Review of The Heroic Legend of Arslan

DAAARRRYYYUUUNNNN!!! - The Heroic Legend of Arslan review The Heroic Legend of Arslan is about the kingdom of Pars that has fallen to the hands of the Lusitania kingdom. Now Arslans, the young prince, must take arms and gather the remaining Parsian soldiers throughout the country in order to take back the capital of Ecbatana and become the crown King of Pars. While this isn’t a Three Kingdoms or Warring states type show with intense war battles, it tells quite an engaging story with a ‘magical’ twist to it. Arslan is the pampered prince of Pars whom is different from the rest of royalty because he seeseveryone as equals. In his maiden battle, he is weak and fragile however of much potential. As Pars falls, Arslan along with Daryun move on to find companions. The friends that they gather become attracted to Arslan because of his progressive mindset in difference to an enslaving and iron fist king unlike his father, the former king. Daryun is like the Zhao Yun of the Three Kingdoms in Arslan; the legendary warrior renown and feared as the Black Knight. He has epic scenes like the one where he got a huge adrenaline boost in spite of Arslan’s endangerment in one of their battles. I’m saying it is heart thumping once you see it. He serves as a loyal warrior and protector to Arslan and pretty damn hot. I’m not gay but I would totally **** Daryun’s ****. Ah, then we have the pragmatic Narsus who reaches out his tactical skills to Arslan after collecting Arslan’s ambitions and resolve in align to his. He is well rounded in battle as well, offering more fire power to the prince’s army.

For the other main characters in Arslan’s group: Gieve, Falangies and Elam, they serve important plot points and aspects however not so vital like Daryun and Narsus. Gieve is a mysterious musician whom is surprisingly skilled in all aspects of combat, and does have his epic entrance when he spares one of the captured Marzban ending his suffering with an arrow to the head. Falangies was more of a convenient skilled members to join the group who already had sworn loyalty prior to joining Arslan, but we’ll have to see until we learn more about her character in the next season, if there is. Elam is helpful at times and uncovering little by little of the sub plot with Etoile but that’s really all he has offered as a character thus this entire season.

Now onto the main villain, Silver Mask, he’s quite a charming guy once you get to know him. He has a legitimate beef against Arslan and Andragoras III, the former king. Once he reveals who he is, it ushers quite a rush of both sympathy and excitement because of his contained backstory, however still mysterious as to what actually happened. While he has temporarily allied himself with Lusitania, he also has mysterious accomplices who support his goals, who use mystical powers in a world that probably doesn’t know or has forgotten of its existence. And because of that twist, I can’t wait to see what they will offer in the next season.

The art and animation is consistently well done. Though I do feel the CGI is quite awkward for the most part. It distorts the consistency in atmosphere when compared to the traditional drawn art. And for the most part, feels out of place. The animation is at its best when the fight scenes are shown. Daryun getting his adrenaline boost like I mentioned before had spectacular animation and it was just beast. As well as his fight against Silver Mask in the final battle. The clash of the sound of the swords feel so satisfying. It gets you drooling for more action. The movement of the characters in moments like this are a welcome joy and a pleasant viewing. It is the one of the most engaging aspects of the Arslan. The voice acting is well done. It captures the essence of war and battle, though from what we’ve seen in a minimal score. Though never dividing your attention to the details.The first opening fits with the series. It makes itself unique and at home with the show, the animated scenes and art captures the elements of the era the show takes place and its characters. The second opening felt quite generic for the most part. It used uninspiring shots and cliche that we’ve seen countless times in other anime. The endings for the most part are very hopeful. Let’s leave it at that.

Arslan is an underrated show, I believe it is, that deserves more attention for its engaging story and the mysteries that surround the phenomenal aspects in the world of Arslan. With that said, I say it’s time I give The Heroic Legend of Arslan a solid 8/10 with a Daryun seal of approval. While the cast as a whole is strong, none of the characters really stand out in face of the entire anime industry. The story has evolved into something I’m curious to see but not something I’d kill to know. The beginning starts off a bit generic but slowly becomes its own in a pleasant way. However even with that said, Arslan proves to be a great watch and something I can recommend if you’re into the clashing of swords and arrows piercing the flesh of soldiers fighting for their cause, whether it’s right or wrong. I’m off to work on my comic now