Back to uptoolate's Profile uptoolate's Profile

I mean, I watched it in one night. I love fantasy, particularly high fantasy, and typically high fantasy with a hefty does of world building and politicking. Goblin Slayer delivers on every front, though the politics tend to be local, with hints at some grand story of adventure, which is decidedly not the focus of this anime, happening in the distant reaches of the world. Fair warning, the show follows in tone more closely to typical high fantasy than to, say, your average isekai. I recommend reading a synopsis of the first episode before diving in. Let's just say, the show earns its content warning, ... and disregarding it as simple violence or profanity may leave you with whiplash.

The sound design of this show consistently impressed me. The fighting sound effect and music direction are stunning and the voice actors are talented across the board, but what really stood out and what I found myself noticing again and again was the dedication to ambiance. As a viewer, you know what the world of Goblin Slayer sounds like. Also, there is directional sound in several of the action scenes at least, and probably a lot more going on than I even managed to notice, and it is all a treat for your ears.

Art is not typically a huge deciding factor in anime for my own enjoyment, since I tend to watch older stuff and more stylized stuff, but I would say with my untrained eye that Goblin Slayer's art is very nice. It looks how it looks throughout as well, no downgrade in artistic substance halfway through.

Two intertwining aspects of the show that I definitely appreciated were the world building as regards the magic and adventurers' guild, as well as the general use of plot. First, the world building. I am often nervous when I encounter a story involving magic, as magic systems are easy to do wrong, harder to do a passable job, and really difficult indeed to do well. While attempting to keep this review spoiler free, I will simply say that the magic in this world is incredibly limited, which is a huge positive right of the bat. These limitations remain in place throughout the show, with no special privileges given to any characters because the plot needs it to bo so. Hence, I describe the treatment of the world building and the use of plot as intertwined. The adventurers' guild is just exactly what it should be. It was oddly satisfying to see a typical adventurers' guild, where the members can accept quests and rise in the ranks. When smaller elements of fantasy are done competently, it contributes to the immersion and suspension of disbelief, better than any overly complex plot and fantastical magic system ever could.

Next, the general use of plot. This could be described as a plotless show, but I think episodic is more accurate. Sometimes the adventures are encapsulated within an episode, sometimes within two or three episodes. Also, as the season progresses, information learned in earlier episodes remain relevant in later ones. It's not that the plot is so complex or far reaching or multi-layered as to be impressive, but on a similar note to the adventurers' guild, how the various plot threads interact with the world of Goblin Slayer resemble a typical domino effect done well. There are hardly any points where you think, oh the plot needs this character to be here and they are and for no other reason. There are some instances like that, so while I do appreciate this aspect, I don't want to leave the impression that it is flawless one hundred percent of the time.

Perhaps the weakest element of Goblin Slayer are its characters. Basically, none of them stand out in any particular or striking way. I don't particularly see this as an issue, since we are watching what is essentially lower level adventurers and the infrastructure around that system move through its typical motions. The characters don't have a grand mission to take on or some far reaching goal to seek. They are genuinely just working people doing the job of adventurer and we the viewers get to watch and see how each character interprets that job description. It's almost slice-of-life in some episodes, which only further recommends it to me. This particular aspect I wasn't expecting at all from a fantasy anime, since most tend to be relatively fast moving without much room to breathe. I enjoyed it immensely. I will say, the character motivations are clear and understandable, and mesh well with the plot as mentioned above. There are only a few instances, always with side characters, where you wonder why they did what they did.

This anime certainly isn't a masterpiece or a masterclass or any superlative, but it is good. It probably wouldn't be a waste of your time, and if the synopsis you read of the first episode (taking my advice, look at you go) squicks you, then you wouldn't be missing much either if you decide to skip this one.

I just recently reread this manga, and as always, it is a joy from start to finish. This is not a perfect manga by any means, and as is often the case when I review something I initially read at a much younger age, I definitely look on this work with the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia (aka, I'm acknowledging my bias up top, people). Some of the plot points are a little trite at times, and nonsensical at others, but this manga has aged probably as well as any manga might hope to.

