Goblins are known for their ferocity, cunning, and rapid reproduction, but their reputation as the lowliest of monsters causes their threat to be overlooked. Raiding rural civilizations to kidnap females of other species for breeding, these vile creatures are free to continue their onslaught as adventurers turn a blind eye in favor of more rewarding assignments with larger bounties.
To commemorate her first day as a Porcelain-ranked adventurer, the 15-year-old Priestess joins a band of young, enthusiastic rookies to investigate a tribe of goblins responsible for the disappearance of several village women. Unprepared and inexperienced, the group soon faces its inevitable demise from an ambush while exploring a cave. With no one else left standing, the terrified Priestess accepts her fate—until the Goblin Slayer unexpectedly appears to not only rescue her with little effort, but destroy the entire goblin nest.
As a holder of the prestigious Silver rank, the Goblin Slayer allows her to accompany him as he assists the Adventurer's Guild in all goblin-related matters. Together with the Priestess, High Elf, Dwarf, and Lizardman, the armored warrior will not rest until every single goblin in the frontier lands has been eradicated for good.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Krunchyman
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to save it, but let’s kill some Goblins.” — Goblin Slayer “So, where are the goblins?” — Goblin Slayer The genius of Goblin Slayer comes from its uninhibited objective to underscore the savagery of the goblins; thereby, forcing the audience to immediately empathize with the lowly adventurers who’s virginities will be forever lost to those disgusting green chodes. The first episode may have been a bit overwhelming, but it was necessary to highlight the evil nature of the goblins. And boy, were they ever evil. But when all hope seemed lost, the vigilante known as GoblinSlayer entered the proverbial arena, to lay-the-smack-down on all their candy asses. And layeth-the-smack-down he did. Essentially, if you think about, he’s the Japanese equivalent of Batman — mother f—king BATMAN, people — set in a medieval world. It’s f—king awesome! But instead of breaking bones and scaring his foes psychologically, the Goblin Slayer just straight up murders those little dick-wads.
Along with his ruthless nature, the Goblin Slayer utilizes a myriad of techniques to kill goblins and keep the viewer entertained, including: curb-stomping goblin teeth against jagged rocks; rearranging goblin face’s with his knuckles; splattering goblin brain matter across cave walls; shooting arrows through goblin eyeballs; and performing a mass genocide of all goblins, including the young-lins (NOT THE YOUNG-lins!). Also, the Goblin Slayer’s battle armor looks amazing, and his sturdy resolve to remain a “goblin-slayer,” despite the ridicule of his fellow (ASSHOLES!) Compatriots was admirable. His heart is filled with a deep hatred for those vile creatures, and people calling him an “edge-lord” simply don’t understand how traumatizing of an experience he went through. If the anime community had any inkling of what empathy was, then they would know what time it is. But the Goblin Slayer knows: it’s f—king goblin-slaying time! Amirite.
The genius of Goblin Slayer comes from the formation of a great coalition of diversified talents and people to accelerate the slaying of even more goblins. Simply put, they paired the Goblin Slayer with a lizard-dude, a flat-chested elf, a geriatric dwarf, and Onna the high “priestess” to go on a super-cool adventure to destroy an enormous goblin nest. When the elf-girl used her magic to guide the single arrow through the two goblins and a wolf, I was straight up marking out. Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! (Ric Flair style). But the episode wasn’t over quite yet, because just as my erection was at its limit, they started playing epic rock music as the main crew walked towards the Goblin den with bad intentions, enough weapons to terrify the whole country of France, and a whole lot of awesomeness. Schwing!!!!!! Party time, bitches!
But, alas….it’ not all good, dear friends (friends only include people who have Goblin Slayer in their favorites list). Episode five deviated from the norm, omitting the Goblin Slayer’s main objective in lieu of a silly side quest by some arbitrary character’s. EXCUSE ME! Are we watching “Goblin Slayer” or “Pummel a Rat With a Giant Club Because You’re Too Incompetent to Pull Your Sword From a Dead Rat Carcass…Slayer?” The show, obviously, lost its focus, leaving the viewer in a deep pit of despair, wondering if the Goblin Slayer would ever resume his normal duties of goblin slaying (#depressed). This sort of blunder would have been unforgivable, if not for the following episode when the MOTHER F—KING Goblin Slayer lit those goblins up like a Christmas tree…….wi-with his sword (it makes SENSE!).
The genius of Goblin Slayer comes from the application of Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War,” via the Goblin Slayer’s willingness to think like a goblin (i.e. “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy”); hence, why the Goblin Slayer used goblin blood to conceal his own scent and displayed an indifferent, callousness during his various killing-sprees. In addition, his level of perception to distinguish between goblins and non-goblins was especially on point, rarely finding himself in a situation where he cannot fulfill his goblin killing responsibilities. Developments throughout the series highlight the contemplative side of the Goblin Slayer, as it’s revealed that the internal goblins inside his head haunt him — “Bullshit.” — inspire him to become enraged and go on the greatest goblin slaying spree of all time.
The genius of Goblin Slayer comes from its beautiful blend of “happy,” vibrant colors of the real world, juxtaposed with the dark, bloodcurdling atmosphere of the real-er world. The contrast exemplifies the duality of life itself and how transient bliss can be supplanted by life long despair, due to circumstances that are beyond our control. The Goblin Slayer experienced a fate worse than death, having witnessed the gang rape and eventual death of his sister. Instead of acquiescing to his own fears, the Goblin Slayer hardened his resolve, choosing to never forgive the creatures that robbed him of his remaining family and his innocence. The Goblin Slayer, himself, is not an exceptionally powerful warrior, nor is he blessed with unique gifts/powers that elevate him to the status of being “one of a kind” (perpetuating the Stock Shōnen Hero archetype). What makes the Goblin Slayer “special,” is his devotion — some may call it, insanity — to exterminate every last goblin in existence and make no apologies about it. Just as Michael Jordan etched his name in history as the G.O.A.T with his unmatched competitive fervor, the Goblin Slayer’s inexorable zeal to eradicate his mortal enemy, is an unparalleled intensity that instills fear in his adversaries and certitude in his comrades.
The genius of Goblin Slayer comes from the tactical vision and strategic planning of the Goblin Slayer. His ability to foresee goblin battle plans and construct effective countermeasures, validates his meticulous nature and his profound cognitive capacity. While other adventurers were caught off-guard by the goblin riders and the goblin champions, the Goblin Slayer, in all his clairvoyant glory, ensnared the repulsive creatures with his superior traps and delegation of responsibility; thus, paving the way for his final showdown with the Goblin Lord. A showdown, in which the Goblin Slayer harnessed all his rage and pent-up frustration to fuel his fighting spirit to its absolute maximum.
So why, you may ask, does the community hate the Goblin Slayer? Detractors have argued that the Goblin Slayer’s combative fury embodies the worst aspects of the “Unstoppable Rage” archetype. You know, the same “Unstoppable Rage” every Shōnen hero experiences when they lose their shit and unlock a dormant power they never realized they had, until that very moment when they needed it most. In addition, they claim that the excessive amount of fan-service has been rather excessive. Excessive or not, the fan-service has been a point, with a plethora of great camera angles and side boob action to boot. Lastly, they assert that none of the characters exhibit a genuine personality, or display any growth throughout the series.
Because Goblin Slayer is the hero the MAL community deserves, but not the one it needs right now, so we’ll ridicule him. Because he can bear it, because he’s not a hero. He’s a stoic defender, a warrior-savant, an ardent gladiator, a competitive eccentric, an iron-clad inspiration….
a GOBLIN SLAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYEERRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
Veronin
Another fun little romp through fantasy-land, quests to be ventured and gold to be reaped... or maybe not quite. Welcome to 2018's most controversial anime, Goblin Slayer. Little known by western anime fans, it came much out of nowhere, with a first episode that made viewers aghast and the social medias ablaze. And why, you may ask. I will have to leave that unanswered for a moment, as you should not yet be reading this review if you are unfamiliar with what scene I am referring to. But I will leave a word of caution: you should probably not watch Goblin Slayer if you areeasily disturbed.
Spoilers of the first episode, necessarily, will follow.
What transpires in the first episode overshadows everything that comes in the following eleven episodes. And so, this review will be centered primarily on the first episode and its resulting controversy. Though I will also be discussing the artistic merits of the anime as a whole, this will be as much a critical analysis as it is a response, an answer of sorts to whether the controversy Goblin Slayer brewed ever had any meaning in the first place.
And, I will tell you, no, it really did not.
From the second episode onward, a 'viewer discretion' warning appears in the subtitles provided by Crunchy Roll. But nowhere does it appear in the show itself, in Japanese. It is quite clear who was actually offended by this show... and it was not the Japanese audience, for whom this anime was made.
I'm going to be quite blunt, as this perception that westerners' views are always, unquestionably important is bothersome. Japanese anime studios do not care about what English-speaking YouTubers have to say, for they cannot even understand them in the first place. They do not care about Tumblr, nor do they care about anyone except viewers in Japan who could potentially buy BluRay discs of their series. They are companies, not political organisations. They are from Japan, not from the United States. The only thing the west could do to make an anime studio utter more than a flippant 'oops, sorry' is to have a spot on CNN or some other giant television network, in the same vein as the infamous adult game, 'Rapelay'. So, unfortunately, if you think yourself a sort of champion of justice, destined to rid the world of all portrayals and even mentions of rape, in countries you have never even visited and which do not share your beliefs— then, sorry to say, your words have fallen upon deaf ears.
If you have ever played a visual novel, read adult-oriented manga or watched an R-18 anime (and the Japanese audience for Goblin Slayer most certainly has), then sexual assault, as vile and irredeemable an act as it is, is not particularly unusual or shocking. I suppose it may be shocking in the context of Goblin Slayer being a TV anime, in which these sorts of acts are seldom depicted. But you also have to keep in mind that Goblin Slayer airs past midnight on a weekend, well into the usual watershed hours of western television. Kids are not meant to be watching this in the first place. And sexual assault is not rare in late-night anime so much because it is 'going overboard', but because the anime community in Japan is obsessed with the concept of virginity and do not take kindly to their imaginary characters being touched by a man other than them. Hence, the reason for why sex is not so much as mentioned in non-erotic anime, whether it be consensual or not. If sex is not graphically depicted (i.e. genitals showing and thrusting and all), then it is, generally speaking, safe to air past midnight on Japanese television. Goblin Slayer's now infamous scene, unpleasant as it is to watch, was not especially graphic. It did not black-out and fast-forward to the end as most anime do, and so while this scene is not entirely innocent (true, it is difficult to not feel at least a little bit sick in the stomach), it is hardly the traumatic viewing experience that some claim it to be. Say, for example, "13 Reasons Why", a western Netflix series, was far, far more graphic in its depiction of similar subjects and yet it was extremely popular among western teenagers, particularly females. But when an obscure late-night anime aimed at a completely different culture, and with drawings instead of real actors, tries to tread the same waters? Take it down. Take it all down, they say. Right. Good luck with that one.
I suppose the deeper question, then, is whether these scenes were actually necessary. I highly doubt these scenes were meant to be erotic, to arouse its viewers when they were preceded by a brutal stabbing and a brutal massacre. And the attempted rape that follows the first is abominable enough that it defies any and all human logic, clearly meant to invoke deep feelings of hatred for goblins rather than a boner-pop and an "oh yeah, baby, show me more." Goblin Slayer showed these scenes to create a sense of danger and to make you root for the titular character's, uh, titular slaying of said goblins. And fair enough. But equally fair is the question of why they chose rape in particular, rather than some other wretched act that would make you want to see goblin heads hitting the floor. Hatred was necessary for the story to continue, but not so much rape itself. My guess is the author chose that route because other fantasy series such as Re:Zero have already done the same with violence alone. The author wanted to set their series apart, to invoke a sort of hatred that anime-only viewers have rarely or perhaps never experienced before, and, well, the result of that is laid bare for all to see: angry westerners, and Japanese fans who just want to see some dead-ass goblins.
