Jack of All Trades, Party of None 1×06 & 1×07 Review: “Overcomes His Limits” and “Follows His Feelings”

Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime season 1 episode 6, ‘Overcome His Limits’, and episode 7, ‘Follows His Feelings’, focused on Orun’s resilience to keep the new adventurers safe as well as make a decision about his future.

Due to the giant Black Dragon showing up above Orun and the Night Sky Silver Rabbits adventurers in the previous episode, ‘Overcome His Limits’ offered an enjoyable action-packed chapter with Orun doing whatever possible to ensure no one got hurt. With the Heroes Party being responsible for the dragon teleporting to the lower floors, I was expecting them to appear just in the nick of time to not only witness Orun holding his own against such a powerful foe, but for some of them (at least, Luna) to offer some kind of assistance.

However, the creative team had other plans. As the battle commenced, I realized that the title of the episode had indeed been literal. The current confrontation was all about Orun overcoming his limits to solo the dragon, even though the battlefield had experienced adventurers, including Selma, who could have done something to help Orun.

While the action choreography was handled well, I have to say that Orun ordering Selma to stay back didn’t feel right to me. I understood where he was coming from. Being an Enchanter, Orun wanted to focus on the Buffs he cast on himself without having to calculate the limits of the Buffs Selma would have cast on him. However, I do think that Selma should have been allowed to participate in the battle in some capacity instead of simply standing to the side and thinking about how weak she was as an Enchancer compared to Orun.

Heck! I would have been okay with Selma creating a ditch to throw the dragon off balance, cause some kind of distraction for Orun to land a hit, or at least showcase her ability to protect her students from an incoming attack. Anything!

I get that Orun is the main character, but the anime glazed him too much during the fight. Yes, defeating the dragon was incredibly difficult, with Orun needing to be quick on his feet. But witnessing Orun managing to kill such an OP foe alone was a bit too much for me. A simple healing spell from one of the other adventurers to have him back on his feet after withstanding a couple of hits would have nice to see.

Narratively, it was explained how witnessing Orun soloing the Black Dragon was supposed to serve as motivation for the likes of Sophia, Logan, Caroline, and even Selma to grow a lot stronger so they could one day join Orun during battle, but realistically (yes, I’m aware this is a fictional anime!), I highly doubt any other character would ever come close to the power levels Orun displayed against the dragon.

The fight helped share more information about the world’s magic system. Though rare, some people and creatures were born with Special Abilities. One such Special Ability, called Magical Convergence, granted the user the power to condense surrounding magic. The Black Dragon condensed magical energy to shoot projectiles in various directions. Oliver’s Divine Flash was similar, allowing him to charge his weapon to release a powerful blast. Orun used his Special Ability, the same as Oliver’s, to gather magic into black solid discs, which he could use to move around more freely during battle. Not only that, but Orun could also condense pure magic into a giant sword. Of course, using Magical Convergence in such a manner took a toll on Orun’s body. So, he had to make sure his sword attack killed the dragon.

Along with using Magical Convergence, Orun continued to cast more original spells and demonstrated his skill at casting Buffs deemed impossible by other Enchanters. Orun could buff himself about 32 more times than the normal limit, a feat no one had ever heard about or seen before.

Again, while the battle sequence was cool, having Orun pull out trick after trick was a bit too much. He kept talking about how his body was being put through the wringer due to simultaneously using all his spells, and yet we didn’t see much of a toll other than Orun feeling tired for a couple of seconds before heading right back into the thick of things as if nothing had happened. Like, the dude didn’t even fall unconscious after he won.

Orun’s fighting demeanour was so heavy with main character energy, it’s kind of hilarious.

That’s why I prefer the quieter moments where Orun’s all up in his feelings about being kicked out of his OG party by one of his best friends. I also like Orun when he’s mentoring the young adventurers instead of handling every threat by himself.

With the dragon finally defeated, ‘Follows His Feelings’ focused on the aftermath. The Heroes Party arrived at the dungeon just to be surprised by Orun having managed to slay the dragon alone. Luna rushed forward to heal Orun, but nopes, MR. MAIN CHARACTER stopped Luna and asked her to take care of the cleanup instead. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the screen.

Anyway, Luna taking Derrick down a few pegs when he tried to throw a tantrum over Orun’s victory made for a fun moment. She used an immobilization spell that seemed to call upon a magical creature, whom she simply called Pixie, to stun a target. It was nice to see how Luna, a healer, could also fight back.

Wanting Orun to join the Night Sky Silver Rabbits guild, Selma asked Orun to meet with the guild’s boss. The offer not only invited Orun to join the guild but also gave him the rank of Lieutenant. Orun asking for more time to think about the proposal made sense.

I appreciated Orun’s conversation with his old shopkeeper friend. Orun didn’t want to rush into things, especially having been exiled from the Heroes Party a couple of days ago. Orun’s insecurity about possibly being “used” again made sense. It was a human response. People don’t want to relive traumatic events.

However, it was clear he would end up joining the guild after seeing how eager Logan, Sophia, and Caroline were for him to do so. Orun would be around people who looked up to him. Apparently, if Orun had refused to join, the trio would have left the guild to become his students.

Another enjoyable moment involved Orun being asked to sit with the Council to talk about the Heroes Party’s role in releasing the Black Dragon. I had been waiting for Orun to stand up to Oliver, and I’m glad that ‘Follows His Feelings’ had him do just that. Oliver, Derrick, and Anneli still refused to give Orun the respect he derserved as doing so would mean finally accepting their weaknesses. And though I’m not sure if they will ever change their ways, kudos to Orun for giving them a piece of his mind, and that too in front of the Council.

As I said, the more character-centric moments are what I savor the most when it comes to an anime like Jack of All Trades, Party of None, compared to the Orun-hype battle sequences. Our lead has been going through a lot of feelings and was heartbroken. Unfortunately for Orun, he just can’t address such issues with a spell or two. That’s why I’m looking forward to Orun’s personal journey after joining the Night Sky Silver Rabbits at the end of ‘Follows His Feelings’.

Did you watch Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime season 1 episodes 6 and 7? What did you think of them?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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