Goblin Slayer / Review and Opinion

Fantasy anime transports us to imaginary worlds full of different things and creatures: magic, knights, demons, giants, orcs, trolls, goblins... These are places where we can see castles, kings, princesses, and much more. The last anime I watched was a fantasy anime set in a place where there is a guild where adventurers gather. They respond to different requests to destroy or hunt monsters that roam the land or to respond to other types of missions that are offered. Thus, a young priestess who has just reached the lowest level, porcelain, joins others of her level to go goblin hunting, but everything gets out of control and when her team is in danger, an adventurer arrives who quickly kills the goblins and manages to save her life. Thus begins Goblin Slayer.  [Source](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/title/tt8690728/mediaviewer/rm2231003648/?ref_=ttmi_mi_9_2) As its name suggests, the anime, based on a series of Japanese light novels, focuses on the life of a young adventurer, a silver-ranked character whose face is never seen and whose real name is unknown, who only wants to take on requests or contracts related to hunting or killing goblins. I must say that the first episode is very raw, as we see quite graphic scenes that show us the nature of goblins and also make us see this adventurer as a bit ruthless, but as the anime progresses, we understand the reasons why he hates goblins so much. Now, the goblins, although not very smart, are all male, and their danger lies in their numbers. In addition, they are known for raiding villages, killing all their inhabitants, kidnapping women, raping them to reproduce, and then devouring them.  [Source](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/title/tt8690728/mediaviewer/rm2767874560/?ref_=ttmi_mi_12_2) Our protagonist, known as Goblin Slayer, lost the only family member he had left at the age of 10 in an attack by goblins. From the place where his sister hid him, he witnessed how the goblins raped and murdered her, which is why he is obsessed with killing them all. This character, who usually works alone, begins to team up with the priestess after rescuing her, and as the anime progresses, he ends up forming a group with the priestess, a tall elf who is an archer, a dwarf who is a sorcerer, and a lizard priest. One of the strengths of this anime is its music. Both the opening and ending themes are good and feature appealing animations. In addition, the music used in the episodes for different moments—calm, battles, or fun—is well chosen.  [Source](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/title/tt8690728/mediaviewer/rm4229527296/?ref_=ttmi_mi_17_1) As for the animation, there are two points worth mentioning. In the first season, it is clearly high quality, but in the second season, the quality drops. Another strong point is the protagonist's high level of specialization. When it comes to his enemies, he is an unrivaled expert in hunting goblins, possessing extensive knowledge of their behavior, tactics, and weaknesses, which allows him to create successful strategies to attack them. He knows which weapons are most useful against them and the types of goblins they may face, among other things. Although the anime only has two seasons, we see the characters develop. For example, the protagonist, Goblin Slayer, barely speaks and tends to use the same words, usually monosyllables or short phrases, to communicate, but his new friends encourage him to expand his vocabulary and relationships. Likewise, the priestess grows in power and confidence.  [Source](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/title/tt8690728/mediaviewer/rm2197449216/?ref_=ttmi_mi_8_2) Another thing is that the anime starts off strong, giving us a realistic taste of fantasy by showing the brutal consequences of the war between monsters and humans, in the same way that goblins are often ignored by most experienced adventurers, but that doesn't mean they aren't a serious threat that can destroy lives. Unfortunately, what started out so well fizzles out along the way, as the anime then slows down, and I confess that I even fell asleep at times, so I had to rewatch some episodes. Both seasons are similar in that the last two episodes are the ones that show the most action or the best battles. In short, this anime has potential that could have been better exploited. I don't know how closely it follows the light novels that preceded it, but since the second season came out in 2023, there has been no news of whether it will be renewed for a third or more seasons. I give this anime a 6/10.