Review of Banished From The Hero's Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside

Spoiler Warning: I swear anime titles are getting even more of a mouthful to say. Banished from the Hero's Party (etc.) is an underrated fantasy anime that doesn't feature any isekai aspects. This mix of action and slice-of-life was unique since most anime in the fantasy genre rarely touch on the concept of a slow and quiet life these days. However, that doesn't mean that they don't work the combination of those genres made this series enjoyable. With those in mind, these are the parts of the anime that I liked and what could've been improved more. The plot focused on two stories at once, the Heroand her former party member living their lives. Even though the main protagonist got kicked out of the hero's party, I like how they managed to supplement it, showcasing how he focused on his retirement from his heroic life after getting banished. From that beginning, the story introduces the other central female protagonist, and things start to get interesting there. Eventually, the hero's journey and the couple's developing relationship merge into one story. I loved how they managed to do that, but the pacing for those events seemed off at times, especially with the action scenes, and it left out a bit of detail from the source material. There were some unanswered questions left out from the thirteen episodes, and I wished they could've covered most of those parts of the anime. Nevertheless, the slice-of-life features can be considered the best aspect of this series.

In terms of the story, it's simple, from the long title. The main protagonist got banished from the hero's party, so he decides to live a quiet life in the countryside for his retirement. Throughout the thirteen episodes, the primary focus was the protagonist taking his banishment into stride and eventually getting to live with a beautiful warrior who wanted to be with him. Soon, their relationship blossomed quickly, and the two reunited with the hero, who's also the protagonist's sister. Overall, the story of Red and Ruti was an intriguing part of the series, as it reminds me of a double-sided story eventually merging into one whole plot in total. Once again, it's rare for fantasy anime to also be a slice-of-life series, but it works out so well. I enjoyed how they eventually reunited with each other and let the hero be free. However, the only part that I didn't find most of the action scenes enjoyable, as they were underwhelming at times, and the time I got to know the main couple made me look forward to their wholesome story than any more exciting parts.

For the characters, I loved seeing the relationship between Red and Rit getting developed at a nice pace throughout the episodes. I'll be entirely honest, I felt kind of jealous at the chemistry they had, and it reminded me that single, but I still liked their relationship. You can say that their love is the one thing that kept the interest in this anime alive. In terms of character development, Ruti had the best one in the series. It's a nice change to see that the hero needed to save the world doesn't want to be that person, and I'm so glad that Ruti achieved freedom from her blessing in the end. The character design is generic to other fantasy anime, as it features goblins, elves, and even hybrid monsters, which is nothing new to me. However, one of the character designs was changed from the manga from a demonic woman to a goat, and I felt disappointed how they made that decision. Overall, the characters were very endearing, and seeing how much impact they had on Ruti and how the Red's influence is crucial to her life was bittersweet. Red and Rit are definitely in the contender for best anime couple of fall season. And it was surprising to see their relationship eventually reaching to doing the deed, which is rare for me in other anime.

My one main criticism is the quality of the animation. I understand that a slice-of-life series wouldn't be too flashy, but the action scenes are another story. I've never heard of the studios that animated this series, but the fight scenes were too underwhelming to me. The fluidity for those action scenes got cut into slideshow animation at times. But not as much, but this adaptation got created that way due to the budget for the series. Ironically, the slice-of-life moments between Red and Rit were oddly well animated, which is strange, but I didn't complain about it at all. If this anime gets a second season, I hope the animation quality can improve, even if it's a tiny bit of it.

The soundtrack for this series is generic. As someone who watched tons of fantasy anime, it's nothing special at times. For both the opening and the ending song, they both match the theme of the anime. Just listening to those songs put me at ease, and I loved how it sets the tone for what to expect for each episode. The opening described how Red and Rit will get to experience the start of a new day while living with each other. The ending felt like the end of the day, and the main couple will eventually take it easy for the remainder of their time together. If this series had more action, then those songs would be out of place with the vibe of the anime. In short, the music was a nice change of pace to the other anime music I've heard this season.

Overall, Banished from the Hero's Party is an underrated fantasy anime that did a great job developing the relationship between Red and Rit. It also did a great job portraying Ruti's character development, allowing her to achieve freedom from her Hero's Blessing. The soundtrack and animation isn't the best part of the anime, but I still enjoyed how decent it was, and there is still room for improvements in those aspects. I'm relieved that this series isn't an isekai because I'm starting to get tired of watching many of those despite them being goated. The mix of fantasy and slice-of-life genres in this anime is well done. From how Red and Rit's relationship got further, I'm interested in a second season to see how the story will progress from there.