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Master Of Side Quests – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 6 Review

Master Of Side Quests – An Anime QandA Review of Goblin Slayer Episode 6

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 6.

So how’s this episode? Well the episode opens with a bunch of new characters we’ve never met facing off against a giant skeleton man who looks like he’s out of ‘Overlord’ and the heroes are a group of wisecracking, badass women and they rescue the damsel in distress and blow the shit out of the skeleton boss man and it’s legitimately the most interesting thing this series has done so far. And then we cut back to reality where one of the adventurers at the guild is telling that story. And I’m like “why can’t we be watching that show! That’s way more interesting than ~generic Goblin Slaying quest #426~”!

This screencap is very strange out of context.

Oh dear. Have you turned sour on the show again? Not exactly. I mean the show’s still good I suppose, I just don’t care about Goblin Slayer killing goblins. And I know what you’re thinking “well then why are you watching a show called ‘Goblin Slayer’ then?” And I don’t have a good answer to that! I think there’s just something incredibly limiting about a show that narrows its scope to what would amount to ~side quests~ in an RPG when there’s battles with Demon Lords going on elsewhere in the world. And I KNOW what you’re thinking, “didn’t you just say last week you’d watch a show that’s ~just~ set in an adventurer’s guild and is about the minutiae of everyday life in such an establishment?”! Yes. I did. I’m a complex individual, cut me some slack.

Come on elf, you can do better than Goblin Slayer…

I, uh… are you alright? Watching ‘Goblin Slayer’ is an exercise in frustration–it’s constantly doing so much right but then backs it up by doing a bunch of things poorly. Maybe I just don’t get this ~style~ of DnD anime. And that is what this is by the way, I had a commenter point out to me that the writer of the light novel is an avid DnD player and based this after one of his campaigns, and that’s fine, more power to him. But it feels like so strictly adhering to a DnD campaign and the whole “only slaying Goblins” shtick has robbed the show of some much needed scope. That said, I’m fully willing to eat my words when the group goes on that other non-goblin related quest that Goblin Slayer promised he would participate in. But it better make up for everything else, that’s all I’m saying.

Okay, so ignoring external influences and promises of future “adventures” what are you thoughts on this episode? Is it good? Yes it’s ‘good’. That’s about as much as I can offer this episode is a hearty ‘good’. I liked that we got to meet the Sword Maiden, she seems… interesting. I like that some of the goblins where clothes and armour… guess that means our party has levelled up and is going against some tougher mobs. But it ain’t over as there’s the boss of the sewer level to contend with next week! Sorry if this comes off as snarky but other than baiting controversy in its first episode this series isn’t doing anything especially remarkable, not with its setting, not with its characters and not with its content. If it had been just another fantasy series amongst the throngs of other I probably would have been liking it a lot more, or at least more forgiving of it. But until it does something more substantial with its subject matter and characters, I’m just left with saying it’s ‘good’.

I like this blindfolded Sword Maiden! What? I swear it’s got nothing to do with the blindfold making me think of something kinky!

Previous Goblin Slayer Reviews:

Dark Twisted Fantasy – Episode 1 Review
Reason and Restraint – Episode 2 Review
Bewitching Beauties – Episode 3 Review
Orcbolg vs Ogre Boss – Episode 4 Review
Slice (And Dice) Of Life – Episode 5 Review

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Slice (And Dice) Of Life – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 5 Review

Slice (And Dice) Of Life – An Anime QandA Review of Goblin Slayer Episode 5

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 5.

So how’s this episode? Goblin Slayer is a slice of life anime now.

Priestess got a level up from the previous episode’s adventures!

I know you’re exaggerating for effect but care to elaborate? With the exception of some ~unrelated~ adventures in a sewer with some peripheral characters we don’t care about battling against giant rats and bugs this episode is an exceedingly low-key affair dealing with Goblin Slayer and his “relationships” most specifically with Guild Girl. And you know what, I’m fine with that—I’m not fine with the fact that this show is so tonally inconsistent that I fully expected one of the giant sewer rats to rape the female adventurer—but if this show wants to focus on character development then by all means.

