GOBLIN SLAYER: SEASON ONE / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: TAKAHARU OZAKI / SCREENPLAY: HIDEYUKI KURUTA, YOSUKE KURODA / STARRING: BRAD HAWKINS, HAYDEN DAVIAU, MALLORIE RODAK / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Based on a light novel (think YA/crossover fiction, but Japanese) by Kumo Kagyu, Goblin Slayer caused all manner of controversy when it was adapted into a manga in 2017, and again when the anime adaptation hit screens and streaming services in last year’s fall season.
Let’s get that controversy out of the way: the opening scenes of the anime feature an attack on a party of adventurers by some goblins, during which all but one of the party – the Priestess – are killed, captured, or raped. It’s this last one that caused a stir, probably rightly, but it is treated with more sensitivity in the anime than the manga. Still, this is a story that starts on a very unpleasant theme, one that does raise its head from time to time, and it’s worth bearing that in mind before you watch the show.
Past that, Goblin Slayer is a good, dark fantasy series, a tale of a man – the titular hero; all characters in the show are known by their “professions” – out to avenge the death of his village by horrible, nasty goblins. With the Priestess in tow, Goblin Slayer cuts a swathe on his way to find the Goblin Lord, picking up a band of adventurers along the way.
From White Fox Studios, the company behind Steins;Gate, the show is well animated and features a standout voice performance by Yuuichirou Umehara as the Slayer in the original Japanese, with decent turns by Brad Hawkins, Hayden Daviau, and Brittany Lauda on the English dub, if that’s more your style.
The Manga Entertainment Blu-ray comes with a round table featuring some of the staff involved in the English-language release of the show, with two very sparky voice actors and two production staff having a fun discussion about the show.
If you like your anime violent and uncompromising, but still with a recognisable D&D –style adventure flavour, then Goblin Slayer could very much be your thing; for goblin haters, it’s an essential purchase.
