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Review on the first 4 episodes.

The very first episode set a very strong impression. I feel that a lot of people forgot all about how we recently survived an era of very uninspired and generic isekai / fantasy anime, then when Goblin Slayer emphasized the presence of these tropes viewers didn't see it as the intended bait and switch - they only saw the bait. So many shows, including large amounts of battle-magic-highschool anime from eras passed had main characters who were very one note just like Priestess appeared to be for our first impression before actually digging into what a blindly optimistic and faithful ... healer would think during these adventures. What resulted in the first episode's premier was a lot of lazy criticism.

What also followed were several debates about how the goblins are just a plot device (or shallow), whether or not it's fine for an antagonist to be just a device or if it's good story structure to have the antagonist(s) vilified first. To anyone who argues either of these points, do keep in mind that man vs nature is a very popular trope found in several stories - and very many fun action movies have villains serve as bowling pins for the main character to defeat. One other popular arguing point was the "throw-away" characters presented in the show also being shallow and not well introduced, but many people forget about several shows that are praised doing something very similar to Attack on Titan.

Now to critique the show instead of critiquing the critique;

What I find the most exciting is the presentation of our main character, Goblin Slayer. The common fantasy main-character is usually plucky, well spirited, and adventurous, usually getting out of situations with his sheer force of will or special talent against an unknown enemy after we're grown to "love" him from a sad, characterizing flashback. Goblin Slayer is the exact antithesis to this. He is practical, calculated, imaginative, and knows his enemy very well while his origins are unknown. On top of that, rather than being a charismatic character the people around him are drawn to, Goblin Slayer is shown to be less capable of socializing and is someone who needs to heal overtime - a more believable character to put it simply. The main character alone was enough to intrigue me to invest in this show.

There's no denying that Goblin Slayer isn't what most people would call a high art, the next Gurren Lagann or Berserk, but the show very much serves its purpose as a fun adventure series or a fun subversion of generic fantasy anime. You wouldn't grade a fish on how it climbs a tree so to speak.

Scores

Story (7): A simple but functional story that's been painted out from the first couple of episodes, and seems to be a slow-cook to a satisfying character-driven ending. However the second episode prompted debates about how Goblin Slayer's flashback served the story. On one hand the lack of episode one characterization was what many critics disliked of the show, but on the other hand it served extremely well to have our main character seem ambiguous and ominous.

Art (7): Functional. The many sets feel very lived in with a great sense of space, along with thought-out details that goes into even dank caves, ruins, or meeting rooms. But the sets do lack textures in some portions and it doesn't live up to many contemporaries. The character designs on the other hand are very distinct and the action in the very first episode is very satisfying.

Sound (6): Once again, functional. Nothing about the soundtrack stands out one bit and the sound effects for the action scenes are appropriate at best. Nothing feels inventive or experimental and the action could gain more weight with better sound design.

Characters (10): As I mentioned above, it is fantastic to have a main character who's the exact antithesis of plain, generic, insulting, isekai shows we've had to suffer through. The side characters have plenty of small moments too which characterizes them very well.

Enjoyment (10): Should be plain to see through my praise from before. I've actually found myself jumping in my chair the moment a new episode is posted, and it's fantastic to see the niche of fans from the Manga / Light novel coming out of the woodwork. I've also loved the many conversations and discussion after every episode.

Overall 40/50 (8): A very satisfying show for people who like character-driven shows with moments of intrigue and seeing someone prevail with wit over strength. Goblin Slayer is a very firm suggestion should someone be okay with the graphic nature.