Goblin Slayer II (Episode 12) – O Prayers, Have You Reached Heaven?
They’ve rescued the Princess from the goblins, but they still need to make it out of the Dungeon of Death, which would have been a lot easier had the Goblin Priest not just summoned a Greater Demon’s hand!
Goblin Slayer II (Episode 12) – O Prayers, Have You Reached Heaven?
What happened?
Priestess ran to check on the Princess after Goblin Slayer had kicked the goblin priest in the nuts. She quickly checked the loot that the goblins had gathered and found her chainmail before returning to comfort the Princess. As they prepared for their return to the surface and the goblins they were likely to encounter on their way, the goblin priest sacrificed himself to summon a Greater Demon. He was only able to summon its hand, but that appeared to be more than enough. It unleashed a blizzard which almost killed Lizardman. Goblin Slayer stepped in to shield him before it got too bad. Priestess managed to open an elevator with the blue ribbon the Sword Maiden had given them. The Demon Hand scrambled towards her, following Goblin Slayer who had doused it in fuel. It skidded into the elevator shaft, but it wasn’t going to stay down.
As it climbed back up, Priestess put a barrier in the shaft, blocking it from escaping. It crashed into the barrier over and over again, but the elevator beat it there, crushing it against the barrier. Goblin Slayer was impressed but there was no time to celebrate. They needed to get out of the dungeon. They fought through swarms of goblins, but the real test appeared when they returned to the surface. A massive horde of goblins was waiting for them. Probably too many for them to handle, even with Goblin Slayer’s ingenuity. Suddenly a flash of lightning burst from the sky and stunned the goblins. Sword Maiden gave the order for the adventurers to kill the goblins. Thanks to Goblin Slayer’s investigation she had worked out what they were trying to do. They all returned home for some well-deserved rest.
What did you think?
So, this episode has left me feeling quite sad. That final scene where we saw Goblin Slayer walking back to the farm as he considered his role in the world. He wants to do more than just kill goblins, but no matter where he goes or what he does, there always seem to be goblins. Then, he feels like he has to deal with them because there isn’t anyone else taking them seriously. He’s trapped. Trapped by his past and his future. While this series has always been fairly tragic, there was something about Goblin Slayer that you could get behind. You want to see him succeed. Every time he killed a goblin was something to celebrate. Now, I see it as another thing holding him back from even greater achievements.
On top of that, there was the moment when they came out of the Dungeon of Death and found the goblins waiting for them. Priestess reached out and held onto Goblin Slayer’s armour. She was scared and leaned on him for support. Then, when she realised that Sword Maiden had come because of Goblin Slayer, she felt like she couldn’t compete with her. Priestess’ hand fell back as she swore to herself to get stronger for Goblin Slayer. It was a moving way to end an enjoyable series.
What have you learned?
One of the most notable things about Goblin Slayer has been how real it feels. We’re not following some invincible hero who can slay demons with a single strike. He’s a grinder, working hard to defeat the low-level monsters so that others can focus on the harder jobs. That said, no one really appreciates how much his work has impacted everyone else. He’s a far more relatable character and the developments this season have just increased that. Everyone has dreams that may seem out of reach. If only we’d done something different. It’s got to be too late to change our current path so that we can go for it. Hasn’t it?
At this stage, Goblin Slayer hasn’t really given us an answer to those questions although it has been asking them and pointing at possibilities that Goblin Slayer will move on. I hope he does. He’s certainly put in enough work to warrant achieving his dreams. The concern is that he has too many things holding him back, another thing we can relate to. I’m not sure what it’s going to take for him to move on, but I hope we see something in the future that shows us that we can still achieve our dreams and that it’s never too late to make a fresh start.
Other posts 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! |
