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EP. REVIEW: Goblin Slayer [2018-10-14]


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gumbaloom



Joined: 11 Sep 2017
Posts: 252
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 9:48 am Reply with quote
Yep I'll agree with that.

Goblin Slayer is not meant to be a thoughtful anime its a "switch brain in to neutral" and enjoy anime.

Much like the big loud action flicks you got to see at the cinema.

Wouldn't say I'd buy the BD's for it but good to watch one for a laugh and then probably forget about after a month or two.
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:31 am Reply with quote
Yeah I could do without the whole shtick in episode 2 about how no one appreciates Goblin Slayer's work/judges him. I've watched plenty of "MC is not liked even though he's badass" shows - Mahouka, Rakudai Kishi, etc - and this is one of the most ridiculous ones. I can understand the uncle's reaction - dude's a nutjob, but he provides an actually needed service in his craziness. The fanservice felt out of place. But then again so did it in episode 1, so I guess it's just something to live with at this point.

Overall I did enjoy these two episodes though. They're a bit on the generic side, but I kind of like how methodical and insane the MC is.
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:01 am Reply with quote
One of the most controversial shows of the season.

I must say, this has been a strange ride so far but they're working with it. Looks like it's only going to be 12 episodes though.
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Chaos Wings



Joined: 05 May 2015
Posts: 277
Location: Your guess is as good as mine?!
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:09 am Reply with quote
My dark and dangerous pick of the season for sure and I'm always a sucker for swords and sorcery. I guess this is gonna primarily focus on goblins as the main threats and not much else but I'm interested in seeing where this revenge/twisted justice is gonna take our MC Goblin Slayer.
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AksaraKishou



Joined: 16 May 2015
Posts: 1410
Location: End of the World
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:28 am Reply with quote
Taking into account that the GS thread has 4 times more comments than SAO on r/anime (2443) and 3 times more upvotes on episode 2 alone, i'll say it already found it's audience, regardless of them being legitimate fans or people just looking to see what the buzz is all about.

That said, episode 2 was step up from episode 1.
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encrypted12345



Joined: 25 Jan 2012
Posts: 715
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:34 am Reply with quote
I think that the episodes will either have 4 episodes for volumes 1,2, and 3 or have 5 episodes for volume 1, 4 for 2, and 3 for three (2 is somewhat shorter than one and 3 is somewhat shorter than 2 and more SOL focused). It mostly depends on whether or not the next mini arc is 2 episodes or one somewhat rushed episode (or if say they allocate 1.5 episodes for the next dungeon, and 1.5 episodes for the last battle of volume 1).

The LN gets into why goblins are treated as a relative non issue, but here it is.
spoiler[1. There are bigger monsters. A group of 3 beginner adventurers has a much better chance against a goblin nest than a dragon.

2. Experienced adventurers know that there's a slim risk of dying because of goblins anyways, so they would rather risk their lives fighting much stronger monsters. The lack of money goblin quests give doesn't help (This part was addressed in the 2nd episode at least).

3. The official military is too busy trying to fight off the forces of the demon king to waste resources on goblins.]
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:19 pm Reply with quote
I love this franchise (anime, LN, and manga) as a stupid guilty pleasure. After seeing the first episode I read the first LN volume and really enjoyed it. The last two LN I read were re:Zero and How Not To Summon a Demon Lord and I will say that Goblin Slayer is at least waaay better written (and translated?) than those! It is kind of stupid that it’s just D&D, but I can’t help but enjoy it ... it’s like simplified YA version of Game of Thrones.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5821
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 1:02 pm Reply with quote
Manga readers already knew what they were getting into when they started watching the anime. Odds are if you liked the manga, you are going to like the anime, even if the content is slightly toned down.

The one trick pony comment from the reviewer, I don't know how much of a valid criticism that is. I guess you could say that if you didn't want to see the Goblin Slayer kill goblins. I haven't tired of the manga, so I guess it won't be a problem for me.
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 1:04 pm Reply with quote
Goblin Slayer is one of the best light novels I have read and so far the anime adaptation looks good. I think the first episode was trying to make it clear that the goblins were dangerous and in the light novels they explain that spoiler[goblins are living weapons created by the Evil Gods to cause terror. That is why goblins don't have empathy, honor, or love and why they are sadistically cruel.] The second episode is a bit more balanced in tone such as when it showed the porcelain party that went off to fight goblins returning to the guild.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 1:30 pm Reply with quote
encrypted12345 wrote:

The LN gets into why goblins are treated as a relative non issue, but here it is.
spoiler[1. There are bigger monsters. A group of 3 beginner adventurers has a much better chance against a goblin nest than a dragon.

2. Experienced adventurers know that there's a slim risk of dying because of goblins anyways, so they would rather risk their lives fighting much stronger monsters. The lack of money goblin quests give doesn't help (This part was addressed in the 2nd episode at least).

3. The official military is too busy trying to fight off the forces of the demon king to waste resources on goblins.]


That's not quite the problem, it's that there's a contradiction between the various way people look at goblin and what were shown from the goblin.

On one hand the show act like people in society see goblin as a non issues but at the same time the shows is trying to show that goblin are very dangerous. You can't have both at the same time. If goblin are known to go and raid village, they would be considered an issue and no one would look down on anyone dealing with them, even if there are bigger threat. You could rationalize it by saying that maybe the village that was attacked by the goblin was incredibly unprepared (more so than most village) and that the starting party was not only inexperience but were also incredibly bad in general and most starting adventurer would actually have been just fine clearing goblin. But then you lose the gritty/dangerous aspect of the show.

Like the review said, the show is trying to have it's pie and eat it too, with goblin slayer being misunderstood/underestimated but at the same time doing valuable service.
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LastPage 3



Joined: 13 Jun 2010
Posts: 190
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:07 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:

That's not quite the problem, it's that there's a contradiction between the various way people look at goblin and what were shown from the goblin.