It is not so much from an artistic perspective that I am defending the author's choice, however. Gratuitous and pretentious, it is, when what follows in the later episodes is of little importance and does not in any meaningful way make use of the hatred instilled in the audience. Rather, it returns to the exact same silly and carefree tone of the anime's opening few minutes, as if it what happened in the first episode was just some sort of dream. Heck, the second episode may as well have been the beginning episode— the first completely obliterated from existence— and little would change at all with regards to the story and the characters. Goblin Slayer does not contain much in the way of themes other than 'goblins suck' and 'revenge begets revenge', and the trauma the heroine experienced during her first encounter is hardly touched upon or even acknowledged afterwards. Indeed, after an experience that horrifying, you would expect the heroine to, if nothing else, be apprehensive about another goblin slaying adventure, but by the next day she gives almost zero damns and throws herself to the protagonist's side merely because he is tough and can protect her, I guess? A bit of an idiot, indeed. Other characters will casually talk about their traumatic experiences as the camera pans lustfully over their breasts... almost as if it is a joke, making it pretty well clear the anime has no intention of taking these issues seriously. How are you supposed to care for characters that don't even know how to care about themselves? In the end, the main thing that sets the rest of the anime (everything sans the first episode) apart from any other fantasy series is the level of blood involved. Goblin Slayer is a strong dude, the heroine is cute, and screw goblins— there you go, Goblin Slayer's deep themes interpreted by yours truly.
If a darker fantasy anime in the lieu of Berserk is something you are clamoring for (as, well, there really are not a whole lot of them), then Goblin Slayer is if nothing else a serviceable adventure. The titular protagonist, Goblin Slayer, is essentially a more calm and composed version of Guts from Berserk: taciturn, a dark past, filled with hatred and a desire for vengeance, armor and all... albeit with a sword a size that humans can actually wield. His cold but logical manner of speaking are refreshing in a genre that is largely defined by self-righteous protagonists spouting idealistic nonsense. Goblin Slayer will save whom he can, but he is also capable of recognising the limits of his power and putting those with mortal wounds out of their misery. He knows that fighting requires planning and a clear head just as much as it requires strength. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is his way of living, but he does not try to moralise his lifestyle, instead believing that his endless lust for revenge makes him just as violent and as brutal as the goblins themselves. He has a sort of awareness and intellect that most anime protagonists lack, which makes the desolate world he lives in feel just a little bit more authentic. But those who are not a fan of darker or more morally ambiguous protagonists will only find the anime more unappealing with his presence. "Edgy", "pretentious", others might say. Considering that one's enjoyment of Goblin Slayer is almost entirely decided by their interest in the protagonist, and consequently his goblin slaying journey, those who do not find these sorts of characters appealing are well within their right to dislike the anime as a whole. But to say he is dark merely for the sake of being dark would be something of a lie. No, he is dark because he grew up in an awful world with rapey, murderous goblins.
Considering the natural path for most fantasy anime is to gradually hunt stronger and stronger monsters, the fact that Goblin Slayer is perpetually chasing weaker monsters— goblins— and even being ostracised for it by his fellow adventurers, is a refreshing change of pace for a genre that is often so predictable that you can already guess the events of the final episode based on the first. Sure, those in search of climactic fights may find themselves bored with an adventure that stays at largely the same difficulty level for its entire duration (with the rare boss battle here and there), but then again, how many times does one need to see a big bad dude or a dragon slain before they are satisfied? While most anime increase the stakes as the opponents get stronger, Goblin Slayer is able to portray weak little creatures as menacing, something few anime do, slimes and goblins brushed aside as if it is a necessity. The issue is that Goblin Slayer, despite it having a clear, singular focus with goblins as the villain, never really does or say a whole lot with them. They are almost entirely identical to one another, existing to rape, kill or be killed and little else. When the antagonist of a story lacks a motive and a personality, it's kinda hard to care much about where things go in the end.
Goblin Slayer is neither horrible nor is it great. And sometimes it is both. Putting aside all the noise surrounding the series, and looking at it as a piece of fiction like any other, what is left is merely a decent dark-fantasy anime. Its artistic merit is hardly comparable to its big brother, Berserk, and while there are very severe issues afflicting the show, in a season where truly abysmal, irredeemable rubbish such as "Ore ga Suki nano wa Imouto dakedo Imouto ja Nai" has aired, Goblin Slayer is not what I could consider a bad anime. There's enough of interest here with the protagonist and the setting that I am at least considering reading the light novels in Japanese, where perhaps things are a bit better explained. Those regarding Goblin Slayer as the worst anime they've seen are more likely than not fishing for attention by exaggerating their opinions as much as possible. Either that, or they have just not watched a whole lot of anime, I would have to guess.
But to say I am a fan of Goblin Slayer, or that I even liked it would to be as dishonest as saying I hated it. My defense of Goblin Slayer is my defense of the author's right to artistic freedom. Being offended by this show is reasonable. Using said offense to try and shut down an author's livelihood, or to generalise an entire country of 130 million people as perverts or as morally bankrupt, is not. Some may even say it is despicable. And, you know, I think there is some truth in that.
So, feel free to watch Goblin Slayer if you enjoy dark-fantasy and have a tolerance for uncomfortable content. Or skip it, because truth told, Goblin Slayer was never really worth caring that much about in the first place.
ExemplarCayman
"Psst, kid, wanna roll some D20s?" Goblin Slayer is a series that, paradoxically, is underrated because of how popular it is. Popularity means a wide audience, which means a wide array of factually wrong, uninformed opinions that slander a good work of fiction. Here is a shortlist of the popular statement about this show that are simply not true: “It’s a generic isekai” - no, it’s this thing called “fantasy” that actually existed even before SAO. What makes it silier is that Goblin Slayer doesn’t even feature any of the staple isekai tropes like some other “fantasy confused for isekai” series, e. g. Danmachi. In reality, GoblinSlayer is an anime adaptation of a boilerplate D&D campaign, and is written as such.
“It’s a bad adaptation” - no, it’s a good adaptation, as long as you know what is the actual source material. Goblin Slayer is a light novel series that has a non-faithful manga adaptation and a faithful anime adaptation. Some people read the manga first, compare the anime to it, find out that it’s different and arrive to the “bad adaptation” conclusion. Which is silly in itself, faithfulness is not what decides how good an adaptation is, but it’s not even the point.
“It’s edge-fest/fetishistic porn/literally neo-nazi propaganda” - that’s just silly. Goblin Slayer is a run-of-the-mill R-rated show, its darkness level is miles below dark fantasy series like Berserk and light years below dedicated misery porn shows that are actually trying to be dark on purpose. The expectation for Goblin Slayer to be a generic isekai apparently lead to many people accidentally being exposed to the first R-rated series in their life.
“It baits you with the gory first episode and then becomes generic SoL” - that’s simply a lie. Many things throughout the show are darker than what happens in the first episode. Also a complaint that the show is not edgy enough is just silly in the context of the previous paragraph. As a D&D campaign, Goblin Slayer alternates between sorties into the wild and recuperating at the base. And (surprise, surprise) bad things tend to happen in the middle of the monster-infested dungeons, not in the middle of a peaceful town. It’s called realism.
Brushing the nonsense aside, I want to emphasize what makes this show good:
Goblin Slayer perfectly captures the spirit of a D&D campaign - that is, the spirit of murder-hoboing, with all the glorious total party kills, rule-lawyering and cheesing of the encounters. You can constantly see deliberately written moments where the players are implied to be rolling the dice, and how good of a roll that was based on the outcome.
It is a well-written dark fantasy in a market where this commodity is in deficit. Many little details show that a lot of thought and research was put into world building. While it’s not quite on the speculative fiction level, it comes pretty close to being a D&D setting written as a real functioning world.
A unique and fascinating main character and his character arc. The premise initially implies that Goblin Slayer is going to be a faceless killing machine. He was born to be a completely unremarkable average person, but then a single event radically changes his life making him fanatically focus on a single goal (of killing goblins) in favor of which he abandons everything else, including growing into a well-adjusted human being. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a human being, or even that he is crazy. The foundations to lead a normal life are there, and the more Goblin Slayer comes in contact with other people, the more he grows, becoming more and more complex and constantly re-evaluating what he is.
Good adaptation. Not slavish adaptation, but actually good adaptation. Things are swapped around and changed to accomodate episode length and season length limitations, thus having a proper story arc in 12-episodes format. Between the things that are the point of anime medium - fight scenes choreography, music, voice acting - the former two are great. And while the latter is nothing to write home about, hearing Priestess say Goburin Sureiya-san is a reason enough for an anime adaptation to exist. Also, main character’s model is CGI and it looks fine unless you hate CGI on religious principle, not based on how it looks. For those who desire faithfulness, the anime is more faithful than the manga, which has an annoying manner of randomly changing characters’ reactions/behavior, therefore changing the characters themselves and making them look inconsistently written.
9/10 because this series succeeds in what it tries to achieve with basically no issues.
Blood_Diver_A
[Breaking News: Man Literally too Angry to Die] [Alternative Title – Goblin Slayer Threat Level at Maximum] They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you. You will be worse. Rip and tear, until it is done. - Intro Dialogue to Doom (2016) Having watched Goblin Slayer in its entirety, I can’t help, but be reminded of the video game Doom (2016). In fact, the quote above perfectly encapsulates what Goblin Slayer is really about. Killing, slicing, dicing, burning, piercing, bludgeoning, ripping, and tearing goblins apart. The violence is brutal and extremely gory. Our main protagonist, Goblin Slayer, will use any means necessary to kill as many goblins aspossible. During the first episode, he kills by himself, while keeping count, exactly 22 goblins. That’s a lotta damage. And also a lotta dead goblins. But, to our main protagonist any dead goblin is a good goblin.
Goblin Slayer is also a very controversial series. It goes without saying that violence and gory isn’t what made this series so controversial rather it’s the sexual content and rape. Within the same first episode, we have the gang-raping of a female adventurer and the molestation of another one. Future episodes contain implied rape and torture of many female adventurers. And while the series could have minimized these elements, I believe it adds to the setting and enemy characters, i.e., the world is dark and brutal, and goblins do terrible things to female characters.
However, if you’re like me, who only watches to see Goblin Slayer kick ass, then you’re not going to be disappointed. In fact, I would argue that watching Goblin Slayer kick ass alone makes this series really entertaining and worth watching. Everything else be damned.
STORY:
Goblin Slayer is a dark fantasy based on the light novel and manga of the same name. The series sticks to its source material and doesn’t remove any of its ultra-violence and sexual content. It should be noted that this series is not a isekai, where the main character is transported to another world and does whatever shit the main character needs to do. There are no fun adventures in this series, just death and destruction. Mainly the death of many goblins and other creatures, and occasionally some adventurers. But, that’s just the general setting of this world, i.e., it’s dark, cruel, and merciless.
If I had to simplify the story, it would mainly be about Goblin Slayer’s “adventures”, how one man elects to do only goblin quests, in order to satisfy his anger and thirst for revenge. And, of course, based on his adventures you can expect numerous goblins to be killed in the most brutal ways possible. In fact, he would go as far as kill goblin children because to him “the only good goblins are the ones who never come out of their stinking holes”, which unfortunately the goblins never do, so he has to kill them all. And I have to hand it to him to stick to his principles: to kill every single goblin in the world.
Now, one may notice that some episodes feature ‘slice of life” moments, such as Goblin Slayer repairing his equipment, interacting with other adventurers, participating in shopping, checking his surroundings on the farm, etc. These moments are pretty boring, but it does add to the setting and provides some characterization for our main character. Furthermore, there are plenty of scenes where episodes focus on different characters along with their actions, fanservice from the main female characters, and jokes and laughs. However, in Goblin Slayer fashion, our main character doesn’t care about other adventurers beyond his own friends, he doesn’t care about the fanservice from his female companions and friends, and he doesn’t care to have a sense of humor. The only thing he cares about is knowing where the goblins are and killing them.
