First Impressions / Goblin Slayer / Series Introduction

「ある冒険者たちの結末」 (Aru boukenshatachi no ketsumatsu)
“The Fate of Particular Adventurers”

Fall’s heavy hitters may be dominated by the likes of SAO and Index, but not to be forgotten is one little fantasy called Goblin Slayer. This is one series quite a few people have been looking forward to for one reason or another, and while early days yet in terms of story, I think this opener proves exactly why. Dark and edgy fantasy with an overabundance of bloodshed? Oh darling, that only scratches the surface here.

As highlighted in the ever trusty and important (very important) RC Preview, Goblin Slayer is a relatively straightforward series. We have our new and innocent adventurer Priestess (Ogura Yui) who winds up biting off more than she can chew during her first quest, only to be saved from death by our youngling killing machine Goblin Slayer (Umehara Yuuichirou; yes, actual names aren’t going to be thing here) from the horrors of various goblins. It’s no lie to say to say this series takes the idea of grimdark and runs all the way with it as various scenes prove, which much like Berserk are largely defined by the degree of depravity bearing down on its victims. Fear, murder, rape? It’s all on the table in this one, although unlike that gritty fantasy staple it remains to be seen whether something deeper lies under all the torture porn gracing our screens. Certainly the potential either way for it given the veritable black box the characters are right now, but hey, that’s what the Three Episode RuleTM is for.

The one real positive so far for Goblin Slayer though is the visuals. I’ve seen a few complaints on this so far, but in all honesty I’m liking the direction White Fox is going. Too often shows like these either go the route of excessive censoring or source chopping—i.e. removing the bad stuff—but Goblin Slayer is treading the line very well so far, featuring all the gritty and dirty while keeping it relatively tasteful. The infamous rape scene for example (which has been one hell of a discussion topic up to now) was largely shown in its entirety, with the more provocative elements simply kept off screen via some choice scene cuts. Whether the material is disgusting or not (and that will come down to personal opinion), it was arguably the best way to handle such things, letting the aesthetics and nature of Goblin Slayer come through without going too overboard in the process. Couple this with the good 2D artwork and some well-integrated 3D CGI and we are likely looking at one hell of a fun fantasy ride here. This series definitely won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but if Goblin Slayer can keep up the appearances shown this episode, its later arcs are going to be quite entertaining.

Before getting to the good stuff though first comes introductions, and you know what that means. It’s time to find out a little more about our goblin slaying badass, and what better way than by killing a few goblins? Stick around boys and girls, the fun (and slaughter) here is just getting started.

 

Preview

72 Comments

    1. I don’t think he’s fully CGI, parts definitely (like his fur lining in certain scenes), but quite a few shots are in full 2D. IMO it’s better than the usual CGI we get in other shows, especially Overlord last season.

      Pancakes
      Reply

  3. Insightful interview with Goblin Slayer’s author, Kagyu Kumo, courtesy of Youtuber The Anime Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sN0p3xsork

    Interesting bits:

    – Kagyu’s writing style is influenced by older dark/classic tabletop RPG fantasy novels like Lodoss Senki and Orphen. He hopes he can spark a revival of the classic genre he grew up with, against the current trend of lighthearted reincarnation/video game mechanic type novels.

    – Kagyu firmly states the Slayer is not the MC of his world (ie. the world doesn’t revolve around his exploits alone); he’s one of many individual adventurers in the wider world, each with their own thoughts and stories. Hence his usage of a 3rd person perspective in the books to show a more world-centric view.

    – The Slayer was modeled on gritty US superheroes like Batman, Punisher and Kick-Ass. Kagyu likens him to a small-time hero operating in his local area, as opposed to a Superman-level hero needing to Save The World.

    – He tried coming up with actual names for the Slayer, but didn’t like any of them. So he just named him, and all other characters by job title.

