Goblin Slayer II

Episode 6

Goblin Slayer embodies a workmanlike approach, both the series regarding its storytelling and the titular character in how he goes about his business. Plot points turn out to be purely mechanical the same way an askew-seeming strategy by the Slayer is simply the most efficient way to slay goblins. Take, for instance, the ongoing idea about the goblins learning throughout the characters' encounters with them. Sure, it ties into the thematic idea of growth on everyone's part and presents the possibility of a broader arc involving the little monsters' threat level. But more immediately, it provides a reason for why each successive encounter with the goblins has them presenting new challenges that the Slayer and cohorts can't keep beating with the same strategies. It's a device designed to continue introducing adventurous excitement into a story otherwise built on blunted pragmatism.

As someone who's always been ambivalent about Goblin Slayer's broader point about the banality of "realistic" fantasy adventures, I honestly welcome this sort of thing. The series that, in its first season, had characters remarking on the boringness of just stabbing goblins while they were asleep now has them engaging in a rip-roaring river raft ride. The girls all put on the show of a swimsuit episode shortly afterward, sure, go for it. If Goblin Slayer is willing to embrace its actual anime excesses, maybe it'll relax enough to climb out of its ass finally. There might be something to the series settling on simply being a story rather than an ongoing list of technicalities.

That's boosted by this episode continuing this arc's emphasis on characterization. I know I just remarked on the girls in the party breaking out the fantasy swimsuits, but that still provides a vector for everyone to make little distinguishing quips at each other. They sit around the campfire and talk about their personal histories. So used am I to other 'stock' fantasy settings treating elves and their culture with high reverence that hearing the Archer talk about her goofy, homey interactions with her family felt fresh and distinctive in the way I think Goblin Slayer wants to a lot of the time.

There's a key idea in this series of the Goblin Slayer not being given enough credit. While it's apparent in the show's worn-out element of other characters underestimating and denigrating him, it also manifests as a point of his attitude towards himself. As the Lizard Priest points out, the Slayer's desire to do nice things for the Elf and others in his party isn't a motivation that can be taken for granted. It's a caring aspect of his personality that he undersells too much in place of the vengeance he claims motivates him. It is still apparent no matter how much the Slayer tries to make goblin slaying the only subject of his vocabulary. The scene where he comforts the elf he previously saved embodies that, schmaltzy as it is: The value in what he's doing shouldn't be about all the goblins he murders, but about those he helps and protects in doing so.

These past couple of episodes have indicated that Goblin Slayer as a show hasn't been giving itself enough credit for that characterful stuff. That aforementioned campfire sequence drops some anecdotal information that lets the heroes and the audience identify the Archer's brother when he appears a scene later. It weaves in details that land much more naturally than any monster-slaying minutiae. Some of these aren't at the behest of the most creative angles, such as the idea of elves' long lifespans putting them at a distance from those of their compatriots (we're all watching Frieren this season too). But it's still more endearing than simply watching the Slayer sharpen some sticks. It winds up embodied by the show itself, seeing the Archer pick up a stone-and-string bola the Slayer put together, joyfully playing with them like a pair of clackers instead.

I don't know that Goblin Slayer can ever fully uncouple from the matter-of-fact misery that informs its setting's tone. It has been nice for the past couple of episodes to embrace the more joyous moments that make life worth fighting for. This episode had more going on than the previous which also makes it more uneven. But it still piqued my interest with its interactions and even ended with the unapologetically rad cliffhanger of the Slayer getting ready to fight a dinosaur. He mistakes it for an elephant as a gag just before the credits. This series could be that entertainingly irreverent towards itself all the time.

Rating:

Goblin Slayer II is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

You can just call Chris the Goblin Slayer Slayer. You can check out his other adventures over on his blog, or brave the grungy goblin cave that is Twitter.