CHARACTERS:
Our main character, Goblin Slayer, does what his name implies. He slays goblins, and nothing else but goblins. His reasons for killing goblins and only goblins originated from a tragic event that occurred in his childhood, i.e., the death of his older sister, and the destruction of his village. These two awful events changed him and, on that day, he swore vengeance against every goblin in the world. It’s this vengeance that allows him to keep on living, in fact, even in situation where he should have died, he gets back up, and continues to kill as many goblins as possible. He’s literally to angry to die. I have to admire his dedication and devotion to killing these goblins, even when he’s about to die.
And because, Goblin Slayer is our main character, he gets a lot of screen time and thus get some character development, e.g., he changes and becomes friends with other adventurers, he works with other adventurers as oppose to working sole, and we learn about his reasons for vengeance. Our other companions, mainly High Elf Archer, Priestess, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest, don’t really have much background information and their personalities are somewhat the same, i.e., they are all kind, caring, and concerned towards Goblin Slayer; they are much more cheerful and happier than Goblin Slayer; and their appearance and job description are implied in their name.
Some tidbits that I like about Goblin Slayer include: 1) he speak little to no words, mainly sticking to phrases like, “I see”, “that’s right”, “yes, that’s right”, and is that right?”; 2) he’s not swayed by woman and their advances even when he’s seen them nude, and finally 3) his eye become bright red indicating he is angry and filled with rage, this happens quite frequently.
ART/ANIMATION/SOUND:
Goblin Slayer’s art and animations are hit-and-miss. On one hand, they feature outstanding battle scenes with fasting-moving animations, such as sword-swings, arrows flying though the air, people rolling and dodging attacks, and, of course, brutal executions and various attacks. They also feature a great setting, e.g., dark and narrow caves, wide and spacious fields, and dimly-lit caverns, thus creating an effective atmosphere and ambiance. However, there is the obvious and overused CGI Slayer that somewhat clashes with the cartoonish-look of other characters, especially the female adventurers. I guess the creators deliberately did this to make Goblin Slayer standout, but more importantly to make him appear like a badass. Which, in that case, I could forgive because every time he starts fighting and kicking ass, he does look badass. Another noticeable feature is the number of close-up shots of the female character’s pink and glossy lips, I guess the creators did this to show that the females have wits and charm, or just to make them appear sexier in front of Goblin Slayer.
The sound design is also pretty good. The background music does an excellent job of providing the right mood for the right moments. such as heavy badass music before and during fight scenes. The opening song is dark and eerie which is perfect for a dark and brutal setting. The voice actors and actress do a great job at making the characters feel alive, especially our main character who, thankful, doesn’t sound too “dark and edgy”.
ENJOYMENT:
Having read Goblin Slayer, the manga version, I already knew what I was getting into, in fact, I was looking forward to watching this series. And did it disappoint? Not really. Goblin Slayer stuck to its source material. It doesn’t shy away from implying rape and torture scenes, and the numerous ‘glory kills’ only reinforce the dark and brutal setting. I’ll admit the story and characters are somewhat simple and straightforward, especially the characters, however its entertainment value lies within this simplicity.
What I mean is this: Goblin Slayer, our protagonist, kicks ass and kills goblins, anytime and anywhere. That’s it. And for me that’s what makes it so enjoyable, watching this ‘madman’ or ‘crazy bastard’ kill a bunch of goblins in the most brutal manner possible has never been so entertaining. As, for the story, it’s basically a depiction of Goblin Slayer’s “adventures”. A vehicle that showcases what Goblin Slayer does to the goblins. And we all know what he does to them. And this alone makes this series worth watching.
AndoCommando
“Anyone who likes/dislikes this show is a Nazi/Libtard.” – The state of the anime community after episode 1. I think it is fair to say that no other anime has caused such controversy and overwhelming divide amongst anime fans after a single episode like Goblin Slayer has. The pilot almost effortlessly setting a spark across the community that would act as ignition to countless flame wars lasting for weeks on end. A scene lasting around fifteen seconds receiving more vitriol and condemnation than arguably every other anime airing this year. On the surface, the divide seems clear: on one side lies those vocal to their displeasureof even the sheer existence of this series, labelling it as edgy, repugnant and pornographic. Some going even so far as comparing the anime to Nazi propaganda decades ago. And on the opposing side lies the fandom, constantly upset by criticism their beloved show receives and reverting to insults and name-calling them with popular phrases such as the dreaded “SJW” for example. But these are simply gross generalisations of both the series and its viewers, centring upon a small group of outspoken individuals that unfortunately leads any attempt of discourse astray. Instead my aim here is to hopefully bring a more critical view on Goblin Slayer to the discussion; of the series’ perceived intent, as well as numerous faults and issues prevalent throughout its first season.
“The gods of light, order and fate, and the gods of darkness, chaos and coincidence decided to throw dice in order to determine which side would rule the world. The gods threw the dice over and over and over again, until they began to feel faint.”
Goblin Slayer is a dark fantasy anime adapted from both the manga and light novels of the same name, highly inspired by tabletop role-playing games. Initially the story follows a young woman known as “Priestess” that has recently become an adventurer and joins an upstart party on her first quest. Their naivety and inexperience ultimately lead to their grim demise, ravaged by goblins who commit heinous acts such as rape and dismemberment depicted in much more graphic fashion compared to other fantasy anime of recent years. Before the Priestess can be dispatched however, the actual protagonist appears from the shadows, intent of massacring every goblin in sight. From this point, the series is predominantly focused on this mysterious adventurer commonly referred to as “Goblin Slayer” and his efforts to exterminate the entire goblin species.
The beginning to this story gives what I believe to be a clear sense of what Goblin Slayer strives to be. Simplistic, cheerful dialogue to elucidate fundamentals of the adventurer system, a light-hearted tone able to create a strong optimistic mood, even the visuals and audio utilizing light colours for character designs coupled with an upbeat tune all try and convey a presentation akin to the typical fantasy anime of recent memory. The group of upstart adventurers each can be seen representing archetypes one would expect to be present in such a series: tsundere, loli character, main character for a harem, etc. Numerous times before a goblin appears on screen, subtle signs are revealed about the party’s lack of preparation and expectation to indicate this quest will not be as successful as they hope, and then what follows is a shocking realization of what the world of Goblin Slayer truly entails. Essentially these characters were tools for the series to subvert people’s initial expectations of the story, with the tragic events that entail further emphasizing this point. The sickening portrayal and detail of these actions going to further lengths than most anime fans have probably ever experienced previously in the medium. Disgusting to watch even for the short time shown, and from the reception this anime received, it looks to have garnered the initial reaction staff had intended. From this perspective, while many can find these scenes crass and tactless in their depiction, I find it difficult to call this part of Goblin Slayer lazy writing.
Shortly followed by the introduction of the titular protagonist reveals a change that strongly contrast to events that just transpired earlier. Compared to the almost wilfully ignorant upstart adventurers that end up decimated to the lowest mob type in the world, Goblin Slayer’s approach to killing goblins is much more tactical. Shown to analyse nearly every time he murders a single goblin, often determining the most effective method for slaughtering the mob step-by-step before executing his strategy in cold, calculated fashion. Through this he not only personifies the kind of badass main character one would expect for a darker fantasy story, but also provides a solid understanding of how a high-level adventurer would be expected to act in battle. Armed with various weapons and antidotes whilst always on the lookout for signs, Goblin Slayer has enough tools at his disposal to face any goblin he would come across. A clear juxtaposition to how many inexperienced adventurers would conduct themselves. Him slaughtering the horde also raises an intriguing question of Goblin Slayer’s morality when intending to murder the child goblins. While the protagonist remains steadfast of his opinion on the species, the Priestess brings forth the possibility of a “good goblin”. Despite going through with eliminating them, he does admit there could be one out there. From this, viewers have a grasp on how this tale could further develop this idea with having both character’s ethics challenged as Goblin Slayer’s quest continues. There is potential in this tale to be more than just the fun schlock of the season. Unfortunately, that potential slowly gets squandered every episode following, and personally even loses the series’ initial appeal.
One of the more detrimental choices I find a story can make is following an attempt to create a purposeful, serious tone, and then reverting to what it tried to distance itself from initially. After Goblin Slayer’s shocking start that firmly established the story as a dark fantasy that supposedly takes itself seriously, the anime takes an odd change in tone that is rather baffling to understand. Numerous quests later in the series showcase characters in a way you would never have expected in Goblin Slayer, with an array of playful, trifling scenes one would more commonly associate with a slice-of-life anime than this show. Somehow the series decided to skip on possibly showing some of the effects trauma experienced from death, sexual assault or even just being an adventure can have on a person, instead these scenes barely contribute to the characters on a notable level. The change in tone can lead to breaks in one’s immersion of the story and the protagonist it follows, with transitions feeling awkward and out of place more often than not. A notorious example can be found in episode 2 where the episode cuts to a well-endowed redhead girl waking out of bed and stretching, followed by some of the most prominent jiggle physics to be found this season. I thought this was meant to be a serious tale. For a dark fantasy to work, usually it requires the atmosphere of a series to remain constant enough to a degree where the earnestness and consequences of actions can still be felt through the more cheerful scenes. Berserk, Attack on Titan and Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 are just some examples of dark fantasy anime that constantly have a sombre air about them, constantly felt when witnessing the actions of their characters. Goblin Slayer lacks this air that breezes alongside the narrative and whilst continuing to lack a strong sense of identity in a genre already spoiled by an abundance of generic fantasy, it is more inclined to leave a stale taste in the mouths of those hoping for Goblin Slayer to distance itself further from its contemporaries.
This lack of an identity also permeates the narrative and overarching worldbuilding to a degree that I have to address. When a series attempts to be subversive or even hold deconstructive elements to its genre, normally this involves acknowledging the well-established tropes typically associated to its genre, before supplanting their intentions. Goblin Slayer, at least in its first season, does not do this. Alongside the series constantly switching its tone between dark and nonchalant, the anime seems to never want to take its world too seriously despite the premise. Goblin Slayer is a man who has an unrelenting obsession to kill goblins as they are a species that lingers on as a problem for innocent people. They are weak creature with childlike intelligence individually, but as a mob are a destructive force which can lead to the devastation of entire towns. An interesting yet believable problem in this world. So then, how is it believable to think that there is only one person that acts in response to this problem? Because the anime has mainly taken place around a small town there is a possibility for other adventurers similar to Goblin Slayer to be primarily hunting goblins in their own areas of the world. But thinking on a large scale, if goblin mobs can and already have been a significant cause of wiping out various towns, would someone not think that their effect to agriculture and the overall economy poses a severe threat on a national scale, to where even adventurers seeking glory and fame would end up losing money? I would have at least expected some form of intervention – here is an idea: have some adventurers hired as a form of security for farmers against a potential goblin attack. Or at least have the guild girl not allow novices to take these jobs when it is made apparent how many novices and kidnapped and killed off by goblin mobs! If so many are dying because of this fact, maybe it would be best to intervene, even if with just a simple warning about how dangerous they are, and how prevalent this is. If only Goblin Slayer had more consistency in its world that more people could admire, instead of trying to subvert common fantasy anime tropes and then as if almost contradictory to itself maintaining a level of unbelievability behind how these aspects work in its story.
It is upsetting how a show essentially fails at fleshing out the more complex issues the world of Goblin Slayer encompasses, especially when most of the defence for this anime in regards to certain actions and events is derived from insular logic. A common complaint for the series initially was based around why goblins rape, and while it certainly is specified that rape is their only option for reproduction, that does not cover details about their creation. Goblins here are force-of-nature villains that embody evil and chaos, thus not requiring distinct personalities and from this the rape shown can be considered a further way of emphasizing that point thus bringing them to where they can be considered irredeemable, but this only works on a narrative level. All works of fiction are made with intentions from their creator/s and by peeling down the layers of in-universe context is one able to search for the purpose and intentions behind specific scenes, actions, etc. Often termed the Thermian Argument, it claims that pointing to a show’s logic in response to criticism of the subject matter is inherently fallacious. It supports a difference between what is being depicted and why such is being depicted at all; a metanarrative point of view. I stated what I believed to be the main intention behind such shocking acts in the first episode as a way for the show to subvert the audience for what kind of anime they were in store for, but after witnessing the series make that idea almost completely irrelevant through poor direction, tonal dissonance and having such actions repeated onscreen later with similarly crude framing for reasons even I am unsure of, it is hard to defend the series for all these creative choices happening numerous times throughout the anime’s duration from a metanarrative point of view.
