The controversial nature of this shows opening episode may have many turning away from it due to believing it’s nothing but shock value but that truly isn’t what Goblin Slayer is. I will say that the manga may hold some truth to that statement but thanks to some tasteful censoring(Yes, sometimes censoring can be a good thing) this story could at least be something more closer to a fantasy adventure series. In truth Goblin Slayer is more a love letter to low level Dungeons and Dragons so for those who happen to have a nostalgia for such a thing, this series could have a big appeal. However for the average anime watcher I can say this, this show is called Goblin Slayer and you can bet that’s exactly what you are gonna get.
Goblin Slayer slays goblins. It’s what he does in the first episode and you can bet it’s what he does in the last. This is essentially a series where you watch the equivalent of goblin slaying Batman go about his business of killing as many goblins as humanly possible. For some watching him do this is enough and I admit that his single minded obsession can be a source of some pretty good comedy. However if you find that isn’t enough and are looking for this series to maybe provide something deeper in regards to world building or characterisation then you will be sorely disappointed. The Goblin Slayers party of adventures are staple D&D archetypes with little in the way of interesting traits of backstory. The worldbuilding pretty much borrows a lot of it’s lore from other more notable works and not much is really expanded upon besides the small detail of goblins being the worst despite being regarded as a minor pest by adventurers. There is quite of number of light novel tropes such as Goblin Slayer having a whole harem of girls after him despite never taking off his helmet and never talking about anything other than killing goblins.
This is essentially a anime with a limited appeal and a simple objective which can be entertaining but not something you would hold in high regard. White Fox did an excellent job in adapting it for the most part in how they toned down the less unsavory aspects but there are times where the animation for action scenes is on the unimpressive side. The plot doesn’t really move beyond killing Goblins and Goblin Slayer slowly warming up to other people. Some moments have fanservice that is just ridiculously inappropriate and unnecessary. But get past that and the rather grimdark first episode and you have a show that makes for a decent watch for some.
It feels to me like this is one of those series that work way better as manga. Guess I will check that out the next time.
Anime was fine but my favorite scenes were always the actual goblin slaying parts and especially everything that involved the two mains only. The group felt a bit distracting, the boob girl even more. GS character scenes are by far the best for how unsocial he his unless it’s time to gather a group for gob slaying.
I think this show deserves better than the reviews it gets. Like:
> The plot doesn’t really move beyond killing Goblins and Goblin Slayer slowly warming up to other people.
This is a common criticism of the show. But honestly, what more do you need than a fairly unique plot of how an adventurer who would normally be an NPC in a fantasy RPG instead has his own personal story of severe trauma from the loss of his hometown and family, slowly recovering from it, making friends, etc. Too many stories try to go for a grand scale and keep having to escalate to the point of the world being in danger to keep up the tension, while here the characters set goals that are small yet fun to watch. The action was great, focusing on creativity and tactics rather than pulling out last-second powers or being a power fantasy. The character development was subtle yet well-done. It wasn’t just Goblin Slayer, it was Priestess slowly maturing into a seasoned adventurer who is able to stay strong in the face of extreme fear, and it was about High Elf Archer, who’s probably quite young for an elf, wanting to go on a simple, fun adventure yet still realizing that sometimes she needs to put that aside and focus on smaller scale fighting against goblins because people’s lives are on the line.
I think the show is only hampered by having only 12 episodes. It’s a story that needs time since it focuses on the details of battle preparation and tactics as well as slice of life. Hopefully there will be more seasons. Still, I’d give it an 8/10 for what we have so far. It’s one of the only shows this year I bothered watching in a sea of otherwise same-y material.
Well, its been some years since I last visited this blog. When the original PSGELS left the blog in the hands of other people, i kinda lost interest.
Now, seeing this review, i remember why.
Censoring can be a good thing? What kind of moron say something like that? If you dont like the show and want excuses to dislike it, ok. But dont go around saying BS like these. Censoring is never a good thing, and GS is indeed a thing to be hold in high regard, contrary to what you say. Does Dark Souls loses its value just because it is focused on gameplay rather than storytelling?
This initial part of GS deals with the gameplay aspect of the show. The bigger plot is stil developing in the manga.
Ah yes, the old “You ain’t as good as psgels” stuff. Boy I never heard that before. Best part is that those that say that never really elaborate on why that is. I often ask you guys to, but well you never do.
I did not say that censoring can be a good thing. I said that sometimes censoring can be a good thing. That’s an important word you left out. I am not talking in absolutes. I am not absolving all censorship. In this case the censorship was on the many scenes in the manga showing Goblins raping women. It added nothing to the plot as this is established at the very first chapter and these scenes would have cheapened the actual plot cause of their weirdly fanservice nature. Also Dark Souls excels in part due to storytelling. Many have praised it’s environment storytelling and how it gives the player lore though items. But I get that the point is that Goblin Slayer puts it’s focus somewhere else but as I mentioned in this review that focus may not appeal to everyone.
“This initial part of GS deals with the gameplay aspect of the show. The bigger plot is still developing in the manga.”
Yes the plot is always developing further in the manga for every anime adaption. Though we may never see that plot if this does not get another season. In other words, this is what we got right now and this is what it is judged by.
