That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime - Episode 4 (Review)
By: Mithrandiel
Miss my review last week? You can find it here!
The fantasy world of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime continues to grow as the light-hearted isekai showcases a fantastic blend of pacing, humor, and action in this week's episode.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary
Rimuru has set out, along with a handful of wolves and goblins, to strike up a friendship with the dwarves of Dwargon in the hopes of constructing proper structures and clothing for the nascent village.
En route to Dwargon, Rimuru is made aware of a demon lord by Rigur. Commanding numerous lieutenants, and generally seen as a looming threat, the slime comments that he “sounds like trouble”, and hopes that he’ll never run into him (I wonder if he will…hmmmm…).
Rimuru also has a conversation with Ranga - asking the horned wolf if he contemplates revenge due to the fact that he killed his father. As it turns out, Rimuru’s grace in sparing their lives, combined with imbuing the wolf-pack with the strength of a shared name, has earned their undying loyalty. That’s a relief!
What normally would be a 2 month journey is completed within 3 days thanks to the wolves, and Rimuru approaches the city along with Gobta - their guide for the mission.
While waiting in line to enter the city, a couple of troublemakers try to cause some trouble with Rimuru and Gobta, provoking him to transform into his tempest star wolf form and unleash a powerful Menace attack.
The resulting attack scares off the attackers, but also disrupts the innocent citizens lined up to enter Dwargon as well! As a result, Rimuru and Gobta are thrown into the local prison while the guards sort out what happened.
Sure enough, Rimuru’s account is confirmed by the witnesses, and they are nearly set free when a fellow guard enters to let the captain know that there’s a dangerous monster attacking the mines! Desperate for potions, but with the majority already assigned for the war effort, Rimuru sees an opportunity to make some allies as he dispenses some of the healing potion he’s stocked up on.
The captain returns later that night with the healed miners, and as thanks for RImuru’s assistance, he agrees to introduce him to a skilled blacksmith. The blacksmith, Kaijin, turns out to be the captain’s older brother. Not only that, the saved miners also turn out to be friends of Kaijin as well! Unfortunately, Kaijin is backordered with an order from the minister for 20 longswords by the end of the week. Running low on supplies, and more importantly, time, he’s unable to offer his services immediately.
Rimuru realizes that the magic resources he needs are the same ones he absorbed in Veldora’s cave! Furthermore, he’s able to produce copies of the already completed longsword, completing the order in no time!
To celebrate, Kaijin and his colleagues take Rimuru to an…ahem…establishment called Butterflies of the Night. There, Rimuru gets to meet some beautiful elf girls and enjoys their company before a mysterious figure seemingly appears outside.
Review
I'm watching quite a few shows this season, but none of them have been as reliably entertaining as That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. Surrounded by series that are slowing things down to a crawl (I'm looking at you, Sword Art Online), Slime features some fantastic pacing, humor, and action as Rimuru and the others make their way to the dwarven city of Dwargon.
The humor continues to fire on all pistons, with some classic RPG jokes, riffs on common fantasy tropes and Rimuru's awkward modesty providing grins and chuckles throughout.
Not too much in terms of action this episode, with the exception of the fiasco outside of the gate, which is more amusing than anything.
The animation is taking its usual dip given the progression into the season, yet still remains solid overall. My main disappointment is that some of the broader landscape shots seemed to be lacking, which definitely disconnected me from the broader fantasy world.
I would say my biggest concern with the show so far is that Rimuru is almost too perfect. Not only does he command some wickedly powerful magic and abilities, he also seems to be a naturally charismatic and kind leader, reconciling longstanding feuds and effortlessly giving birth to a new society. His seemingly common-sense ideas all get enthusiastic nods, and a general sense of "Huh, why didn't we think of that?" Don't get me wrong - Rimuru is a blast to hang out with as a character, but his current infallibility definitely takes away from the narrative tension when it appears that he can do no wrong.
Still, at the end of the day, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is probably my top show of the season so far. Goblin Slayer is a close second, and they may end up switching spots as the season progresses, but right now the lovable blue slime and his companions have completely won me over.
Onward, to next week!
