Fantasy

Xylo Had a Fiance? NO, SERIOUSLY, HE DID!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Ani-Sunday, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 7 Review

Even before we learned about the traitors in the human ranks, I knew that it was only a matter of time before Xylo and the Hero Unit would have to face off against their own people. Xylo’s main goal in life is to find those who led to Senerva’s death and get revenge; it’s inevitable. However, I didn’t expect things to happen so quickly, but the fighting at Mureed Fortress has forced everyone’s hands. Now Xylo, Kivia, and the others have to stay away from the front to protect Teoritta. And in doing so, we get to meet more members of the Hero Unit, as we’ll see for our own eyes that Venetim’s story about demons disguised as humans was true.

Also, Xylo had a fiancé?!

Jayce Has RPG Protag Written All over Him

After defeating another Demon Lord at Mureed, Kivia visits Xylo in the hospital and lets him know that he and Teoritta are being benched. Not because they’re doing a bad job, but because they’re doing so well that the Coexisters want Teoritta dead. So to make sure they’re taken care, she’s having them pretend they’re on vacation to draw them out. On the plus side, this gives Xylo and Teoritta a chance to collect themselves, as well as give us a chance to meet another member of the Hero Unit. And he might be my favorite one yet.

Meet Jayce Partiract, a man who exudes main character energy. His spiky red hair alone makes him look like the protagonist of a JRPG, but then there’s the fact that he’s also a dragon rider. He loves dragons so much that he tried to free all the ones serving the kingdom, which led him to get the hero sentence. And the dragons love him for that, much to the dismay of his personal dragon, Neely. He’s smug, rude, and the first thing he asks of Xylo is to pay up for winning a bet about who could kill the most Demon Lords. If you dyed his hair blonde, he could pass for a Targaryen. But anyone able to befriend a dragon has to be tough, and he does come in handy at a critical moment in the episode.

The biggest surprise, though, has to be the visitor that Xylo gets, this priestly-looking woman named Frenci. She used to be Xylo’s fiance, but due to heroes being banned from marriage, it was canceled! She claims to be working on getting him pardoned, but meeting her is enough to make Teoritta jealous that the source of her headpats could get stolen. That gets superseded, though, by the reveal that Frenci is hunting another Demon Lord called Spriggan, who can disguise themselves as a human. So Venetim was right without even knowing it.

An Imposter Among us

This is a legitimately stressful situation. It’s bad enough the heroes have to look out for enemeis amongst their own, but if the demons can disguise themselves, it can make everyone seem sus. What’s worse, though, is the fact that Teoritta can’t use her powers on the humans she’s supposed to protect. And sure enough, both problems rear their head by the end of the episode.

Xylo and Kivia’s plan to draw the heretics out works as they, Teoritta, and Tsav are attacked in the market. To be fair, though, they were pretty sloppy in their methods, and they saw them coming easily. Once they drew them into an alleyway, though, they find themselves outnumbered by more heretics, including two assassins, Shiji Bau and Boojum. Jayce saves the day with Neely burning the rabble, but Shiji escapes. What’s more concerning, though, is Boojum? He took the flames head-on, and he didn’t flinch. And Teoritta notes how he felt different from the rest of the assassins.

It’s safe to say that Xylo found the Demon Lord Spriggan. But how are we going to deal with him? Questions for later. I’m still stuck on the fact that Xylo has a fiance!!!

I Give “Sentence: Feigned Day Off at Port City Ioff” a 4/5

All Hail King Norgalle!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep 3 Review

On the last episode of Sentenced to be a Hero, we got to see what Xylo and the hero unit’s missions are like when they’re not basically going AWOL. Xylo, Teoritta, this madman called Tatsuya, and this guy named Norgalle whose convinced he’s a king, all went on a mission to secure a mine. But when they discover demons infesting the place and a group of miners still trapped inside, what does Xylo do? Disobeys orders to rescue them, naturally. Which, to be frank, is a pretty heroic thing to do. And after this episode, I think that Xylo and the others deserve to be called heroes in the traditional sense, especially Norgalle.

Don’t Try to Die Nobly in Battle if you Can Avoid it

So, with the Holy Knights ordered to collapse the mines hanging over their heads, Xylo, Norgalle, and Tatsuya work to rescue the remaining miners. Teoritta is forced to stay behind due to Xylo refusing to unnecessarily put her life at risk. This ends up conflicting with Teoritta’s own willingness to do just that, not caring what happens so long as she does a noble death.

