After years of slaying goblins, Goblin Slayer believed he was strong enough to handle any and all kinds. Yet as his home is threatened again, he must accept the harsh truth that he’s not ready for this attack. It’s beyond the scale of anything he’s faced, and it’s not a systematic purging of goblins in a single file line. This is a horde attack on an open field, led by a Goblin Lord with the strength to best Goblin Slayer. It must be a difficult fact to accept as Goblin Slayer, and Cow Girl knows this. She also knows he’ll stay at the farm by himself, attempting to stop them, and would most definitely die. She refuses to let that happen, and puts forth a selfish choice by choosing to stay at the farm. It’s honestly so selfish, but I think it’s quite evident that Cow Girl feels so guilty about the past, and loves Goblin Slayer to a fault.
Goblin Slayer realizes he can’t just do what he planned to do anymore, and heads to the Guild Hall, for one last flicker of hope. He barges in with his request to all the adventurer’s in the guild, most notably Spearman and Witch. Willing to put everything he has on the line, Goblin Slayer offers everything he owns as a reward. It’s moving, just how much he’s willing to put on the line for the safety of Cow Girl and the farm. This clearly moves everyone in the Guild Hall as it moved me, and Spearman, Witch, and of course his former party join him willingly. Guild Girl even puts forth her own contribution, offering one gold piece for every goblin slain. This spurs the rest of the adventurers into action, agreeing that having Goblin Slayer die would make things too lonely. Former side characters such as Female Knight and Heavy Swordsman join Goblin Slayer, along with former rookies we’ve seen along the way. This is the fruit of Goblin Slayer’s labors over the past season, the friends he’s made along the way! It’s a bit cheesy, but really satisfying to see. It’s also the first time we really see Goblin Slayer desperate and begging for help because he’s seen this happen before. The last time this happened, he was powerless and his sister was taken from him. This time, he’s still powerless, but refuses to let it happen again.
The episode fast forwards immediately to the night of the battle, as adventurers scout the perimeter of the farm. The attack commences with the goblins in full degenerate mode, holding up shields of hostage women. It’s disgusting, and all the adventurers must feel the same way. Fortunately, it’s nothing these skilled silvers can’t handle, and with the help of all the other adventurer’s, the first attack is repelled. The second attack with wolf riders is easily pushed back as well, thanks to Goblin Slayer’s expertise on Goblin tactics. It’s honestly not a chore at all, and not a single casualty is shown during the conflict. Atleast until the Goblin Lord sends in the Hobgoblins and the Goblin Champions. I was honestly a bit scared for the adventurers once the horde of Hobgoblins showed up, since we’ve seen firsthand how terrifyingly strong they could be. Luckily, there were plenty of veteran adventurer’s there able to easily go toe to toe with their larger foes.
Yet where is Goblin Slayer in all this? As High Elf and Witch say, he’s most definitely doing what he does best. Slaying Goblins. And the most important Goblin to slay here? The Lord.
Overall, the episode was super solid, with both emotional punch and triumph. However, I am very sure that this episode could’ve been amazing had there been more actual action. There were a lot of battlefield shots, but nothing that really did anything above the standard of animation Goblin Slayer has given us so far. I’m still a firm believer that this adaptation suffers from the same pains Grand Blue did, in that the source material is a great piece of work but the anime adaptation is cutting corners. Now, had someone like Bones or Madhouse done Goblin Slayer, I have no doubt in my mind we’d have some crazy Spearman and Heavy Swordsman sakuga going around. Nevertheless, you can’t have everything, so I guess I’ll be satisfied with what we got.
I haven’t been watching this series due to its content, but I’m a sucker for relationships like the one between cow girl and Goblin Slayer. I like (borderline) romantic relationships like that between two childhood friends. While in a way it may seem selfish of her to stay given the threat, had she not stayed, GS’s mission would probably be a suicidal one, so her staying gives him a reason to live so he goes and asks for help. Perhaps she knew how to get to him to react this way, as I highly doubt that she’s ready to die as well, unlike GS who seems to have a death wish like Luke Skywalker .
awesome episode
Most opponents here are just regular goblin. They are no match for any standard adventurers, individually. Next episode is the real thing and I’m sure that you will see more action. This is just a buildup. But seriously, I doubt that other studios would do better that much (if it’s not worse). I don’t trust Madhouse anymore. Just look at Overlord, they will probably ruin this anime with low quality CG again.