Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 Review: The Deadly Forest

Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 sees the sword roses, or half of them, go even deeper into the forest in the labyrinth. Let’s see if they survive the wilderness in this review! 

Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 Overview

Reign of the Seven Spellblades, or Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru in original Japanese, is an action and fantasy anime set on the backdrop of a magical world that is being produced by anime studio J.C.Staff. The studio is also known for producing and animating popular shows such as Toradora and One Punch Man. This episode is also known as Nanatsuma Episode 13.

The series is based on a light novel written by Bokuto Uno and Ruria Miyuki and is directed by Masato Matsune. He has been behind several smaller-scale productions before this, even directing shows like Megido 72 and Chronos Ruler. Click here to read the review of the previous episode in the series.

– Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru Episode 13 Review does not contain spoilers –

Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 Review- Noisy Forest

This was another setup episode in an episode that has almost too many of them. We’ve had 13 episodes so far, and most of them were spent building towards a certain battle that was a toss-up in whether they would manage to deliver a conclusive and satisfying episode that ties up a few loose ends while introducing exciting new plot points to follow in the future. Exactly one of them has ever done this successfully, and that was also solely because of the impact of the twist at the end of the episode.

Read More- Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 12 Review: The Final Cure

Thus, it is not a very smart idea to expect many things from the show at this point. It isn’t certain to disappoint, but there is a high likelihood that whatever it is building up towards does not match up to the multi-episode buildup that it gets. We are currently heading towards a climactic battle between Ophelia the succubus and the Sword Roses accompanied by Milligan. Could it be interesting and well-crafted? Sure, absolutely. Is it likely to be? That part is a little more doubtful. 

We saw some more workings of the combat system and the general worldbuilding of the show in this episode, as many more creatures than trolls and gremlins made it here to showcase the diverse flora and fauna in the lostlorn forest. Things of frightening strength that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a kid, thus giving credence to Milligan not wanting anyone weaker than the three strongest Sword Roses to accompany her inside. Katie and Guy were still there in spirit, although, to be honest, I am not exactly sad to see the back of Katie.

Read More- Zom 100 Bucket List of the Dead Episode 9 Review: Meeting The Parents

We also got some lore into what Ophelia’s life used to be like, which was fine, but I’m glad we got that solely because it gave another reason for the Reversi storyline from earlier in the series to make an impact. Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 had not one but two Reversis make a noticeable impact on how things are playing out at the moment. That certainly spices things up a bit, but not more than the indication that Oliver might, very soon, go on the hunt again and kill him a teacher.

Probably not in this season, which is a shame, but the show is moving along, at least. As Ophelia’s plan turns out to be more sinister and her powers more dangerous than we realised previously, maybe it was really dumb of Oliver not to heed her warnings. Still, for a fourth year, she is still insanely overpowered and sinister. What does that say about the characters who are even older and more experienced than her? Was Oliver killing a teacher an even bigger deal than we realised previously? I’m sure we’ll find out.

Verdict

Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 13 was a decent outing which had a lot of actions and worldbuilding that elaborated upon the danger that the main characters really are in.