Characterization is one of Goblin Slayer’s focal points if even only applying to one individual so far. Goblin Slayer is the embodiment of a man who refuses to die before his purpose in life is seen through to the end. Driven by revenge after goblins took away the person most precious to him, he epitomizes the idea of how a badass protagonist should act. His character design is also impressive in certain scenes with a red eye theme glowing in the darkness that oozes a killer instinct rarely found in anime nowadays. Reminder that the in-universe creation of the series was founded on gods rolling dice and playing the game of chance, with all various races and species being birthed purely for their amusement. But with the way Goblin Slayer acts, he can be considered the one character in this world to defy the will and wishes of those who created him. And while there are numerous examples of him conveniently surviving so far due to plot armour, the intent remains – underneath his monotonous voice and implied social awkwardness lies the potential for a metaphorical figure of inspiration. Unfortunately, that is where most of the praise for characters ends at this point in the anime. Every character besides Goblin Slayer receives little attention in the anime, with minimal development bar the Priestess who acts as a rookie slowly growing and learning how to survive as an adventurer in this harsh world, however even this has made little progress this first season. Other characters sprinkled across the story range from other rookies slowly improving and gaining experience to dependable fighters often able to hold their own in battle, which is a striking difference compared to how most typically act away from any battlefield; childish and immature. Honestly, besides Priestess and Goblin Slayer the rest of the cast are easily expendable, but I guess that is to be expected when the supporting cast includes names such as “Cow Girl” and “Lizardman”. Hopefully if there is a sequel, they have a better opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the anime.
Much like these forgettable characters the production quality for Goblin Slayer also failed to leave a strong impact. The art is not very detailed, with most character designs and backgrounds often appearing plain and generic for most of the season. A mixture of 2D and 3D animation is used to jarring effect, with most action scenes and the occasional panning shot relying on CGI that look more like an eyesore that anything visually pleasing. In fact, most of the better-looking shots involve scenes lacking any sort of movement. Disappointing as the artwork is commonly seen as a key strength to the manga’s popularity. For a series where the most basic appeal comes from a guy mowing down goblins, the action was underwhelming and that kills a show like this. Wish I could say otherwise for the soundtrack, but that also failed to leave a strong impression on me. Voice acting was solid but effectively crippled with a lacklustre script treating half the characters as dense. The opening theme was melancholic but failed to ever have me personally want to listen to it more than once. The ending theme while I certainly enjoyed it more was accompanied by CGI Goblin Slayer with clunky animation. At least the ending track was fun.
Goblin Slayer is at its core, an anime about one man slaying goblins. Though it can tempt viewers with ideas of something greater at work, it still boils down to a mere schlocky action show with lacklustre presentation that by the end of its first season has its biggest strengths stemming from potential and a hope that a sequel can further flesh out characters and worldbuilding which at this point cannot hold up to scrutiny. But it does have its appealing qualities no matter how superficial they might be. If you are willing to take a chance on a simple action anime trying to break the trend of generic fantasy released this year, this might be worth your investment. My main hope is that now with the most controversial anime of the year finished, the community at large can learn from this experience. As the old saying goes: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
Captain220
Goblin Slayer is a show that abducted my wife and sold off my children into slavery. It is the reason I stay awake at night with visions of tiny green blurs bouncing on the edges of my bed. Undoubtedly, Goblin Slayer is singlehandedly the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I used to be an avid cave enthusiast with a PHD in cave science, but now I can't step one foot into a cave without my feet turning cold (and not due to the naturally decreasing temperature, either). I see them everywhere; in my dreams, in visions. Faint glimpses while walking down thestreet. Menacing silhouettes in the distance. Moreover and especially whenever I'm eating peas.
I finished my services in Nam back in early '75 and from then onwards assumed I wouldn't be put through anything similar again. Being violently thrust into the jungles of Saigon suddenly seemed all too inconsequential upon bearing witness to the first 10 minutes of Goblin Slayer. I have been scarred for life. Following these events, I have purchased a suit of chainmail armor and a few water scrolls from Ebay to protect myself from the inevitable and despite my therapist's best wishes. The end is neigh, my friends.
Joking, this anime is bad lol. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the sole reason it's currently in-season for one reason and for one reason only. Shock factor, but more specifically the rApE. Goblin Slayer is a substanceless heap of hot garbage, albeit hot garbage packed meticulously well. It serves as a constant reminder that the people who forfeit artistic integrity, and maybe even their pride - oftentimes have it the very best. Liking shock factor fueled shows isn't a small niche, granted, but not to this extent where everyone cares for them, and the people who don't typically know to avoid them. Yet for some reason once sexual assault gets thrown into the equation, everyone and their grandmothers rush to the scene. And only then too is it that people get upset and start storming the shed looking for pitchforks.
Depiction of rape in art can either be tasteless or serve a purpose. In our case and in the humble beginnings of Goblin Slayer its initial intentions are presumably to villainize the goblins. Rape is probably the single easiest way to make the audience dislike the perpetrator. And low and behold, it works... for a while. Not before long, it devolves into nonsensical softcore porn, but more importantly manages to desensitize a large portion of the viewerbase to the act itself by repeatedly shoving it down our throats. Which has me convinced the word "villainization" is thrown around as nothing more than a convenient scapegoat here. If it truly were about muh villainizing, it did a damn shitty job by instead making me profusely grin at a child's sister unwillingly partaking in a goblin bukkake in front of his very eyes.
It's an actual fear of mine that some 12 year old somewhere on this very planet popped his first boner over a few goblin cummies. And what a massive one it must have certainly been. While it's clearly overused mainly just to maintain cheap interest for the story, the point to take away is that no one should have their goblin slaying experience sullied by implementation of needless hentai elements. If animated goblins really are your kink, HentaiHaven probably has you cov -- Oh, wait. :(
Before getting into the nitty gritty, litty titty, or the plot if you'd rather, it might be important to address the whirlpool of opinions surrounding the anime as a whole beforehand. Some conflicting, others in fullhearted agreeance, it doesn't really matter. The root of the problem is the sheer amount of opinions, instead. Please refrain from adding this anime to your stagnant PTW with 200+ and counting titles that you'll never get around to finishing in this lifetime or any other after seeing one scene and a Gigguk video on it. The most enjoyment someone can suck out of this withered goblin's crusty nutsack is watching a grown man get a stroke over episode one. Head on over to EtikaWorldNetwork for more information.
Yet youtubers, discussions, and the community as a whole have deemed it fit to blow a staggeringly boring show out of interstellar proportions. All because of a little edge. Consider realistically, what else does Goblin Slayer bring to the table? Cookie cutter characters, a nameless and faceless protagonist who is the literal living embodiment of stoicism itself and a Tolkein-esque animified high fantasy setting with that rudimentary boring ass guild system that's making me want to rip out my nose hairs by the second. Konosuba you aight tho.
The plot is, as the title suggests, a well over four hour journey of pure unadulterated goblin slaying and all the misadventures accompanied along with it (18+). Resembling a few anime due to the aforementioned setting, there are two I constantly see being referenced as similar, with Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash definitely being the most prominent one. These two shows clearly split at birth, and one is a bit less retarded than the other but it's still clear to see why the mother abandoned both. I have an entire review dedicated to Grimgar written two years ago, and seeing as I'm writing this right now you'd figure shoving special ed kids in lockers to be a specialty of mine. Berserk's the other one often mentioned, which almost seems like another gateway for Berserk fans to toot their own horn for liking the grimmest, darkest comic of them all. "This series people like has rape? My series also has rape, but, like, betterer".
I'd like to say the show has a definitive highlight (i.e plot, characters), but it's about as consistent as Miura's writing. The quality of the fight scenes is incredibly varied, ranging anywhere from terribly unengaging to kinda fun and the SOL scenes inbetween are either boring as all hell or funny-ish. The humor in these scenes typically relies on showcasing how much of a flat out sociopath our protagonist is. It typically follows the structure of one of the side characters interacting with him in a normal way and him responding like a lizard person. Or like if Gendo Ikari had his own show and wasn't a neglectful father but instead the protagonist of an action adventure. Essentially, he's just Jotaro minus Star Platinum. While that means he'd probably still make a better Jojo than Jonathan, Jotaro has the power of unfunny memes and Jojokes on his side while this guy swims around in sewers killing goblins. Talk about luck of the draw.
His backstory is pretty unclear and at one point in the show he is even killed, only to be resurrected back to life by laying in a bed with a virgin. Disregarding the Kirito-tier plot armor for just a second, if that method of resurrection were applicable in real life I'm pretty sure the anime community would account for the single most renowned group of healers in the realm. Last but not least, his suit of CGI armor is incredibly ugly looking and has almost become synonymous with his character by now. The epic character of.. the nameless titular character almost makes up for the fact that using more than a single adjective to describe the entire cast is overkill. The most characterization this lot gets is establishing a tropey elf vs dwarf rivalry and a personal favorite of mine, that is seeing the dragon-lizard-man's transformation into a certified cheese connoisseur
Anyway there's really not much else to comment on. The main sauce of this whole Goblin Slayer saga lies in the fact that something so bland has gotten so tremendously popular and even well-received overseas. I call it a saga because judging by its level of success, it'd be dumb not to continue in this season's footsteeps. But I suggest instead of how power scaling exists in shonen, every season they up the ante by doubling on the number of goblin gangbangs.
TakaCode
The fall 18 is a pretty interesting season for anime. It was the season that gave us the nicely written romcom anime Bunny Girl but at the same time, it gave us the ultimate train-wreck of 2018 that was Tokyo Ghoul re where that season completely shat itself for a living. It was also the season that gave us the very underrated Release The Spyce, the epic and fun continuation Golden Kamuy second cour and the lovely sweet Bloom Into You. However all out all the anime from the Fall 18 there was one show that totally shocked the anime community when it first airedand that anime was Goblin Slayer. When the show first aired it gained a lot of controversy as it contained a lot of rape scenes that shocked the anime community. The first episode was so shocking.
Crunchyroll themselves had to change the rating from PG13 to R17+. Despite that, the first episode of Goblin Slayer didn't bother me all that much as I already knew by an advance that the series would have a lot of shock values thanks to people's reactions and unfortunately that is where Goblin Slayer starts to fall apart quickly because this is not a good series at all. If you remove the rape scenes, you're just left with a lifeless husk of a fantasy anime that fails to impresses the viewer outside its dark content.
So what went wrong with Goblin Slayer?
What caused this show to be so bad where it becomes one of the worst animes of 2018?
Because I think everything about the story is horrendous, I will be spiting the story section into small parts starting with the first episode.
This is the worst first episode I seen for 2018 as a whole. Outside of the cringe-inducing over the rape scenes the episode is poorly directed mess that is filled plot contrivances. For starters, the Guild lady is such a pushover because instead of being this strict but helpful builder she is a brain dead idiot who lets a bunch of first timers go ahead with the dangerous adventure without a veteran member of the guild.
This is incompetent writing at it completely goes against nature and appeal of the fantasy genre that has a rank/level system. How would you like it if there was no one stopping you from going into caves that contained high-level monsters that can one-shot newbies? That defiantly wouldn't be fair as the newbie would have a big disadvantage from the beginning.
The whole point of having a rank system is to not only identify players ranks but to also the people who have an edge in terms of battle experience. On top of all that we don't see the new adventurers even get prepared at all as stuff like testing out gear, magic, training by fight low-level creatures and even stocking potions/revival herbs are non-existent at all.
There's a difference of being realistic and being downright incompetent there is no way in hell that an inexperienced group would do a quest without even getting prepare for it.
This is almost as stupid as fighting the giant in Skyrim at level 1 carrying weak battle gear with no potions.
