There is no greater display of how a king should act than in contrast to how one should not.
What They Say:
As Hilmes continues to pursue the treasured sword Rukhnabad, he comes across someone from his past. In the meantime, in Peshawar, King Andragoras sets Arslan a task that is seemingly cruel and impossible.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Despite having a mere eight episodes to work with, Arslan has suddenly found himself faced with the greatest roadblock on his path to kingship, courtesy of his dear father, a ruthless bastard who has violently stolen all that he now calls his own, his latest addition being his son’s potential. The series of largely speculative revelations regarding Arslan’s illegitimacy as a true heir comes back up, likely a major factor for Andragoras deciding to effectively kick him out of his own country.
On the other hand, we spend a good amount of the episode getting to know Hilmes as a person, before he became the Silver Mask that we’ve generally known him as. This is the first look at how this transformation occurred in such detail, down to the moment he donned the mask for the first time, a scene that admittedly overdoes the theatrics but still speaks to the torment within Hilmes more than any exploration of his character before this point. From the time we started to learn his identity and history, his motives were clear and Andragoras was easy to point to as the villain in his flashbacks, assuming the truth was well-represented. However, Silver Mask was the antagonist of the first season from beginning to end. If there’s one main aspect to differentiate this sequel from its predecessor, it’s that the theme seems to be blurring that line of which of the two of them are on which side in the current story, and likely switching the initial perceptions, although not necessarily all within this one short season. Hilmes is becoming a more and more sympathetic character, albeit one whose rage has undeniably driven him far from the path of heroism. Still, he displays enough qualities of a good person at his core to be closer to salvation than Andragoras, who has essentially been depicted as nothing more than a monster. Perhaps there’s more to him as well, but at the moment, there’s very little to get behind for that man.
Given the current relationship between Arslan and Hilmes, no great allegiance can be formed to take down Andragoras just yet, leaving Arslan to accept this twisted exile. However, perhaps the biggest theme of the series is Arslan’s potential for great leadership lying in his skills for gaining allies. Ironically, this would already make him a better candidate to succeed in the absurd goal the current king has laid out for him than most anyway, but it’s simply not something that he can possibly manage on his own. That means that the allies he has gathered up to now have to be what saves him from the solitude that would be his undoing. Arslan never settled for simply inheriting his father’s men, which ends up being very convenient when that father decides to cut his fake son loose and refuse to let anyone who he has authority over openly help him. That still leaves plenty of powerful warriors who Arslan can deeply trust, and even those who can’t directly accompany him are still supporting him with all their ability. Through this ordeal, Arslan display the true qualities of a king, unlike the brutal tyrant who currently holds and abuses that title.
In Summary:
It’s a twofold look at who the true villains of the story are, as we see Hilmes as a much more sympathetic character and Andragoras as nothing but pure evil. Arslan remains the symbol of good and peace for the future of the throne, so the story going forward is likely to focus a great deal on how he changes his perspective on each of these forces and moves forward from there.
Grade: B
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Roku 3, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.