1. Time for Action
Ever since he was birthed from the crystal, Niko has had one singular goal in mind: to confront the wicked Nar Est and bring his rule of evil to an end. And now, in “From the Cursed Volcano to the End of Hope,” he’s finally arrived. But because this is a fantasy epic and there’s still one more episode to go in this season, nothing goes how any of our heroes had hoped.
Director Sun Jin Ahn front loads the episode with action, calling back to other beats and set pieces we’ve seen throughout Niko and the Sword of Light. And the Ahn who’s handling these sequences is much more accomplished and confident than the one who launched this series. So we have our confrontation and there’s a lot of emotion built up into it. The animators are able to bring out some genuine emotion from the material, making the inevitable first defeat all the more devastating for its young audience. As I’ve watched this show, I’ve been trying to keep in mind that younger kids are its intended audience. There’s a good chance this will be the first instance some of these kids will see these tropes. And it’s grown into a solid first introduction to the genre trappings.
Also, I think the animators were having a blast dismantling everything they’ve built up over the season. I’m sure this episode left some of its young audience an absolute mess.
2. Illuminating
“From the Cursed Volcano to the End of Hope” is a dark episode. Niko and Lyra spend the first two acts in the volcano and Ahn has all the light pulled away. There were times I thought it might have been too dark. It was difficult to make out where Lyra or Niko were in relation to the environment. However, when Niko attempts to defeat Nar Est, that bright, cutting light is blinding. It slices through the center of the screen. You understand why the animators made that choice.
The color work in the episode is altogether impressive. The way Nar Est’s red outline weaves through the darkness of the volcano. The evil glow that hovers over everything. For most of the series, the animators have relied on a magenta and pink palette for Nar Est’s stuff, but they go full crimson for this episode.
3. Wait, Who’s That?
In one of his many attempts to squash Niko, Nar Est throws the young champion into a bubbly pit. Niko protects himself with a bubble as he floats down, where he faces a giant evil eye who calls himself the very manifestation of darkness. “Nar Est is a puppet,” he says, tossing Niko around.
That’s a lot to introduce in such a short amount of time, this new big bad, this idea that Nar Est isn’t the ultimate form Niko must confront. I feel like the creators were laying the pieces in case they got a season season.
4. Layers and Layers of Bad Stuff
Like I mentioned, the crew on Niko and the Sword of Light took evident delight in steamrolling everything they built up. And I mean, that’s the basis of drama. Let’s just take a minute to review everything that’s dangling before the finale: Lyra gets trapped in a cage and Nar Est plans to torture her by turning her into an agent of darkness; the lost mythical kingdom I can’t spell or bother to look up has been corrupted, its inhabitants frozen, and that raven’s ready to eat them; Niko’s sword of light was taken from him by Nar Est and returned to the Dark Jewel, which granted Nar Est a physical form and allowed him to send out his army; the world has been overrun with these baboons whose major method of occupation is to go in and destroy everything; and Niko has been flung from the volcano, tossed off into lands unknown.
It’s so bad that Nar Est decides he’s about to go on a victory tour. I’m not sure if this detail is on the nose or a sly wink to let kids know what true evil looks like.
This is Niko and the Sword of Light we’re talking about, though, so that little bit doesn’t seem too out of place.
Continued below
5. Ready for the End
“From the Cursed Volcano to the End of Hope” does everything a penultimate episode of a potential miniseries ought to do. Up until now, Niko hasn’t really faced any direct challenges; most of what we’ve seen in terms of character growth has come through from Lyra. Instead, the show has concerned itself with having Niko be willing to open himself to the world, to take everything in, and make friendships with the various creatures he encounters. His mission might be one of violence but his journey is one of acceptance, tolerance, and justice. And that’s important for a show with this young of an audience to stress. And even though those of us who know stories, who are aware of the archetypes and conventions, who can see the last few minutes of this episode coming lightyears away, the show has allowed us to spend so much time with Niko it’s possible to be swept up in the scope of that lost shot.
Only one episode left of this season. Let’s see how the creators pull their ending off.