Keep this in mind this is just the first episode. The series somehow manages to get even worse as time goes one as show literally betrays itself as a dark fantasy as where it decides to become the laziest and unoriginal light-hearted fantasy harem anime I have ever seen in my life. Many fantasy story elements from Goblin Slayer were done so much in other fantasy anime and some of the episodes feel like boring filler content. The tone shifts were out of control at various points, the pacing is below average and the writing itself is straight out incompetent. My favourite example of this incompetent writing happens in episode 7. After Oona pees herself off out of pure fear Giant goblin grabs her. Instead of biting her head off the goblin decided to bite a small part of her arm causing her to scream very loudly. This contrivance causes Goblin Slayer to get a random berserk power where despite him bleeding a lot in the progress he makes to take various goblins in his way until they eventually run away.
All of this is due to Goblin Slayer having writing comparable to bad fanfictions done by 12-year-olds and I'm sure that one of that the same 12-year-old writer who wrote Akame Ga Kill also wrote this.
Before I talk about the worst thing about Goblin Slayer let's talk about this show pathetic excuse of world-building. The world-building is Goblin Slayer is absolutely abysmal because not only does the series goes a horrendous job at establishing its own world but the people into the universe have absolutely no regard of the people are living in it. Some of the examples include how the group of adventures don't seem to have a reaction to the wagon that is filled with traumatised women who have been raped by goblins. Another example of how people in this universe don't seem to care about the goblin race as they all say that Goblin is weak creatures even though they have been capable of killing and raping people including experience adventurers.
As for the world establishment in Goblin Slayer itself, it's pretty awful. The lack of establishing monster races other than Goblins, blacksmith, inns, the name of the country that the series is set and I could go and go. The world-building in Goblin Slayer it makes the world-building in Akame Ga Kill and Re:Zero (White Fox other fantasy show) look competent by comparison.
Now if you thought the world-building is dogshit, the series direction is somehow even worse.
In my Tokyo Ghoul re: review, I mentioned that it was the worst directed series I have ever seen. Goblin Slayer made me seriously question what it really was. For me to answer this question is yes. Tokyo Ghoul re: was direction ultimately way worse but the direction in this series is still a complete abomination to a point where it makes the series direction for Darling in the Franxx and The Asterisk War look like a masterpiece by comparison.
You may think that I'm just skipping the character selection together to talk about the shows visuals but trust me this shows direction is so utterly horrendous I literally had to start talking about the show technical aspects.
Some of the examples of the show abysmal directing happen in the first episode where get a bunch of disjointed shots off our adventures fighting the goblins. It was not pleasing to see thanks to abysmal camerawork and framing and it only made the scenes look more pathetic than actual fear.
Another good example happens in episode 11 where the character model of Goblin Slayer keeps changing to bad CGI model to 2D model. What had me facepalming hard was when he talked about the hoard of Goblins planning to attack the outskirts of the town the character model of Goblin Slayer kept on changing even when he isn't moving at all as he was just standing still.
The best example of this show disgusting direction happens at the end of episode 7. Normally in anime when an episode ends, a show would have nice transitions to the end credits. While not all shows are perfect of transitioning to the end credits it still does a good job of telling the audience visually that the episode of set series has finished. So what does Golbin Slayer episode 7 do you may ask?
Well instead of closing the episode like every other anime the series decides to have looped a still image with an eye-opening and closing for two minutes. TWO MINUTES!!! This decision boggled my mind so much that I thought I would intensely drop dead on the floor. How did anyone in Japan greenlight this broken directed fuckfeast of an episode?
The most infuriating part about all this that the dub version still kept that looped still shot. Could the production in this show be any more incompetent? Did someone in the editing room simply forget to do a transition to end credits? I'm sorry but this was simply unacceptable. I honestly cannot believe that this shit was a thing. Also, we don't speak about the recap episode of Goblin Slayer as it was just a horrendously compilation of poorly edited clips of the series that we already have seen before.
The characters Golbin Slayer are awful and I was being dead serious when I said that. They all just a bunch of uninspired one-dimensional shitheads.
Goblin Slayer is one of the worst written characters in 2018. Not only he's an unlikable and unrelatable to the eye but he only has a single character trait that he just wants to kill Goblins for the rest of his life. I understand the series tried to make him as this stoic badass character but didn't work thanks to terrible writing. In many ways, he's no different to the typical silent protagonist that you will see in Video Games.
Onna is not much better, in fact. She is even worst then Goblin Slayer as she is a just a plan useless girl from start to finish. There's nothing else to say about this useless husk of a chararter who just incompetent with her role and pissing herself whenever she gets scared.
The rest of the characters in Goblin Slayer are nothing but the bottom of the barrel collection of fantasy characters tropes.
Old drunken fart (Dwarf Shaman)
Generic fantasy girl (High Elf Archer)
Tits girl (Cow Girl)
Bootleg Guts (Heavy Swordsman)
I could go on and one talking about how lifeless these characters are I won't because since this show doesn't care about making these characters interesting so why should I bother. They are just a bunch of empty husks that exists in this lifeless husk of a fantasy show that prioritises pandering to a certain audience being the edgy 12-year-olds over actually telling a story that has a purpose.
Screw this!!!
1/10
Visuals.
Goblin Slayer visually look liked they been lobotomize. There is not a single frame of decent art here let alone okay animation. Now I think about it this show seriously looks like it was fished out of a toilet. Some of the visuals in Goblin Slayer looked bad in 2002.
The characters designs in Goblin Slayer uninspired as they all looked they throw away concept art for set fantasy anime. The same thing can apply for the background scenery.
The fight choreography ranged subpar to awful as many of the battles outside the rape scenes don't seem to have any impact or weight to it as the animation is stiff and terribly animated. Let's not forget the shows horrendous use of CGI for the Goblins and Goblin Slayer armor.
The soundtrack has about much effort about put to it as the characters and visuals. The tracks are all uninspired fantasy that you all heard before. Many of the tracks sound like bad ripoffs from Overlord, Akame ga Kill and Berserk. Not they are generic but they sounded generically bad. The same thing can apply for the opening and ending themes.
The sub was okay for what it was as all the Seiyuus did an alright job with the roles that they were giving. So I have no complaints whatsoever with the sub.
The dub for Goblin Slayer is absolutely awful in every way possible. I seriously don't know what the hell was Funimation was thinking when they decided to dub the because it sounds like ass. The worst dub is Goblin Slayer himself as the actor who voiced him sounded like he was holding a tin can walkie-talkie.
Goblin Slayer is a disgrace of a fantasy anime. It tried to this epic fantasy anime that contained a lot of blood and rape but it ultimately falls completely flat its face thanks to dreadful directing, empty characters, horrendous world-building that puts Akame ga Kill to shame and shit shock value writing.
Studio White Fox may be a shit studio when it comes it fantasy anime but after watching Goblin Slayer it made me realise that they are not capable of making/adaptation fantasy anime as the studio would pander to the lowest common denominator rather than make a story that is worth telling.
You're better off watching Berserk and Slayers rather than watching this bottom of the barrel fantasy anime that toys around the viewer with its stupid fan-service and awful shock value.
MozillaFennekin
Goblin Slayer makes me upset. Not because of its content, mind you. But because THIS is what the community decided to make a whole brouhaha for, rassling endlessly about how “DAE RAPE IS BAD???” Now, I apologize, we’ll talk about the show itself in a hot minute or two. But the community discussion of Goblin Slayer really is integral to the series itself. Like an album cycle from Kanye West, public reaction is all part of the seasonal anime paradigm, after all. Even if this anime is lost to the weight of time (read: four months), it should be noted that this animecaused quite the stir for its first few weeks of airtime, until everyone finally realized that SSSS.Gridman and Zombieland Saga were the actually worthwhile shows.
It was hilarious.
Apparently, no one’s seen Berserk. Devilman: Crybaby wasn’t a thing. But this little ditty had an ape beginning with the letter ‘r’, so the community became a monkey house about it. Many parts praising the anime, with a loudmouthed bunch absolutely horrified over it, causing the latter half to be even more vocal. And that’s why, at the time of this writing, Goblin Slayer is the most popular anime of Fall 2018, ahead of the new Sword Art Online, and the much more beloved adventures of Slimeboi and Bunny Girl. Nevermind the fact that, two seasons ago, Mahou Shoujo Site literally did everything in its own first episode that Goblin Slayer did, plus change, and was outright buried by the community for it, the general seasonal community doesn’t like to dwell on things too much. Not that I’m implying anything~
All this, for what? Is Goblin Slayer REALLY that daring of a show? Is it showing a brutal, grimdark reality? Is it making a scathing social commentary?! Is there an intellectual masterpiece lying underneath all of this terror?!?!
Ha ha ha!
No. Like the Elf’s chest, the answer is a flat, uninspiring no.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Goblin Slayer a lot. I think this show is a blast to watch. But I don’t consider this anything more than what I mentioned earlier. “Cheap entertainment.” It’s not gonna mentally challenge you, unless you’re a literal retard. In fact, as far as graphic violence goes, I’d say there isn’t really enough to recommend the anime based on that single element. It’s there and it’s nice, but it’s something that’s lurking around the corner, rather than a relentless bombardment.
But, it’s true. Goblin Slayer--the character--has no personality. The goblins themselves act as a mindless force who do bad things so the audience will root for their defeat. The supporting cast is gimmicky; the setting, mild; the story, basic; and an artstyle uninspired.
And to what end? Well, the thing about Goblin Slayer is that it never really tries to offer a fully immersive adventure series. The show doesn’t ask you to think. It doesn’t ask to be questioned. As dumb as it is, Goblin Slayer is exactly what the label says. It’s about Goblin Slayer. His name is Goblin Slayer. His occupation is being a Goblin Slayer.
What Goblin Slayer--the show--does, is strip everything down to its very basic elements and present something simple and blunt, and that’s what makes it a hilariously amusing show. Goblin Slayer--the character--this is getting out of hand--has a brutal honesty and charisma more dull than his armor. See, this guy is not just A goblin slayer--he is THE Goblin Slayer, and the lengths of which his dedication go to are quite fascinating, and, honestly, really goddamn funny. His entire brain is geared to destroy every goblin on the face of the Earth. He constantly wears his armor “just in case”, he only ever accepts quests that involve killing goblins, and he even mutters “Goburin…” every now and then when he’s about to embark on a quest. It’s like Ash Ketchum on the Genocide Route; it’s a simple, childhood-like dream that’s continued into adolescence and consumed everything about you. He’s a man on a goddamn mission.
And when I say this anime is funny, I don’t just mean “ha ha, graphic violence, what a spectacle!” like I normally do. Although, that is pretty funny tbh. But I truly, genuinely think that Goblin Slayer presents itself as a comedic show many times throughout its run. With things like Goblin Slayer’s--goddammit it, this is hard to express--MC-kun’s blunt personality will create some funny back-and-forths with the characters he regularly parties with later into the show.
“What is that?” says the Elf, gazing upon the birdcage which this Undyne-looking motherfucker is holding.
“You don’t know what a bird is?” he replies.
It’s that Sheldon Cooper, possibly autistic mentality that makes him enjoyable. His inability to properly communicate with other people lead him to say things so sharply honest that it has a witty sensation, and as you’d expect, it has an effect on the people he interacts with. In a scene where Goblin Slayer’s party--he forms a party, by the way--gives their own noble speeches about why they became adventurers and what it means to them, they circle around to Goblin Slayer, who begins to say the usual “to slay Goblins”, he gets cut-off mid-sentence by the Elf, essentially saying “yeah, we fucking know.” And that one scene with the Sword Maiden. . . do I even need to explain why that’s funny?
And when I say--shit I already said that. Oh well.
And when I say this anime is stripped down to its basics, that’s not me being reductive. That’s not a 0IQ comment of “lol turn ur brain of cuz its dum!!1”, I really mean that it’s basic. Every character in the show has a name that is exactly what they are. The priestess is called Priestess. The elf is called Elf. The hot receptionist waifu is Guild Girl. The girl with big titties is Cow Girl. The setting has room for full exploration, but chooses to focus on this one little story instead. You know the template isekai plotline of “I’m the main character and I need to defeat the Demon King God Emperor Overlord!!” Well, that happens in the world of Goblin Slayer. The big boss is actually defeated. Not by the Goblin Slayer himself, mind you, but by a completely unrelated character known as The Hero. Imagine that. The world has more areas to explore. Adventuring is a given; ranks are awarded to those who succeed, and many other characters do as such. But, among all that, this anime is about one thing and one thing only: a guy who just really likes to kill goblins.