    – His advice to wannabe LN authors is to keep on writing and finish what you start; keep doing it over and over and it’ll eventually lead to something.

    zztop
    Reply

    1. Goblin Slayer

      The series’ main character, an experienced silver ranked adventurer who only concerns himself with hunting goblins, to the point where the Guild has awarded him a Specialist classification due to both the sheer amount of goblins that he has killed as well as his work in studying their habits and biology. The jobs he takes only involve goblins and takes no others, though he often gets roped into more dire quests for reasons beyond his control. His appearance is not as glamorous or elegant due to using equipment that would seem lacking for an adventurer of his rank. While wearing only light armor and carrying a small round shield and occasionally a short sword that is routinely broken and has to be reforged or replaced several times, he also reveals in volume 4 that he wears a magical ring that allows him to breathe underwater. Dwarf Shaman noted that his equipment is perfectly suited for taking on Goblins in their dark and cramped lairs. His style of combat relies more on pragmatism such as setting traps, using a weapon against its user, and taking whatever advantage that may come. He even uses his own imagination to repurpose a protection spell in order to kill all the goblins in a burning elven fortress. His most defining trait is the hatred of goblins that fuels him and his actions. The reason behind this is how his family and village were massacred by goblins and made a vendetta against all goblins everywhere. After he was orphaned, he was taken in by the uncle of his childhood friend, Cow Girl, and uses his income to pay for his stay. Though he is open to the idea of there being genuinely good goblins somewhere in the world, he believes that until proven otherwise, they can only be assumed to be evil due to the death and destruction they cause.

      Letinng
      Reply

      1. You’re just proving that Goblin Slayer is the series main character as to ‘stick it to the commenter’ and even the actual writer?

        I’ll give you, Goblin Slayer may be the main character of the series. But he’s not the main characters _of the world_. The world will keep turning without him, and there are especially many world destruction plots and nationwide problems that he will have nothing to do with. And we won’t know about it either.

        SpacyRicochet
        Reply

  4. It’s all on the table in this one, although unlike that gritty fantasy staple it remains to be seen whether something deeper lies under all the torture porn gracing our screens.

    If it stays true to the source material Show Spoiler ▼

    The infamous rape scene for example (which has been one hell of a discussion topic up to now) was largely shown in its entirety, with the more provocative elements simply kept off screen via some choice scene cuts. Whether the material is disgusting or not (and that will come down to personal opinion), it was arguably the best way to handle such things, letting the aesthetics and nature of Goblin Slayer come through without going too overboard in the process.

    The focus of the light novels is not about “torture porn” at all, and rather focuses in on how horrific goblins are and the psychological damage rape causes. It serves a narrative purpose to justify the titular hero’s war of goblin genocide.

    LoliHat
    Reply

    1. While the focus may not be on torture porn specifically, the visual emphasis on this material does act like it, which for some is enough to label it as such. My remark was more to ensure readers knew what they were getting into because we all know the grimdark here doesn’t lighten up anytime soon.

      Pancakes
      Reply

    2. I feel like what you just said….just circled back so it didn’t make sense. Like the rape is shown TO SHOW how horrific the goblins are and make us hate them and understand why the MC wants to kill them. I mean I’ll eat my words but when you say depicts the psychological damage of rape, I’m moreover expecting characters that were raped to be shown again to see how they’re copping, not just what we saw at the end of this ep with the Girl acting lifeless. Thats not “Coping”. If the series shows no attempts to go back to any prior victims then you can’t say its about victims coping with rape.
      The fact is, “Torture Porn” is very much its draw. If you just take the rape out then its just another generic story of a guy killing creatures in a fantasy world with a bunch of hot people around him. Hell, the episode itself has been done to death with the amateur adventurers biting off more than they can chew. Literally the only difference is that the rape happened.
      I mean not saying I have any problem with them, but lets not pull out our ENG 101 textbook and act like the Rape in this series is done intellectually…in fact its somewhat a little too sexualized compared to how other rapes in series I’ve watched went. It’s literally there just to push the envelope on the edge to either make you hate the creatures or jack off to rape fantasies of anime girls with monsters.

      SDFGS
      Reply

    1. Am guessing they’ll go all the way to the Goblin King Arc if they go slow. (which is the perfect stopping off point) or the sewers/Goblin champion arc if go relatively fast.

