The kingdom of Palse is in disarray after its ruler disappeared at the battle of Atropatene. Meanwhile, the Lusitanian army manages to take Ekubatana, the nation's capital. This is the first part of (so far) 6 OAVs chronicling the battles and trials that Arislan and his party go through in trying to overthrow the invading army and put Arislan on the throne. The animation in this first part is very well done, with a lot of detail put especially into the characters' outfits and jewelry. The background animation isn't quite so detailed being a bit foggily rendered but is still very nice and detailed. The soundtrack is also excellent with a good mix of martial music for the battles and more provincial music for scenes in the capital. The primary focus in this episode is on character introductions and the overthrow of the nation's capital. We're introduced to a wide range of people here: Arislan, Daryoon, Narsus, Elam, Pharangese and Gieve who make up the main characters as well as Hermes, Andragoras, Tahamenay, Jon Bodan, Inokentis VII, and the sorceror. On top of these people, Kharlan and Vaphreze who are killed in this episode are also notable and their names pop up subsequently. Despite the large number of characters introduced, the story proceeds at a good pace especially for something that is essentially an introductory episode on an epic style series.

The story centers primarily around the Crown Prince Arislan and his idealistic disposition. He's a touch naive and very trusting of his friends and advisors. At the same time however, people are a lot more willing to follow him since he is so naive and idealistic. The rest of the characters make a good mix between fighter types and advisors and are able to pull off seeming miracles from impossible situations. This episode is truly more of an introduction to the epic story which unfolds in the subsequent parts, and while not particularly deep, isn't for mindless hack and slash viewing either. The translations for this episode have so far been decent. Now if only they will release episodes 5 & 6...
- JYN