He Does Not Let Anyone Roll the Dice
Creative Staff
Story: Kumo Kagyu
Art: Noboru Kannatsuki
Translation: Kevin Steinbach
What they say
After High Elf Archer receives an invitation to a wedding back in her home village, the party sets out for the forest of the elves—and joining them on their trip are Cow Girl and Guild Girl! Goblin Slayer and crew are long overdue for a vacation, and what better place is there to get some rest and relaxation than under the brilliant forest canopy?
But things take an unexpected turn when they head upriver for the elf homeland only to see the shadows of goblins looming… and what’s more, there’s talk of an ancient beast slumbering within the forest. With all this danger close at hand, will there even be a wedding for our heroes to celebrate?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I feel like Goblin Slayer—the character—is getting funnier as the series continues. I do not mean he tells jokes, but more like his deadpan responses are just amusing.
In this volume, High Elf Archer receives an invitation to her sister’s wedding. Of course, High Elf Archer, being the woman that she is, ends up saying “I guess it’s about time to get married” in such a way that everyone in her party assumes she’s the one getting married until she sets them straight. Since she’s been invited, she decides to invite all of her friends along as well. Even Goblin Slayer decides to go with her despite there not being any goblins to slay. I feel this shows how well he is developing. He’s still quiet, taciturn, and unable to express himself, but he’s doing his best to improve.
I think what I liked most about this volume was that Guild Girl and Cow Girl come with them on this journey. We don’t really see them very much because they never go on Goblin Slayer’s adventures. They’re the ones who are always waiting at home for the adventurers to return. Having them come along with Goblin Slayer and the others changes the pace of the story and also changes the dynamics between the female cast—namely, High Elf Archer and Priestess. Seeing the way all the girls interact and get along was interesting.
Of course, while there aren’t supposed to be any goblins this volume—it’s a wedding!—Goblin Slayer and his companions still find themselves fighting against goblins. The boat they travel on is attacked and they nearly die. It’s only thanks to some quick thinking on their part that they all survive. However, now they are aware that goblins are near the elf homeland, and there is no way Goblin Slayer can take this lying down. But while he plans on dealing with the goblins, there is still the ever important wedding to deal with.
We end up meeting High Elf Archer’s sister, who seems more like a traditional elf: Kind, compassionate, and graceful. The contrast between the two sisters is pretty stark. During the preparations for her sister’s wedding, the elf homeland is attacked by an ancient monster called The One That Stops the Water or Mokele Mubenbe. It looks a lot like a dinosaur according to the illustration in the front, but Goblin Slayer mistakes it for an elephant. I think his deadpan “So that’s an elephant” statement was pretty well-timed, especially when combined with High Elf Archer’s straightman response. While the monster is taken care of, they learn that goblins were the ones responsible for sending it to them, meaning Goblin Slayer must slay all the goblins.
In Summary
This volume was a pretty interesting blend of slice of life, action, violence, and fan service. It’s very odd how a single novel can hold so many different themes and ideas. The beginning starts off slow, it picks up in the middle, then slows down again before picking up until the climax. We also get some nice illustrations of all the girls in bathing suits and taking a bath. I think this volume was the most diverse of all Goblin Slayer volumes because of the content it dealt with. Not only does this volume feature a wedding, but there is some interesting foreshadowing during the interlude chapters, where we see what Sword Maiden has been up to. I believe things are going to get more exciting for Goblin Slayer, Priestess, and the others in the next volume.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen On
Release Date: May 21, 2019
MSRP: $14.00
