Common Name: Goblin Slayer
Score: 6/10, 2/5
Length: 12 Episodes, 1 Recap Episode
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Grimdark, Harem
Warning: This series contains scenes of intense violence and rape.
Summary: Often looked down upon as the weakest and most pathetic monsters this world has to offer, goblins are actually more of a threat than people realize. Capable of crude but effective plans, the ability to rapidly multiply, and mutations that make them more and more dangerous. Their simpler nature lends them a greater ferocity and tenacity than many other threats. Luckily, there is one adventurer solely dedicated to eradicating the goblin threat--the Goblin Slayer. Together with a young priestess and a racially-diverse band of adventurers that have sought him out for his skills, the goblin hoards will be treated like the threat they are and summarily exterminated.
Review: I hate this irredeemable piece of trash, edge-bait show with every fiber of my being. It's a limp-dicked attempt to delve into the realm of the grimdark without any of the thought or caution necessary to make a dark fantasy setting actually work. Rather than just being a simple mess it is an actively offensive mess that attempts to hide that fact behind extreme moments of shock and sexual violence, making it an utter waste of my and everyone else's time. Or, at least, that's what I'd like to say. While those statements are most definitely my initial reactions to the show, thanks to the atrocity that was Goblin Slayer's first episode, the series as a whole actually exists as an entirely different product. Take that one, tonally inconsistent episode out of the equation and the show almost immediately becomes something a lot more fun and interesting and engaging. It's still a mess from start to finish, let there be no doubt of that. It struggles with using its various pieces to their full effect, whether that be its characters, tone, or the escalation of the plot, nothing in this show works half as well as it could. Despite that being the case, though, on the flip side, it also isn't nearly as bad as it could have been. So, considering how hard it is to avoid talking about this show's bad points, I'm going to try and focus on the facts and the aspects of this show that could be considered good.
Though there's going to be a massive disclaimer over this entire review
insisting that it should REALLY be avoided by some people.
So, to start this off, let's start with the fact that the first episode of Goblin Slayer is an utter travesty, and I do not use that word lightly. As people have screamed ever since it came out, it is a manipulative, fetishistic, tone deaf, and utterly pointless mess. What's more, it's an offensive mess shot in such a manner that it seems to revel in the fact that a group of nobody adventurers is being butchered, humiliated, and raped by the weakest monster this world has to offer. Some of the show's very basic concepts are reflected in this episode but not in any kind of manner that justify what it goes through. We are introduced to the general setting of this world and the darker elements that can be found within it, namely the cruel and objectively evil goblins. We are introduced, vaguely, to the guild system and how it commissions adventures to go and solve a problem, regardless of whether or not those adventurers are prepared for it. And, of course, we are given an introduction to the two main characters of the show, Priestess and Goblin Slayer, as they take their vengeance against these vile monsters. This start essentially sets the tone for what would eventually develop into a grimdark fantasy along the lines of Berserk and Warhammer. To be fair, it's a weak introduction to the grimdark, since we are given no reason to like, care about, or even expect the nobody adventurers to survive, but it's definitely a start. Yet that isn't what happens.
To make their deaths all the more cheap and galling, the show doesn't even go into these
characters' backstories and ambitions, giving us some to like them
and hope that they'd survive, like the light novels do.
As soon as the show's second episode starts, that dark fantasy tone is immediately discarded for something immediately recognizable as your standard fantasy anime bullshit. The goblins are still evil incarnate. They are still seen butchering people and torturing naked women, which is in line with how they were established, but the grimdark nature of it all is immediately gone, replaced with something infinitely more safe. After that first episode, there are only a couple of moments that feel even remotely as dire as that first episode and only one manages to reach the level of graphic violence. Yet, even though the show hits those peaks once or twice, nothing actually happens. No one dies. No one gets raped. Nothing of any real consequence actually happens. That's not to say that I actually want to see those things happen--quite the contrary considering my weak constitution for such things--but consequence and cruelty is the backbone of the dark fantasy genre. No one is special. No one is unkillable. Dark fantasy revels in the struggle of humanity's survival, showcasing how easily people's lives can be extinguished as well as glorifying their hard-won successes, in a world that wants them dead. Instead of that, Goblin Slayer goes for something a little more akin to a vaguely darker version of the Dragon Quest universe.
In fact, the Dragon Quest story is legitimately happening in the background of this show.
For all intents and purposes, the Goblin Slayer and the rest of the cast might as well be invincible. They go through tough times and scrape by from time to time but there is never any real threat of death. The show goes out of its way to paint Goblin Slayer in much the same light as your standard anime protagonist. He's got his characteristic quirk that drives him throughout the series, i.e. his questionable sanity and single-minded dedication to murdering goblins. Beyond that, though, he's no different from your basic tactician main character. He's generally competent in a fight but tends to value his brain over his brawn in most cases. Throughout the series, he's set up to be some kind of mad genius who works tirelessly to set up elaborate plans and solutions to the goblin problem. Then that, in turn, somehow turns him in the most attractive human to ever exist, in spite of always being decked out in full armor and having the personality of a rock. And while that might sound like the buildup to some joke, Goblin Slayer is 100% serious about this. To make his departure from the dark fantasy even more plain, the guy is literally favored by the gods of this world since one of them apparently trained him in how to think like and more effectively kill goblins. In spite of his ridiculous tundra training with some rat-faced weirdo god, though, the show insists that he "doesn't let the gods role the dice for him," supposedly taking his destiny in his own hands.
