Goblin Slayer II Episode 5 Review

High Elf Archer’s (Sister’s) Wedding

Goblin Slayer II Episode 5 didn’t exactly go in the direction I was expecting. Right at the start, High Elf Archer started talking about it being time to get married. And, like the rest of her party, I assumed she was talking about her own marriage.

But, that wasn’t even the most unexpected part of the episode. The most unexpected part was how, because of the wedding, it almost turned into a filler episode. It wasn’t a filler episode. But, it felt like it was going down that path.

High Elf Archer temporarily leaving the party to attend the wedding, would be one thing. Even if she brought along the rest of the party, that’s fine. But, where it started feeling like filler was when other characters were invited. Why are Guild Girl and Cow Girl tagging along?

Obviously, the in-universe reason is that Guild Girl and Cow Girl are High Elf Archer’s friends. That makes sense. But, I’m looking at this from an anime perspective. So, why would these additional female characters be going? Because we’re about to get some fan service filler.

Now, after finishing the episode, that seems unlikely. There may be some fan service. But, I highly doubt we’re going to get fan service filler like a beach episode. So, I’m waiting to see what Guild Girl and Cow Girl bring to this next arc. They must be more than eye candy, right?

Well, let’s remember what series we’re watching. This is Goblin Slayer. And if there’s one thing you should know about goblins, it’s that they like women. That may be the real reason for why these two are in this arc. Their presence adds complexity because Goblin Slayer will need to protect them.

Returning to Water Town

Goblin Slayer’s expanded party heads south toward High Elf Archer’s homeland. And on their journey, they pass through Water Town. This is where Sword Maiden lives. And, it’s been a year since Goblin Slayer’s party was last here.

I’m not sure if this series has ever given us a map of the region. But, I really found myself wanting one in this episode. All we know is that the domain of the elves is to the south and that there’s a river that flows in that direction.

Personally, I’d like to see where Water Town sits in comparison to other locations. A good map can go a long way in making a fantasy world feel real. And right now, we’re missing that. We don’t actually know if Water Town was on the way or if they had to go off-course to stop there.

Was the party always going to be passing through Water Town? Or, did they decide to go out of their way after finding the stone tablets in the church? Also, speaking of the stone tablets, I hope we eventually learn what’s written on them.

The fact that they were stored in a church doesn’t mean too much. it looked like the church was housing a lot of documents. But, these were much older than the others and written in an ancient script. Even if the text on them isn’t applicable to Goblin Slayer’s story, it can be a cool world-building tool.

It might turn out that these tablets foretell the revival of the demon lord. And if that’s the case, that information could be passed on to Hero who will do something about it. That would all be in the background. But, it brings the world to life.

Heading South Along the River

Did you notice the title of Episode 5? It’s “Beard-cutter, to the Southern River.” That refers to Goblin Slayer traveling to a river in the south, which is what happens. But, what’s interesting is the use of the name “Beard-cutter.”

Beard-cutter is the name the dwarves use for Goblin Slayer. However, this episode didn’t have anything to do with dwarves. Elves were arguably the more important race in this episode. After all, Goblin Slayer’s party is heading south to a wedding in the elves’ domain. So, why not use the name Orcbolg in the title?

I don’t have an answer to that, in case you were looking for one. It’s just something I found interesting. Going into the episode, based on the title, I thought it would have something to do with Dwarf Shaman. But, that turned out not to be the case.

Anyway, Goblin Slayer’s party decides to take a raft down the river to get to the elves’ domain. This was likely the easiest way to travel in that direction. But, there’s also another implied reason for choosing this mode of transportation.

Sword Maiden told Goblin Slayer about boats being deliberately sunk along the river. Since this is Goblin Slayer we’re talking about, he assumes goblins must be to blame. And, also since this is Goblin Slayer we’re talking about, he’s not going to leave those goblins alone. If he suspects goblins are afoot, he’s going to slay them.

So, one reason for traveling down the river by raft appears to be to use the raft as bait. Goblin Slayer knows there’s a good chance that the raft is attacked. And then he can deal with whoever’s responsible. Considering the series, it’s most likely going to be goblins.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Goblin Slayer II Episode 5? Did you think High Elf Archer was the one getting married? Are you expecting increased fan service in this arc due to Guild Girl and Cow Girl? And, who do you think is behind the sinking of the boats on the river? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 6 is available now.