Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2
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Minos_Kurumada
Posts: 1181 |
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Oh, so problem it's the funny tone over the super serious matters that are happening on screen....
Well, unfortunately that's not something I can discuss, "Tone" it's a decision made by the author of a piece on "X" scene or the whole plot, Slime's author decided that this is not a dark fantasy like Berserk nor a dark fantasy comedy like Overlord but a lighthearted history about building a town full of monsters with some dark humor here and there. I mean, Milim is responsable for massacring a whole nation and only God knows what Veldora did to be so feared and all of that it's just hand waved because "Haha, she likes sweets and Veldora manga, how funny". One can only choose to like or dislike the tone, discussing it's kinda a waste of time because the discussion amounts to "I don't like it" vs "I don't mind it". |
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Yuvelir
 Posts: 1624 |
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Well, in the case of Millim and Veldora it's there but at least you aren't getting slapped on the face with it. A grim realization vs showing both things at once and still choosing to go for the lighter one as the main.
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JaffaOrange
 Posts: 254 |
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At least with Overlord it has the awareness to know when the show is doing goofy stuff, and when the show is doing dark stuff. I can't tell with Slime if it's deliberately glossing over its dark stuff or just thinks that it's still goofy time. Like, all this episode had to do was NOT show the mangled bodies of the prisoners. If it wanted to still have the fact that it was done, wait until later to deal with it. It's reductive to claim that we shouldn't discuss something because it all comes down to personal taste. You can make that statement about anything. I think it's insightful to ask "why". Why did this show include that scene where it was? Why is there happy music playing while they're discussing coups, war, and torture? I can tell what the tone is and it's clear it's deliberate so why did they make it that way? Did they understand the implication when doing so or they did decide that since this is meant to be a happy scene that it should have a light-hearted tone despite what would be inferred? |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5922 Location: Virginia, United States |
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Still, Minos_Kurumada is right, it is just a personal choice whether you like the tone or not.
All the 'true' Demon Lords have the necessary body count for their ascension. But since this is Rimuru's story, we see what is done to him, and what he does to others. This show from the beginning has been violent as hell. Have we all already forgotten about the massive army of Orcs eating every living thing alive, in nice detail. The dire wolves attacking the goblins, The actions of the unfunny Moderate Harlequin Alliance. This show has never hid its violence. |
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Zefram
Posts: 116 |
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In the beginning, the Orc army, direwolf attacks were never shown as funny. They were shown as bad things, and the funny stuff was mostly main characters quipping between themselves to lighten the mood and prepare for the battle. Then those bad guys were forgiven, but they first thought about their bad actions and atoned for them. The Orc realized how horrible what they were doing and asked for forgiveness. Their King was shown as brainwashed and he died to atone. Direwolf leader was killed and his underlings asked forgiveness. But because its Rimuru, he doesn't get sad after murdering 10,000 people, its funny. This all could have been avoided with few extra scenes showing how heavy Rimuru feels about murdering so many people and maybe get Shion to say, her life wasn't worth it. Avoid cruel torture scenes by main characters thats we are supposed to root for, thats just not funny. |
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Cryten
 Posts: 1129 |
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I dont know why but you keep framing it like many people who have issues with the treatment of certain events are having objections to the acts of violence themselves @Tars. I think you will find many who have enjoyed quite violent series and acts in them, myself enjoying hellsing, overlord and attack on titan. Instead its just how the series presented itself and continues to present itself while doing things worthy of far more impact.
The series even did a good job in one of those elements, which was the moment of Rimuru closing himself off before attacking and the grimness of the underlings when they attack the magic gems. But it was undermined by the before and after of Rimuru's happy all friends conversations failing to recognising its existence. They dont match and feel like they downplay all the events. It would be like Higurashi if the MC was happy with the random slaughtering events. I guess you could boil it down to a simple factor. I feel like the series wants more credibility to its writing by including darker elements, because previously it was criticised for total lack of depth when concerning creating rimuru's empire and making friends. Now the series still lacks the depth but its randomly throwing in darker material that needs that depth it lacks. The acts themselves dont provide writing depth when they arnt a factor in how characters behave. Just look at the last 4 eps attempt at politics. Boiling down to Ill be a friend with you because you say youll be nice to me and oh I guess we will trade 1 token good. |
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TarsTarkas
Posts: 5922 Location: Virginia, United States |
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This is an anime so I am not expecting some near Oscar level performance out of the writing, so I can partially agree with you on your points.
