Goblin Slayer - Episode 6 (Review)
By: Mithrandiel
Miss my review last week? You can find it here!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Summary
The episode opens with a brief glimpse beyond the adventures of our stoic protagonist. A young woman is helpless and bound before a threatening skeleton and his minions, seemingly in a hopeless situation. At the last moment, a mysterious girl appears, along with her own party of adventuring companions. Having blown their cover, she's chastised by a fellow warrior before she unsheathes her blade - apparently a fearsome holy weapon from the reaction of the skeleton - and the scene closes with her proclaiming that "She's the hero!" amidst an explosion of holy light.
Back to the main story: after receiving a high-profile quest from the legendary Sword Maiden - a Gold ranked adventurer known for her role in defeating the demon lord ten years prior - Goblin Slayer invites his companions to Water Town to snuff out a goblin nest. After agreeing not to use fire, poison, or waterboarding techniques on the goblins, Archer, Dwarf, Lizardman and Priestess all agree to make the journey.
When they arrive, Priestess is overwhelmed at the prospect of meeting the legendary Sword Maiden. In their initial meeting, Goblin Slayer is 100% on-brand, keeping the questions short and to the point: where can they find the goblins so they can kill them?
Priestess and the others try to remind Goblin Slayer to display a bit more decorum, but Sword Maiden doesn't appear to be bothered. She explains that some time ago, they discovered that one of the clerics from her temple was sliced to death and left in an alley. Even with increased guard rotations, the killings continued, and only recently did a wandering adventurer manage to prevent another killing while discovering the real culprits: goblins! Despite having their own guards and military, with the war against the Demon Lord raging on, the government doesn't see much sense in expending resources for eradicating a goblin hideout. This is where her mission request comes in. The Sword Maiden provides the group with a map of the sewers, and asks them to please help save their city. Goblin Slayer tasks Lizardman with navigation duty, and as the party makes their way below ground, Goblin Slayer offers what solace he can.
Taking things underground, we quickly see the party in action, dispatching small troops of goblins with teamwork and precision. Traveling like the well-seasoned adventurers they are, they continue to come across small batches of goblins, leading them to wonder just how widespread the infestation below the city actually is.
While navigating the underground waterways, the party is surprised to be set upon by goblins...riding a boat?! The sewage-faring monsters launch a volley of arrows, which Priestess skillfully blocks with her Protection spell before Goblin Slayer and Lizardman board the ship and take out the majority of the crew. Dwarf finishes the job with a stone shot spell, sinking the ship with a flurry of water. Just when they think they're in the clear, however, they're presented with an entirely different surprise:
A gigantic "swamp-dragon", otherwise known as a "big ass alligator", has seemingly made its home in the waterways beneath Water Town as well! Recognizing another squadron of boat-riding goblins ahead, and the massive alligator behind them, Goblin Slayer decides to pit the two against one another by having Priestess cast Holy Light on its tail, drawing the goblins in its direction for an effortless bloodbath.
In the aftermath, Goblin Slayer explains the nature of goblins' evolution and battle strategies to the rest of the group. In short: had they known that there was a Swamp Dragon in the waterways, they never would have taken to using boats to begin with. Someone down here is orchestrating the goblins - and as the episode closes, we get a brief glimpse of the villain in question.
Review
Nothing like some good, old-fashioned, fantasy adventuring to close out your week!
Goblin Slayer picks up the pace this week, though not before taking the time to properly frame the quest itself. The purposeful first half worked on multiple levels - great interpersonal moments with the party, some backstory on the Sword Maiden and her influence in the world, and some classic Goblin Slayer lines and mannerisms.
The action itself is a bit different than what we've seen in previous weeks. While previous battles were slower and carried more weight to the movement, notably the one against the Ogre, there's a lot more speed in this encounter. Goblin Slayer's movements are fluid and extremely fast, with the framed shots being fairly cinematic in nature.
I enjoyed the action myself, but the change might cause a bit of whiplash for some - particularly those who appreciated the weightier, more nuanced encounters from prior weeks.
With some great storytelling, character development/growth, smooth animation and solid pacing, Goblin Slayer continues to prove its mettle week after week as one of the top shows to watch this season. That being said, fans of the light novel may still be annoyed with the skipped arcs. One can only hope that we'll see the stories repurposed later in the series.