Okay then. So how’s it handled—the ‘character development’ I mean? It’s interesting at the very least, I like seeing the daily inner workings of the Adventurer’s Office—the scene where she had to deal with the adventurer who was expecting a promotion up a rank but instead was being exiled from the town for stealing loot meant for his whole party was great stuff. It was interesting too that Guild Girl mentioned the sexism she faced when working in the capital. I didn’t think this was the kind of series to even care about that so it was certainly a surprise. To be honest I could watch an entire series that’s just set an adventurer’s guild and never once deals with any action or adventure in the outside world—but then again I have weird taste.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Guild Girl make that face before… pretty great to be honest!

You certainly do. So your overall thoughts on the episode? Forgetting for a second what this show is about and how dark it started you could be forgiven for thinking this a relatively light-hearted fantasy show if you just judged it from this. That’s bound to annoy some, heck even I think this show has tonal problems. But taken alone this particular episode was very enjoyable—at least for my particular preferences. I’d much rather rich backstory and character development then another episode of attacking and wiping out a goblin nest—no matter how satisfying it is to see in action.

Who needs a purse when you have cleavage storage?!

Previous Goblin Slayer Reviews:

Dark Twisted Fantasy – Episode 1 Review
Reason and Restraint – Episode 2 Review
Bewitching Beauties – Episode 3 Review
Orcbolg vs Ogre Boss – Episode 4 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Orcbolg vs Ogre Boss – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 4 Review

Orcbolg vs Ogre Boss – An Anime QandA Review of Goblin Slayer Episode 4

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 4.

So how’s this episode? I’m always in two minds about this show, there’s the side of me that could absolutely nitpick every little thing I find wrong with it and then there’s the part that’s like “eh whatever, at least it’s entertaining!”

So you have problems with the episode then? Fundamentally they’re more problems with how the show is put together and how it feels. Basically my major complaint is that this literally just feels like someone animated a DnD session—except somehow with less character development than the aforementioned. It’s like “the party stumbles into a room with goblins here, here and here, what will you do?” And then they go about solving it, yes you could level that criticism against any modern fantasy series but it’s never felt as glaringly surface level as it has here. “A boss ogre has appeared, your attacks do nothing to it, what do you do?” “Hey how about that rare item you picked up from the witch?” “The rare item unleashes the power of high water pressure that slices the ogre into pieces, congratulations!” This is how the episode felt to me, it was exciting and technically impressive but kind of hollow and cheesy.

You mentioned it has “less character development than a DnD session” what did you mean by that exactly? I’ve already mentioned it so this’ll be the last time I do so but not giving these characters names and just referring to them as their job title/race/class is the ~worst~ decision this series ever made because no matter how much I get to know these people there will always be this awkward distance in having them unnamed. It was like this series was written by someone who doesn’t know how normal humans interact—or maybe even by Goblin Slayer himself… hang on a second, I’ll be right back…

Wait? What?! Where did you go? You can’t just leave in the middle of a review! Can you believe this guy?… so, uh, how are all you doing today? I’m back, I’m back! Sorry, I just had to check something.

Do you have to personally visit the place you link a gate scroll to? If not why not just link it to outer space and blow all the goblins into the sun?! See this is why I can’t play DnD…

What was so important that you thought you needed to leave in the middle of a review? I read a bit of the light novel to see if it was told from Goblin Slayer’s first person perspective—which would pretty much explain why it’s so impersonal as he’s an exceedingly impersonal guy. But nope, it’s a third person narrative, so the only excuse now is that the writer himself is a very detached person. But we’re not reviewing the author now here, are we?