Favored by the gods and all he got was a cool glowing eye effect for when he's REALLY pissed off.
As for the rest of the cast, they mostly just exist to sing the praises of Goblin Slayer for all eternity. For the weak and pitiful Priestess who serves basically as his tag-along child character, he's her savior and thus the object of her affections as she tries to keep him alive in turn. For the Elf, he's this legendary weirdo who embodies the strength and confidence she needs to better help her people. Though her romantic interest in Slayer isn't so much one of her defining traits, she still worships him in much the same way the Priestess does. For the clerk of the adventurer's guild, he's a cursed hero saving people by dedicating himself to a job that no one else is willing to do and is thus someone worthy of her admiration. To be fair, it's directly stated that she's into cold, indifferent, but helpful guys. For Cow Girl (yes, that is her name), he's her childhood friend, potential first love, and the only part of her old life that survived the goblin attack on her village. The show paints her affection for him in much the same way he's obsessed with the goblins, due to her dealing with sanity-destroying survivor's guilt, but the fact that she's part of his harem is undeniable. For the Sword Maiden, he's a tool to be used but also a possible solution to helping her cope with her traumatic past with goblins. Lastly, for the Lizardman and Dwarf, he's just kinda their weirdo best friend. Yet, in spite of all their infatuation with him, all Goblin Slayer does for his part is just kinda allow all of them to gravitate towards him because they aren't necessarily getting in the way of his ultimate goal--slaying goblins.
Despite being rather flat, though, they are all honestly the best part of this show.
As much as I want to groan and gripe about Goblin Slayer's outright lies when it comes to being a dark and edgy action series and all the anime bullshit that is almost equally unbearable, those two problems aren't actually the "good" aspects of this show. Rather, the good aspects of this show require watching it with some knowledge of a little known but much-loved pastime: tabletop gaming. Early on, I mentioned that Goblin Slayer strikes a tone similar to Warhammer, a tabletop built around your standard dark fantasy setting, but it actually resolves into something more akin to Dungeons & Dragons. Typically balanced to be a lot more balanced and fun, D&D is all about an adventuring party getting together and overcoming a monster or dungeon together. It's full of fun, quirky classes and races and it prides itself on building situations that don't really need to be taken all that seriously in spite of the danger they represent and that's much the same tone Goblin Slayer embodies. With their party full of quirky characters centered around a particular gimmick you'd expect of a tabletop player, the series lends itself to a lot of the action and fun that game is loved for. What's more, Goblin Slayer's convoluted plans follow much the same logic as a what you'd expect of a player trying to bend the rules until they thoroughly break the game. Even the way that the battles with the goblins become more and more dangerous and weirdly complex follows along similar lines to a GM trying to desperately make goblins a threat to their party, bending the lore to make their goblin-hunting sessions more extreme. Put plainly, this show is actually just a celebration of tabletop parties disguised with anime bullshit.
I see what you're doing, Goblin Slayer.
Here's the problem with that, though, not everyone will necessarily get that this show is ultimately built from the ground up as a D&D campaign turned into an anime. A lot of people are just not familiar with the tropes of tabletops. Most everyone has obviously heard of D&D but the jokes, feeling, and flaws of that game that crop up in this show aren't going to be as obvious for those people as it is for the people already interested in that community. Now, sure, that won't necessarily kill a person's interest in the show. Even without that aspect, Goblin Slayer resolves into a generally engaging adventure series. Steadily watching the unhinged nature of Goblin Slayer's character come to the surface is really interesting for those interested in character studies or representations of insanity in anime. All the more so, the fact that his role in the series isn't that of the hero, despite his godly favor, but rather just an average adventurer makes for an interesting twist on anime convention. Not really caring about physical rewards, friendship, or other threats to the world might not make him all that interesting of a character but its a far more down-to-earth and rational kind of hero than your average Dragon Quest hero.
There is also that level of intrigue the show's vague harem undertones affords
to anyone who likes that kind of wish-fulfillment stuff.
Yet, once again, there are aspects to this show that can be appreciated even with focusing on its titular character. For those who just like the comedy in group dynamics, the adventurers that tag along with Goblin Slayer are a delight to watch in action. Sure, their jokes can get old fast but they add a lot of levity to the series. As for the Priestess, her journey with Goblin Slayer makes for a compelling tale about an adventurer coming face to face with danger and learning to discard conventional thinking to ensure their survival. Regardless of which angle you take with the show, though, it's hard not to get disappointed by its more problematic elements. If you like the cast, it's difficult to ignore how flat many of them are. If you like the tomfoolery of the RPG tropes the show was built on, the show frequently loses sight of that amidst the grimdark and anime bullshit. If you like the Priestess's tale of growth, she's ultimately relegated to being a side character and potential love interest to the non-character that is Goblin Slayer. Even the show's action that is fun to watch is, more often than not, relegated to playing second fiddle to the more slice of life-y tones in the party's conversational downtime. So, the best I can say is that Goblin Slayer isn't really a bad show. It's problematic and has a lot of faults, but it's not bad. That doesn't mean it's good either, though. At best, the most praise I can give it is that it's a fun but deeply flawed product. A lot of the show's darker elements will turn people away to it. Some won't appreciate the anime bullshit that's present throughout. Others just won't get its roots in tabletop. So, this is a show a lot of people won't like but some might still see some worth in it in spite of that and I'm, oddly enough, one of those people.