The characters are the strongest point of this manga. While there are stereotypes ... and cliches, as can be expected, every character with any decent size role to play in the story has character development. With a cast that easily pushes 20 such characters by the time the manga comes to an end, this is the highest compliment I can pay this work. Said character development is well-executed and feels earned in all but maybe two cases I can think of. Even characters with only a chapter or so of the story are frequently at least interesting enough that you pay attention and often intriguing enough that you end up wanting more from them. I really appreciate that for the main cast, while the characters do change and grow with experience and time, they will also have some set character traits that stick around, clearly speaking to the core of that person and what makes them an individual.

The art has its pros and cons; the characters can be difficult to differentiate, if they share a similar hair and dress style, but the depiction of landscapes and animals are stunning. The element of photography throughout the manga gives the author plenty of opportunities to indulge in beautiful scenery. Also, for a manga almost 20 years out from its last publication, the style of clothing has generally held up well. The outfits that are meant to be beautiful, cool, or even goofy all still correctly read that way, not something I can say for every manga I've read from a similar time period, especially ones which had fashion as even a minor plot element.

I mentioned the plot being somewhat trite and/or nonsensical. The pacing of the story is nicely done, and though you can start to see how the timeline will play out through as the chapters proceed, when new characters and conflicts will arise, the plot is not especially predictable when compared to other, similar manga. You will likely be surprised at times, while at other times completely in the loop and wondering how the characters didn't see whatever-it-was coming from a mile away. It strikes a good balance. The plot becomes trite mostly when it becomes repetitive, which does happen at least a handful of times, and noticeably. If you have patience for tropes of the genre, executed with little added nuance, commentary, or creativity, then the nonsensical elements of the story will simply not bother you. They don't bother me for that very reason, but I feel it best to acknowledge the fact that sometimes characters in this universe don't make sense, for anyone who might be looking for a genuine and thorough recommendation.

I do think this manga is funny. Its sense of humor appeals to my own, and I still laughed out loud several times, despite having read it all before. In my estimation, comedy takes a backseat to drama in this work, so that may be something to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to read it.

(This is the paragraph with the spoilers) A note on the "romance" of this manga: For anyone looking for an out and out (pun not intended but, yes, noticed and left in) gay romance, this is probably not the story for you. The relationship between the two leads is beautiful and unique, and clearly special to them in its own way, but it could be argued that it is not, indeed, a romantic one. If that is enough to dissuade you, or if the idea that of spending 26 volumes reading a manga where what clearly should be the main couple, at least by all conventions of the genre, ends in relative ambiguity is frustrating to you, I sincerely do not recommend reading it. While slightly difficult to describe, the relationship between what is essentially the main couple is most similar, in my opinion, to a classic will they/won't they (or is that are they/aren't they?) set up, where a decent amount of the tension and drama lean on subtext and misunderstandings, and the reader has to parse for themselves who is misunderstanding what, exactly. It's a frustrating concept, particularly within the context of ostensibly depicting a gay love story, that in its execution at least flirts with queer-baiting. Had I not initially read this when I was in my late teens, I might never have finished it out of annoyance. I have less and less patience for gimmicks like this these days. The recognition that, on the whole, it's a good story with great characters, combined with a fair amount of nostalgia, keeps me coming back.

To be honest, I almost gave up on this anime around episode 5, as at that point despite the good vibes of the show in general, none of the jokes had really landed. I'm glad I stuck it out, and really when the episodes are as short as these it wasn't any real struggle.

The strongest point, for me, was how visually interesting this anime ended up being, despite how few setting changes there are. I really enjoyed the styling of the various booksellers and employees. I also tend to like episodic structure, and that was no different for this anime.

The main sticking point for me ... ends up being the content itself. I just wasn't particularly entertained, overall. I didn't find the stories that interesting, and I didn't find the jokes that funny. As the story and comedy are the backbone of this anime, the art can't really make up for the fact that I found this anime to be a pretty bland experience. I don't think this anime is bad, there's really no harm in giving this show a shot, watching an episode or two to see if the jokes land with you. If they do, you will certainly find enjoyment in it. If they don't, you've only invested 10-20 minutes into finding out.

