Goblin Slayer
A short review of the first season
[December 11, 2021]1
Goblin Slayer is a dark fantasy adventure with a great setting and an incredible albeit controversial opening that succeeds by subverting its own genre in all the right ways. Believe the warning label: it is not appropriate for younger and more sensitive viewers.
The standard tropes of fantasy gaming were laid down by Dungeons and Dragons, and at this point they might as well be set in stone. Inspired by gaming, Goblin Slayer is the best kind of subversion because it takes the tropes more seriously than the genre does. What kind of person decides to become an adventurer? What’s it like to hand out quests for a living? If the legendary heroes are off fighting level-appropriate threats, who’s going to protect the tutorial town from a pack of goblins? The world-building in Goblin Slayer is gratifying because an exciting story with grounded characters was built around the answers to these questions. Real thought and care were put into this.
In theme and execution, Goblin Slayer is about as uncompromising as its protagonist: evil exists and must be destroyed, it says; he won’t ignore it, excuse it, or compromise with it. The violence is occasionally disturbing; I think the treatment of the subject matter is probably appropriate, but some viewers may find it too upsetting.
The plot is episodic: the title character and his adventuring party take on difficult, dangerous quests, and we see the world in a limited but focused way through the eyes of fun, well-defined characters. Nothing they do is ever really grand or epic: you can leave that to the legendary heroes of some other story; there are plenty to choose from. Goblin Slayer is a small story in a rich setting, and it’s very well told.
Just a short review of an excellent show, because it’s nice to be able to recommend one.