So are you done with the nitpicking portion of your review? Can we move onto the “eh, whatever, at least it’s entertaining!” part? The action is exciting and well thought out, there’s a requisite level of menace and ingenuity to the encounters and it delivers a satisfying pay-off to the ‘mini boss’ fight. I don’t know if it needed to devote a whole episode to this as it didn’t really feel like it contributed to the overarching plot, but it was still an enjoyable time overall. Also I don’t know that I buy the idea that Elven Ranger has lived 2000 years and still didn’t know that all Goblins are rapists? But whatever, maybe she’s been living a sheltered life. Damn it, this show is making me write ~normal~ reviews, how boring is that?!

Don’t worry, I’m sure some boobs will show up next week and you’ll be back to your usual perverted self… Let’s hope so!

Previous Goblin Slayer Reviews:

Dark Twisted Fantasy – Episode 1 Review
Reason and Restraint – Episode 2 Review
Bewitching Beauties – Episode 3 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Bewitching Beauties – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 3 Review

Bewitching Beauties – An Anime QandA Review of Goblin Slayer Episode 3

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 3.

So how’s this episode? How dare this show get good! Like seriously, where does it get off!

Interesting choice of words… Speaking of getting off, we’re properly introduced to two new female characters, and what do you know, this show can write proper female characters, surprise surprise!

Wait, what was that about “getting off”? One of the characters, unimaginatively called ‘Witch’ has wonderful breasts, truly sublime.

Don’t worry Priestess, she probably just had a magical boob job.

Of course that’s what you’ve chosen to focus on… Hey! I’ll take what I can get, it’s not like this show is ~known~ for being particularly fan service-y otherwise, lest of course you’re into rape hentai…

Don’t go there again! Can we please have a review of this show that doesn’t incur the R-word?! Fine… jeez…

So what happens in this episode? A motley ~fellowship~ of adventurers, consisting of a 2000 year old loli elf, a curmudgeonly dwarf and a well-spoken lizard man come to the guild hall looking for the titular ‘Goblin Slayer’. They find him and ask for his assistance in a quest to fight off an oncoming demon horde—Goblin Slayer isn’t interested until they mention there’s goblins amongst the horde, powerful ones too! He agrees to the quest and intends to set out alone—until the others, Priestess included, join him too.

High Elf is very cute, especially for a 2000 year old!

That’s a lot to unpack… Eh, not really. I mean its all set-up really, good set-up but set-up nonetheless. Also its clear the writer of this series had a huge love for Lord of the Rings, there’s references and inspirations aplenty, which I’m… kind of okay with? I mean wear your references on your sleeves for sure, it’s better than hiding them and trying to pass them off as your own. That said, I do think not naming any of the characters will be the thing that stops me ever ‘loving’ this show. Like they’ve given them so much personality and yet, I’m constantly left pushed at arms length because of this nonsense decision to name them after their professions rather than give them ~actual~ names.

They have good chemistry… well except for Goblin Slayer himself.

Anything else to add? This show went from being the most oppressively dark and relentlessly exploitative shit on Earth to being almost jovial and light-hearted, that’s something that’ll never sit well with me. In comparison to this episode, the first episode feels all the more unnecessary, which is something which will grate on me for the rest of the series. Yes, this show is good, maybe even great now, but it’s hard to overlook how hard it almost blew all its promise so early on just for the sake of being edgy and hardcore. Also, why are all the members of this party flat-chested, while the large breasted girls stay at home? I’m all for flat-justice but we need some balance to this intrepid ~fellowship~, yeah? Next time leave ‘Priestess’ at the guild and bring ‘Witch’ or ‘Cowgirl’ along instead. Boing!

Witch’s mesmerising jiggles. “Now, now…” indeed.

Previous Goblin Slayer Reviews:

Dark Twisted Fantasy – Episode 1 Review
Reason and Restraint – Episode 2 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Reason And Restraint – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 2 Review

Reason And Restraint – An Anime QandA Review of Goblin Slayer Episode 2

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 2.