The entire theme behind this whole episode seems to be about how we view war and death in battle. Teoritta and Norgalle don’t seem to mind dying so long as they do so helping others live to see another day, which is an admirable mindset. That, and they think going out taking as many enemies as possible is a metal way to die. In contrast, we have Xylo, the weary war veteran who understands that once you’re dead, that’s it. Barring unnatural methods like what the heroes are sentenced to, and unless there’s an afterlife or reincarnation cycle, that’s the end. Even coming back like the heroes takes a toll on them, so death is still something to worry about. And after seeing what he has, Xylo refuses to let anyone die a pointless death.

Which is why, when Teoritta eventually chooses to ignore his orders to stay behind, he’s mad. But I can understand why she did it.

Never Abandon your Comrades

Anime has taught me a lot of things, but one big one is that if you have to choose between following the rules or breaking them to save lives, it’s better to break them. It’s why Xylo and the others went to rescue the miners, and it’s why Teoritta opts to do the same. But while Xylo is the one who agreed to this, it’s actually Norgalle who steps up in this episode.

I don’t know if Norgalle is actually a king or not, but even if he isn’t, he’s got the bearing of one. Whereas other monarchs would insist on staying behind the frontlines and act as if their life is more important, Norgalle is the kind of king who does the opposite. Je spends this entire episode putting the miners’ needs before his own, doing everything in his power to ensure they make it out alive and refusing to see them as expendable. Delusional or not, that kind of selflessness is endearing, and it inspires the miners to help fight back the demons. Which, by the way, were indeed created due to a Demon Lord brainwashing the other miners, much to Norgalle’s fury. His majesty’s best moment, though, comes when he chooses to cut off his own leg so he can stun the Demon long enough for Xylo to kill it. That is the kind of crazy that can get things done!

Thanks to the heroes and Teoritta, all the remaining miners are able to escape and return home to their families. And despite many still viewing them as scum, a small handful of them work up the courage to thank them. Scum or not, they saved people, and that is worthy of respect. Even Kivia stands up for them by saying they did the right thing. I don’t know if this will end up sticking or not, but if Xylo was able to change a small group of people’s minds, then maybe he can do it more and more until everyone sees him as the hero that Teoritta, and by extension, the audience, know he can be.

I Give “Sentence: Spearhead the Recapture of the Zewan Gan Tunnels 2” a 4/5

So this is Suicide Squad, But Cooler? I Like it!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Sentenced to be a Hero Ep 2 Review

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a group of convicts be used as cannon fodder by uncaring superiors, I’d have a few extra dollars. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird how I’ve seen it happen multiple times in fiction. That being said, Sentenced to be a Hero is looking to be one of the biggest anime of the season. People are praising it for the story, the animation, and the characters, and it’s not hard to see why. Mother’s Basement included it in his list of heavy hitters for the winter 2026 season; he nicknames it “Gantz of Thrones.” That’s incredibly accurate, in my opinion! The Heroes are people being used as fodder in a war they’re expected to die in, but can be brought back for more, and not all of them are mentally put together. But that won’t stop them from doing their job.

So, despite the premiere ending with Xylo getting arrested and accused of stealing Teoritta, he wakes up in a tent with nothing having happened to him. Which makes sense, considering how he’s already been sentenced to the worst possible punishment as eternal fodder in a war. Credit where it’s due, though: that knight Kivia does apologize for the accusation when they meet up later in the episode. But Xylo couldn’t care less, as he tells her point-blank that she wouldn’t have believed him anyway. He’s right; no one would believe him, so why bother?

What does surprise him, though, is the fact that Teoritta refuses to end their contract, despite knowing what he did…or was forced to do by his circumstances. Some would call her naive, but I see it as her being a good judge of character. Xylo may hide it underneath his bitterness, but he’s a good and decent person. If he wasn’t, then why would he make it his mission in life to find the people responsible for Senerva’s death? He’s such a good person that he’s ready to burn everything to avenge her.

Another Suicide Mission

Speaking of mission, the heroes get their next one: defeating some demons called faeries infesting the mines at a town called Zewan Gan. This is when we are introduced to two more heroes, and, in keeping with what seems to be the theme for them, they’re quite eccentric. There’s his majesty, Norgalle Senridge. He’s an expert in sacred seals and magic, but he’s convinced that he’s the rightful king of their nation and everyone are his subjects. I’d say he’s delusional, but I’ve seen crazier things be true, and he does look out for the others. There’s also his servant, Tatsuya. He’s been a hero for so long, he’s practically feral. It’s tragic for him, but it makes him super vicious in battle.

So, we’ve got a fallen holy knight, a thief, a coward, a delusional magic expert, and someone as feral as Ezekiel from Total Drama. This whole thing is reminding me more and more of Game of Thrones meets that Suicide Squad isekai from a few years ago, but better. Consider me invested in it.

