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The Goblin Slayer Controversy
While we at Backlog Bebop strive to focus on series that you might have missed, tropes or themes that are prevalent across the ages, and manga chapters that we are passionate about, there are times that addressing current events is appropriate. In this case, the issue that I will be talking about concerns an anime that I am actually enjoying (despite having read the manga up to what I presume will be covered by the adaptation): Goblin Slayer. In particular, Goblin Slayer has been an extremely controversial topic in the anime community as a whole for the gratuitous violence, sexual acts, and plots that go counter to most isekai (or different world) series presented in its first episode. What I would like to do is explain why the issues leading to the controversy aren’t new ones, why people might be just now starting to take notice, and the issues I have with people criticizing Goblin Slayer for the aforementioned reasons.
The Subject Matter Isn’t Anything New
Gratuitous violence, sexual acts, and the taking of one’s innocence physically and mentally: I’ve seen all of these factors cited as reasons why Goblin Slayer is a “bad” show and shouldn’t be watched. I’ve seen people be called scum for enjoying it and I’ve seen a split in the community over whether or not people watch should the show. My question is this: Why is this now suddenly an issue? After all, various series have done worse, shown worse, and focused on worse yet such series have also garnered widespread praise. Devilman Crybaby, for example, was heralded by many as being a return to an older style of anime and a masterpiece of the modern age despite the over the top slaughter, intense sexual encounters, and an immense feeling of hopelessness and despair. On a smaller note, Valvrave the Liberator depicted rape and sexual acts perpetrated by teenagers as a means to gain power and control over peers. Many might claim that these shows’ aesthetic and presentation isn’t grounded in a more realistic approach, lending to a feeling of disconnect, but what about other, more acclaimed series? Berserk saw the main character, Guts, betrayed by his friend and leader, Griffith, through the sacrifice of all of his comrades and the defiling of his love interest Casca. Berserk, for what it is worth, is set in a more realistic fantasy world similar to Goblin Slayer. Likewise, the alien-hunting show Gantz was filled with over the top action and sexual encounters while still focusing on a realistic presentation. Furthermore, Neon Genesis Evangelion was filled with sexual themes and scenes of varying degrees amidst battles of exploding angels and grotesque bio-mechanical robots. Even western media, illustrated perfectly by the Game of Thrones series, has been more than happy to embrace a more carnal side of storytelling. The point I’m making here is that Goblin Slayer’s violence, sexual content, and hopelessness have all been done before and have all been shown in way worse ways. Why, then, is it catching so much hate?
Goblin Slayer is a quality show at the Forefront of a Widespread Streaming Giant
A reason that I believe greatly contributes to Goblin Slayer’s notoriety is the fact that it is the first show of its quality to be heavily featured, hyped up, and promoted on a premiere streaming anime site (not sponsored by Crunchyroll btw). Look at the examples I gave before: The original Berserk aired in an age where streaming was non-existent and anime hadn’t quite caught on while the new Berserk was dismissed by many on account of its terrible CG animation; Evangelion follows the same distribution of Berserk; Devilman Crybaby was aired on Netflix, a site many do not go to for anime; Valverave the Liberator was a small mech series that appealed only to a niche audience; Game of Thrones is on a premium channel (HBO) and can easily be monitored by adults. The fact of the matter is that Goblin Slayer, being pushed hard by the Crunchyroll media machine, got a lot of attention and probably drew in the isekai (again, different world) crowd used to more cookie-cutter heroes, themes, and harems (sorry Sword Art Online Fans). Such fans likely weren’t expecting an old-school rampage. Ultimately, the visibility of Goblin Slayer and how it subverts the isekai tropes that have become the norm in modern anime likely has led to outcry from unsuspecting fans. Is this an issue, though?
Why Goblin Slayer isn’t an Issue in Anime (AT ALL)
Anime as a whole is, and should forever be, for everyone but that does not necessarily mean that every anime is for everyone. Like every other form of media, different anime series and genres exist for different fans. Music, for example, carries a broad range of themes that polarize communities. New songs come out all of the time about doing drugs, killing people, or worshipping the devil but only the most extreme of fans in other camps pay attention to, and blast the fan base of, such different tunes. Anime is very similar: Every fan has a genre they like and one they cannot stand; a series they adore and one that’s popularity doesn’t make any sense. That doesn’t mean that one is inherently better than the other (no matter what a fan might convince him or herself of) and similarly that doesn’t mean that you will very often be able to convince someone otherwise. Anime is a land of freedom and having such a broad choice in what you choose to like is what makes the community so special. Sure, there will always be the extreme that unabashedly criticizes the other side, but nothing can ever satisfy everyone and that is a realization that people need to reach. In the end, we are all fans enjoying anime and we are all more similar than we think. We all have the choice to enjoy something or not dive into it at all and we, as a community, should focus on inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness in a way that won’t hamper the enjoyment of others or rip someone from the one thing that they may enjoy. Sure, we all like to hate on certain “factions” of fandom, so to speak, but at the end of the day the anime community is, and should forever be, better than this. I personally enjoy Goblin Slayer and if you don’t, that’s fine too. Just remember that, like it or not, we are all on the same team and, like it or not, not everything is not made for everybody. Thanks for reading and, until next time, keep beating that backlog.
~W