Goblin Slayer (Season One)
A young Priestess joined a group of rookie adventurers on a quest to take care of some goblins, but they underestimated just how dangerous a quest it was. All seemed lost until a lone adventurer appeared!
What did you watch?
I was a little late to the Goblin Slayer party mostly because back then I would wait for four episodes to air and watch them back to back like a movie. So, of course, I was exposed to the initial outcry of the keyboard warriors and their outrage prior to watching the first episode. Luckily for me, I couldn’t care less about what they have to say about anything. I watch what I want to watch and enjoy what I enjoy. Before all that kicked off, I was certain that I was going to enjoy Goblin Slayer. It’s a fantasy series with obviously darker elements. It’s called Goblin Slayer after all! Beyond here, there will be spoilers and lots of goblins…
What happened?
Not long after joining the Adventurers’ Guild, Priestess was convinced to go on a quest with a group of rookie adventurers. Some goblins had kidnapped some girls and they were going to go save them. It’s just a bunch of dumb goblins after all. Priestess was hesitant but reluctantly went along with them.
Not long after entering the goblins’ cave, everything went horribly wrong. They were ambushed, outnumbered and overpowered. The end appeared nigh for Priestess and she probably would have met a gruesome fate had the Goblin Slayer not arrived at just that time. After exterminating the nest, they returned to the Guild where Priestess joined Goblin Slayer on more quests, determined to thank him and learn from him. She might even be able to help him.
With word of the Goblin Slayer’s deeds spreading through the country, another group of adventurers came looking for him. Goblins have been attacking an Elven community and they need his expertise to get rid of them once and for all. Together they form an unlikely group, but it seems to work.
More quests lead to more goblins, which is fine with Goblin Slayer as all he wants to do is kill every last goblin in the world.
What did you think?
Honestly, and this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, I absolutely love this series. The first episode is dark and brutal, but incredibly effective at setting the stakes. Immediately, you know that this isn’t going to be some happy quest full of songs and frolicking – people are going to die or worse. We are shown just how dangerous goblins are and exactly how much we should hate them. I knew I was going to love this series going in, but it exceeded all of my expectations.
What was your favourite moment?
There were a lot of great battles and moments, but the final battle really is incredible. However, my favourite scene was actually just before that. Goblin Slayer was completing his usual checks of the farm he stays at. We’ve seen him doing it several times before in the series.
All appears to be as usual. Musume, Goblin Slayer’s childhood friend, is thinking of the future and what it holds for the Goblin Slayer. Will he survive long enough to retire, and what then? The wind blows through the long grass. There’s an ominous feeling that you just can’t shake and then the Goblin Slayer stops, staring at the mass of goblin footprints.
I loved the way that scene played out. We all knew what was coming, but the way it was delivered gave us false hope. So, when we finally see the footprints, and there are a lot, all that hope is washed away as we stare at the screen unable to breathe. I thought that was a really effective moment, especially as we’ve seen what the goblins will do to the farm and its occupants.
What was your least favourite moment?
I’m only saying this because we need to know more, but the flashback to Goblin Slayer as a child being trained by a Rhea. I’m sure we’ll find out more in the future, but this scene wasn’t quite enough to make it effective, even when the riddle popped back into his head (which was the ‘What’s in my pocket?’ riddle from The Hobbit.) Basically, I just want more, much more Goblin Slayer.
Who was your favourite character?
Goblin Slayer without a doubt. His silent and thoughtful approach to everything reminded me of another of my favourite characters, Vampire Hunter D. I’m not sure why, but the strong silent characters have always resonated with me. I loved how he takes everyday experiences and uses them to kill goblins. You’ve got to admire his ingenuity.
Sure, he’s got his demons and his obsession with killing goblins is quite intense, but given what he went through it’s hard to fault him. His manner and presence may appear odd, but they undoubtedly help him. Some laugh at him, but those who matter can see him for what he really is, powerful, intelligent and determined.
Who was your least favourite character?
With such a tight focus on Goblin Slayer, there really weren’t that many characters involved. I think the entire cast complimented Goblin Slayer and he certainly helped each of them in his weird way. If I’m really going to pick someone it’ll be Musume’s uncle. He was just looking out for her, so I can’t fault his logic in warning her away from Goblin Slayer.
Would you like some more?
I can’t wait for more Goblin Slayer, and luckily, I have a movie to watch and season two has been announced. This series was the most realistic version of a fantasy series that I’ve experienced and I loved it. Even the more relaxed elements where they were sitting around a fire or eating ice cream were intriguing. I loved all of it. It felt like how I’d imagine adventuring would be for real. High action, bloody quests, and then sitting around not doing very much.
What have you learned?
One obvious lesson to take away from this series is that you really shouldn’t put too much stock on what the keyboard warriors say. People will get offended about things that they haven’t even seen or often take parts out of context. If you want to know what something is like, you have to experience it for yourself. Don’t let some anonymous voice tell you how you should feel.
Other than that, Goblin Slayer approached a number of real topics with a finesse that most could only dream of. The story surrounding the Sword Maiden is a prime example of this. She was unable to talk about what happened to her with the goblins for fear of how it would affect her. People would blame her or call her weak. She couldn’t even ask for help until she heard about the Goblin Slayer. If you think this series glorified rape, you couldn’t be more wrong.
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! |
I greatly admire this series’ realistic portrayal of the brutality of combat, which is too often in fiction shown as some gloriously choreographed dance interspersed with random blood and loss. IRL combat is brutal, vicious, and terrifying, but doesn’t always focus just upon killing. This series showed that and got slammed for it.
All that said, I rewatched this back in December while I was down with my injured leg. And enjoyed it all over again. Like you, I’m looking forward to the second season!
Absolutely. They didn’t glorify anything and did a great job looking at the effects of combat.
I definitely spotted much more on the second watch, especially the stuff surrounding Sword Maiden, her trauma and the likely outcome of her revealing the truth.
Can’t wait for season two, which is why I just started the first light novel.
Awesome post. Can I re-blog this?
Absolutely and thanks.
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