I commend this story for sticking to such basics. Say what you will about it, but it doesn’t ever stray off its path. It’s delivered just as advertised, no refunds allowed. If you want a more expansive fantasy, that’s fine. But Goblin Slayer never, ever promised to deliver that, and it really doesn’t have to. Not every fantasy needs to have the long, thorough exploration of One Piece. Not every conflict has to have the moral greyness of Shinsekai yori. If you don’t like that, well, you should probably just watch another show instead of bitching about this one. It din’du nuffin’.
For what it’s worth, Gobby Gobby Kill-Time has a surprisingly believable world. Mr. Slayer isn’t a character who is worshipped and respected. He’s not a self-insert made to look badass. He’s a fucking weirdo and is treated as such. Other adventurers look down on him, gossiping about his disgusting habits: not ever cleaning his armor, never talking to anyone and only taking the most redundant of quests despite his Silver ranking being quite high up the board. His job is not admirable.
Despite that, there are people who believe in him. There’s his cow-titted sister or what the fuck ever who appreciates his work. Priestess was initially saved by him, and follows him around to not only learn various things as an adventurer, but to also normalize him as a person. Elf and the others--actually, I forgot why they’re there. Oops. And then the receptionist waifu commends him for his dedication in one of the anime’s most underrated moments, where she expresses her appreciation for doing the things he does. Because, at the end of the day, it’s a job that needs to be done, even if it sucks, even if no one wants to do it, something that many people can likely relate to.
There’s no bullshit. No real asspulls or crazy powers. The anime has a good sense of rules, balance and logic for its battles. Different weapons are used depending on the environment; magic has very limited usage, items are consumed in very specific circumstances with preservation in mind, and many different approaches are used to killing goblins. Do they storm into a nest and rampage through them all, or do they lay traps and smoke them out? How do they deal with an ambush, or a boss? And better yet, what happens when shit really hits the fan? This party isn’t perfect, and there’s a threat of very not good things constantly lurking. While I wouldn’t say Goblin Slayer has any real strokes of genius with its combat, it certainly gets the job done well enough to make it a believable and interesting enough action series.
Goblin Slayer is a fun show. It’s as simple-minded as the title implies and plays the role it signed up for. It’s a very simple action/adventure series with an edgy streak to it, but please note that it’s really not the edgiest thing in the world or even really this season like holy fuck watch Golden Kamuy you fucking cotton-humpers. Anyway, at the end of the day, it might seem strange; I’m giving this a positive review but also saying it’s not that big of a deal.
That’s because it isn’t. Y’all just need to calm down.
Story: 7/10
Art: 4/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Goblins: Dead/10
Overall: 7.5/10 (Range: 6.0-8.0)
These are bonus sections because they don’t really add anything to what I was saying, but some people might still care for some reason.
The art is mud. Rapist Slayer Guy is CG in some scenes and not CG in others. It doesn’t look good when he is, and the fact that he isn’t all the time makes it very weirdly inconsistent. The director sometimes does good things, but also tries a little too hard to make some shots look cool; it’s very hit-or miss. There's also a countless number of horribly tacked-on blood splatters that makes every kill look hilarious. The backgrounds are nothing to write home about and the setting itself is pretty generic, but the character designs are actually quite good. Mr. Slayer has a cool red eye for when he gets cereal and Priestess-chan can get the dick; I’d go as far as to say they look iconic for how strong their designs are. Elf has some cool, sharp features and Lizardman looks pretty rad.
The OP has one of the most interesting songs that I’ve heard in anime this year, to the point where White Fox seemed pretty clueless as to how to animate it. Some of the shots feel very strangely timed and there’s little consistency to its visual themes. Still, the song alone makes it a great OP with its somber introduction going into mysterious vocal melodies, crescendoing into an action-packed verse until it lets out a long vocal stream, layered over another melody about wanting to kill goblins and shit. It’s actually really well-written, but the percussion sounds like someone farted on the audio waves somehow because it sounds like shit. The ED sucks.
Watch SSSS.Gridman.
literaturenerd
Overview: 2018 was an odd year for anime. We started the year with sky high hopes for Yuasa helming a Devilman adaptation. That ended up just kind of meh and underwhelming on every level since the oil and water dynamic between Yuasa and Nagai just didn't work out. We FINALLY got a sequel to FLCL...and everyone hated it. We got a reboot of Galactic Heroes using pretty boy characters and CGI space battles, which is currrently rated like shit here on MAL. We also saw a strong resurgence of shock value anime and edge starting in late 2017 and continuing into this year. Last year,we got the tasteless and utterly trash Inuyashiki and King's game. This year we got Magical Girl Site, Happy Sugar Life, and today's subject: Goblin Slayer.
Goblin Slayer is in a way a perfect encapsulation of anime in 2018. From the bland characters to edgy writing to horrible CGI, what better series to symbolize what may be the worst anime year in decades?
Plot:
Goblin Slayer takes place in a world that operates similar to an MMORPG. Once you reach around 14 years old, you become an adventurer. You must go around slaying monsters and finding treasure in order to level up and achieve new ranks within society. Monster slaying quests are handled by the guild, who are fucking terrible at their jobs. The guild sends out poorly trained children to slay monsters they often aren't prepared for with no warnings or hesitation. Our deuteragonist is a young priestess whose entire party get brutally killed and raped by goblins in just the first episode. She and her party were essentially level 3 and the goblins are level 3-5 with some of the tougher ones around level 10. They had no chance from the beginning and the guild apparently knew this and didn't care. Oddly enough, the guild's criminal negligence and high mortality rate is never explored. Fortunately, she is saved by Silver Rank adventurer who is the equivalent of level 60 or so. This guy despite his high level has dedicated his entire life to killing every last goblin. Goblins killed and raped his family, so now he is the titular Goblin Slayer. It's like if Goku was so enraged that Saibamen killed Yamcha that he spent the rest of DBZ flying across the galaxy killing every last Saibaman! What a grand adventure!
The odd thing is that the Goblin Slayer is actually the sane one. While everyone else longs for grand adventures overseas slaying dragons and exotic demons, nobody is addressing the Goblin infestation at home. As a result, entire towns and cities are getting annihilated by goblins and the human population in the light novels is stated to be in decline while the goblin population is rising exponentially. Humanity is being threatened with extinction and only the Goblin Slayer cares! Everyone else seems perfectly happy with letting the Goblins rape and slaughter their families. If this were written in Trump's America, people would immediately suspect it's a heavyhanded allegory for immigration written by some far right jackass. That's not actually what Goblin Slayer is. Sadly, the answer is just as dumb. It never really explains this in the anime, but apparently the world of Goblin Slayer was created by a D&D campaign with the 4 "Gods" just being 4 neckbeards. The reason everyone besides the Goblin Slayer is a moron is that the Dungeon Master is far more competent than the 3 rookie players. However, they forgot about the character of the "Goblin Slayer" and that's why he still has free will while the strongest heroes are being controlled by the incompetent rookies. It's like a 6th grader trying to rip off something the comic writer Grant Morrison would do.
The tragic but hilarious thing is that Goblin Slayer didn't need to be this bad! It would have been mediocre but acceptable if it was just a 15 year old writing bad Berserk fanfiction. We all know the light novels exist SOLELY because the author was so enamored with the troll arc in Berserk. Sadly, not every episode is like the first. Most of Goblin Slayer is actually bad humor, bad fanservice that doesn't even show tits, and whole episodes of NOTHING happening. I've seen some SLOW anime, but Goblin Slayer can be just as slow as any despite the fact it's supposed to be a mindless, cathartic action show about slaying goblins! My offline friends are all American comic fans that have what MAL would call "casual" taste. They watch stuff like Slayers, Code Geass, Fairy Tail, Overlord, and My Hero Academia. It can be pretty awkward for me to explain that I'm watching a show about girls who're slowly learning to be better gondola tour guides in space Italy. People ask "why in the FUCK would you watch something that boring?! Yet somehow, half the episodes of Goblin Slayer are more boring than any episode of Aria. They managed to make slaying hordes of goblins more boring than watching someone learn to row a gondola. Even the climactic battle at the end of the series is boring. It ends up being around 100 B, A, and S class warriors vs 200 little goblins and 10 slightly bigger goblins. It's a one sided curb stomp battle just like basically every battle in this series! Instead of watching the anime version of Helm's Deep, I find myself chanting "THIS IS BORING! (Clap Clap ClapClapClap)
Characters:
"Ah...I see" - Goburin Srayer Sama
The characters might actually be the worst part of Goblin Slayer. Every character is purely one dimensional and is defined by 1 trait. Goblin Slayer hates goblins and he slays them. That is his raison d'etre. That's as deep as we get into his character. Priestess girl is a support healer and her role is to offer support to Goblin Slayer. We don't know anything of her likes, dislikes, hopes or dreams. She exists to help Goblin Slayer. Dwarf likes to drink and hates elves because Tolkien. The Elf likes archery and hates dwarves because Tolkien. Lizard man likes cheese. The characters really aren't any deeper than this. All fictional characters lack the immense complexity of real people. That's a fundamental truth of writing. However, if they're interesting to us then we begin to fill in their inner thoughts, motivations, and we add sub-text. I just can't see anyone doing that with the Goblin Slayer cast. There is simply nothing interesting about ANY of these characters.
Art:
The art in this anime is just butt ugly or "boogly" if you will. The CGI isn't quite as bad as Berserk 2016 or 2017, but it is still just depressing to look at. I was rewatching Stand Alone Complex recently and noticed the CGI in that series has aged poorly, but modern anime CG just isn't much better. The quality of American CGI animation has grown exponentially better in the last 20 years. We had a BAD phase around the year 2000 when we were putting out cartoons like Butt Ugly Martians, but America got beyond that early stumbling phase. Since anime has much tighter schedules and tighter budgets, the CGI never really improved that much. There are rare exceptions like Advent Children, Gantz 0, and King's Glaive. However, I would argure that CGI as a whole has been overwhelmingly detrimental to anime. When CG use is limited like the Stands in JoJo or explosions in Hellsing Ultimate, or even the vectors in Elfen Lied, it can be passable with a small budget. When you try use CGI as a lazy crutch like the Berserk reboots or Goblin Slayer, it gets BAD. Basically, use CG very sparingly unless you have a lot of time and/or a massive budget.
Overall:
People have asked me, "Is Goblin Slayer really that bad?" Honestly, the answer is Yes. It really is that bad. Even Inuyashiki had the anime Trump speech. I can only think of maybe one scene in all of Goblin Slayer that made me smile. A priestess who was raped by goblins asks the Goblin Slayer to have pity sex with her since men will no longer go near her. He just shuts her down in the most deadpan manner with a line like "I'm not here to cuddle! I just slay Goblins dude! Now if you need any goblins slain, THEN I can help you!" When that exchange is the best part of your entire anime, you deserve that 2 out of 10. Goblin Slayer isn't my vote for worst anime of year. That would be Magical Girl Site. However, it is still an atrocious anime and a complete waste of your time. No matter how much people talk about it online, I would recommend skipping this one.
Magnif-Steiner
Goblin Slayer is an anime that everyone can enjoy. Following a badass computer-generized protagonist slaying mobs of goblins like the pests they are, it encourages every person watching to take arms, get active and do something with your life. Our man got cucked in his backstory by a dozen goblins and now he doesn’t give a flying f*** no more. Now he slays goblins and women on the daily. What other guy do you know in this show that got healed through taking a virgin’s purity? I’ll wait… The priestess first joins a group of no-hope losers with no understanding of what a potion is, and asexpected, they are beaten, bloodied and booted from the show, but the Priestess ends up saved by Lord Slayer-kun and just like real life attraction, the girl is taken for her hero and follows him everywhere. She would follow the MC to the ends of the Earth if only to prove her worth to him. Now that’s something every man on the planet can learn from, instead of wasting hard earned money on false prophets like PrankInvasion teaching you how to kiss women on the streets by practicing on a pillow.
