Eat or be eaten.
Creative Staff
Story: Fuse
Art: Taiki Kawakami
Character Design: Mitz Vah
Translation/Adaptation: Stephen Paul
What They Say
DISASTER STRIKES
After laying waste to the orcish forces that threatened the Forest of Jura, Rimuru’s group now faces Gelmud and the dreaded orc lord. And with some encouragement from Gelmud, the orc lord evolves into his ultimate form: The Orc Disaster! Could this new and fearsome foe outmatch Rimuru’s razor-sharp wits and unimaginable power? Or will The Orc Disaster dine upon slime with a side of kijin in the climax of the forest war arc?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gelmud, the majin manipulator, is in over his head. His naming spree has left him at less than full power and the situation is now out of his control. Playing both sides against each other has left him with a powerful enemy in not only those he trampled but those that he was supposed to be controlling and it proves to be his downfall. His goal is realized but at a cost he wasn’t expecting.
The ultimate hack move of this volume is Rimuru putting his combat skills on the equivalent of an autopilot setting. He hands control over during a crucial moment to his sage skill, and let’s that do the fighting for him! I can’t help but feel that Rimuru’s actual lack of skill is going to come back and bite him in the ass someday. He isn’t as quick-witted as he appears and someday someone else is going to realize it and his luck will run out.
Ultimately, the final fight against the Orc Disaster comes down to Rimuru using the most basic of his abilities. Basic being a relative term, as it’s his overpowered ‘devour’ technique. With the tension arising from the orc’s regeneration ability, the solution is a bit anti-climatic. Rather than sequestering the enemy as he did Ifrit or Veldora, he consumes him.
Which leaves Rimuru with one heck of a clean-up job.
I do find it somewhat unbelievable that the other monsters would be so welcoming to the others who were formerly their enemies. Sure, Rimuru is a fair and kind master, but all of these creatures were eager to serve even before knowing that. There’s probably a question of free will that should be asked at some point regarding how monsters almost instantly bend a knee to anyone who shows more power than them. This could prove troublesome if Rimuru ever does lose a fight. (Not to mention what happens when Veldora is finally free.)
Treyni certainly comes out on top in this war. She is satisfied with Rimuru’s abilities and appoints him Chancellor of the Forest of Jura. Suddenly Rimuru is tasked with finding a place for the 150,000 surviving orcs and displaces goblins. He has to figure out how to feed this massive quantity of monsters and ends up naming all of them. At this point, Rimuru is long out of names and ends up assigning generic designations like Mount153m, which is both sad and sadly practical. Not that everyone ends up with a generic name. The Lizardman king finally gets a name of his own and the power to reaffirm his leadership.
There’s a three-month gap of time at the end of this volume, glossing over the everyday life of building a town of monsters. Although we do get an update on the technology advancements Rimuru and his craftsmen are bringing to his civilization. The power structure is also enumerated upon with the kijin all getting titles and others are given specific jobs. A relative time of peace and growing prosperity before the next challenger arrives.
The extras in this volume follow the same pattern as the previous. Veldora and Ifrit continue their running prose commentary of events, which is starting to grow stale as it mostly just reiterates what we already just read. There are also a handful of gag comics, some extra illustrations, and translation note page.
In Summary
The largest challenge that Rimuru had to face comes to a close as he defeats the Orc Disaster. The battle itself is a bit more fraught then some of the previous fights, yet the solution is no more complicated for Rimuru than winning any other contest. The overpowered slime remains overpowered. Luckily his subordinates are no slouches either and provide for a more entertaining test of strength. The real challenge comes from the politics and logistics of an ever-growing kingdom. Rimuru is already weary of the responsibility that is being laid at his feet and that responsibility is only growing exponentially.
Content Grade: B +
Art Grade: A –
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen 16 +
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: April 17, 2018
MSRP: $12.99 US / $16.99 CN