One further note on an aspect of the lens of this anime, which I genuinely appreciated: there is a refusal to outright make fun of the customer characters, regardless of what they were in the bookstore shopping for. Too often, I see jokes made at others' expense when the only thing the butt of the joke ever did was genuinely appreciate and be passionate about something. I was nervous when I realized the setting that I was headed for tasteless jokes about fujoshi/fudanshi or mocking of foreign manga readers or any other combination of a joke that consisted of "Hey, that person likes something ... let's make fun of them for it!". I am truly glad to report that, while there are good-natured jokes related to both the various genres of books for sale and to their varied readership, none of them, in my opinion, even approach the line of mean-spirited. I suspect this is due in large part to the actual lived experience the author drew on in order to write the original manga. I just wanted to highlight that. While the humor didn't exactly land with me, the respectful attitude behind telling these day-in-the-life vignettes did.

I really enjoyed the first handful of episodes, and will honestly probably watch them again at some point. That's the only nice thing I can think of to say.

While watching this show, I couldn't shake of the sensation that I was watching two different shows at the same time, and at first that was something of a fun, maybe even novel feeling, but it quickly became distracting and irritating.

(1) The show I wanted to be watching, and I'm not sure if many would agree with this, was a casual slice-of-life in a sci-fi setting, with randomly high stakes at various intervals. This show gave ... glimpses into a fully realized world, through the (admittedly non-ordinary) eyes of an ordinary guy, who there wasn't much to write home about otherwise. Sometimes the focus would be on this guy, who is after all the MC, and sometimes it would be his coworkers and their lives and interactions. It's generally a solid romp, and has good vibes all around. Un-fort-un-ate-ly, that show, the one I wanted to be watching, was constantly interrupted by ....

(2) a second show, some kind of shounen/sci-fi/mystery/drama involving two siblings with a tragic past, blah-blah-blah.By the end of the season, I was so actively uninterested in the Black and White drama that I struggled to finish watching, and honestly the only reason I did finish the season was because I was hoping against hope that there would be a return to form and the final episode would resemble the first episode more closely.

Anyway, I will probably try to check out the second season, since the annoying subplot-that-became-the-main-plot was settled in the first season, and see how that is, if I can find it.

PS: After writing this, I went away to read the manga and it is exactly what I wanted the show to be?!?! Why oh why did they add so much extra stuff to the show?!?! Ugh, I don't understand but it makes me even more frustrated since the aesthetics and music and even pacing of those first few episodes are right up my alley, and then they ruin that for a storyline that wasn't in the manga, not even a little bit in the manga. Ok, mini rant over. If you liked the same parts of this show that I liked, maybe check the manga out.

In all likelihood, I will not be offering anything new with this review. So much has been said about Sailor Moon, that it is nearly impossible to add anything original to the conversation. Instead, I am going to take the personal approach and describe my experience of the first season of Sailor Moon, fresh off my -nth rewatch. Note: this review is of the DIC dub.

The show itself is, well, a kids' show. The DIC dub in particular was written and edited to be targeted to young girls, around elementary age or a little bit older. In terms of structure, the episodes are quick moving, ... rarely boring, and there are so many different characters introduced who all get a focus episode of some sort. In short, the structure and pacing is perfectly acceptable for adults and just about perfect for a kids' show.

The art is definitely dated. I probably am less affected by that than say a new viewer who has heard the hype but is accustomed to more modern styles. To me, it looks exactly as it should. I would say that, upon rewatch, the thing I noticed most as regards the art was the various backgrounds. The backgrounds change quickly to match the tone of the show, from bright and sunny while everything is going well, to dark and moody as the tension builds, to flashes of colors when the action intensifies. Otherwise, the art is simply hard to notice for me because, as I mentioned, it looks exactly how I expect it to. A lot of the fashion in the show is incredibly nostalgic for me, and I'm quite fond of it for that reason as well.

The characters are the standout of the show. As old as this show is, as restricted as it was by the episodic nature of the format and the censorship struggles and any perceived limitations of its target audience, somehow the creators, both of the DIC dub and of the original product upon which that dub was built, manage to convey at least a dozen, maybe more, complex characters, successfully. The protagonists get the majority of the lime light, of course, but Serena (yes, I'm using the DIC names as this is a review of the DIC dub) herself is not the only point of view character we get, not by a long shot. We variably get inside the head of every scout, Darien, several main enemy characters, Queen Beryl, and Molly. All of these characters grow and change over the course of the season, and all of them have distinct character traits that ring true throughout as well. Some of those character traits may be grating, but at least they are consistent, and they grow and progress after clearly being motivated to do so.

