The Beginning After the End episode 12 (finale) review: Storyline carries A-CAT’s lackluster animation until the end

The Beginning After the End episode 12 (finale) premiered on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 11:30 PM JST. This final episode of Saikyou no Ousama, Nidome no Jinsei wa Nani wo Suru? brings major narrative junctures as Arthur's journey as an adventurer officially begins.

Assigned as a B-Class adventurer, Arthur continues to grow alongside Jasmine, with the finale concluding in a two-year timeskip that shows him turn out as a powerful masked swordsman. The finale delivers solid story progression, introducing key characters and setting up future plotlines.

Despite the consistently mediocre animation and visual quality throughout the season, the engaging storyline stands out as the series' strongest asset, effectively maintaining interest and bringing the season to a somewhat watchable close.

Although even there, noticeable alterations held back the full potential of the narrative, with changes that, if handled more faithfully or effectively, could have significantly elevated the storytelling.

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The Beginning After the End episode 12: A brief synopsis and narrative criticism

Arthur in his mask in The Beginning After the End episode 12 (Image via Studio A-CAT)

The Beginning After the End episode 12 centers on the start of Arthur’s journey as an adventurer, highlighting his growth and setting the foundation for what lies ahead. As the season finale, it introduces important new characters and key story developments, ultimately culminating in a two-year timeskip that reveals Arthur’s evolution into the masked swordsman.

Titled "The King’s Departure," the finale opens with Arthur and Jasmine arriving at the Xyrus branch of the Adventurers' Guild for Arthur’s rank assessment. To avoid attracting attention from the royal family and endangering his loved ones, Arthur dons a mask and uses the pseudonym "Note."

With a recommendation from Jasmine’s influential father, Arthur is allowed to skip the written exam and head straight to the practical evaluation. He’s introduced to Kaspian Bladeheart, the Chief of the Guild's branch and an AA-class adventurer. As they head to the exam hall, Arthur comments on Sylvie’s newly discovered ability to subtly change her appearance.

Arthur vs. Kaspian (Image via Studio A-CAT)

Inside the hall, Arthur watches other examinees go first. Elijah Knight is immediately ranked B-class without testing, drawing murmurs from the crowd. Next, Lucas Wykes, a half-elf, displays overwhelming firepower but loses control. When he lashes out at an examiner, Arthur intervenes, stopping the attack. Lucas is labeled B-class and removed from the hall.

Arthur’s turn arrives, and Kaspian personally takes on the role of his examiner. Their intense clash is briefly shown before cutting to Arthur receiving his B-Class adventurer card.

Later in The Beginning After the End episode 12, in a discussion among the examiners, it’s revealed that recent political shifts have lifted restrictions on dwarf and elf adventurers in Sapin Kingdom, leading to a wave of powerful young adventurers. Elijah, a human raised in the Dwarven kingdom of Darv, is speculated to be a diplomatic envoy. Kaspian notes that while Arthur’s fire magic is impressive, his swordsmanship stood out more.

Arthur sees King Grey's visage (Image via Studio A-CAT)

Meanwhile, Elijah praises Arthur for stepping in earlier, stating he’d have done it if Arthur hadn’t. Lucas intervenes and confronts Arthur, but backs off when they attract attention. Jasmine later brings Arthur to a beast pasture, their actual destination lying a day beyond. En route, they encounter an aggressive, non-native monster.

Realizing it was captured alive but escaped, they brace for battle. Jasmine tells Arthur to flee, but he stays, saving her. He then gets a vision of King Grey, whose strategic advice helps him calm down and single-handedly strike down the beast with his blade, Dawn’s Ballad.

Later, Jasmine opens up about her past, sharing how her family saw her as a failure and how becoming an adventurer gave her purpose and found family in the Twinhorns. Arthur empathizes, recalling how he too was often seen as a failure in his past life. Inspired by those he’s grown close to in this world, Arthur resolves to change and grow, not just in strength but in character.

Arthur and Jasmine with Elijah and Lucas in The Beginning After the End episode 12 (Image via Studio A-CAT)

In the closing moments of The Beginning After the End episode 12, Tessia watches Arthur through a magic crystal, growing jealous of the woman beside him. Virion, noticing her distraction, encourages her to grow as well and hands her a book.

In a post-credit scene, the story jumps two years into the future. Rumors swirl of a powerful masked swordsman, Arthur, as he continues his journey as an adventurer alongside Jasmine.

The Beginning After the End episode 12 continues to highlight Arthur’s character-driven journey with an engaging, if somewhat rushed, narrative. His growth remains central, supported by key plot developments, character introductions, and emotional beats that give the episode weight.

Elements such as Elijah and Lucas’ debut, Jasmine’s backstory, and Arthur’s emotional maturing add meaning to the story. However, notable deviations from the webtoon and web novel hinder the storytelling's full potential.

The anime omits crucial plotlines from the source material, particularly events involving Arthur and Sylvie during their time at the beast pasture (referred to as the "beast glade" in the original).

A young Jasmine in The Beginning After the End episode 12 (Image via Studio A-CAT)

Instead, it introduces an anime-original boar-monster fight scene while reducing the impactful Arthur vs. Kaspian fight to brief flashbacks, undercutting the significance of his evaluation and the depth of his progress and missing out on some enjoyable fight scenes.

These choices led to a story that felt unevenly paced and occasionally disjointed. With more faithful adaptation and better narrative direction, the episode could have achieved greater cohesion and payoff to the source.

Still, the compelling premise and strong character foundations manage to keep The Beginning After the End episode 12 watchable, and the narrative remains the strongest element of this finale, closing out the first season on a moderately enjoyable note.

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The Beginning After the End episode 12: Animation and an overall production criticism

The CGI monster in this episode (Image via Studio A-CAT)

Studio A-Cat delivers a visually mediocre finale with The Beginning After the End episode 12, maintaining the show’s consistent reliance on narrative strength to carry it through. While the episode maintains the story’s momentum, the production quality remains underwhelming overall.

Visually, episode 12 shows slightly smoother animation and fewer instances of the much-criticized "slideshow" presentation, for the most part. However, it still struggles to meet fan expectations, particularly during action scenes.

Arthur after the timeskip (Image via Studio A-CAT)

The decision to relegate the Arthur vs. Kaspian fight to brief flashbacks feels like a missed opportunity; what little was shown hinted at more refined sword animation that deserved a full showcase. Outside of combat, the visual storytelling fares better, though the return of clumsy CGI in the boar-monster sequence disrupts the episode’s visual cohesion.

This anime-original monster fight not only feels visually out of place but also narratively unnecessary, with its only redeeming aspect being Arthur’s use of Dawn’s Ballad. On the audio front, the voice acting remains strong across all characters, and Keiji Inai’s music does its part to elevate the overall impact, adding polish where the visuals fall short.

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Final thoughts

In the end, while the animation continues to lag behind the story, The Beginning After the End episode 12 manages to stay engaging with its narrative, voice performances, and music.

The season finale effectively delivers important developments that set the stage for Arthur’s continued journey as an adventurer, leading into the timeskip and what’s to come in season two.

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