The animation is subtly brilliant with depicting Lord Slayer-kun in a completely different animation style, further showing how much more advanced of a person he is compared to every other character in the show. The red eye symbol is kind of dumb as he has two eyes but I’m being nitpicky here.
The sound, well I’ll be honest, it sucks but you have the option to mute every episode so that renders this part of the review proof.
I’m amazed how in a year that completely disappointed with trash after trash after trash after trash after trash, finally there is a show that can inspire everyone to be a better person. Maybe I’m just optimistic, but everyone has at least the chance to watch how an alpha male goes about his business
“The only good [losers] are the ones who never come out of their [mothers basement]”
Otorez
Goblin Slayer is one of the few anime which raised my hype from '0' to 'maximum'. Only Nozoki-Ana (ok there was only an OVA & a 130+ chapters manga) and Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo managed (12 episodes anime + 2x30 min OVA & 240+ chapters manga) to do the same. Indeed, when I started watching GS, I immediatly switched to the manga (both original & prequel) right after latest episode finished airing. Time to read the Light novel now that I received my GS wall poster. Talking more seriously : Goblin Slayer first shows itself as a dark / violent / horrific anime (everyonewho watched episode 1 only would answer that). However, it quickly turns out to become softer, to please a bigger audience I guess. For anyone interested in a more cruel, darker & disgusting version of the story, you should take a look at the manga or the light novel : they might give you chills thinking about how bestial are the goblins. Not as dumb or weak as showed in the anime.
The plot isn't complicated and the major points of the anime are : its characters & its fights. Even though I have to add that you shouldn't expect a deep developpment of the characters... they don't even have names (people usually using words like High Elf Archer (HEA) or Anvil ; Priestest, GS, Guild Girl (GG), SpearMan (SM) etc... to design them). Nevertheless it won't impeach you to find a catch for them, considering they are more normal & close to you than you think, despite the environment, magic and universe. As I read, the author intended to not give names because he saw his creation as a game of Dungeon & Dragons, so every players (in our case, viewers) could incarnate any character.
Basically, it was a beasts / monsters VS Humanity story, and you will take the second one's side for sure. The anime gives you a hatred towards those filthy creatures and makes you enjoying every new massacre ! Especially the last arc, that was critized at first because it shouldn't be taking place at the end but more like at the beginning. Anyway, it was a really nice idea to swap arcs, in order to provide the viewers an amazing ending. It also officially announces a second season, even if the manga content can't afford it... YET !
Finally, a great show with a taste of violence in a darker universe. Definitely the one you should have watched during Fall 2018 if you like this genre. I placed it within my Top 3 favorite Fall 2018 anime, alongside with Zombieland Saga & SSSS.Gridman. I highly encourage everyone to watch the show then read the manga (if you are hardcore fan, even read the light novel !).
CordobezEverdeen
Goblin Slayer. Everyone has heard of it, everyone talked about it. But truly what is in it when we get rid of all the bs, hate and controversy? An enjoyable experience. Goblin Slayer comes with a very unique concept and for a big chunk of the PTW audience the idea of a guy doing nothing but stomping rats all day, every day was pretty interesting. "This guy does nothing but kill goblins" sign me in. I definitely not expected something that mixed PTSD, literally a DND world, comedy and a hentai protagonist. Story: It has been shown to death the "isekaish" world of swords, dragons and magic. But GS worldwhile similar is actually a dungeons and dragons world.
References to monsters, DnD skill system, etc.
The whole plot revolves around: Let's go kill goblins, oh no "x" happened, shit we somehow did it.
"X" most of the times is our MacGyver protagonist finding a way to abuse the DnD system and honestly those moments are really cool and pretty reminiscent of Jojo.
The other half of the show is our party banter and interactions with each other while trying to integrate our hentai protagonist to do stuff with them.
It's a pretty comfy show. It's not a gritty horror story about goblins raping women or a heavy monologue about fear and moving on and thats something a lot of people critizicing Goblin Slayer seem to think.
Goblin Slayer is not Berserk. Goblin Slayer is a fun, action packed show with a few serious moments and a ton of extra enjoyement can be extracted from it with said mentality.
Art: When i heard "White Fox" it was like stars aligning to give me an awesome show but honestly when i saw the episodes the last thing going trough my mind was "Wow it looks so beatifully animated".
White Fox has completely dropped the ball on GS and a lot of times the show feels lifeless, cheap and boring.
There are times where GS san is shown in 3D CGI but while they definitely break the inmersion they arent the second coming of the antichrist and are definitely endurable (endurable key word right there).
Sound: Nothing to complain. Rightfully by Mili fits the GS anime completely.
I never found any of the VA's being really off character or doing a poor work.
If you are really stingy with this you might find stuff to criticize but wasnt able to find anything particularly annoying.
Characters: GS is definitely the appeal of the show. If you are sick of these beta otaku MC's or these all mighty heroes whose power is directly linked to the strenght of their vocal cords then you'll love Goblin Slayer.
Like ep 12 tells us straight up "Goblin Slayer is just a guy"
He is not all mighty so he plans ahead, a lot. He always thinks on his future confrontations and sets up skills, items or tactics to overpower any foe that crosses his path.
He is like a 10 damage card that can multiply his damage when facing goblins or when using his brain and damn if the damage he receives when he is not in control is clear.
His whole persona and his attitude towards his life (details like the fact that he doesnt carry strong weaponry to avoid the possibility of goblins stealing it from his dead body really are a cool addition) makes you feel on edge whenever a fight is on and the fact that you never feel that he is in anyway special or powerful add to this as well.
The rest are all charming on his own way. I'm not a waifu kind of guy and i would like to see female characters doing more than just having massive tits, making cute faces, etc.
While the other male characters arent completely forgettable the show (just like me) has a love boner for Goblin Slayer so he is practically the only dude you will have eyes for on more than one way.
Enjoyment: The holy grail of anime or actually any form of entertainment.
Who cares if something is preciously animated with jaw dropping scenarios if the enjoyment you can get from it is the same as watching the paint dry.
Perfect.
There are not many words for it. I loved Goblin Slayer and that's all there is to it.
The show doesnt try to bullshit you or tries to pretend to be something mature.
And to be honest that's something that while a lot of shows do, there are many that go overboard with it and you almost feel that you are being made fun of while watching it.
If you wanna have some damn fun and watch religiously everything that a dude that never shows his face and respondes to everything using as few words as possible then Goblin Slayer is definitely the show for you.
ObiJakobe
I thought this would be some bullshit, fanservice, fetish, power-fantasy anime but nah. The author was cooking. I believe goblins are an allegory for Men's depravity. They are a force of nature, like natural disasters, so it may first seem as if Goblin Slayer is about Man vs Nature. It's really about Man vs Man's nature Goblins are vengeful, act on lust, envy, pillage, and are apathetic. Every time you lust over fanservice and naked victims, a goblin is born. One who would do the worst to women if it was pleasurable. Luckily there is a literal white-knight who will slay them and protect womenfrom Goblins.
"When the demon lord is killed, the world will be saved. But if the 15 year old girl, who was violated by Goblins, is looking for salvation... no one would care. No matter how many are slain, nothing changes"
Since the beginning of history Men acted on lust and even now multiple sexual abuses happen daily on Earth. Who will women call today? Will you slay your Goblins?
Psychotomimetic
Have you ever wanted to watch a MANIME that got your blood boiling, erection throbbing, your bicep muscles pulsating and gain the power of a gorilla with the power of ten men and the swag of Carlos Santana? Then this is the show for you! Fuck Madoka Magica and Tatami Galaxy, you arrogant, annoying, pretentious ass wipes! The amount of manliness contained in this one MANIME is astounding! You'll be max bench pressing 100 lbs and your chest will grow hair instantly! My large, hairy, sweaty testicles grew a flawless majestic beard! Just ONE EPISODE of Goblin Slayer will cause penis growth, adding 2 feetto your overall height and possibly cancer. The music is fucking VIP AS FUCK and you're a degenerate to think otherwise.
This MANIME is not for Children or people with high blood pressure. Your erection will throb once you see our main protagonist curb-stomping goblin teeth against rough, sharp rocks, splattering their brains across cave walls, burning them alive, shooting arrows through their eyes and performing a mass genocide of all the goblins, including the children.
~ BigBoyAlex
1/30/24 Update: Jesus fucking christ my username use to be "BigBoyAlex" and I also hate this review. It's inspired and kind of copyed from a really great and funny Fist of the North Star review that got removed because a mod on a power trip didn't like to see "throbbing cock" typed out and annihilated it. The other two reviews I kind of copyed were from Krunchyman's Goblin Slayer review and therustbelt's Dragon Ball Z review. I thought I was being funny, but it was actually unfunny and edgy.
Stark700
Here lies a dark hero built with armor and a burning desire to destroy goblins. A man with little words, he speaks through action and is a nightmare to the goblin race. If you live in his world as a goblin, be afraid, be spiteful, and be prepared to die. In a world of darkness such as Goblin Slayer, death is a common word in the community. It’s the sinister truth that cannot be avoided in a world of fear. Isn’t the Internet just a wonderful place? Almost anyone these days with an education can pretty much write out their own fictional tale in some wayor other. Granted, most of us won’t become accomplished writers like Kumo Kagyuu. As an author of the original light novels and manga, it’s pretty clear that he was aiming to make Goblin Slayer into a dark fantasy story. As a testament of dark fantasy, what does Goblin Slayer really deserve?
There’s a book out there called “Controversy Creates Cash” by wrestling personality, Eric Bischoff. To be honest, controversy is pretty much a word that describes Goblin Slayer from the start. In no less than a single episode, we get Goblin Slayer in the most gruesome ways possible. A fair warning before you read on: expect goblin rape. While the adaptation certainly does tones it down, goblin rape exists and may sway viewers’ eyes away. Being a dark fantasy, goblins are the embodiment of evil and serves as the main antagonists. I should also say right off the bat that the goblins in this show lacks morality and behaves in a hive-like manner. In other words, they aim solely to torture, torment, and kill. There’s zero amount of characterization about any of them as they lack basic human principles. Even their strategy seems to involve mindless slaughter in Blitzkrieg-like ways to overwhelm enemies. In general, goblins is portrayed as monsters that you should give absolutely no sympathy for. They are the symbolism of evil and it’s up to Goblin Slayer to annihilate them.
As a titular character, Goblin Slayer bears a responsibility for himself. That is, he is the main carry of his party consisting of Priestess, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest. Goblin Slayer is what I’d describe as a specialist. He solely takes on missions that involves slaying goblins and seems to avoid any others when requested. To me, I find this type of character portrayal to be risky. I mean, it gets more and more obvious that there’s little character development for Goblin Slayer himself. Sure, there is companionship that he develops with his party members. This in turn grows into a level of trust but throughout the show, I never felt compelled to understand him. Even with some background story, he still just feels like the poster boy of the show with little characterization. I’m not even sold on his character role after realizing he’s solely build to slay goblins. It’s pretty obvious that some of the female party members like Priestess and High Elf Archer begins to grow a certain level of attraction towards him. But what does our dark hero have in mind all the time? Goblin Slaying!
By mid-season, I think it’s easy to also dissect the rest of the cast. As the main female protagonist, Priestess is the antithesis of Goblin Slayer. She’s a gentle 15 year old adventurer with an innocent mind and willing to help others. The story progresses as she develops a growing trust towards Goblin Slayer although that’s pretty much it. We don’t get much characterization about her and as time elapses, it feels like she’s just a standard adventurer playing the role of a mage like from some RPG game. The 2000 year old girl known as the High Elf Archer brings in more attitude into the show with a somewhat childish personality. This is a contrast to most of the other members of her party as she tends to react in outbursts. The Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest makes up the support of the party to provide invaluable assistance. Unfortunately, both characters are often overshadowed by the girls and Goblin Slayer himself. The only time Dwarf Shaman shines the most is when he gets into bickering with High Elf Archer. For the Lizard Priest, he’s also more of the calm and character with few words. But really, this type of character casting is pretty much like following a video game. I’m not inclined to say Goblin Slayer pay homage to adventure games but it has that sort of feeling. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t equate to a well-polished set of characters. Even the Sword Maiden suffers from this with her tragic past. Sword Maiden’s character pretty much represents the dark horrors of their world from her suffering. It’s obvious that she’s hiding her own insecurity and anxiety since her trauma. The reminder of the support cast like Witch and Cow Girl fills little more than dimensional adventurers with no character development whatsoever. And that’s not a good thing to see.
