Jack of All Trades, Party of None 1×02 and 1×03 Review

Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime season 1 episode 2 ‘No Going Back for the Jack-of-All-Trades’ and episode 3 ‘The Jack-of-all-Trades Speaks of His Ideals’ were all about introducing the audience to Orun’s dynamic with the trio of fresh adventurers he’s now in charge of.

After enjoying the premiere episode of Jack of All Trades, Party of None, I was hoping for the upcoming couple of episodes to be good enough to keep my interest. And I’m glad that both episodes managed to keep me engaged and left me excited about next week’s chapter.

With Orun agreeing to take on the job to join a bunch of experienced Heroes to escort a whole bunch of fresh adventurers all the way to floor 51 of a dungeon, I was expecting more answers about why the Silver Rabbits were interested in going on such a mission in the first place. Even though Orun didn’t get the answers he was looking for, I liked how he was aware that something didn’t feel right. Getting to floor 51 in only three days didn’t make sense to him. Also, why involve inexperienced heroes-to-be in such a mission?

Frankly, I don’t expect this particular anime to feature the most well-written mystery or plot twist concerning the current mission, but I do hope we get an explanation soon, especially with the group about to reach floor 51.

Coming to the first day of their mission in episode 2, it made sense for Selma to use Orun’s presence to boost morale. He was a member of the Hero Party, with the Hero Party having made its way to level 94. With Orun by their side, reaching level 51 should be a piece of cake. I liked how Orun felt uneasy while hearing Selma’s words, knowing that he had been kicked out of the Hero Party and how his departure hadn’t been made public yet.

The party Orun’s supposed to mentor included Logan the Enchanter, Caroline the Defender, and Sophia the Mage. Of course, the writers gave the trio strengths and weaknesses. After all, this is a fantasy RPG-inspired anime. Logan was skilled but had low stamina, currently only capable of using three spells at once. He also needed a lot of experience when it came to giving orders during the heat of battle. Caroline was a Defender who liked dodging attacks instead of blocking them. This also led to Caroline not being interested in wearing heavy armor that other Defenders wore. Sophia was powerful, but she was hesitant about her own skills during battle.

Orun handled the trio well. They were receptive to his expertise due to his being from the Hero Party. However, with news about Oliver having replaced Orun hitting the local news the next day, I was quite interested in seeing the team’s dynamic change.

Episode 2 did have Luna, another member of the Hero Party, show up to ask Orun to come back. Apparently, she had always been kind to Orun and, from what I could tell, he, Luna, and Oliver knew each other since they were kids. If I were to theorize about possible romantic couples, I can see Orun ending up with Luna down the line. However, we are far away from such a point in the narrative. Currently, the story’s focused on Orun feeling hurt over Oliver’s betrayal.

I liked how Orun stood up for himself in front of Luna. There was no reason for him to return to the Hero Party if others, especially Oliver, weren’t the ones asking him to come back. Only having Luna defend him would be embarrassing. Not only that, but Orun knew the Hero Party wouldn’t be able to proceed beyond level 94 without him. Yeah, I’m here for Orun being petty. His emotions felt real to me.

Episode 3 involved the younglings whispering about Orun being an ex-member of the Hero Party, especially with how the news mentioned Orun was kicked out due to being weak. Selma did manage to handle the situation when she brought up how a “weak” Orun still managed to reach floor 94 and how he had kept the younglings safe during their mission without breaking a sweat. While Sophia and Caroline were okay with Orun continuing to be their guide, I liked how Logan still harbored doubts, especially with how he and Orun were both Enchanters.

However, Logan’s doubts were put to rest after he saw Orun in action when their party faced a Death Tarantula. Not only did Orun give effective orders to ensure victory, but he also used his Enchanter skills to sharpen Caroline’s blades even though he was supposed to operate as a swordsman. On that note, Logan also remembered how Orun had easily cast an Agility Down spell on an opponent. Apparently, the Agility Down spell or Debuff spells were the type even highly skilled Enhanters such as Selma avoided using due to the spell’s complexity.

And after Sophia talked about Orun mixing his Enchanter spells with his Swordsman skills to make quick work of a group of orcs when saving her, Logan’s all about learning as much as he can from Orun.

I’m just hoping nothing bad happens to the trio as they travel deeper into the dungeon. From how the narrative handled the battles in the two episodes, I don’t think this world is a video game where death is temporary. So yay to that. But also, death is permanent, and severe injuries can occur. So, boo!

Episode 3 ended with the Hero Party, having replaced Orun, walking toward the dungeon. They were going to try to surpass floor 94. According to Orun, Oliver’s always been hasty. That’s why I expect things to go awry, and Orun needing to step in to save Oliver and the crew. Again, I just hope the young trio doesn’t get injured.

We also got some backstory about Orun always wanting to be a swordsman. While talking to Defenders Anthem and Bernard, Orun revealed how his grandfather was a swordsman who saved their village from a giant beast. I mean, I get Orun’s inspiration, but sometimes what you have dreamt of achieving isn’t always the best for you. Orun’s got genius-level skill as an Enchanter. I’m interested in seeing how Orun will come to realize what actually works best for him as an adventurer.

What did you think of Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime season one episode 2 and 3?

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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