Saihate no Paladin Review – A Hidden Gem

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Saihate no Paladin was unexpectedly good for me. I was expecting generic isekai/fantasy when I went in but, what I got was much better. Sure, the series is not perfect but it knows how to make a very strong first impression and then stick to it. Saihate no Paladin will probably go under a lot of people’s radars; which is very sad because this anime is actually pretty good.
I just watched episode 12 and I love the series. Although I will say this, the first 5 episodes are still the best. The rest of the season doesn’t manage to catch up to the flow and insanity of the first 5 episodes. It is a good isekai nonetheless so let’s talk about it in more detail. There are very minor spoilers ahead but, still, be careful.

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Plot

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Saihate no Paladin is more on the fantasy side than the isekai side because the isekai part is kind of like a backdrop and even if you removed it; the series will still be the same. It follows Will who is reincarnated in an isekai and is raised by undead parents. They teach him all the basic stuff like fighting, hunting, etc. so that he may live on his own. Will does leave at the end of episode 5 and a lot of things happen before that, which are better seen than told. So I won’t spoil it.

After Will leaves though, Saihate no Paladin becomes a typical fantasy anime except for Will’s goal and his motivations. Nothing measures up to the first impact of this series though because the first 5 episodes are really well-paced and it is one twist after another and another. Another thing I want to praise about Saihate no Paladin is the world-building and the very unique magic system. I love how those things are done.

Characters

Will and the people he meets for the most part are pretty generic nothing too great. Will’s parents though are so well written. Even though they are undead, you can relate to them and they show human behavior because they were former humans as well. Saihate no Paladin doesn’t have that many characters as of now so it treats everyone rather well. Will maybe you generic good guy MC but as I said his goals and the why he chose those goals are very interesting and different.

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Animations and Soundtracks

Saihate no Paladin’s animations may be pretty decent but, the art style and design stuff are really awesome. I love the character design. The skeletons look so good and even the undead parents have really unique and good-looking designs. +1 Point in animations for all those awesome characters and monster designs. The soundtrack side though is nothing special. The opening and ending themes are pretty standard and somewhat catch but, that’s about it.

Conclusion

My final scores for Saihate no Paladin are:
– Plot – 8/10
– Characters – 7/10
– Animations – 7/10
– Soundtracks – 6/10
– Enjoyment – 8/10
– First impression – 11/10
– Overall – 7/10

Saihate no Paladin is a pretty entertaining anime that is for sure so it is really a shame that nothing in this season can catch up with the first 5 episodes. I am really hoping that if this anime ever gets a sequel, it can catch up to that opening arc. Still, I love this anime’s world-building and am definitely interested in seeing more of it. That concludes my review and with that said, I’ll take my leave here. see ya!

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