That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2

Episodes 25-26

“In which Shion gets a bit emotional.”

I have to admit I am a bit perplexed when it comes to the opening two episodes of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime's second season. Most second seasons of anime go big right out of the gate, setting up the next big threat to our heroes—be it a physical one or a psychological one. Not so with That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It's only concerned with tying up the loose ends left hanging over the course of the last season.

The most pressing of these is the children who are summoned from another world and discarded, presumably left to die as their powers consumed them. Now that the immediate problem of children's looming demise has been solved, the main issue is that Rimuru is a literal king playing teacher in a foreign land. While saving the children was personally important to him, once that goal has been accomplished, it's time for him to return to his stately responsibilities. In any case, he can still teleport to visit them anytime he wants.

All too conveniently, it only takes a single scene to show that the students have already accepted another teacher, ensuring that Rimuru doesn't have to feel too bad about leaving. Thus, any drama that could have come from their parting is lost.

The next loose end is Tempest's relationship with the Beast Kingdom Eurazania. The two countries have had a non-aggression pact ever since the Charybdis incident, and now they are swapping envoys to see if a greater alliance is possible. However, with the “only the strong rule” instinct of the beastmen, the arrival of the envoy all too soon turns into a fight that gets us our only action scene across the two episodes. While it's entertaining enough, there are no real stakes to the fight, making it all flash and no substance.

The final loose end is the dwarves. While they came to Tempest's aid in the fight against Charybdis, Rimuru never did disclose his relationship with Milim—i.e., the most dangerous existence on the planet besides Veldora himself—to the Dwarven king. An explanation is owed to the king (even if it is a bit late), so Rimuru and his group set off to do just that. Unfortunately, the second episode ends just before this meeting begins.

All in all, tying up these dangling plot threads—especially that of the beastmen envoy—is an excuse for the series to do some quality world-building. It not only gives us a look at the economies of both countries (and how they could potentially help each other), but also answers little questions about the technology of this world—like how you can have hot water from the tap without modern heaters.

These episodes also do a good job at refreshing our memory of past events, which is important as it has been nine months since the first season ended. Better yet, they remind us that, in the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, actions have consequences. Nothing happens in a vacuum and fallout is a very real thing that Rimuru and company must face.

Unfortunately, these first two episodes are so focused on the past, they set up almost nothing for the future. It's only in the last few seconds of the second episode, where Clayman basically tells a hooded figure to “do the thing,” that we get any hint of the challenges to come. However, this ominous threat is so vague at the moment that it's hard to get worked up over it.

So when it comes down to it, we're two episodes in and have no idea where the story is going, no idea what our heroes will face next and no real reason to come back next week other than being in too deep to stop now.

It's a bold move Cotton, let's see if it pays off.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I always enjoy seeing Rimuru's acceptance of his sexless slime biology. Even though he was once male, he doesn't reject the dresses Shuna gives him because they are dresses. He does so because they are impractical for the task at hand.

• I don't know how I feel about Shion breaking down in an actual hissy-fit and tearing a room apart because Rimuru wasn't planning on taking her on the trip to see the Dwarven king. I mean, isn't the fact that she threw such a fit an obvious reason not to take her along?

• It's nice to see Benimaru get some vital, non-fighting responsibilities—and fulfill them perfectly.

• It's interesting that the ending theme song is filled with images contrasting Shion and Milim. Are we supposed to think that there's a love triangle going on with them and Rimuru? Because while both obviously like him (and he definitely is a fan of the female form), he doesn't seem interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with either.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.