Pros
- Lots of the graphic action viewers have come to enjoy about the series
- Some character development with members of the party
Cons
- No major, overarching antagonist outside of the goblins
Goblin Slayer II Review
Goblin Slayer II continues the hack-and-slash adventure of Goblin Slayer and his diverse adventuring party. Fans of the first season will have their expectations met when it comes to difficult battles that require some ingenuity to win.
The series begins with the party meeting up again at the adventurer’s guild. With no time to lose or even for small talk, Goblin Slayer goes straight for the stack of goblin quests. After all, every minute wasted on small talk is a minute not spent ridding the world of a goblin.
Whereas the first season focused on the impending threats of goblin attacks, this season takes a step back to instead explore the characters viewers have come to love. This also includes the romantic interests for the oblivious Goblin Slayer.
Fans know that Goblin Slayer would never willingly take a day or night off for a date—indeed, when he’s not slaying goblins, he’s preparing to slay goblins or he’s training the next generation of goblin slayers.
The writer gets around this singular focus by inventing an occasion that compels Goblin Slayer to sort of take a break: Elf’s sister gets married. That means Elf has to return home for the ceremony, so she invites her party to the celebration. Thus the excuse is made, and Goblin Slayer, his friends, and his romantic interests all visit Elf’s home.
Of course it wouldn’t be Goblin Slayer if the journey was without its goblins. Even the journey to Elf’s home is filled with goblin danger, putting the party in a very vulnerable position that Goblin Slayer has obviously prepared for.
While most writers don’t kill off their heroes, Goblin Slayer II manages to give the audience a sense of danger and the possibility of one of the beloved party members not making it back from a quest. After all, as great as Goblin Slayer is, he can’t possibly be prepared for every situation.
So there’s that sense of relief when the party returns from a quest that proves to be a bit more difficult than anticipated.
The series doesn’t have an overarching goal or antagonist that plagues the heroes from episode to episode. There’s no big boss demon lord to vanquish. There’s no supervillain bent on world domination. Nor is there an imminent invasion by powerful aliens.
Instead, what audiences get is a group of nondescript adventurers working together to free their small part of the world from the perverted goblins who all seem to want to molest and abuse sexy women for some reason.
But not having an overall villain does make the show feel a bit aimless at times. There’s no great evil that needs to be conquered, just an endless horde of little evils. While Goblin Slayer’s goal is noble, one can’t help but wonder what the point is given that goblins will always exist and any reduction in their numbers will only be temporary.
However, the absence of one main villain does allow for more flexibility in the series, and this second season does offer some bit of reprieve for the adventurers and an opportunity for audiences to get to know these otherwise nameless bunch a bit better.
Goblin Slayer II is a great continuation of the series that takes a break from non-stop Goblin-slaying action to focus more on developing the characters. That’s not to say that there isn’t action—there’s plenty of that. Just perhaps not as much as the first season, and that’s perfectly fine
Read reviews on other anime below.