I have more mixed feelings on the audio than I expected to going in. I knew that, having watched the subbed version with the original music, I would notice the difference at least. I thought that nostalgia would cloud my mind and the DIC dub versions of the music would be my favorite, hands down. This is not the case. I like the theme song and enjoy the music in the DIC dub, but it s doesn't sound amazing or blow my mind. It can trend a little tinny at times, and there were moments that I found myself expecting and even wanting different music. In all, I think the music ranges from pretty good to simply serviceable, and that's honestly probably what the producers of this kids' show dub of an existing property were going for, anyway. One place the audio never lets me down is with the voice actors. You can tell that this entire team of VAs were incredibly professional and talented people. They hit the emotional beats, the jokes, the action and fighting, and the terrible slang I'm convinced no one ever actually used, with equal skill across the board. Serena and Darien's VAs are two of my favorite, and though I know it was a polarizing choice, I really love the distinctive voices for both Molly and Luna.

My main complaint with the DIC dub is the formatting at the beginning and end of the show. Often the segment before the opening theme began would play montage footage from the show. That montage footage, combined with voiceover from Serena, frequently contained unnecessary spoilers to the episode that was about to play. I don't remember this happening with the VHS tapes, and I wonder if it was only included on the first airings and not the home video versions, but either way, I was frustrated. Particularly when an episode came up that I didn't remember as well, often that little preview would jog my memory and so rob me of the enjoyment of not knowing exactly what was coming.

I do recommend this show, and in particular I recommend watching it with some of its original target audience in the room, if you happen to have kids or younger family members that fall into that. It's a pretty magical experience, all told (puns intended).

NB: While I have watched the first season of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon in both the English-subbed Japanese version and the Viz English dubbed version, this review will be largely about the DIC dub, as it is what I just recently rewatched. I have seen every episode and movie from this franchise, including the ones the DIC dub heavily edited or omitted, and I am aware that those changes definitively altered many people's first interactions with this show. I will treat this review as a review of the DIC dub only, regarding story and character. As and if I rewatch the other versions, I will come back to this review to add my notes and update my opinion. I will not be comparing the three versions of this show that I have watched at this moment, as only the DIC dub is recent enough in my memory to be addressed at the moment. I do wish that MAL had a way to categorize the different versions of shows that one might be leaving a review on, particularly in cases of large franchises with in some cases several different releases with censorship and even animation changes, as is the case with a Sailor Moon or a Dragon Ball type IP.

I guess, if I had to describe why I don't rate this show higher in a single phrase, it would be 'tone issues'. There are other problems I have with the show, but at the core is the tonal dissonance from episode to episode, in some cases from scene to scene. As far as I can tell, this tone shifting is not meant to be played for comedy, though I don't know why else such a thing would be structured in this way.

The issues with tone that I am referring to is based on, possibly, the confusion of genres. This show seems to want to ... mainly be a romcom adventure story, while rather bluntly interspersed are scenes that involve the past trauma caused by the recent war, the grief over comrades and loved ones who were lost in said war, often in front of the individuals who perpetrated said war and directly caused those deaths - high fantasy and drama combined with a distinct inability of the show to read the room, as it were. When Emi asks Maou how he can be the devil who did/ordered all of these terrible things and also be someone who just casually hangs out in the human world, working at McDonalds's, I find myself wanting an answer too. And I don't even like Emi as a character. One minute the literal devil is frying up a batch of fries and celebrating his most recent raise, the next an agent of the corrupt church is sent to assassinate the hero whom they molded from a young age to fight in their wars. In an effective reminder for why genres are a thing, it remains difficult to reconcile the romcom style through-line of the show with the significantly higher stakes of the high fantasy and drama elements, with their tragedy and scope. It just doesn't work, especially when combined with the other main issue at hand, plot.

