He does not let anyone roll the dice.
Creative Staff
Story: Kumo Kagyu
Art: Noboru Kannatuki
Translation: Kevin Steinbach
What they say
A grudge match kicks off between Goblin Slayer and the goblin champion who thirsts for revenge. Barred from the use of fire, water, or poison, though, what secret weapon will Goblin Slayer use to dispatch his mortal goes this time? Will the great mystery of the ruins beneath the water town be laid bare once and for all…?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The last volume of Goblin Slayer ended with Goblin Slayer, Priestess, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest discovering a mirror in an ancient room deep beneath the water town. This mirror acts as a gate through which goblins have been pouring into the town. Of course, Goblin Slayer and his companions are completely surrounded by goblins right now, which means there is nothing they can do about the mirror yet.
Or is there?
Goblin Slayer creates a plan to deal with the goblins. However, this plan is one that takes a lot of time to enact, and thus it is up to High Elf Archer to attack the goblins from a distance and buy Lizardman Priest time. This woman is a crack shot. If there is one thing I really like about this series, it is that every character does something to help save the day. No one is useless. Even Priestess, who cannot fight, is extremely useful in defeating the goblins.
When the goblins are about to overwhelm their position with sheer numbers, Goblin Slayer himself jumps into the fray, killing goblins in a way that only he can. While the others provide important support, he attacks up close. Meanwhile, Lizardman Priest is doing his best to remove the mirror from the wall it is affixed to. While it seems kind of like a waste, this monumental task turns out to be the key to victory when Goblin Slayer has them use the mirror as a shield to defend against the collapsing ceiling when he has Dwarf Shaman blow it up. The debris falling on them travels through the mirror gate instead.
With the danger done, Goblin Slayer pays a visit to Sword Maiden. He confronts her about knowing everything that was happening underneath the city. She admits she did and asks how he knew that she knew, to which he claims he didn’t and intended to ask every person involved. I think that’s one of the things I like about Goblin Slayer. He’s not some great man who can deduce facts like who knew what the goblins were doing under the city, but he’s got a sharp enough intuition that he can know when something is fishy. I enjoy that he’s not a traditional protagonist in this regard. After their confrontation, Sword Maiden claims that he is the one she adores because he stated he will even kill goblins in her dreams.
While it is more like a traditional DnD fantasy, there are a lot of harem elements in the series, including the fact that four women seem to have a thing for Goblin Slayer: Priestess, High Elf Archer, Guild Girl, and Cow Girl. We don’t see much Guild Girl and Cow Girl in this volume because the entire first half was dedicated to what happened underneath the city. After the first half is dealt with, the second half involves Goblin Slayer and Priestess questing on their own—of course, they are killing goblins. Priestess seems to be getting better at helping Goblin Slayer and can even use a sling now to throw rocks. After they complete their quest, the two return to report what happened. Guild Girl finally makes her grand debut during that time when she asks Goblin Slayer if he would like to attend the upcoming festival with her.
In Summary
Goblin Slayer continues to be a strong contender in the dark fantasy genre. It might be one of the only dark fantasy manga I’ve read and liked since Berserk and Claymore back in the day. I enjoy how the characters bring light to this dark world, how they can joke even when the situation looks bleak, and how Goblin Slayer plays the perfect straight man to High Elf Archer’s antics. That said, I still like Priestess the best. She’s just too cute. In either event, this was a good addition to the series. I just wish the manga would stop ending on cliffhangers.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: M
Released By: Yen On
Release Date: September 24, 2019
MSRP: $13.00
