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「四聖勇者」 (Shisei Yuusha)
“The Four Cardinal Heroes”
After misunderstandings and confrontations galore, the four heroes are finally working together. This could be a monumental development that will allow them to reach their full potential as a team, but for now, their alliance is admittedly tenuous, and according to Naofumi, undoubtedly temporary. We all know he’s a bit of a grumpy bear, though, so hopefully fending off a common enemy with his fellow heroes will warm him to the idea of future team-ups. To even say their cooperation is a miracle, though, is a massive understatement. The way these four bicker and cast blame amongst themselves, you’d think there wasn’t a Pope recharging the ultimate weapon with every intention of killing them standing nearby.
Speaking of His Grace, the weapon the Pope used to create that giant smoking crater is an amalgamation of the four heroes’ legendary weapons. It was said to have been lost, but this turned out to have been another lie that the Church has propagated for generations. During their search for answers, Ren and Itsuki happened to find a book on its creation which confirmed their suspicions that the Church couldn’t be trusted seconds before the trap that had been laid for them was sprung. Luckily, they were saved by one of the Queen’s Shadows. I’m sure no one was expecting them to die, but it’s still nice to be given something of an explanation, though how she managed to shield the entirety of Ren and Itsuki’s combined parties when Naofumi barely managed to fend off God’s Judgement the previous episode will forever remain a mystery.
Something interesting about the Pope, besides the fact that he looks like a kindly grandfather even when he’s calling down fire and brimstone from the sky, is the rhetoric he uses. By calling the Shield Hero a Devil, he is repainting the battle and those involved in black-and-white, an epic showdown between the unquestionably Good and unquestionably Evil. And his disciples listen to his every word, they rally behind this simple yet strong rhetoric, because as history has proven, it’s effective. Particularly for those who have lost faith in the current system and are desperate for something to believe in. Thanks to the antics of the heroes and Myne, there are villages filled with overtaxed and starving people, hundreds if not thousands of refugees, and as for the town that was poisoned by the dragon and the town that Motoyasu inadvertently cursed, those who survived will know that their misfortunes stemmed from the deeds of the heroes they were told would protect them. Although I’m sure the Church has been building up its followers for generations, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of them were recent recruits who joined as a direct result of the heroes and their mistakes.
Take Motoyasu for example. He’s so ridiculously self-absorbed that he shoved Naofumi out of the way to get back in the Pope’s direct line of sight. It was actually pretty amusing, as were Naofumi and his group’s expressions and commentary regarding the proceedings, so I’ll give this show another point for it’s visual comedy, but it also goes to show that Motoyasu is a glutton for attention. It’s a trait we’ve come to accept, although not necessarily a traditionally heroic one. None of the heroes really fit the idea of what they were supposed to be, and with the possible exception of those Naofumi helped, the people have stopped believing in them. And isn’t that just grand for the Church? It’s amazing how something as simple as splitting up the heroes from the beginning, then sending them out in the world with limited information, has led up to the events that are playing out now.
There’s still time to fix things, though. And it all starts with mending the very first bridge that was broken, even if it means putting the entire battle on hold so that Naofumi can thoroughly chew out each of the heroes. As satisfying as it was to see, couldn’t he have waited until after the battle? Or did he think Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki wouldn’t listen to him once they no longer needed his help, because… You know, that’s actually a valid concern. Still. It serves as a pretty good indicator that Naofumi is not solely unflawed. The narrative paints him in such a sympathetic light that trying to get a good grasp of those imperfections can be like swimming upstream, yet even with that being the case, one only has to look at Naofumi’s latest and greatest meeting with the king to see how anger can cloud his judgment. Though he may have very well refused to work with the other heroes out of hand if not for Fitoria, his decision to keep his promise to her tells us that Naofumi is learning from his past mistakes, as well.
Now, with them all on the same page at last, the way they should have been from the start, it’s time to find out what the Four Cardinal Heroes are truly capable of.
Preview
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teamwork yeahhhhhh. like that’s going happen again.
To Motoyasu at least the Pope is just a video game raid boss. If he even wants to be in the same room as Naofumi after this is over and Myne is back to whispering in his ear, I’ll be shocked beyond belief.