What watching this particular anime taught me is that, in a show where the genre is adventure/fantasy adjacent, I do eventually need a sign that the plot is moving somewhere, somewhen. The plot to Hataraku Maou-sama! seems to consist of bad guys from varying sides of the previous conflict showing up, getting defeated, disappearing or assimilating, and then cue fun human world side activity. When the characters are asked, in the text of the show, what they plan to do in the future, they either respond with excuses, that they don't really know what to do, or they get conveniently interrupted before they can answer. The first few times this happens, it's something of a fun tease to keep you invested in the show. When it happens in almost every subsequent episode, it's annoying as all get out. In addition, you sort of know what the characters should want, namely to return home to continue the epic struggle they left, but you also sort of know that none of them do want that, and it's never explicitly explained as to why. Again, that clash of lighthearted romcom with epic fantasy war drama leads to these weird, conflicted places where the characters are all just endlessly procrastinating making decisions for themselves, simply waiting around for the plot to happen to them instead. It's more frustrating the more it happens with no moves to further things along at the end of an episode or mini-arc.

I enjoyed this show the first time I watched it, and I should have just left it there. This show is a fun ride the first time around, but the rewatch decreased my tolerance for its half-baked plot and tone shifts drastically. In terms of making a recommendation, the best I can say is that I don't think it's a complete waste of time to watch this show, but to keep your expectations well below any hype you may have heard about it.

Part of why this show rates so highly for me is the genuinely solid execution of one of my favorite genres, military strategy. The show employs some more heavy-handed foreshadowing - pointing out that a certain mountain range has never been crossed by a military force, practically ensuring that an invading force crosses said mountain range later on - but beyond that, the plans and plots, as they play out, are a delight to see implemented. Due to the world building, you as the first-time viewer are unfamiliar with the specifics of the technologies of war available to the characters, and so some surprises or ... certain moves by different commanders may catch you off guard. Truly, when it comes to the world building and play by play of the military conflicts, both in training and in the field, this show doesn't really miss.

What I would consider another strong point of the show are the characters. Each character is consistently represented with their own clear personality traits, each person has their own goals and motivations that are for the most part lucidly laid out and intelligible, and the struggles these characters go through are compelling and sympathetic. I like the main cast of this show, without exception. The two strongest characters are Ikta and Yatori, and I find them compelling leads and foils to one another. Although they are seemingly diametrically opposed in their ethics and life goals, these two characters are able to maintain the friendship they began as kids, at least through the end of the first season, displaying a maturity and complexity to their friendship that is revealed in layers as the show progresses.

Ikta Solork, the MC, is a genius military strategist who just wants to wile away his years as a librarian working in the empire where he lives until it inevitably crumbles to dust. Unfortunately, ~events happen~, and so he ends up as a soldier in the military. In general, I hate this setup. I have never found the reluctant genius to whom plot happens to be particularly enthralling. However, Ikta's character toes this line in that, as soon as people he cares about are under his responsibility, he steps up. He may hate war, but he wants to ensure as many of his friends and subordinates survive as possible. Responsibility and the contradictory nature of working as a military officer while also holding strong morals are two strong themes in this show, and they are displayed within Ikta's characterization deftly.

My notes on the plot and pacing of the show can be summed shortly. The plot is predictable. If you like a plot that twists and turns and gotchas at the drop of a hat, this probably isn't the show for you. I don't mind a predictable plot, especially when the show is literally telling you what will happen, as it is with this one with its introductory or ending voiceover. The point isn't that the end goal is a surprise, it's that the details for how the characters arrive at this hinted at future constitute the actually interesting part of the story. As for the pacing, I wish we spent more time in flashbacks for more characters, more time in character interaction, more time on military expeditions. I wish we spent little to no time at the military school. The military school episodes are a waste of time, and any dramatic scene of character moment, such as the princess's attempted kidnapping or Torway's confrontation with his older brothers, could have been achieved while on campaign. The show has no issue with minor time-jumps, just tell me that they trained and that it's six months later or whatever.

Overall, I like the maturity of the characters of this show. I like that the adults act like adults and are not, for the most part, over the top caricatures of people. In general, none of the adults are screaming or crying or slapping each other or any other ridiculous action, unless the events of the show earn such a thing. I like the military strategy genre and think that this show handles it with skill and clarity. I like the characters, though I wish we got more time with them. I think the voice actors are fantastic across the board, blending their performances in with the style of the show to the point where you don't even really think to notice anything about them, they all just fit in seamlessly.

It's tough for me to describe just how much I love this manga. I have read it at least four or five times at this point, over and over again over the course of the past 6 or 7 years. I don't write this review strictly to recommend this manga, more to try and articulate why I like it. By all means, go read it, but just so you know, I'm writing this review sort of just for me (sorry?).