      Devastator001
      Reply

  7. I noticed Goblin Slayer has the same “adventurers go to a guild hall where they get missions” and “adventurers have metal-based ranks” set up that Overlord and a number of other anime have.

    My question is where did these two tropes (the Guild Hall and the formal metal-based ranks) originate? Is it a Japanese rpg trope, or is it based on a western rpg?

    I assumed its from either from a very popular console or massively multiplier rpg? (Dungeons and Dragons doesn’t have metal-based levels or the ‘guild hall’ setup, but maybe it originated in final fantasy or world of warcraft or some Japanese rpg I’m unfamiliar with?)

    Lawrence
    Reply

      1. Also yes, this Guild Hall from the outside remembered me of Claymore, in the late Episode they fight in the City and nearly the same Style for the house in the background was taken here.. Perhaps standard Assets inside the Anime industry

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

  8. There is something captivating about the gritty, grim-dark edginess of a story like Goblin Slayer, perhaps because it depicts a cruel, fatalistic aspect of reality that isn’t often mirrored in most mainstream works of fiction, often engineered to function as escapist fantasies (especially in the medium of anime). Goblin Slayer goes whole hog with these gritty, edgy themes, seemingly to maximize its appeal in this respect- and evidently appears to have succeeded, having garnered a relatively large and fervent fanbase. To the point that sometimes I feel it tries a little too hard. I mean, when rape is literally baked into the fundamental biology of the main antagonist-species, this is almost certainly a sign that someone is trying way too hard to be edgy. Wholly gratuitous and unnecessary.

    To be frank, there is little to Goblin Slayer’s appeal beyond this, especially in its original LN (nigh wholly verbal) form where stylized action is far less of a factor than in more visual mediums such as manga or anime. Goblin Slayer is one of those series that thrives on atmosphere rather than true depth. The permeation of the above-articulated fatalistic, dark themes throughout every aspect of Goblin Slayer’s world, and the events occurring therein, has produced a gripping, thickly miasmatic atmosphere. There is little of merit to this tale beyond this, however. Character personalities and motivations are simplistic and stereotypical- the main character himself being Exhibit “A”- a single-minded, stoic warrior of few words hell-bent on revenge, with the personality of a cinderblock. The narrative devices driving the plot are also relatively simplistic- arguably comparable to what the average DM might concoct for a weekly Sunday night D&D campaign.

    Goblin Slayer is what it is; its uncommon depiction (and more importantly) focus on fatalistic themes is compelling, as is its stylization and action- but make no mistake, this show is no deep character drama. You will find no complex character motivations driving the plot here, nor nuanced, deep character development. It is a fun, stylized dark action-romp, and its fatalistic themes can occasionally (perhaps surprisingly) be thought provoking- but it is little else. All of the foregoing aside, that is not so say that I’m not enjoying this show (I am), but let’s not kid ourselves into believing that it’s anything truly memorable.

    (TL;DR: Fun, atmospherically gripping dark-action romp, but ultimately shallow and unmemorable.)

    Zen
    Reply

  10. Yes, Goblin Slayer in the beginning is forced or build up on his own Back and White world. But lets see what they plan for the others Episodes

    Goblin Slayer here feels like someone on Vengeance, War or Genocide against Goblins. You need to swallow it and lets see how they play their Cards. But i think they stay true to themselves

    i would give this anime my own ab18 rating.. But of course this is just my own

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

  11. https://randomc.net/image/Goblin%20Slayer/Goblin%20Slayer%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2001.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/Goblin%20Slayer/Goblin%20Slayer%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2033.jpg

    Finally, an anime with no isekai horseshit!
    a true fantasy adventure with no level screens, no menus, no harems (for now ^.^), no mercy and most importantly NO CHEATS!
    Every adventure is worthy to be called an ADVENTURE because everyone actually experiences a challenge!

    Ginobi47
    Reply

    1. While not Isekai, the world is Show Spoiler ▼

      There’s a reason the LN’s tagline is relevant here “He does not let anyone roll the dices”.

