Goblin Slayer II (Episode 8) – Heart of Darkness
Goblin Slayer’s party closes in on the goblin shaman, but will they be able to stop it and how does it connect to the research Sword Maiden has done? Either way, they need to get back for the wedding…
Goblin Slayer II (Episode 8) – Heart of Darkness
What happened?
After doing a bit of exploring, Goblin Slayer came to the conclusion that the goblin shaman was either at the bottom of the structure or the top. Of course, they couldn’t explore both in time and it was easier to escape from the top than the bottom, so Goblin Slayer set a trap at the bottom and led the party to the rooftop. Luckily, there was a magical elevator that took some of the pressure off. Before stepping out of the elevator, Goblin Slayer told Priestess that no matter what, she needed to stay alive. If she was alive, they had a chance. However, once they attacked, it became clear that the goblin shaman was going to make things increasingly difficult.
High-Elf Archer managed to hit him with an arrow, but it only embedded itself in his arm. He released a poisonous cloud that made it almost impossible for everyone to breathe. Priestess, however, was determined not to let the group down. She examined the situation and then used purify on the goblin shaman. It purified his evil blood, turning it into water. With him out of the way, they attacked and fought their way to the edge of the building. The goblins believed they had them cornered, but the adventurers turned and jumped off, using one of Dwarf Shaman’s spells to slow their descent. Then, a barrage of water exploded out the top of the building and washed the goblins away. Little did they know, that they had also aided the hero who was busy stopping the demon lord from being revived!
What did you think?
So, here’s the thing. I love this series and all of the characters involved, however, this season has not reached the heights of the first season. In fact, I don’t think I would rank any of the fights in this season higher than any of the fights in the first season. It felt like they were in real danger all the time in season one and now, not so much. I’m still enjoying it, but I was hoping things would ramp up. Priestess also seems to have taken a step backwards since getting her promotion. I’m not sure if she’s struggling since she learned that the Red-Haired Mage was the brother of the mage that died on her first quest or if it’s something else. She’s obviously very capable, but she doubts herself all the time.
What was your favourite moment?
I love that Goblin Slayer has unwittingly helped the hero defeat the Demon Lord once more, however, only a couple of episodes ago he was talking to Lancer and Heavy Warrior about how he wanted to be a real adventurer and not just a goblin slayer. So, I’m not sure why he still can’t accept anything other than quests to kill goblins. Obviously, it’s great that he is still targeting the goblins because they seem to be a key component in the plan to revive the Demon Lord. Sword Maiden could have given him the task of dealing with the magic circle at the dam and he would have still had to face goblins, but at least he wouldn’t feel like he was stuck in a rut. He also seems less sure of himself lately.
Who was the most impactful character?
Despite all of her self-doubts and worries, Priestess is slowly but surely becoming Goblin Slayer. She is able to read the situations as he would and make the same calls. Of course, using a miracle that purifies the target of all evil as a weapon is the most Goblin Slayer thing to do. I’m curious why she felt the Earth Mother would forsake her for using in such a manner. It might have been a little more interesting to see her try to use another miracle and fail, but not because of the Earth Mother. I feel like there needed to be something that would make her think the Earth Mother was unhappy rather than just assuming it. Surely, if the Earth Mother didn’t want it used that way, it wouldn’t have helped in the first place.
What have you learned?
As I said earlier, I was hoping this season would build on the first season. However, it just seems to be continuing the same narrative in a less impressive way. If nothing else, the monsters they face should be as tough as the ones in the first season. Failing that, there needs to be a change to their quests. Maybe, we could have seen them go on a real quest to please High-Elf Archer only for there to be goblins there too. There are any number of ways to throw more goblins at Goblin Slayer without having him do the same thing over and over again. The only other option would be to finally show us more of Goblin Slayer’s past. We want to see how he became the man he is today because there’s more to it than seeing his sister murdered by goblins.
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! |
Nice ????
Thanks!