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Goblin Slayer
Slaying it
Series in a Sentence
In a world of dragons and demon lords, the Goblin Slayer has resigned himself to take on the small quests from which he gets his name: Goblin slaying.
What I liked
I’ll say it right off of the bat and then explain myself: I loved the brutality of this show. Yes, that means that I loved that brutal first episode where the amateur adventurers were slaughtered, that brutal last couple of episodes surrounding the assault on the farm, and everything crazy that happened in between. No, I’m not some psychopath that enjoys overt sexual acts by goblins or the torture of nude girls BUT what I did enjoy is how the series set a very specific and dark tone and followed through with it the whole time. It’s not very often that a mature show like this gets into the spotlight, and by having a consistently violent world, no one ever felt safe and there was always a creeping sense of dread whenever our adventurers went out. Did I think that Goblin Slayer would die during the first encounter with a goblin champion? Of course not, but what I did feel was that maybe one of his party members would bite the dust. The weird thing, though, is that amidst all of this chaos I found comedy. From Goblin Slayer reacting in such a technical and deadpan way to ice cream all the way to goblins using ships in sewers, there are moments in this show that might not have been funny in anything else but are elevated to humor because of the dark elements. The last point that I feel like I need to get into is the cast. I said it in my spoiler review, but I liked how each character was defined within their roles, and each role was somewhat based in stereotypical trope, as it made it easier to identify and understand each. Of course the elf girl would be sheltered because she grew up in the woods and of course she was an archer. Of course the dwarf’s powers were based in earthen spells and of course he loved his alcohol. What I’m saying here is that it was a blast to see these fantasy tropes inserted into an anime setting, especially such a brutal and darkly funny one.
What I Didn’t Like
What I liked about this show was pretty clear cut (dark setting, tried and true characters, dark humor) and so is what I didn’t like. Simply put: Goblin Slayer’s CG was not the best and the female designs (Farm Girl, Sword Maiden, and Witch particularly) were obviously meant to appeal to a very specific demographic. Furthering the idea of the female designs are the moments that didn’t really seem relevant but were put in specifically to highlight the female anatomy. Farm Girl waking up, zoom-ins on the Witch’s chest, the conversation between Goblin Slayer and the Sword Maiden: all of these scenes fit into the world, sure, but just felt awkward.
Overall Feelings
Goblin Slayer was a show that I really enjoyed but is one that I understand will not be for everyone (especially a younger audience). This show is unafraid to be very mature, it is unwilling to censor its violence, and it somehow reinvigorates and reference fantasy tropes of old (from both western literature and other manga series). At the same time, its fanservice can be over the top, its CG is mediocre, and some scenes give off a very immature feel. Nevertheless, in a world of anime series that do their best to be as serious as possible while still staying family-friendly, this show was a shining light to someone that has been craving something that is very obviously for an older crowd. In the end its an edgy show, but how many shows are actually edgy nowadays? As you get older, not everything needs to lose its fun and some things might even grow up with you.