Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown

It's more Goblin Slayer. It's not really better quality than the average goblin slayer s1 episode but not worse either, it doesn't reach the greatness of some of the great episodes sadly. You're not gonna start watching goblin slayer by watching this movie, but if u will then instantly you will be spoiled for the first 25 mins that recaps season 1. Goblins are slain, in pretty decent fashion but nothing too creative, at the end of the day this was mediocre-average but disappointing since i expect better quality and writing from a movie but this truly feels like a slightly extended episode with a ... recap. But a disappointing goblin slayer episode is still better than most of action anime out there.

This will be controversial.

If I judge it on its own merit, the movie, like the series and manga, is fine. It's well executed, cast and directed. No complaints.

However, anime storytelling isn't always about escapism or entertainment. Sometimes there are subtle parallels to other things. Such as when my friend told me - Ponyo - it's the Little Mermaid told differently.

Goblins in this anime, like vampires and zombies in other stories/movies/TV shows, can be seen as symbolic for something.

You cheer on the protagonist, the Goblin Slayer, for stoically doing his duty. There is a lot to like ... about him. But, you see him killing goblins, sparing not even the young ones, because there no good goblins. They'll remember, they'll learn and they'll seek revenge.

When we see humanoid creatures like goblins as irredeemably "evil", fit to be slaughtered without sympathy, it is easier to do the same with other humans IRL. We dehumanize them. Immigrants (or substitute other groups - races, ethnicities) are evil - rapists and killers! They also take our jobs! They are terrorists! Why do we allow them to live among us? They must be driven out and eradicated!

That's what makes something like Goblin Slayer very dangerous. You think I go too far? It's just an anime? People can tell fantasy from reality? They would not let something like this influence their thinking about real-life people who are different from they are? Maybe. I don't have such confidence in all people. The raping and killing (though not overtly shown but is definitely there) plays into those fears that people have about other people that they don't know or understand. I'd argue that even if you understand this and look at it from the perspective I am explaining, it would still influence your thinking a little.

How you take my review will depend on whether you've already drank the Kool-aid.

This is my first review, so I'll keep it short and spoiler-free.

Don't bother watching this movie.

The first 25 minutes is just a recap with scenes taken from the anime with Priestesses voice over. This was just bloated in so that the movie could reach full length runtime, leaving it with around 50 minutes of "new" footage that adapts the current arc of the manga.

The movie also features:

Terrible animation and overuse of poorly made CGI.

... Shallow story with no stakes, zero development for the main characters and heavily censored violence.

Conclusion:

As a fan of the series, this was a complete dissapointment. It is a boring, lazy, underwhelming excuse of a movie and destroys any chance of the anime ever getting a proper second season.