This manga single handedly made me watch the entire existing video canon of this IP. I have seen all three seasons of the J-drama (twice), the ... movie, and the anime. If you enjoy this manga, I do recommend you seek out its other iterations. It's pretty much all fantastic stuff, though imo the manga is the best out of the lot.

The main facets of this manga that I think about when I try to boil it down are truly the characters and the comedy. The manga can be serious, but leans towards gut-wrenchingly funny. It's even more difficult to describe humor than it is to describe why someone likes something, so I will simply say I find it hilarious, even on reread, even when I remember what the punchline will be. The sense of humor also ranges wildly, from straight up physical humor and blue humor, to more clever or stinger/gotcha based humor. One moment characters are farting and laughing about it, the next someone comes up with a quippy double-entendre that actually takes a minute to unravel itself, the next someone does a classic pratfall. It's beautiful.

Yankumi, the main character, is my favorite character in the entire work - which in my opinion shows that the writer did their job, because frequently I can't stand the main characters of manga (even when I'm clearly supposed to like them). Her antics are hilarious, the situations she gets herself into are increasingly ridiculous, she is strong physically, emotionally, and morally, and she can be a little bit thick/prudish/innocent at times. It's such a refreshing characterization of a main female character to find in manga. She is complex, her history and upbringing affect her in clearly understandable ways, and I would even call her a role model, by the end of the manga for sure.

I also love that every single character, at least the main ones, have clearly defined character arcs as well as clearly defined backstories - the world building is seriously well done in terms of character continuity. There are several flashbacks in the story to Yankumi in high school and to her students as middle schoolers, and you can see the lessons they learned then and the actions they took, and how that shapes who they currently are in the story.

I'm not an art critic, nor am I widely read enough in manga to talk about art even semi-confidently, but I will say I like the style. It is sort of dated, at least compared to more contemporary styles I've seen kicking around, but it's so stylistic that for the most part you don't really notice. I admire the strong choice behind the art style, especially as I think it is equally able to service the comedic moments as well as sober up for the more serious or heartwarming scenes. Also, the faces Yankumi makes are some of the best non-verbal jokes I've seen in a manga.

In reality, it's just a really good manga, with solid storytelling that makes sense, likable characters, ridiculous scenarios, hilarious content, and an interesting style. I think the reason I like it can be more easily explained by simply asking: what's not to like?

I will never not respect the decision to base your historical epic romance in an empire that, prior to the late 19th century, we weren't completely sure existed and that we still know very little about. I love the Hittites and anything to do with them, and really I'm just jealous deep down that I can't use the technique Yuri did to learn the oldest Indo-European language that we have written record of. It's possible I'm a bit of a historical linguistics nerd. Anyway...

I can't pretend that I am unbiased. I am so incredibly biased. This is one of the first manga I ever read, ... so it has a nostalgia bonus to its score from me for sure. I should probably give it an 8, maybe a 7, but each time I reach to change it I just can't make myself do it. To be fair, I am allowed to have a biased opinion about a manga, it's not the end of the world. But it doesn't much make for a helpful review. I repeat, this is a biased review and I love this manga.

I have reread this entire manga twice, three total reads, and I love both the characters and the historic elements to the story. I'm not sure I can really recommend it, but I guess if you're looking for a manga to read with really beautiful art, try this one. If you still like it after the first few chapters, you will like the whole thing. On the other hand, if you don't like it after the first few chapters, you probably won't. Other than introducing a few new characters, it pretty much sticks to form for the duration.

I got bored. Normally I try to give a show a decent shot, but after 8 episodes it still wasn't interesting enough for me to want to know how it all ends. The body horror type stuff was fun in the beginning, but it got old and there was nothing else interesting going on. I don't know if it gets better, and I don't have the motivation to ever find out. I think part of my problem is that the main character may as well have been a piece of cardboard. Or like, a rock? A rock that reacts to things sometimes.

I went into this ... show with zero expectations, beyond the preview Netflix automatically plays, and I was still, somehow, disappointed. It almost seems like the writers couldn't decide between slice of life/horror and shounen/horror. It's a weird vibe, anyway. I'd need to read the manga to come to any further conclusions, but after watching the show and feeling only apathetic boredom, that isn't going to happen. I suspect this might be one of those that people really love or really don't care about. Guess which I am.