The Goblin Slayer anime is based off a light novel series. There is a manga adaption which had already covered the story arcs covered in the anime prior to the anime’s completion. Viewers of the anime will likely notice a bar at the top of the screen warning about the show containing disturbing images. Is this bar warranted? There is no denying that Goblin Slayer is a rather graphic series. Considering the typical fantasy anime usually put out nowadays, I suppose there's no harm in having the warning, especially since the series is R+. So now you might wonder, Goblin Slayer is a graphic series, but is it a good series? Yes. It’s not amazing, but it is good, and accomplishes what it sets out to do.
The general story of Goblin Slayer is simple. The series follows an “adventurer” who is known in the adventurer’s guild by the name Goblin Slayer. Big surprise, he specializes in killing goblins, monsters who take pleasure in killing humans. Women will sometimes be spared death but will instead live a life of being raped and giving birth to goblins due to all goblins being male, so there’s no happy ending for people caught in a goblin attack. No surprise that this anime is graphic.
This series does serve a purpose in that it’s an excellent example of dark fantasy. Fantasy series are usually epic adventures of heroes slaying monster after monster until finally defeating the ultimate evil. Goblin Slayer purposely focuses on the less grand, yet still dangerous, adventures that would occur in such fantasy worlds. As is emphasized throughout the series, while goblins are a smaller-scale evil, whether the hero defeats the demon lord matters not to the villagers being killed in a goblin attack. Without those willing to do the less glorious work there would be no one to celebrate the work of heroes.
The series being graphic isn’t simply for shock value, it’s to show the reality of the world featured in the series. And the reality for the people in the world of Goblin Slayer is a dark reality. Should you watch this show? Maybe. If seeing intense gore or monsters raping women will leave you too disturbed to continue watching, then you shouldn’t start the show, cause nearly every episode has gore and several have scenes that show or suggest rape. This show is not meant to necessarily be enjoyed in the same manner as most other series. But if you’re looking for a good dark fantasy, not the usual hero saves everyone, but what happens to those the hero can’t save then this might be a show to watch if you haven’t yet.
Also, a FYI for people already acquainted with the series through reading and wondering what's different... In the anime two arcs are flipped. Otherwise, if reading the manga adaption of the novels there aren't any differences worth noting.
