Goblin Slayer

Goblin Slayer is a very successful anime show with just one season so far which still has hype around it. The show is amazing. You get to realistically see how fearsome and violent a metal fantasy world would be. You also get to follow the story of someone who has become obsessed with killing goblins over more than a decade.

Goblins. Sneaky little creatures without any moral restraints. Not smart, but not fools either. Their numbers and strategies will catch you off-guard if you are even slightly unprepared, but specially if you think they are easy prey. They are the bane of dignity, killing male adventurers while keeping females prisoners as toys for breeding.

If a goblin lives for long enough, they might become a leader among their own. Goblin shamans, hobgoblins, goblin champions, goblin kings... Although rare, all of these add an incredible amount of danger to what would already be a lethal encounter. Leadership, magic and brute strength shall make you fall in ultimate dishonor.

Then you have somebody whose sister was abused and murdered during their childhood by these monsters, which led them to become a professional adventurer seeking only missions that pay for killing goblins. As the years pass by, he earns the title of Goblin Slayer. Ten years into his adventuring life, you follow his development, crude combat, and how he finally gets his first lasting group of allies in a decade.

If you like RPGs in a low-magic medieval setting, this is the show for you.

Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown

A Goblin Slayer movie was released back in February 2020. It's good, but the first thing I'll tell you, is... Skip the first 30 minutes.

The bad

Out of all 90 minutes in the movie, the first 30 is literally nothing more than a recap of what's happened in the anime so far. You still have an hour of mostly good adventuring, but you have to skip those first 30 minutes before it makes you disappointed from the get-go.

The way it sort of reuses a couple of scenes a few times over is extremely annoying. You can understand what the director is doing and why they're doing it, but it is irritating. Sure, it is a traumatizing memory, but it could have shown different angles, at the very least.

It wouldn't be a big deal if you skipped the first 30 minutes, but since I watched through those many scenes without any changes from the anime except a voice-over, seeing yet another low-budget decision like this made me very upset.

The good

As far as story development goes, the pace is a lot quicker. Goblin Slayer's group accepts one mission, but it is a lot less stealthy. They still use their wits about it, but action dominates most of the challenges. Before they get to the quest's location, they track the previous group of adventurers who failed their attempt, so you see a bit more of how others aren't prepared enough to deal with goblins.

But the movie adds a real kicker to the goblin species. Something about the way they have and will continue evolving. This is the real reason you should Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown. In the end, you'll be thrilled just thinking about what could come in season 2, which has already been confirmed although it has no ETA yet.