THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME SEASON 1 PART 2 (REVIEW)
By: RogueSymbiote
Spoilers Ahead!
Summary
Rimuru's escapades as a recently reincarnated slime continue! As the orc army led by Geld the orc lord make their way to the Great Forest of Jura, Rimuru aligns himself with the lizard men. After an epic confrontation, Rimuru is forced to use his predator ability to consume the orc lord, allowing the once peaceful orc leader to finally rest and break the starve curse placed upon the orc army. As means of repentance, the remaining orcs pledge their allegiance to Rimuru.
Following Rimuru's triumph, a dryad appears and pronounces Rimuru as the Chancellor of the Jura Forrest Alliance. Having heard of a powerful slime, King Gazel of Dwargon arrives to challenge Rimuru and test his valor. They clash blades, followed by King Gazel acknowledging Rimuru's kingdom as it's own nation furthermore known as the Jura Tempest Federation.
There's no time for rest as Demon Lord Milim arrives to the village and is quickly swayed to join Rimuru and live in his village. More demon lord mischief isn't far behind as the beast known as Charybdis encroaches upon Rimuru and his subjects. It takes the entire Jura Tempest Federation and Demon Lord Milim's help to defeat this devastating foe.
Rimuru can barely take a breath before he feels pulled to the Kingdom of Ingracia to fulfill Shizu's dying wish of saving her former students from certain death. Rimuru arrives at Ingracia and begins his training of Shizu's young former students. The children posses incredible power as they are human summons, brought to this world as defenders of its people. All human summons under the age of 10 have died within 5 years of their arrival. In a last stitch effort, Rimuru learns of a way to save his students from certain death by joining a superior spirit with their bodies.
Rimuru and his students embark on a vital mission after they ascertain the location of the Dwelling of Spirits. After battling a foe constructed by the Queen of Spirits, the children pray for a superior spirit to merge with them and save their lives. One by one the children are fused with a superior spirit and no longer need to fear over an early death.
In a flashback, Shizu is shown in the Kingdom of Filtwood as she has been summoned with fellow adventurers to defeat a demon infestation. Shizu finds herself battling a Demon Progenitor named Black. After a flashy altercation, Black escapes. Shizu later learns of the treachery behind the leaders of Filtwood and comes face to face with the Arch Demon Orthos. Just as Shizu appears to be defeated, Black returns and destroys Orthos and his corrupted leader puppets. Who is this demon Black and what are his motivations? He is a mystery for now, but we do know that he will cross paths with Rimuru... and receive a new name!
Review
If you've read my review of season 1 part 1 of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, you know how much I enjoy this series. The upbeat tone, massive ensemble cast, intense action, depth and beautiful animation are the perfect storm for a fun time. It's a fun series that makes you smile, which is severely needed with current world conditions. Part 2 continues the common theme of the show of Rimuru growing in terms of followers and kingdom size. The trope of villains becoming allies is a bit expected at this point, but still enjoyable. Nearly every villain is redeemed, which imbues this series with a sense of hope for all.
The portrayal of character growth and evolution is thoroughly engaging. Having different races incorporate abilities of new allies into their own arsenal is exciting. Characters unleashing new powers and strengths is one of the greatest reveals the series has to offer. The voice acting is phenomenal as always. Slime takes you on an emotional ride from silly and happy to absolute heartbreak.
With as much as I thoroughly enjoy this series, the issue that remains is the lack in stakes. Rimuru's seemingly infinite power ensures that our heroes will always come out on top. The only real loss the series has provided so far was Shizu's death, and that was to further Rimuru's character development. Here's hoping season 3 really ups the tension!
Box Set Review
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 1 Part2 includes episodes 13-24 on both Blu-ray and DVD. Special features include episode 24.5 with a recap of the season by Veldora and Ifrit, audio and video episode commentaries, promo videos and textless opening/closing songs. The beautiful box art shows Rimuru and his students from the Kingdom of Ingracia.
Note: Funimation provided us a review copy in exchange for an honest review
