perhaps you would like to check out some of my other posts?
Anime Reviews & Thoughts
- 86: Anime review & thoughts
- SK8: Anime Thoughts and Review
- Odd Taxi: Anime Thoughts & Review
- Magatsu Wahrheit Zuest: Anime Thoughts and Review
- The Rising of the Shield Hero S1: Anime Thoughts & Review
- Hoshiai no Sora (星合の空): Anime Thoughts and Review
- Babylon: Anime Thoughts and Review
- Vinland Saga: Anime Thoughts & Review
- Run with the Wind 風が強く吹いている — Anime Thoughts
- Anime Thoughts – Hakumei and Mikochi
Geeky Good Guides
I’ve also done up a few guides on purchasing anime goods/figurines and the list will continue to expand. Do check them out as they might be useful for your own fan- collection journeys!
- Demon Slayer Gift Guide: Best things to buy for a Kimetsu no Yaiba Fan!
- Geeky Goods Spotlight: Forwarder, Buying Service & Proxy Bidding (Anime Goods)
- Nendoroids – A Guide on Buying Nendoroids
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