So is this this series “the one”?  Is it the isekai LN that finally breaks past Hangu Pass and conquers the schedule?  It’s a bit early – way early, really – to say that.  I think Mushoku Tensei is probably the one that’s come closest (I made it through five episodes).  But there are some fairly positive signs here.  I don’t have as strong feelings either way about this series as I did with Mushoku Tensei at the same point, but my sense is that could end up being a positive factor.  Only time will tell.

This was my favorite episode of Saihate no Paladin so far, although it didn’t get off to an especially good start.  That whole sequence with the booze was intended to be a touching bonding moment, but the peeping thing was a silly and pointless distraction.  That and what followed the next morning were really the most implicitly “light novel” moments of the first three episodes.  Not that there’s anything wrong with tackling that particular (traumatic – even when he knows it’s coming, pun intended) moment in a boy’s life head-on.  It just wasn’t tackled in particularly elegant fashion.  And why is even drunk Will wanting to peep on his mummy, anyway?

At this point we get to the duel between Will and Blood.  Frankly I’m not really sure why this is even necessary apart from as a dramatic device – it’s not as though there’s any risk of either doing permanent damage to the other, or apparent stakes for winning or losing.  The most interesting part of this is Gus’ request to Will that he throw the match in a way Blood wouldn’t notice, because nothing that happened in this episode – which is a lot – explains that.  As is, Will just about bests Blood on sporting terms, though Blood’s experience and undeadedness allows him to prevail with a bit of trickeration.

At long last, then, we get the explanation both Will and ourselves have been waiting for.  After giving the boy the demon blade called “Overeater”, Blood proceeds to spin the tale – with Mary’s assistance – of the dead city, and of how Will came to live in it.  You knew there had to be a demon lord – this is an isekai after all – and a seal was going to be involved somehow.  Overeater, as it turns out, was that demon king’s blade.  And he now lies sealed beneath the city, over which the undead trio stand eternal watch as part of their contract with the evil God, Stagnate.

The real kicker of this story, more so than the battle with the demon lord itself, is that Will was originally brought to the city by demons in order to be a blood sacrifice to break the seal.  As such, it’s easy to understand why Gus would have been so reluctant to raise him at first.  He takes it well, largely I think because he suspected something in that broad vein.  The moment when Will finally calls these two “Mom” and “Dad” and Blood tells Will that he loves him is heartfelt and emotionally straightforward in a very un-anime way, and I approve.

Missing through all this emotional drama is Gus, but he makes his presence known when the avatar of Stagnate drops in for a visit and it becomes clear that this was all pre-arranged – the end of the contract, and goodbye forever.  Gus has other plans – he intends to sacrifice himself to allow Will and the others to escape, though as they’re bound to the dead city I don’t know where they’d go.  I also can’t yet make the connection between Gus’ request and this turn of events – maybe there’s something obvious I’m missing, though I imagine time will tell.

All along it’s been clear that Will would eventually become the titular paladin and leave the undead trio behind – the only question now is their fate when he does (I’m not optimistic).  With the demon king still alive the potential for somewhat more formulaic plot developments is a real danger, but we’ll see.  In the meantime this prequel was effective in a pretty understated way – I won’t say Will is a gripping protagonist so far (he’s a bit… flat, somehow) but his relationship with Gus, Mary, and Blood was quite relatable.  There are still quite a few hurdles to clear, but so far Saihate no Paladin hasn’t shown any signs of tripping itself up.