So… uh, Goblin Slayer… kind of became a bit of a thing for a while there, huh? If you’re referring to the fact that my review of Episode 1 got 1300 views in less than a week and became my most viewed post on my site OF ALL TIME, then yeah… “bit of a thing” is a massive understatement!

So I assume you’re back to capitalise on the bonanza? Nope. In fact, I hadn’t planned on returning to this show at all despite my assertion at the end of the last review that I was interested to see where it would go from there. I was fed up with the seemingly non-stop circular discourse that had encapsulated this show in the west. Yet… something… something was drawing me back to this show…

And that was? I choked it up to morbid curiosity on my part—after all how bad could it possibly get after the first episode was an all-out assault on everything decent?

And how was it? I’m annoyed.

Oh boy. What now? What happened? This show got good, like really good, living up to the promise of its pre-airing hype—and it’s done so ~without~ resorting to the cheap hentai-esque rape scenes that made the first episode a scapegoat of scorn and controversy—and I’m left wondering why did it chose to over-sexualise its rape scenes in Episode 1 when it was capable of such restraint in Episode 2? Its just damn frustrating is what it is! This episode is just as dark—if not more so than the first, but it doesn’t resort to sexualising rape like the first one did!

Goblin Slayer as a child, having to watch his sister be raped and murdered through the floorboards. Effective and not exploitative because it didn’t resort to fan-service! That’s the difference!

Okay… so I sense we can have a conversation here as opposed to the last episode where I just sat helplessly against the full brunt of your rant. What happens in this episode? We open with a flashback to the Goblin Slayer’s childhood—though the focus is on ‘Cow Girl’—yes that’s her name, it’s a thing—I’ll get to it later. As she thinks back to the time she left her home’s village to live in the city. Turns out the country life ain’t all it’s cracked up to be as it’s (eventually) confirmed that Goblin Slayer saw his older sister raped and murdered by goblins—hence why he has a single-minded hatred for them. Thankfully Cow Girl has grown up into a busty maiden who holds a candle for the broken man that is the Goblin Slayer.

And what else? What else, well a whole heck of a lot. In sharp contrast to the first episode which felt so intent on getting to the most alarmist, trigger happy content as quickly as possible—this episode actually is well-paced, well-structured with an ample amount of introspection from nearly everyone—even our ‘to the point’ protagonist Goblin Slayer comes out of this episode positively. I wasn’t rolling my eyes at the ‘strong silent type male power fantasy’ cliché that he was exuding—rather I was actually empathising with his journey and interested in his tactics.

Well this is certain a turn-around. It’s still not the best thing on this season, it still has its fair share of problems—I really don’t like the fact that all the characters are known by their job title or what they do rather than have names, it feels dehumanising and cheap. Maybe there’s a good reason for it but it makes this fairly generic fantasy world feel more so because of it.

I love the autumnal colour palette of this scene.

So how do you recommend a show like this that had a first episode you thought was handled poorly but now a second episode that you think actually has merit? Put simply, I don’t. Just being better than it was doesn’t excuse or nullify its previous actions. If what I’ve said in my episode 1 review doesn’t phase you then that’s probably enough of a recommendation for you anyway, if you were concerned it might pull those ‘tricks’ again, it could very well in the future, but reviewing just episode 2 by itself—as is the point of these episodic reviews, all I can is it’s good, verging on very good. And I’ll keep watching to see where it goes from here.

Previous Goblin Slayer Reviews:

Dark Twisted Fantasy – Episode 1 Review

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Dark Twisted Fantasy – ‘Goblin Slayer’ Episode 1 Review

What’s the show? Goblin Slayer, Episode 1.

And what’s it about? Hoo-boy, we’ve got a prickly show today!