      BigFire
      Reply

      3. @BigFire

        As a Light Novel reader, I do know that. However, the whole god level D&D session hardly has any relevance to the plot and the characters. It’s an interesting point, but hardly worth anything more than a sidenote

        @Guile

        The gods doesnt matter, and they shouldnt
        Goblin Slayer is not about the ‘Chosen One’.
        It’s about the guy who is nothing special, fighting in battles not noteworthy, against enemies everyone thinks is for noobs.
        He’s like Batman without the money.
        Nothing but a normal man using normal things to win against overwhelming odds.
        And that is why Goblin Slayer has a cult of followers (me included)

        Ginobi47
        Reply

      5. In fact elsewhere in this world, there is a character name “Chosen Heroine” who IS literally the chosen hero who will defeat the revived Dark Lord(tm). Once per volume we get a glimpse of her absurd adventures at a every higher level.

        BigFire
        Reply

  13. Wish they had shown more of the disassembled body part and even the nipple shots too. They’re doing a grimdark series, they should go all out, and that pinch of ecchiness too ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    Atsu
    Reply

  14. Coming from the LN, was hoping it would be a little more intense. A good adaptation nonetheless.

    Kinda surprised they went with Goblin Slayer sounding rather deep. Always thought he would be more of a mellow but firm voice.

    Flappy
    Reply

    1. LOL no this just the trash level Overlord Goblins. Enri’s troops are at least three to 50 times stronger, have way better gear and know how to fight in formation. Even better Enri’s goblins are free will people capable of good while Goblin Slayers are the always evil type.

      RedRocket
      Reply

  17. Infanticide, the anime. Even though I new it was going to happen, still cringed a little when that and the mercy killing happened.

    Quite “happy” with how they did the rape scenes. Looking at the screen shots, I actually expected worse. If they keep it at the same level as the slaughter, then it fine. Funny enough that means one shows only fluid, while the other doesn’t show fluids at all.

    Also like how they worked with the lighting. Really adds to the atmosphere. Still wonder how they are going to do daylight open spaces though. Not really sure if we’ll get there.

    theirs
    Reply

  18. They remove some panels of violence but the manga was more brutal so i think the anime is a decent middle ground. I can’t complain overall since they show everything. Good job White Fox.

    michi
    Reply

  19. Definitely a bit disappointed that they pulled so far back from the brutality that made the goblins so detestable in the first two chapters of the manga. Really wish they had left the flashbacks in, they made the deaths that much sadder. (in the manga before each adventurer dies they had a short flashback of why they became an adventurer)

    weasl
    Reply

  21. Was okay, I guess. Nothing special. I felt the same after the first chapter of the manga. Only started liking it a couple of chapters later, when the party came together. It’s good they skipped the flashbacks of the fodder members. Don’t need to weigh the story down too much in anime form, considering the limited time. Just concentrate on Goblin Slayer’s single-mindedness.

    Litho
    Reply

    1. Only started liking it a couple of chapters later, when the party came together.

      Not wanting to mention spoilers, but this should be pointed out for those interested in the series.

      As a manga reader, I know that the story is grimdark. And quite brutal. But for those who fear it will be doom and gloom forever, it won’t stay that way for long once a certain trio enters the fray. New characters, new interactions, new scenarios Goblin Slayer can’t deal with on his own… That’s the good stuff, narratively speaking.

      In a way, this is like One Punch Man. Begin with a barebones cast and a “threat of the week” plot to showcase the protagonist, his character and abilities. But One Puch Man only took off when the Superhero Association became a part of the plot. Expect something similar here.

      Mistic
      Reply

  22. Okay…why didn’t Guild lady told them that Goblin slaying is not a job for noobs? Why do porcelain adventurers think it’s easy? You would think word of mouth would spread that X party of adventurers went game goblin hunting and never came back.

    And to the icky stuff…do the goblins need human females to multiply?

    Ordnance11
    Reply

    1. From what I’ve seen of the manga and my own speculation: it is because Goblins aren’t high on adventurers wanting to make a living, and also because people wrongfully assume they aren’t much more than porcelain worth. If they aren’t able to survive against Goblins, they can’t survive against anything else.