The pope is one of the coolest villians I have seen for a long time. I really like his attitude.
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
I understand this is a major turning point to the story, believe me after seeing this moment in the manga it was a huge step forward, but I feel the Anime is lingering on this moment too long. I don’t want the story to end here, there is another turning point pass the whole church fiasco. I hope the Anime gets to that point.
Yeah, this should’ve been a half-episode. If it takes the entire next episode to finally take this guy out, then someone really screwed up.
Recap episode done well haha
You’ve got a point there
Honestly, I think the explanation dialogue was way too short and
should have been much longer to allow the Pope and his following
enough time to recharge their mana for the coup de grâce attack.
I stopped taking the show in any kind of artistic seriousness
beyond it’s visual comedy narrative.
I don’t necessarily dislike it, just feel like it could have been
so much better. It’s like a lesson in how not to tell a story;
adding dramatic stuff to unimportant events in the story…
Maybe I’m being too hard — naw, don’t think so~
Despite its flaws in pacing and other production aspects, it’s been a pretty thoroughly entertaining series. It doesn’t seem to take itself all that seriously, and most of the time that’s to its benefit
One of the lessons Naofumi has to learn is working with imperfect allies. Look at WW2: allied side had haphazard collection of pacifists-turned-warriors (USA), old colonial powers (Brits and Free French), exiles form conquered nations (Free Polish and minor nations) and outright villain Stalin who just happened to have common enemy adter Barbarossa happened. Despite differences, squabbles and sometimes outright backstabbing, they have managed to defeat Axis.
If the Waves are to be defeated, the Heroes need to learn to work together, setting their fifferences aside for later even if not fully reconciling…
That’s true. They don’t even have to like each other to work together
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2004.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari/Tate%20no%20Yuusha%20no%20Nariagari%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
Why were those girls sitting down for so long, anyway? I never figured that one out
Reference to Turn-based RPG? It’s not yet their turn yet, so they decided to sit it out.
Shame the chewing out of his fellow heroes was so short…
They finally started to listen again instead of just hearing him and they just got told to stop messing up like the idiots they are, although i always struggled to take spear hero serious. He is supposed to be one of the strongest heroes, but he is more comic relief then even bitch.
Considering the time and place, it felt pretty long to me. All that time he spent lecturing them they could have been coming up with a plan
I think the key to Motoyasu is not taking him seriously. At all. I haven’t taken him seriously since Firo yeeted him out of Melromarc. Him working with Naofumi and the other heroes has the potential to earn him some respect, but he definitely needs to start contributing
With that said, though, whether he knows it not, Motoyasu did whittle down the Pope’s forces with his attacks
Also just noticed a funny difference thanks to another look at your screen captures.
Show Spoiler ▼
<—- Wasn't sure if it is supposed to be a spoiler so just in case.
Got to agree that Naofumi should’ve lashed out after the battle. His timing was just awful, would’ve preferred he acted like in the last boss raid, especially after his promise to Fitoria. First time I lost respect for him. Was secretly wishing Fitoria would drop by and eliminate them before the Pope could.
Enjoyed the comments from the girls though. Would really be interested to know what everyone else think about the other heroes party. Though bickering from all of those side characters would probably be rather chaotic.
There it is! Finally, we get some of the sweet, sweet, justice porn that the series has been building towards for 18 episodes. Fanboys can rejoice that their justice blueballs have finally been relieved. Of course, I didn’t expect it to happen in the middle of a major fight. I can’t tell if this decision was a misguided attempt at levity, or if the writing is just that braindead.
Regardless, this episode was completely boring and predictable, with no tension whatsoever. Next to nothing happened to advance the plot. The events from the last couple of episodes could have been compressed into an episode or even half an episode; but instead they’ve been dragged out to pad the runtime. This whole sequence with the pope is nothing more than a giant plot convenience to get all the heroes on the same page.
I wouldn’t blame anyone for saying this was a hole clip episode. But I suppose if Goku and Frieza can have the longest 5 minutes before a planet explodes, another anime can have a long winded conversation while the big boss waits for his turn to attack.