HannahCN
Well-known member
So... Goblin Slayer. I'm having some issues summing it up quickly, so I'll just use the IMDb short description for those who've never heard of it.
In a fantasy world, a lone hero makes his living by exterminating all goblins he encounters. But one day he meets a friend, and his life begins to become more intense.
Of course, if this was all there was to it, I would've started and ended with 'just another isekai'. Obviously I'm not, so it's not (it's also not actually an isekai, so there's that XD). Most of the good and the bad points, or at least the most prominent ones, can be summed up with the phrase that is shown on the top of the screen at the start of each episode: 'This show contains content that some people may find disturbing.'
So what is this content? No point in sugarcoating anything if you want to do this show justice, really, so have at it: it's extreme violence, cruelty, rape, and overt sexualization. Not all the time, mind you, but at the times when it does use those elements, it really sends chills down your spine and can make you feel thoroughly uneasy. If you're good with watching stuff like that, you'll like those moments. So what's the issue?
It uses those elements only for those moments. The world is fun to look at, with some cute characters that work nicely together... but that's about it. None of the characters except Goblin Slayer himself get much of any character development, there is hardly any story to speak of except for exploring Goblin Slayer's background, and the more gruesome aspects really only seem to be there to add edge and shock. Not that it doesn't do that very well, but there could have been so much more there.
Okay, good points: the aforementioned shock and edge. I know I had chills running down my spine at times, and if you yourself are partial to those things, you'll like it as well. The battles are just cool. Really cool. Great music, tactical fighting, good animation (actually most of the show's animation is pretty solid). The Voice Acting is mostly pretty on point as well, in my opinion (sub). So yeah.
One last point, but I realize this is subjective, that really bugged the fuck out of me, is gender roles in this show. There basically are *no* strong women in it whatsoever. Every female character is only there to be protected by a big strong man. The 'Hero' is a girl, sure, but they're basically a pack of Mary Sue magical girls that show up a few times, and most of what gets talked about is how cute they are. Even the Sword Maiden, the champion of law, now archbishop of the church, who defeated the Demon Lord 10 years ago, is reduced to a quivering mess over how much trauma she still has over being attacked by goblins, until the Goblin Slayer shows up and profiles himself as her 'savior'. Yeah, Goblin Slayer does not seem to worry about passing the Bechdel test.
So, keeping all of that in mind, what is my final rating for Goblin Slayer?
A 6 out of 10 seems fair - which, in my book, means: 'I enjoyed it, but... meh'
In a fantasy world, a lone hero makes his living by exterminating all goblins he encounters. But one day he meets a friend, and his life begins to become more intense.
Of course, if this was all there was to it, I would've started and ended with 'just another isekai'. Obviously I'm not, so it's not (it's also not actually an isekai, so there's that XD). Most of the good and the bad points, or at least the most prominent ones, can be summed up with the phrase that is shown on the top of the screen at the start of each episode: 'This show contains content that some people may find disturbing.'
So what is this content? No point in sugarcoating anything if you want to do this show justice, really, so have at it: it's extreme violence, cruelty, rape, and overt sexualization. Not all the time, mind you, but at the times when it does use those elements, it really sends chills down your spine and can make you feel thoroughly uneasy. If you're good with watching stuff like that, you'll like those moments. So what's the issue?
It uses those elements only for those moments. The world is fun to look at, with some cute characters that work nicely together... but that's about it. None of the characters except Goblin Slayer himself get much of any character development, there is hardly any story to speak of except for exploring Goblin Slayer's background, and the more gruesome aspects really only seem to be there to add edge and shock. Not that it doesn't do that very well, but there could have been so much more there.
Okay, good points: the aforementioned shock and edge. I know I had chills running down my spine at times, and if you yourself are partial to those things, you'll like it as well. The battles are just cool. Really cool. Great music, tactical fighting, good animation (actually most of the show's animation is pretty solid). The Voice Acting is mostly pretty on point as well, in my opinion (sub). So yeah.
One last point, but I realize this is subjective, that really bugged the fuck out of me, is gender roles in this show. There basically are *no* strong women in it whatsoever. Every female character is only there to be protected by a big strong man. The 'Hero' is a girl, sure, but they're basically a pack of Mary Sue magical girls that show up a few times, and most of what gets talked about is how cute they are. Even the Sword Maiden, the champion of law, now archbishop of the church, who defeated the Demon Lord 10 years ago, is reduced to a quivering mess over how much trauma she still has over being attacked by goblins, until the Goblin Slayer shows up and profiles himself as her 'savior'. Yeah, Goblin Slayer does not seem to worry about passing the Bechdel test.
So, keeping all of that in mind, what is my final rating for Goblin Slayer?
A 6 out of 10 seems fair - which, in my book, means: 'I enjoyed it, but... meh'