      Instead of a monster, the Goblins in Goblin Slayer are more akin to a primitive human society that’s more in tune with their beast side. Which means they actually should be higher up on the priority list, but that would mean the other races would need to acknowledge things about Goblins that they pretty much don’t want to. Meaning it is a very bad starting quests, however those that can do it are the cream of the crop though…

      Frankly, it shouldn’t be adventurers but knights and the like taking care of these things, but you probably if we’re talking a true medieval realm here, you can’t really mobilize enough of a force to take out goblins all the time. It would take away from the national/regional forces. Which would likely be why it falls to the adventurers.

      Considering female goblins seem to be a rare thing, yeah. Females (not just human) are a necessity for them. If I had to guess, I would probably bet that male to female ratio is so skewed it isn’t good. Plus considering how they are, they’d probably break whatever females of direct goblin are born, so females of other races would be needed.

      Though, those last two paragraphs are more speculation than something I got from a fact from the manga. So I could be totally wrong if someone from the novels comes along and counters it. Or later from the manga, since I might be behind in it. Haven’t read it in awhile.

      Dorian S.
      Reply

      1. My impression (from the LN) on the porcelain rank adventurers are literally just overenthusiastic teens with weapons, as in the day they start their first quest is likely also the first day they pick up and try to use any weapon. No training whatsoever.

        The poor monk girl and magician are probably some of the better porcelains out there, in that they at least have some good training under their respective belt.

        SMinstrel
        Reply

    2. Hard to say. There’s some comments in the manga of individual goblins being chased off by farmers with pitchforks, but the goblins we see are all organized like the poor man’s version of Tucker’s Kobolds. It’s possible there’s a lot of variety in goblin raiders, and the singles and small groups make goblins seem like easy sport to the authorities- but then you charge into their lairs and you have 20 children-sized monsters climbing all over you?

      It’s kind of a weak point in the lore, tbh.

      Guile
      Reply

      1. small groups use swarm tactics basically, but their tactics get more devious if they’re lead by a more experienced individual(nest raid survivor), also they have dark vision and have a sharper sense of smell than people. (they’re particularly sensitive to scent of females and more so if they wet themselves which why Goblin slayer covered Priestess in blood)

        Devastator001
        Reply

    3. Basically 1 vs 1 basic goblins are extremely weak and porcelain ranked adventurers are more than a match for them, but they’re smart enough to take advantage of any opening you give them. (You’ll see that later if they decide to animate the goblin king’s back story).

      The goblins is said to be able to reproduce using livestock as well, which is how they build up their numbers before reaching a critical mass and they raid the village.

      Devastator001
      Reply

      1. So…first they raid the villages livestock for food…and other purposes. Then they raid the villages for maidens….also for other purposes. Possibly for food as well. Yuck and Ugh.

        Ordnance11
        Reply

  23. Also as a PSA for those who were disturbed by the rape scene. For the next Ep you’ll wanna brace yourself for the opening part. (if they decide to animate it) As it for me was more disturbing than the chapter 1 scene. (and why you’d always invest in a good helmet :P)

    Devastator001
    Reply

    1. Hoping they cut that part. Don’t think it’s necessary story wise. Good thing about manga and novels is that you can quickly skip the disturbing parts. And maybe appreciate the art later. Can’t say the same about anime. At least I always overshot and have to skip back a little.

      theirs
      Reply

  25. https://randomc.net/image/Goblin%20Slayer/Goblin%20Slayer%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    OK, so rookie adventurers taking on a goblin lair without proper preparation and gear? That’s the equivalent of a beginner (Level 1) Diablo II character with starter gear attempting to take on Nightmare-level Fallen (and that’s putting it kindly). That said, I do wonder if the guild sends Goblin Slayer to rescue hapless rookie adventurers taking on a goblin lair, or if Goblin Slayer simply acts on his own?

    Also, I may have made a mistake (superficially) comparing this to Ninja Slayer.