At any rate, their mission is to seal up the mines and make sure the demons don’t get out. That is already a hard job. But to add an extra layer of tragedy, its revealed that the faeries they’re fighting were humans transformed into monsters. The heroes and holy knights are basically having to perform mercy kills. The mission gets complicated, though, when they find a survivor who says there are more deeper in the mines. Kivia has orders to collapse the mines, but Norgalle insists they save ‘his people.’ So what can they do?

You Can’t Ignore Being a Good Person

Xylo shows why he’s a good person once again when he tells Kivia “Screw it. I’ll go save them. If I’m not back in time, feel free to blow the place. Not like you’re going to lose anything valuable.” But as a precaution, he refuses to allow Teoritta to accompany him. Which means if they run into trouble, they’ll be at a disadvantage.

If the extra-long premiere was meant to serve as a first look at this world, then this second episode helps to flesh out the world. And once again, the animation is still gorgeous and I love it. I’m now fully invested into this series and I’m looking forward to watching it over the rest of the season. Next week, we’re likely going to see the heroes race against the clock as we see them try to live up to actual heroes. Bring it on.

I Give “Sentence: Clear the Zewan Gan Tunnels Part 1” a 4/5

Wow, Fohl Got Quite the Glow-up!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Rising of the Shield Hero S4 Ep 5 Review

Have you ever seen The Lion King before? Remember that climactic scene where Simba and Scar clash atop Pride Rock as the land burns around them? That was one of the coolest things that Disney did during the 90s, and throughout the duel of Fohl and Atla vs Jaralis, I’ve gotten similar vibes. From Fohl fighting to avenge his father to the fact that the three combatants are humanoid cats, it just feels so similar. And much like The Lion King, Fohl succeeds in his mission, while also getting a glow-up in the process.

Bad Kitty

After turning into a lion the size of a tank and calling his drugged-up followers, Jaralis goes from fighting a duel to attempting a coup and assassinating Naofumi. His thugs prove to be no match for the Shield Hero’s party, but the crazy thing is that they won’t stay down. They keep respawning, making them a major pain for Naofumi. Even worse, when Jaralis continues to lose to Fohl, he absorbs them into his body, turning him into a monstrous chimera. He starts to think that he’s a god who could conquer the world. In actuality, though, he’s only succeeded in outwardly becoming the monster he always was, and everyone knows it.

Naofumi, though, manages to put him in his place. Using his Shield and connection to Fohl, he gives the boy his own power-up, turning him into a full-on white tiger. Between him and his sister, they make short work of Jaralis, simultaneously avenging their father while also silencing any skeptics. Naofumi is the Shield Hero, and anyone who denies it is deluding themselves.

Fohl got a glow-up

The duel is thus over, and the leaders of Siltvelt keep their promise. The ship will be ready in three days. Truthfully, though, Jaralis had forfeited the second he called in his back-up and commit high treason. What was most puzzling, though, was that before he died, the lion mentioned how someone had given him the drug he used. Someone else had been pulling the strings, but at the moment, we don’t know who it is. Nor will we know anytime soon, as Q’ten Lo remains the priority.

Besides restoring their family’s honor, though, the biggest change from the duel is Fohl himself. Thanks to being half Demi-Human, when Fohl got his big level up, he aged into a teenager, showing how strong he’s gotten. In fact, Naofumi says that in his white tiger form, he’s stronger than Raphtalia and Filo! Sadly, the drain on mana means the form can only be used sparingly, preventing it from becoming a cheat code. On the plus side, though, the latter half of the episode sees Fohl and Atla returning to their childhood home and visiting their parents’ graves. Fohl sold it to pay for Atla’s medicine, but a friend of theirs kept it and is nice enough to return it. There, the group enjoys a home-cooked meal that fuses the best of Siltvelt and Melromarc together, a symbol of who Atla and Fohl are.

Time for the Truth

And since the anime isn’t going to say it, I’m going to rip the band-aid off: the Hakuko siblings mom, Lucia, was the younger sister of King Trash of Melromarc. For years, Trash thought that she had been killed while attending a supposed peace summit between Melromarc and Siltvelt. In truth, the whole thing had been set up by war hawks, and Lucia had somehow fled with Tyran’s son, their father. That led Trash’s hatred for Demi-Humans to boil over, hence why he treated Naofumi so badly. To him, Naofumi was a reminder of what he thought he had lost. But now that he knows that his sister had kids before she died, he has the chance to change for the better.

This entire part of the season has really been the story of Fohl and Atla. A good story knows when to develop its supporting cast, and that is pretty much what the Siltvelt Arc has amounted to. While it could’ve been done in a much shorter timeframe, though, I can’t complain about the results. From here on out, though, we’re focusing on Q’ten Lo. It’s time to settle things for Raphtalia, and I can’t wait to see what her ancestral homeland looks like.

I Give “White Tiger” a 4/5