Oh, and what do you mean by that exactly? We’re going to be talking about ~rape~ today, so you know, trigger warnings and all, after all I am a male who’s about to say some probably stupid things that are bound to offend someone—not my intention of course, I’m going to try and be as sensitive about this topic as possible but, yeah…

Well… this is going to be… something… Did you want to set the scene first, what’s this show about? It’s a fantasy show, that is to say pre-industrial setting, swords and monsters and what not—the show does an excellent example of introducing the kind of world this is in the first few minutes—it kind of reminded me of Konosuba (which is obviously a parody of fantasy-set games) what with the tavern of adventurers and the helpful person at the front desk who gets the adventurers set-up with what’s literally a tutorial and the notice board of tasks that people want to be completed. We’re quickly introduced to what passes for our protagonist—a kind priestess who wants to help with her support and healing magic. She joins a rag-tag crew of relatively inexperienced but nonetheless eager adventurers who head to a goblin cave to rescue some girls who were kidnapped from a nearby settlement. The young adventurers joke about how goblins are “the weakest” enemies and how “easy” this will be. And then shit gets real…

When you say “real” you mean? I mean the seemingly ‘light-hearted’ tone of the series is rather swiftly executed as the goblins ambush the adventurers and start attacking and raping one of the female members of the party. These aren’t your Final Fantasy style goblins, these are drooling monsters who tear the clothes off their female victims and violate them.

Oh boy. …that’s all you have to say to this, “oh boy”?

Well how am I supposed to react exactly? Maybe by showing a bit more outrage and concern rather than reacting like you’ve just misplaced your keys.

We are still talking about a fictional television show, are we not? Don’t try and get my goat, I know you’re trying to bait me into a rant but it’s not going to work—I am trying my hardest to keep this review level-headed and even handed.

Okay, so what’s the problem exactly, an anime has a rape scene. Should a show not contain objectionable material just because it’s upsetting and occurs in real life? The problem is two things for me, 1) is it presented in a way that accurately represents the horror of the act and 2) would the show be the same if it was handled differently.

And your answers to these hypothetical questions? It’s just fan service for people who are into rape hentai. And I’m not kink-shaming, even if sexual assault isn’t a kink but I will concede drawn depictions of rape aren’t actually harming anyone, just like drawn depictions of torture and murder don’t hurt anyone either. But I felt like the rape scenes here were overly sexualised and exploitative to appeal to the aforementioned demographic (clothes torn in strategic ways, sexual poses, etc.) and that’s where my biggest problem lies. As to answer the second part, you could keep the sexual assault silhouetted or implied and the show wouldn’t be any different for it—you’re still establishing this is a brutal and cutthroat world where horrible things happen to good people.

But doesn’t shying away from something minimise the visual impact and therefore the effectiveness of the scene? When one of the sexually assaulted victims begs for the titular Goblin Slayer to ‘end her life’ he obliges, plunging a knife into her throat but it pans up as to not show the blade entering her, you know why? Because it’s called restraint—something this show doesn’t have with regard to rape because its either written or directed by someone who doesn’t understand the impact of sexual assault on its victims—or worse someone who doesn’t care—or worse.

I’ll stop you there; we don’t need to invoke lawsuits over a review of an anime. So now that you’ve got that out of your system you want to talk about the actual show, or… So all the adventurers who were travelling with the Priestess end up dead or dying and things are looking bad when the Goblin Slayer shows up, a forever armour suited dude who is about as bland as a protagonist as I’ve even seen in a show like this. He’s smart, overpowered, unemotional—he’s basically male power fantasy personified and I ~kinda~ hate him. Sure he saves the Priestess, the only character who comes out of this episode better than from when they started but that’s a small positive amongst a sea of negative.

So you don’t like this show then? I didn’t say that. This show is deeply flawed, but its not unsalvageable. I couldn’t get my mind off this show all day after I watched it and while sure a lot of that was just the itch to bitch about it but some of that was being legitimately interested in seeing where this series goes, so kudos to the show—even though it did so much wrong it still made me want to come back for a second episode!

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!