    – First, Ninja Slayer leans more towards parody (specifically, of foreigners’ perceptions of common Japanese media tropes and stereotypes), even though the series still has its share of fights, gorn and an overarching story (or two).
    – Second, although Ninja Slayer‘s antagonists can be downright despicable a-holes, they still retain some very human qualities–or at least were once human before embracing their role as antagonists. But here, the goblins are immediately shown to be downright abhorrent, cunning creatures devoid of humanity, living on base instincts and chaotic evil. In a way, that makes them easier acceptable targets.

    The only thing the protagonists of Ninja Slayer and this series have in common is how they’re driven by vengeance, and that’s it. The titular Goblin Slayer actually has more in common with DOOM (2016)‘s Doomguy (a.k.a.: Doom Slayer).

    Looking forward to see Goblin Slayer find new ways to rip and tear goblins. To partially quote Diablo II Act III’s Alkor, “I have a morbid love of excess.”

    Incognito
    Reply

    1. He gets the jobs from the Guild (he scans thru the requests, filtering out the attacks made by lone goblins and prioritizes the ones that seem to have a nest as if it’s left alone too long the numbers will reach a critical mass and they’ll spill out and pillage the nearby villages)

      Devastator001
      Reply

    1. Typical but its a essential for world building. it shows that goblins are evil threats that needs to be address not by noob.

      In case you are wondering why noobs are taking this job if this a serious threat, theres a new demon lord in the making so there are bigger monster out there to kill that gives more money.

      cheverino
      Reply

      3. I think I remember in the story-line its clearly stated that higher level adventurers don’t consider goblins worth their time, and so their missions just pile up. Show Spoiler ▼

        Druine
        Reply

    2. Violence is used to make a story compelling as well. All violence resulting in death should be removed before any rape because death is worse than rape. Any tale before recent times that does not have lots of rape is unrealistic and is covering up a major problem of humanities history because of the illogical taboo that rape is worse than murder and any women should kill herself before she is raped and if raped is ruined forever. I do worry this story might be going with the ruined forever part which I object to if all the victims are that way, no problem if a few are.

      RedRocket
      Reply

      1. The story does go towards a more positive aspect afterwards. Show Spoiler ▼

        Druine
        Reply

  29. Well….that was….different….Probably wasn’t wise watching that episode as last thing before bed. Didn’t expect all that brutality to be honest and disturbing to watch in parts. Hopefully there is a story with depth to it underneath so will check out a few more episodes.

    Kurik
    Reply

  30. Sigh I couldnt even get halfway down the comments before sjws started crying about the rape scene, as if the fact that the stupid male kid character got hacked to fucking bits (which had not been mentioned by any commenter up to that point in the comments) hell, I knew from the rape scene appearing that you idiots would start clutching pearls.

    news flash, in battles with women, rape happens, period. This is why people don’t want women serving on the front line in wars if it can be avoided(among other reasons), you think if a platoon fucked up in afghanistan and the taliban captured the women, they they wouldn’t get raped?! You think that shit doesn’t happen in africa with all the wars going on there? Boko Haram much? You think they’re just gonna give them flowers and shit and sing the “circle of life?” Please. The Author turned that grrl power shit on it’s head, the ass kicking chick got too cocky(she could have taken the priest and injured girl and ran out) and got the shit beat out of her.(and raped *triggerwarning*) the guy didnt even bring fucking potions, and he paid the price for it, that party was all sorts of stupid and the world punished them accordingly, I was SHOCKED! What? you mean thing have consequences?!?!? WOW! I havent seen that since seasons 1-4 of Game of Thrones!

    I applaud the writer for “showing” everything in a realistic fasion, not some sterlized “civilized” version. in fact, it was shown just as much as the brutal scenes were, which was shocking, but then again the Japanese dont care for sjwism and pearl clutching (unless its for political gain i.e. Isehara).

    Just going by the fact that he’s got you guys up in a tizzy over it makes me want to follow this show.

    Oh and it seems that the goblin slayer is an actual goblin. . .or thats just a red herring XD.

    dropped
    Reply

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