Goblin Slayer II Review

Not As Much Dungeon Crawling As I Hoped

Goblin Slayer II (ゴブリンスレイヤーⅡ) isn’t only the sequel to Goblin Slayer. It’s also the sequel to Goblin Slayer: Goblin’s Crown. So, if you’re planning to watch this season, I’d recommend watching the movie first.

But, I also wouldn’t say that the movie is completely necessary. It has a pretty self-contained plot. And, it only introduces one supporting character who appears in this season. Even if you don’t know who Noble Fencer is, you’ll be able to understand Season 2 without much trouble.

Now, onto the content of Goblin Slayer II. As you’d expect from this series, this season features quite a bit of goblin-slaying. Goblin Slayer still isn’t taking on quests that don’t involve goblins. So, if you wanted to see the party fighting other things, you’re out of luck. They only fight other monsters when they appear unexpectedly.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t even as much goblin-slaying content as I expected. There was an arc about training new adventurers at the start of the season. And later in the season, there were arcs about traveling to new locations, like the Elves’ Domain. That’s interesting from a world-building perspective, but isn’t exciting.

For a series supposedly based on DnD, there’s not all that much “dungeon crawling” content. In some other series, I wouldn’t mind this too much. I like world-building and think it’s an important part of any good fantasy series. But, let’s be honest, that’s not the main reason anyone’s watching Goblin Slayer.

The main reason people watch Goblin Slayer is to see adventures and dungeons. Though, technically, this season has more dungeon crawling than Season 1. In this season, Goblin Slayer’s party enters their first real dungeon of the series. But, I’d argue some of the other places they’ve been are dungeon-like.

The Pacing Was Pretty Fast

My biggest complaint about this season of Goblin Slayer is that it was too fast. Yesterday, I reviewed Shield Hero Season 3, which has the same issue. But, what makes it worse with Goblin Slayer is that I actually like Goblin Slayer. I don’t want it to speedrun the plot.

So, how fast does the anime go? Well, the first arc was two or three episodes from what I remember. And, that was pretty much the longest arc. There was an episode traveling along a river. There was an episode in the Elves’ Domain. And there was an episode in a dungeon-like structure in the jungle.

We didn’t really have any time to explore anything. I don’t exactly mind the traveling or city “arcs” being short. But, again, the dungeon stuff is the main draw of the series. There’s no excuse not to spend more time on that content.

The final arc of the season is when Goblin Slayer’s party enters their first real dungeon. They go to the Dungeon of the Dead to save Princess from goblins. But, it only takes them one episode to reach her and slay her captors.

Much to my surprise, though, it takes another episode for the party to fight their way out. I thought we were going to skip to them being back in town. So, the fact that they actually had to fight their way out was a pleasant surprise. But, of course, it could have been even better.

Two episodes still isn’t anything when we’re talking about the most important arc of the season. And, it’s not like we really got to see the party fighting their way through the dungeon, either. They basically head straight to the main chamber and do all the fighting there. That’s it.

How Long Can Goblin Slayer Be Good For?

After finishing Goblin Slayer II, there was one question on my mind. How long will I think this series is good? At what point will I give up on it and consider it average? It hasn’t happened yet. But, I’m getting closer.

I recognize my bias toward this series. I’m sure I overrate it. But, I want it to be good. It has the potential to be very good. However, with the pacing and lack of development for the characters, will I still call Season 3 good?

Let’s talk about character development for a moment. There is character development going on. It’s slow, but it’s there. For example, Goblin Slayer is becoming more adjusted to living as a member of society. He’s making friends, showing compassion for them, and questioning his role. Is it okay for him to simply be “Goblin Slayer?”

Priestess and High Elf Archer also get a little development. Priestess had a brief moment when her faith in the Mother Goddess wavered. And High Elf Archer had to think about the same thing every elf does. What’s next for her after her party members are long gone?

Unfortunately, Dwarf Shaman and Lizardman Priest don’t get anything. I can’t think of anything I would call character development for either of them this season. Is that because they’re male characters who aren’t the protagonist? It could be. But, next season could be their season.

Lastly, I want to point out something this season improved upon over the first. You might remember that Goblin Slayer’s character was often CGI-animated in Season 1. And from what I remember, it was only his character, which made it jarring. Well, that’s no longer the case. He’s animated the same way as everyone else.

Final Thoughts

I ended up giving Goblin Slayer II a 7/10, which I admit might be slightly too high. But, I’m sticking with it due to the improvements in this season and the little character development. If the next season has the same issues that this season did, I’ll reevaluate my rating.

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