Goblin Slayer is the best anime of 2018, and one of the best that I have ever seen. This is just my opinion, if you disagree that's fine, we are all entitled to our own opinions.
The show takes place in a fairly standard world of magic and adventure, but the elements that are focused on is what really sets it apart from the rest. Instead of focusing on a 'big bad' (demon lord, lich, enemy kingdom, ect.) it takes a realistic view on what are usually minion enemies or pests. The way in which the goblins are portrayed as vile pests is the most accurate and faithful portray that I have seen. The show does a great job of making you detest these creatures without making them out to be the most dangerous or evil threat to the world. There is a fair amount of graphic material, not only gore but adult themes. The graphic nature of the show is not graphic just for the sake of it or for shock value, rather it is a faithful depiction of the vile creatures that goblins are.
The magic of the world is that of classic D&D. There is a limit to how many spells you can cast per day and you gain more spells over time through leveling up. This setup allows for magic to be used without making it too powerful and forces the casters to be creative to optimize the effectiveness of its use.
The main charter, Goblin Slayer, is a well designed charter who goes through a believable and interesting development through out the show. He is not particularly special in any way. He is not powerful because he's a 'chosen one' or because he found a great magic item, in fact he is only extremely effective against goblins.This because he has dedicated his life to studying them and coming up with specific ways to fight them. He pays attention to the world around him and uses whatever he learns to better fight goblins. He is simply a broken man who wishes to kill goblins to prevent what happened to him from happening to others. During the first season he meets others who work with him and through this he begins to heal as a person.
The introduction of new charters feels natural and flows nicely with the plot. The progression of the story is kept at a good pace with very little filler and a good amount of action. There are new types enemies and situations that keep things interesting without feeling forced.
I have seen many complaints about aesthetics of the show, but I'm not sure why. There are some scenes where bigger more complex creatures are rendered using CGI, but that is something common when trying to make large, complex, and detailed creatures. I agree that these elements still have a way to go to be more seamlessly blended with non CGI elements, but I think it has come far even from just a few years ago. Despite issues with the CGI elements, I quite like the art style of the show.
I think that this show is a wonderful look at enemies that are normally overlooked, with charters that are normal adventures (more or less). The world built in this show is realistic and balanced in respect magic, enemies, and the individual strength of charters. I applaud this show for not shy away from the graphic material naturally stemming from the vile enemies in it, and approaches it in as tasteful a manner possible. The result were charters with believable motivation and enemies that were a real threat.
