Jack of All Trades, Party of None 1×04 & 1×05 Review: ‘The Heroes Party Looks Back’ & ‘Bad Feeling Comes True’

Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime season 1 episode 4 ‘The Heroes Party Looks Back’ and episode 5 ‘Bad Feeling Comes True’ were about the Heroes Party making a grave mistake and putting the Silver Rabbits adventurers in trouble.

With the Heroes Party deciding to walk into the dungeon at the end of the previous episode, I was expecting them to bump into Orun, leading to a whole lot of emotions rushing out in front of Orun’s three students. However, what happened in ‘The Heroes Party Looks Back’ caught me pleasantly by surprise. Featuring some flashbacks, we got to see Oliver welcoming the new Enchanter named Philly Carpenter into their ranks. Apparently, she used to be a member of a party that had completed all 100 levels of the Western Great Dungeon. Oliver and most of the party were certain Philly was the missing asset they needed to complete the Southern Great Dungeon.

Oliver planned to test out their new teamwork by adventuring inside level 92 of the dungeon before making their way to level 94 and beyond. I liked how Luna stood up for Orun and couldn’t believe that the party had decided to kick Orun out while she was gone on an adventure for a couple of days. She knew the Heroes Party wouldn’t stand a chance, even with Philly, on level 92, because it had the Great Black Dragon as the Boss Fight.

Spending a lot of time with the Heroes Party in episode 4 helped flesh them out as characters, including their disdain for Orun. Along with calling him weak, Anneli brought up how Orun was stingy with the money they had earned. Her statements made sense, considering that Heroes were basically celebrities in such a fictional world, and Anneli, like most celebrities, wanted to enjoy their loot.

It was clear that Oliver, Derrick, and Anneli weren’t going to listen to Luna’s warning about the loss the party had suffered after kicking out Orun unless they got to experience defeat. And that’s exactly what episode 4 delivered. Even during a fight with a strong Mammoth-like creature, Oliver and the rest realized the fight wasn’t going in their favor. They were used to unleashing strong attacks and making quick work of their enemies. However, even with Philly on their side, their attacks felt heavy on their bodies and weaker.

The situation escalated when the Great Black Dragon decided to show up, and Oliver refused to retreat even though Luna warned they had no chance at winning without Orun. Apparently, it had been tough to defeat the dragon even when Orun had been there in the past.

The battle helped share more information about the world’s magic system. While Philly was an experienced Enchanter, it could take months for an Enchanter to figure out the right way to support party members during an adventure. Not only that, but buffing spells, while useful, had the side effect of leaving party members feeling exhausted, especially if they had high magic resistance like Oliver and his crew. The spells also didn’t last long.

Luna, having observed Orun’s work, was the one who had realized how he had managed to create an original type of Enchanter magic that worked well with high magical resistance party members. Instead of using buffing spells on people, Orun used to cast them on the weapons and shields, thus negating potential side effects.

Also, while experienced Enchanters could boost a stat by 10 times, Orun could boost stats up to at least 50 times. He’s basically a genius when it comes to understanding and creating magic systems. However, because his ways weren’t flashy and he didn’t seek attention, Oliver and the rest had failed to see Orun’s efforts in ensuring the success rates of their adventures.

There’s a lot of egos battling against each other, and I couldn’t help but smile when Luna brought up the fact that Orun being a part of their team had led to Oliver, Derrick, and Anneli becoming weaker instead of the other way around. Instead of being aware that Orun had been boosting their skills and abilities 50-fold all this time, Oliver and the crew thought they were responsible for the damage output they had been experiencing during fights with creatures, leading them to put even less effort behind their attacks than before.

For example, Oliver wasn’t charging his special ability long enough. Anneli had grown used to using simple and mid-level spells. Now, with Orun gone, the Heroes Party was quickly learning just how weak their attacks were against mighty foes.

Finally accepting they needed to retreat, Oliver used a Fickle Gate. From what I could understand, it’s an emergency escape, but it came with a risk as it essentially teleported you from one Boss Area to a random Boss Area. If you’re lucky enough, the Boss Area you teleported to would be easier compared to the one you escaped from.

However, before Oliver’s team could run through the portal, it expanded to allow the Great Black Dragon to fly through. Apparently, this was the first time Oliver and the rest had seen a Boss creature be capable of using a magical item.

Of course, with Orun and the Silver Rabbit members also inside the dungeon, it was obvious which level the Great Black Dragon was going to appear next in.

Episode 5 had the Heroes Party running to the Guild and requesting them to forcefully teleport all of the adventurers inside the dungeon away from danger. The Heroes Party was still responsible for dealing with the dragon situation they had caused, but for now, rescuing the other adventurers was a priority.

Seeing Luna stand up for Orun and speak her mind in front of Oliver, Derrick, and Anneli really made me like her. As I have mentioned in my previous episode reviews, I could see her and Orun being end game. As for Oliver, he refused to acknowledge Orun’s strength and was determined to prove he didn’t need Orun around. As I said, there’s a lot of egos butting heads right now. Also, Oliver’s a mess right now, even being okay with leaving an injured Derrik and Anneli behind. Dude, get a grip!

Talking about Orun’s dynamic with Sophia, Logan, and Caroline, he continued to train them. For Caroline, he brought up how she should focus more on attack patterns to prevent a foe from attacking. For example, humanoid creatures usually stepped forward before throwing a punch. Slicing at the leg would put a stop to that.

Caroline mentioned how she wanted to be the first to attack because she didn’t want to put her team members in danger. However, as Orun countered, putting herself in danger would lead to Logan and Sophia focusing on rescuing her while also trying to defend against foes targeting them. That’s why teamwork was important to cover each other’s backs.

A powerful man named Albert Sensible was brought up. A member of the Silver Rabbits, he had recently lost his life trying to save a comrade. I don’t know, but I think Albert might be connected to Caroline somehow.

As for Logan, he was interested in casting debuff spells. However, Orun warned against spending mana on such difficult magic. Apparently, debuff spells didn’t work well on higher-level foes. Logan needed to first become a lot more proficient at buffing spells before delving into the world of selecting which type of debuff would work on what type of opponent. Also, covering a party’s rear by setting Trap Spells could turn the tide of battle in your party’s favor and negate the need for debuffs.

Sophia was told to learn how to ready a bunch of spells together to avoid downtime between casting. Her sister was currently capable of preparing five spells simultaneously, and Sophia had the potential to reach such a level.

I liked how Orun’s teachings were showcased in Boss Battles with him, Selma, and his new party. It not only helped Sophia, Logan, and Caroline, but the audience as well, to see what he meant when talking to his students. Again, I don’t know if this fictional world is going to be revealed to be some kind of video game, but for now, I’m here for it feeling very D&D-esque.

With Orun having to fight the Great Black Dragon, I’m already excited about the next chapter. His newly created Impact spell allowed him to boost stats a whopping 100 times.

Did you watch Jack of All Trades, Party of None anime episodes 4 and 5? 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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