Goblin Slayer (Episode 7) – Onward Unto Death
They’re going back into the sewers and this time Goblin Slayer has brought a canary along for the ride. He’s looking for the leader of the goblins with the goal of killing it and then all the goblins!
What happened?
They had the evening to relax and prepare for another trip beneath the city. Priestess took the chance to have a bath and met with the Sword Maiden. Her body was covered in scars. She then told Priestess that she had seen unimaginable things. She also warned her that one-day Goblin Slayer would disappear. That seemed to cut to the bone as it’s something that Priestess also believes, whether she wants to or not.
Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer went to the guild and sent a letter home. He also checked the quests and was surprised to see no quests for giant rats, which is odd given the size of the sewers. Something must be keeping them away or worse.
In the morning, they head back into the sewers and this time Goblin Slayer has brought a canary with him. This causes High Elf to question why and whether he could use it to kill goblins. He was surprised by this idea and told them that it was a trick he learnt from miners on detecting poisonous gas. They followed the map Sword Maiden gave them and soon reached its end. However, the tunnels kept on going.
After walking into a room and finding a skeleton chained up, the doors closed behind them and the canary started to go wild. Goblin Slayer gave High Elf and Dwarf some materials to plug the holes and handed out charcoal to help them breathe. Before long, the goblins burst through the door and they got a view on their leader – a goblin champion. Goblin Slayer attacked, but it used another goblin as a shield and then sent him flying.
Things quickly got worse as Priestess’ protection magic failed and the goblins got through. They jumped on High Elf and began to ravage her. Dwarf fought furiously to remove them, but there were too many. The goblin champion picked up Priestess and bit into her shoulder. The screams were enough to rouse Goblin Slayer who was badly injured. He jumped on the goblin champion and attempted to strangle him. Eventually, the goblins fled, leaving the adventurers to lick their wounds…
What did you think?
I loved the last episode and this was even better. Once more we touch on the history of the world as they explore the tomb of ancient warriors hidden deep beneath the city. Not too much information is given, but it’s enough to grab your attention and leave you wanting more. Finally, the showdown with the goblins was incredible. Goblin Slayer isn’t your typical hero who runs in and quickly defeats the enemy. His strength lies in outsmarting them and finishing them off with ruthless efficiency.
The goblin champion, however, was just as ruthless, using one of his own as a shield before sending Goblin Slayer crashing into a grave. It was brutal and without him to lead them, the party quickly fell apart. They only got out of this one when he was able to push through the pain and land a heavy blow on the goblin champion. This was intense.
What have you learnt?
The absolute best thing about this show, apart from the fights, killer music, and Goblin Slayer, is the realism. It’s a fantasy world with Tolkien inspired characters, but that doesn’t mean it should be completely fantastical. This series takes the fantasy genre and adds a heavy dose of reality. It’s dark and gritty. The monsters will kill you or worse given half the chance. We’ve seen time and time again just how brutal this world is and this episode was no exception.
I think adding something that reflects reality can add layers to a story. With a fantasy setting, it also helps the audience to accept the fantastical elements and allows for the suspension of disbelief to take over, which is essential with almost all stories.
Other reviews in the series
Series Information
| English Title | Goblin Slayer |
| Japanese Title | Goblin Slayer |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Dark Fantasy |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
Season One
Movie
| English Title | Goblin’s Crown |
| Japanese Title | Goblin’s Crown |
| Released | Winter 2020 |
| Animation Studios | White Fox |
Season Two
Manga
| Series | Side Story II: Dai Katana |
| Author | Kumo Kagyu |
| Artist | Shougo Aoki |
| Volumes | Ongoing |
| 1 | The Fortress City |
| 2 | There’s Always Tomorrow! |
| 3 | Help and Help Alike! |
| 4 | I Can Smell Blood! |
| 5 | If You Let Your Guard Down, You Die! |
| 6 | Be Thankful to Everything! |
| 7 | Let’s Go Shopping!! |
The action herein was very pointed, especially towards the party’s female members. The goblins’ attempted rape of the Elf helped hasten the collapse of the party’s cohesiveness by focusing the Dwarf’s attention on protecting her instead of them (the party as a whole). Meanwhile, for those who might wonder why the goblin champion only bit the Priestess on the shoulder rather than causing more serious injury, the answer is sickeningly simple: the wound was meant to incapacitate her magic through pain, but allow her to remain whole enough to satisfy his sexual lust after the battle fulfilled his bloodlust. It would probably also serve to mark her as his personal possession to the other, lesser goblins, who would have to wait their turn for that particular prize. Turns out that Goblin Slayer just wasn’t gonna let that happen.
Absolutely. The goblins in this series are sickeningly brutal and not nearly as chaotic as they would have you believe. The Champion could have easily killed Priestess, but he knew what he was doing…
It was unreal watching them fall apart as a unit after Goblin Slayer was taken out. The realism really makes the scenes that much more harrowing, especially knowing what the possible outcome is.