Where did I say he was BETTER than you? I just said I lost interest. Why? Because you say things that sound like total BS to me. He also did, but the agreeing parts overwelmed the disagreeing ones.
You said that sometimes censoring can be good. I totally disagree. You see, Im from a country where the gov is starting to show its fangs towards censoring. My neighbors are already under such constraints, and dying from starvation. And how did it all begun? Just with “sometimes censoring can be good”. But what are the boundaries of this “sometimes”? And who decides that?
The original work is like that. There are various instances of rape scenes and they come to remind us that goblins are to be killed without mercy. They do serve a purpose. One thing is seeing it once… but experiencing it again and again… its like a way to put us in the same mental state as goblin slayer. Its his nightmare, and it become ours.
Its part of the work, and if you dislike it, it means its just not for you. It doesnt mean its bad. But of course, this is an opinion blog, so I cant really argue. I can only show my side. And thats what I did, but, then again, never said the old psgels was BETTER.
If Dark Souls didnt have the combat mechanics it have, it wouldnt matter if the enviroment or graphics were good, the game would be sh*t anyway. The CORE of the game is the combat mechanics. The story is a plus. Its the same with GS. And it is what compel most people to watch/read it. Its like having only diablo to play and suddenly a Baldur’s Gate appears, with its complex tactical combat where you have to think to win against a boss.
I am actually surprised to get a response.
“Where did I say he was BETTER than you? I just said I lost interest. Why? Because you say things that sound like total BS to me. He also did, but the agreeing parts overwhelmed the disagreeing ones.”
Yes and that you saying that he’s better than me. Or a least that Psgels said more things that you liked which meant that you liked him better. I have never put anything into writing that I was bullshiting about but this does put some light to the whole psgels preference thing. Psgels was the non-confrontational type and I did find he was a bit of a people pleaser. Whereas I generally put my opinion down on paper without any real consideration for those that think completely opposite of my views. Which indeed would make me the less popular of the two.
“You see, Im from a country where the gov is starting to show its fangs towards censoring.”
Ah ha! I thought it might be as such. I have had quite a few arguments regarding censorship before and I find those who are adamantly against it often come from places with high degrees of censorship. However I feel that makes people unable to to look at it from an objective standpoint. Not to say thats the only reason as there are others who are OCD about the matter or just prefer the decision to have all the content over even a small part of it missing, regardless of it’s value. However I feel these people tend to work based on personal principle rather than what is best for the story in question.
There are times when content like sex, violence or rather extreme content is used without real reason and their inclusion just feels tasteless and cheapens the story being told. Let me use a rather recent example, in Fate GO a new chapter was released which included a character called Emiya Alter. Now this character is rather problematic as his design is based around a racist caricature of a black person. For the NA release the designers made some small changes to the character in order to try and remove that likeness. Now nearly the entire Fate GO community agrees that the edited design is far better than his old one. It’s looks better and well now the character actually resembles the person he’s supposed to be. Of course you have cries of “CENSORSHIP” but the change was pretty much beneficial on all fronts. There are times when fanservice can get out of hand and ruin the character in question, a prime example being Jack the Ripper from Fate GO as well, many believe that her design could be massively improved just by giving her some goddamn pants. My point is that an extreme of no censorship for anything and all censorship all the time isn’t ideal. But a middle ground between the two can be sometimes.
In this case we do not need reminders that Goblins are pieces of shit that deserve to die like you suggest. The aftermath of the actions is still present, the girls found in their holes and them using women as human shields. There are plenty of reasons Goblins give that don’t require a repeating rape scene to establish. Even the nature of Goblin slayers obsession and trauma are indicators of this and goblins certainly don’t try to make themselves likable. You can say your opinion but I don’t believe you can give any real justification on the narrative purpose of seeing Goblins rape and kill women over and over again.
I feel your game mechanic analogy isn’t really working out here. Dark Souls is Dark Souls due to a combination of it’s merits and without one it’s wouldn’t be what it is. The combat mechanics are only one part of the puzzle and don’t make the game as great as it is. Evidenced by the many other games which have duplicated those mechanics like Darksiders 3 or lords of the fallen but fail to reach the grander of Dark souls. Either way in this case, Goblin Slayer is Diablo and other shows are Baldur’s Gate. The problem isn’t that Goblin Slayer is complex, far from it. It’s the opposite. It’s simplistic and that simplicity is what will not appeal to everyone. I am certain you will disagree but before you do answer me this. Please describe to me Sword maiden without referring to her job, their costume or their profession or role in the show was. Try doing that with all the characters in fact and you may see what I mean when you struggle with it.
I think in terms of freedom of speech the struggle with the world wide depiction of stories is that the exposure is more massive. People are getting tireless because Japan hasn’t changed as much as Hollywood in regards to certain tropes. As a business I do see the reasoning to try to appeal to a bigger audience as possible. As a storyteller I think one just have to be decisive in what it wants to tell, and commit to the story. I don’t believe every story can be for everyone, but I believe that a non-commitment to the story is a betrayal to said story.
With all that said, IMO I think Goblin Slayer the anime is a different story than Goblin Slayer the manga. Since the problematic depictions do give a different perception of the story. The anime IMO doesn’t add anything to that substraction, other than not offending as many people.
With that said, I don’t think I like neither of take, but that may be because I didn’t get as involved to this story as I got to the whole media story about this story.
Great article!