nathandouglasdavis

We see Goblin Slayer making a lot more mistakes, but there are still a lot fewer mistakes (and fewer negative consequences) than I would expect from a story about feir first year as an adventurer. We also see some interspersed flashbacks to feir mentor, who is apparently a rhea (I had assumed fe was a goblin for the longest time). Related to that, they have the mentor quote from both Yoda and Gollum...which, I mean...just felt dumb. Each of the various plotlines is obviously built to show how some detail from the main series came to be. Like, we see how feir helmet lost its horns, why fe first decided to use chain mail, where fe got the idea to connect a gateway scroll to the sea, when fe gained an aversion to fighting goblins out in the open, when fe got the idea to use fire, and so on and so forth. It's, um, somewhat pathetic. Most of these details--while existing in the main series--are pretty mundane and don't feel worthy of having origin stories written about them. For example, why would I care about the thought process that led to fem realizing that fe can pick up goblin weapons as fe goes? That's not a detail that needs an origin story. There's also quite a bit of "oh, I recognize that character!" going on, and they include several of the proto-romances that end up being a bit more developed in the main series. I think these types of things are probably the main reason this series feels lesser than the main series--it just feels like it's trying to tick off checkmarks in its checklist of origin events.

It also had too many internal monologues. I noticed it especially with the farm girl and with Goblin Slayer. And it seemed like each chapter either ends with a dire situation popping up (cliffhanger!) or with a close-up shot of Goblin Slayer reiterating feir desire to kill all the goblins or otherwise emphasizing feir obsession with goblins. Like, we get it: Goblin Slayer feels the urge to slay goblins. It doesn't need to be restated during every other chapter's final panels. It's not as strong of a conclusion as the author obviously seems to think it is. It's also stupid how they try to emphasize the curves and femininity of the girls by having them do stupid poses (like pressing their knees together while having their feet flared outward) or by just spending far too much time peeking at the farm girl when fe's in a pre-dressed state.

In addition to showing Goblin Slayer's early career, this series seems very focused on showing a new character I'll refer to as the "brash newbie." This brash newbie learns a lesson in being too brash and is currently in the midst of a regrowth portion of feir character arc. I definitely don't mind the idea of including new characters, but I just didn't find these new characters all that interesting. There are also a few other new characters, including a researcher and the receptionist girl's mentor from the main city (who seems to be leading us into an enjoyable storyline). Goblin Slayer helps the researcher out with two projects: 1) updating the goblin entry in the Monster Manual, and 2) looking into planeswalking and the idea of fate being determined by gods rolling dice. I honestly don't find the gameboard cosmology very interesting. I can stand it in small doses, but when they have it be a larger focus of a plotline or chapter, I get turned off. Which means that, clearly, the dark tower storyline (ch. 37-42) with the researcher is my least favorite storyline--I found it dull and grating.

[Reviewed at chapter 48]