On the other hand, their world, as compared to our present day United States, is much violent and dangerous. Just imagine, if our motorists and truckers had to deal with constant banditry and monster attacks, our towns and cities raided by large bandit groups, state forces and the national guard regularly patrolling and repeling monster attacks. Where foreign nation incursions are a more highly probable event. Terrorist groups can and do use weapons of mass destruction. Imagine if you lived in that world where death is always just around the corner. Well, Rimuru and his followers all live in their version of that world. I don't know if the writing intended this, or if you are more right than I am, but I perfer to believe that Rimuru's and the people of Tempest are living their lives to the fullest, in a world where you could be dead tomorrow. You can't really live your life to the fullest, if you are always doom and gloomy. They may live in a much more violent world, but they still have the right to have a smile on their face and have a fun time living. |
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Minos_Kurumada
Posts: 1181 |
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The scene is there because the director thought it would be funny in a dark way, look at Shion's book, it's full or Rimuru's child-level drawing, that means she was cheerfully drawing Rimuru as she tortured them and completely forgot to take notes or why she was doing the torture to begin with. If the joke didn't land, well, it didn't. In order to have a proper discussion of the scene then you would need to engage the episode's director, since none of us is said person... I don't see what more can be added. |
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Yuvelir
Posts: 1624 |
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What is this supposed to mean? |
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Minos_Kurumada
Posts: 1181 |
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He is asking why the scene is structured like childish joke, I don't see who else can answer that question but the director. I can't at least. |
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JaffaOrange
Posts: 254 |
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I'm not asking these questions to be right or confirm my ideas about the show. It's more of a thought experiment. While the director's or original creators comments would be insightful, the more interesting conversation could still be held. Like ultimately, I can't really disagree with what people like Tars are saying. Rimuru's actions can be justified and be considered appropriate, especially with the right framing and context. And we can see other shows like Overlord and Tanya the Evil get away with it. Sure enough, I would be doing exactly the same thing as Rimuru, mercilessly crushing a pathetic invading force and then annexing their lands and using the increase in power to influence my neighbours....in a game of Civilization. What makes Slime so interestingly frustrating is how lazy and/or inept it is with the framing and context setting. It seems to think that having the invading soldiers be cartoonishly evil as enough to morally justify Rimuru slaughtering them all. Like, technically yes, we can field countless reasons to absolve Rimuru of guilt but it should affect something. Especially since Rimuru is still meant to have the mentality of a citizen of a peaceful nation in the 21st century. We can see the cracks showing in the previous episode. Before the massacre, Rimuru and War counsel was all for killing 20,000 and becoming a demon lord because something something more political and diplomatic power. After the massacre, they agree that it should be kept under wraps to the other humans nations (lol good luck) because they'll be (justifiably) concerned. So which is it? It's trying to handwave all these things away but at the same time can't help but spend SO much time dwelling on these issues. Another example, it seems to treat Leon Cromwell's turn from a hero into a Demon Lord as a sign of his corruption and descent, Milim becoming a Demon Lord as a tragedy, Ramiris being a Demon Lord as a joke, and Rimuru becoming a Demon Lord as a triumph and a net positive for just about everything. The hypocrisy is so barefaced it's almost refreshing. |
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Minos_Kurumada
Posts: 1181 |
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Well, if the anime failed at dark-funny then it failed.
Since humor it's subjective I have, unfortunately, nothing more to add . If you are curios in my reaction... I didn't have any, the scene was too confusing to get what was going on and somebody just telling me what happened stole most of it's impact and given the style of the series it will most probably not mentioned again so... meh. |
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Yuvelir
Posts: 1624 |
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Pro-tip: nothing is ever entirely objective, and nothing is entirely subjective.
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Minos_Kurumada
Posts: 1181 |
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If the scene was badly written and lazy or whatever and the joke didn't land, then it was, the reason of it existing as an intent of a joke doesn't vanish just because some things are not subjective.
Remember, I am answering to the question of "Why the scene is like that", nothing else, if you want to discuss the overall quality of the series, I am not your man, sorry, this is just a series I watch as I make my daily 3 miles run on the treadmill. As a side note I checked the scene in the manga... it was actually more confusing there, I see Shion doing something to the King and screaming and then in the next scene he is perfectly fine and casually speaking with Rimuru so I didn't understand anything. There is an extra bit of information though, the reason Shion is so mad is because they forced Rumuru to kill humans, she was mad because they "forced him to soil his hands". |
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TarsTarkas
Posts: 5922 Location: Virginia, United States |
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I must have missed this in my initial read through. I will preface by saying this is my personal opinion. Before Rimuru even arrived back in Tempest, Falmus's advanced forces had already murdered or killed many of Tempest's citizens. The main army was going to take the city and murder it's citizens. The soldiers already were looking forward to the looting, raping, and killing. And really this is not all that far fetched from our modern day Earth, and a absolute certainty for our past. There is no reason why Rimuru should have cried even one single tear for the Falmus soldiery. If we as the readers and watchers, consider that Rimuru should be sad, then we as the readers and watchers, must also be sad for the deaths of foreign soldiers who actually committed atrocities (like the torture, rape, and murder of civilians). I believe that would be a bridge too far for many people, when you start naming names and countries in our real world. I would have to disagree with you about Shion. If it was someone I cared about, then yeah, it would be worth it. I understand the ideal that you are promoting, but when you are looking down at the dead and tortured bodies of your loved ones most people are not going to be thinking about the poor enemies. There was also a big difference between what the Orcs were doing and what the humans were doing. There were many factors to the actions of the Orcs, but for the humans it came down to just pure greed. |
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