You’ve come this far and wonder if Goblin Slayer’s story is capable of outshining the character cast. To be general, there’s some condensing and rearrangement for the adaptation don’t expect everything to be faithful. That’s just the base of it though. The main story deals with the conflict between goblins and humanity. I didn’t really understand the true purpose of the show even to the very end. It seems to be a gore feast made with the intention of showing the horrors of a dark fantasy. The show feels like a video game at times but hardly plays like one. This show is certainly not an isekai though so don’t mistake one as such. But to be plainly honest, I think Goblin Slayer didn’t capture the essence of effective storytelling. It’s botched by textbook characters with mediocre writing at best and controversy at worst.
Despite being a dark fantasy, Goblin Slayer stays truthful mostly with its premise and content. It evokes feelings of horror with its grimy art style and graphic violence. Character designs are equipped with fantasy attributes such as the elf ears, priestess robes, lizardman’s body structure, dwarf roughness, etc. But you should also expect fan service. Characters like the Witch and Cow Girl are the most prominent examples of this. I’d dare say that the author was trying to make some of the female characters as sexy as possible for little reason but to appeal to fan service. Speaking of which, the goblin slaying itself pretty much draws the gore and violence on every chance it gets. While I mentioned the anime being toned down before, there’s no doubt the producers wanted to get a point across. And that’s to show how sinister the world of Goblin Slayer can really be.
With a man of few words, Goblin Slayer is the man of the hour but unfortunately, this show doesn’t live up to its catchy title. While I’d say there were some memorable moments in the story, the show itself is ultimately too transparent and gets tedious fast. By the end of the show, I didn’t find a true understanding of what this was really about. Companionship between the adventurers? Showing the grim reality of a dark fantasy world being populated by malevolent goblins? Or is it perhaps something more that the author wanted us to experience? Personally, I wouldn’t look too far because in the end, this was just another anime that wasn’t a big deal after you’ve seen what it is. A show like Goblin Slayer may be talked a lot this year and more years to come. But, controversy will always be part of those talks.
wizard_metal
Goblin Slayer is only popular at all due to the amount of controversy surrounding it. Take away the surface level edginess and the questionable stuff, and it's still a generic fantasy story with really shallow characters (They don't even have names... Lol). It could maybe be a 5/10 at most because admittedly there are entertaining aspects of it, despite the story being garbage. But then you throw in the exploitative use of sexual assault in the story- once again Goblin Slayer is only popular at all because of this controversy, and they knew what they were doing- plus other really trashy fan service, sleazy fantasyfulfillment for people's gross fetishes, it's just a straight up bad show.
Once again there are some enjoyable aspects to the show, the fights are really creative and interesting. I find Goblin Slayer to be a fun protagonist (still very one-dimensional though). But it requires you to look past A LOT of bad. I was very close to dropping the show during episode two, and honestly I wish that I did. Don't waste your time with this, if you want something dark and gritty there are so many better options out there.
Chrome_Falcon
When it comes to popular shows, people like to jump on bandwagons. They either absolutely adore it or utterly despise it. Due to the controversy first episode created, goblin slayer has attracted more people than it should have and the result is obvious. The story takes place in a D&D inspired world where battle between the good and the evil is commonplace. The main character has gone through a traumatic experience in his childhood because of the infamous goblins and has decided to dedicate his entire life to eradicate them. So it is all about how cunning the goblins are and how goblin slayer comes upwith various methods to deal with them. As such it should be the only thing one should expect before watching the show. Otherwise they may get disappointed.
Even though the premise is simple, it doesn't get repetitive because the situations he finds himself in changes everytime and his methods change as well. There are several classes of goblins, and some of them are significantly powerful. It made matters more challenging for goblin slayer and his party. So I was pretty much entertained throughout.
Many people say that goblin slayer has plot armor. Well what do you expect? The name of the show is Goblin Slayer after all! Just like Naruto, Ao no exorcist, Mob psycho 100 etc. Having plot armor and being overpowered are entirely different things. Having plot armor is not a bad thing. Being consistently overpowered may become a problem because sometimes such a story becomes unbelievable. But GS is not overpowered and he struggles to kill the goblins. He uses unconventional methods to kill them. That is the strength of the show.
The characters are clearly the weakest part of the anime. They are all one dimensional and are only there to help goblin slayer. However, while I would have loved to see some backstory for each character, it doesn't matter as the story is only about GS. Only character to grow over time is Goblin Slayer himself. He initially keeps everyone at a distance and only obsessively cares about goblins. The fact that we can't see his expressions due to the ever present helmet doesn't help either. But by the end of this season, he has slowly changed a bit and is slightly more sociable. I don't know how much more he develops beyond the storyline adapted in the anime. But for 12 episodes, that is a decent progress.
The animation is above average. Sometimes there is use of CGI while goblin slayer walks. It is unnecessary and looks weird. The action scenes are decent. One thing I disliked is the mild unnecessary fanservice. It is not omnipresent throughout the entire show, but the way it is done (with weird physics, unnatural clothes etc) breaks the immersion in the story.
The opening song done by Mili is very good and makes the anime feel like some dark fantasy. It is a shame that it is not really a dark fantasy however. The ED is a bit bland and is not to my liking. The rest of the soundtrack doesn't stand out much either.
TL;DR - Goblin Slayer is a decent anime. It is neither one of the best, nor one of the worst shows out there. It is quite enjoyable if you know what to expect from it.
Kak1
This anime was one that spurred quite the controversy. Goblin Slayer was hailed as a show for those with "good taste" by it's fanbase. Those who were "sick and tired" of "boring" slice of life garbage. This anime was "special" and "different" and do you know why that was? Simply because there was rape in the first episode. Goblin Slayer is edgy. And people often call this a buzzword because it is so popularly used and the meaning is loosely defined. Although what I would define it as is; trying to handle adult themes and ideas and failing due to the execution. Failing to be grimlymature. Goblin Slayer episode one champions this concept. Goblin Slayer struggles with it's adulthood. When you want to execute ideas and themes that deal with so much real world weight you need nuance or integrity. You have to earn handling these ideas. Using them for shock value is tasteless in concept and indicates the mark of a poor writer. It loses so much weight when you haven't earned your ability to pursue such grizzly concepts. Goblin Slayer is a failure as a seinen.
So how do you earn it? Comparatively this series can be rooted alongside Berserk as that's what even it's fans would show it with. So why are Goblin Slayers roots so rotten?
There are a lot of aspects that are needed to make a good character. An essential element is their choices and morals. Their choices have to be logical, align with their own ideals, contribute to birthing those ideas, and be conceptually exciting in almost some way. Goblin Slayer has some of this but fails to be three dimensional in any way shape or form. As his choices are not difficult. He doesn't have a complex psychology (You can attach that to his trauma but I will return to that)
In the very first episode there is a hilariously nonsensical psychological question. This is posed by not on GS himself but is clearly a question for the audience to answer. It's a question of his own morality, how they align with yours, how they align with Priestess, and how they will impact him going further. This question is pivotal for both the establishment of his character, how he will change throughout the narrative, and the themes and tones this answer will impose.
So
Why is this salient question so stupidly effortless, uncomplicated, and ostentatious?
All we have got from GS is he is a merciless hero so far and the although his passion is selfish and sadistic he never maintains the idea of being morally gray. His and the viewers complex psychological question was; do the monstrous, murderous, pillaging, raping, creatures with no semblance of conscience or conscious thought be killed while they're young. They are not humans. If they were perhaps child soldiers, it would create an actual mental conflict worthy of establishing him as a complex character with complex morals. Like if Goblins could be educated or peaceful, then his actions would have a rightful reason to stun the priestess. Then his actions would stun the viewer. Then he would trigger some form of complex response. Then there would be meaning to what this pretentious conflict holds. There's no weight to it. We are shown goblins are rapist, violent, disgusting, irredeemable monsters moments ago. This fails his most crucial moment of establishment and permanently hurts him as a character.
Goblin Slayer as an anime doesn't earn it's adult edge. Using rape without having it tie somewhat to the narrative and world is substanceless and desperate while writing. It's a dark world so let's have some girls getting raped, that will show everyone how mature I am as an author. It's handled in a laughably poor way. This also has no bearing on the establishment of the world nor does this effect the narrative.
Priestess doesn't have any sort of complex arc about what these creatures are, (which is what they would need if they wanted the goblin child killing to actually be smart rather than psuedointellectual) or what it's like to lose people because of incapability or irresponsibility. In fact Priestess and every other member of Goblin Slayers team are one dimensional, nothing characters.
And even worse, this first episode doesn't establish tone, stakes, themes, or setting at all. Yes there is gore but the idea that one mess up and your dead is thrown out the window as Goblin Slayer literally never is punished in a real way from what he does. He is simply boosted by the power of virginity (unforeshadowed btw) which is like the mystic water from Dragon Ball but even more retarded.
Ironically... it has just as much fanservice as any slice of life. From the moment you see Cow Girl as an adult, you see how truly ignorant the fan's claims were. Fanservice on it's own is a complex topic not worth discussing in this confined review but I'm mentioning it to simply show the utter contradiction of the fanbase.
Story 1/10 - Doesn't keep the the established tone, poor plot points, contradictory message, no real substance or nuance.
Themes 1/10 - Not impressively handled as the cast doesn't make his redeeming traumatized heart feel authentic as they are so bland
Art 4/10 - Competent but uninspired direction, hideous CG with poor lighting applied
Sound 3/10 -Nothing special, generic sound effects and cliche dramatic music
Character - Abysmal. None of the cast except GS is beyond a stagnant one dimensional character. With Goblin Slayers weak establishment, boring interections, lack of depth, and generic savantism, he comes off as a very bland character.
Overall 2/10
One of the most overhyped anime of last year.
_Shara_
Goblin Slayer caused a lot of discussion due to its realistic depiction of blood, violence, and gore. Few anime dare to portray "heavy" scenes in such a graphic manner, and I found this to be a point in the anime's favor. The crudeness of the story, juxtaposed with more serene moments, makes it enjoyable, even if some scenes may be too much for some viewers. The setting is not the most original, as we are already used to seeing anime set in a fantasy world with guilds that fight monsters and collect rewards. However, Goblin Slayer distinguishes itself by featuring a more Western fantasy style, wherecharacters are dressed in practical clothing rather than maid outfits or strange costumes.
Unfortunately, most of the characters remain nameless until the end of the anime, and we can only identify them by their job or race, such as the Girl Priestess, the Elf, the Dwarf Magician, and the Lizard Priest. This makes it feel as if everyone is just a background character, and all the characters are secondary. We don't learn much about the protagonist's true face or the other characters' motivations, apart from a bit of Goblin Slayer's past.
The animation is well-done, with drawings that never become sketchy. CGI is used in some scenes, especially on the protagonist, but it is not unpleasant, even though it is immediately noticeable when there is a transition from animated scenes. The character design is also very enjoyable, and the colors are used equally well.
One negative point is the length of some shots, which are immediately noticeable within the anime. They are too long and pointless. For example, at the end of an episode, we see the characters standing still, reflected in the eyes of a canary. This shot lasts for more than a minute.
Goblin Slayer doesn't have a traditional plot, or rather it doesn't develop in the traditional way. We know that our protagonist fights and massacres goblins for revenge, but beyond that, there is no overarching goal to achieve. Despite this, the episodes are never boring. They continue in complete tranquility, perhaps due to the pathos that the scenes create.
Conclusion
Goblin Slayer is a unique and enjoyable anime, especially for those who are looking for something different from the usual fare. It is not without its flaws, but its dark and gritty atmosphere, well-done animation, and interesting characters make it worth watching.
Personal rating: 7/10.
