That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime - Episode 6 (Review)
By: Mithrandiel
Miss my review last week? You can find it here!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Summary
With Kaijin and his merry band of artisans and metalworkers now hard at work in Rimuru's makeshift society, things are really starting to look up for the upstart slime in this fantasy world! While Rimuru was away in Dwargon, other goblin villages came forward, causing the population to swell to over 500. Expending his energy once more in naming all of them, our hardworking slime took another 3-day rest after naming the newcomers, granting them similar strength and abilities as the other "Evolved" goblins in the village. Speaking of evolved goblins, Rigurd is also promoted from Goblin Lord to Goblin King, with more rippling muscles to augment his already ridiculous form.
Meanwhile, the same trio that made their way into Veldora's cave in episode 1 is now tasked with further exploration of the surrounding forest. Before setting out, they encounter a masked woman named Shizu, who requests to join their party when she hears where they're headed. Despite some reluctance, the party agrees. Unfortunately, they encounter some difficulties in the forest, and the next time we see them they're being chased down by monstrously-sized ants!
Shizu turns on them at the last moment, seemingly summoning a shroud of flame to surround her blade as she makes quick work of the attacking horde.
However, just as she turns her back on the last one, it rears back for a final, desperate attack! Incapacitated by sudden pain, it looks like it's lights out for our masked fighter, but there's a sudden flash of black lightning as Rimuru makes his heroic entrance.
Rimuru recognizes Shizu as the girl he was "destined to be with" according to a crystal ball reading from a couple weeks ago, and does his best to make her and the other adventurers feel at home.
It's revealed that Shizu is actually Japanese as well, having been spirited away in the midst of a World War II firebombing that took the life of her mother. Realizing that the Japan that Shizu remembers is one torn apart by war, Rimuru uses thought communication to show her images of a bright and beautiful modern-day Japan. The masked warrior is pleased to see that her home country recovered from the ravages of war.
The mysterious pain wracks Shizu's body once again before Rimuru is called away by Kaijin.
In the final moments, we get a little more insight on Shizu's powers: when she arrived, she was badly injured and nearly discarded by the mage that had summoned her forth. The episode ends with the mage recognizing her "affinity for fire", and giving her body to the fire demon known as Ifrit to claim as his own.
Review
So, if you've been watching That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, you've probably identified by now that Rimuru is very much a "Gary Stu"-like character: exhibiting no flaws (besides his occasional lapses into perversion), and commanding ridiculous power and influence over a world he just barely stumbled into. With that being said: it's damn fun following this Gary Stu around!
When it comes to the pacing, this week's episode was a bit slower than even last week's, bringing Guild activities back to the forefront and introducing a key player for the episodes to come with Shizu. Still, watching the slow-build of Rimuru's idealized society is entertaining in a way - like an animated version of a good Age of Empires match. Still, some folks hoping for some more traction on the larger arcs may be disappointed that there's not much movement for the majority of the episode.
I was struck by the quality of the music this week - the soundtrack really standing out during Shizu's encounter with the giant ants in particular. Animation remains largely muted/average for the majority of the episode, though Rimuru's experiment with the new Black Lightning technique made for a couple visually striking scenes.
Perhaps the shining moment from this week's episode was Rimuru showcasing a clean and beautifully rebuilt Japan to Shizu. Her wonderment and happiness at the revelation was a solidly crafted moment that helped to kickstart their friendship in a meaningful way.
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime continues to provide reliable, light entertainment. As we move into the second half of the season, here's hoping we get a bit more action and a quickened pace!