On one hand the show act like people in society see goblin as a non issues but at the same time the shows is trying to show that goblin are very dangerous. You can't have both at the same time.


Why not? This happens in reality all the time.

Garbage collection is an important job, but must people don't treat it that way. Same thing for teachers and nurses. Climate change is an important issue, and most people couldn't care less.

If anything, Goblin Slayer highlights the fact that people only care about stuff when it affects their lives right now, or when it's cool to care about it.

Quote:
You could rationalize it by saying that maybe the village that was attacked by the goblin was incredibly unprepared (more so than most village) and that the starting party was not only inexperience but were also incredibly bad in general and most starting adventurer would actually have been just fine clearing goblin. But then you lose the gritty/dangerous aspect of the show.


That's exactly what the show did.

Most villages have experience driving off a few goblins, and sure you hear about other places getting destroyed, but that's them, it has nothing to do with us. Most rookie parties can deal with goblins just fine, those that can't are just unlucky or incompetent. That's how people think.

Even if it is true, it doesn't change the fact that it happens. It's still dangerous and sad. It's a gritty part of life on that world.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:09 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
encrypted12345 wrote:

The LN gets into why goblins are treated as a relative non issue, but here it is.
spoiler[1. There are bigger monsters. A group of 3 beginner adventurers has a much better chance against a goblin nest than a dragon.

2. Experienced adventurers know that there's a slim risk of dying because of goblins anyways, so they would rather risk their lives fighting much stronger monsters. The lack of money goblin quests give doesn't help (This part was addressed in the 2nd episode at least).

3. The official military is too busy trying to fight off the forces of the demon king to waste resources on goblins.]


That's not quite the problem, it's that there's a contradiction between the various way people look at goblin and what were shown from the goblin.

On one hand the show act like people in society see goblin as a non issues but at the same time the shows is trying to show that goblin are very dangerous. You can't have both at the same time. If goblin are known to go and raid village, they would be considered an issue and no one would look down on anyone dealing with them, even if there are bigger threat. You could rationalize it by saying that maybe the village that was attacked by the goblin was incredibly unprepared (more so than most village) and that the starting party was not only inexperience but were also incredibly bad in general and most starting adventurer would actually have been just fine clearing goblin. But then you lose the gritty/dangerous aspect of the show.

Like the review said, the show is trying to have it's pie and eat it too, with goblin slayer being misunderstood/underestimated but at the same time doing valuable service.


It is clearer in the novel that while adventurers know that goblins are dangerous, there is simply no glory or money to be made from going on goblin killing quests. So most of the adventurers just don’t care and don’t want to take those quests. The goblins attack small, poor villages who don’t have a lot of reward money to offer, so more skilled adventurers ignore those quests (except for Goblin Slayer bc he doesn’t care about glory or money, just hates goblins). There are also bigger, more dangerous monsters who also pose a threat, but are seen as “better” quests.
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Hal14



Joined: 01 Apr 2018
Posts: 653
Location: Heart of africa
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:22 pm Reply with quote
LastPage 3 wrote:
meiam wrote:

That's not quite the problem, it's that there's a contradiction between the various way people look at goblin and what were shown from the goblin.

On one hand the show act like people in society see goblin as a non issues but at the same time the shows is trying to show that goblin are very dangerous. You can't have both at the same time.


Why not? This happens in reality all the time.

Garbage collection is an important job, but must people don't treat it that way. Same thing for teachers and nurses. Climate change is an important issue, and most people couldn't care less.

If anything, Goblin Slayer highlights the fact that people only care about stuff when it affects their lives right now, or when it's cool to care about it.


I agree with some of this, especially the climate change bit. Personally, what makes the series enjoyable is that it's not like GS thinks he's better than the people who don't care.
He kills goblins because he's obsessed not because he sees a problem that others don't. Even if goblins werent an issue he'd still be as obsessed with them. spoiler[He has problems and as the story goes he gets a bit better and his outlook on life changes a bit. Humanizing a broken character is one of my favorite types of character development and is the reason i love the series.]

Also part of the contradiction is because spoiler[it's gradually becoming clearer in the story that there is someone who is actively teaching goblins new things, so they are quietly becoming a bigger threat than people thought]
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Chrono1000





PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:47 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
On one hand the show act like people in society see goblin as a non issues but at the same time the shows is trying to show that goblin are very dangerous. You can't have both at the same time.
Well it depends on perspective. On an individual level the goblins are the cruelest of monsters but in terms of what will destroy a city they aren't viewed as much of a threat. Since there is a war going on it it makes sense that the villages are left to fend for themselves. That is why the villages have to offer up meager rewards for goblin hunting quests. It is worth mentioning that the story takes place in a frontier city which is briefly mentioned at the end of the second episode.
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RangerDanger





PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 3:02 pm Reply with quote
I heard from a while back that this series is, for the most part, what would likely happen if one were to combine Berserk and Konsuba together (minus any comedy moments, obviously). If one doesn’t think that type of show would sound enjoyable, then they likely will not like this series and I think it shows in this review. I don’t think I would call the childhood friend of Goblin Slayer to be one who loves to be protected by him as more as someone who knows that’s he’s mentally lost it, but gets involved with him because she cares about his well-being and helps to make sure that he doesn’t push himself too hard. I honestly don’t see why the clerk not judging him is a problem at all since it’s still a job that needs to be done and at least she knows that he is capable of completing the mission without much trouble as opposed to newbie adventurers. I was worried over who would be reviewing this series weekly, and it doesn’t look like the best person is on the job.

Last edited by RangerDanger on Sun Oct 14, 2018 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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