Jul 31, 2020
This will be controversial.
If I judge it on its own merit, the movie, like the series and manga, is fine. It's well executed, cast and directed. No complaints.
However, anime storytelling isn't always about escapism or entertainment. Sometimes there are subtle parallels to other things. Such as when my friend told me - Ponyo - it's the Little Mermaid told differently.
Goblins in this anime, like vampires and zombies in other stories/movies/TV shows, can be seen as symbolic for something.
You cheer on the protagonist, the Goblin Slayer, for stoically doing his duty. There is a lot to like ... about him. But, you see him killing goblins, sparing not even the young ones, because there no good goblins. They'll remember, they'll learn and they'll seek revenge.
When we see humanoid creatures like goblins as irredeemably "evil", fit to be slaughtered without sympathy, it is easier to do the same with other humans IRL. We dehumanize them. Immigrants (or substitute other groups - races, ethnicities) are evil - rapists and killers! They also take our jobs! They are terrorists! Why do we allow them to live among us? They must be driven out and eradicated!
That's what makes something like Goblin Slayer very dangerous. You think I go too far? It's just an anime? People can tell fantasy from reality? They would not let something like this influence their thinking about real-life people who are different from they are? Maybe. I don't have such confidence in all people. The raping and killing (though not overtly shown but is definitely there) plays into those fears that people have about other people that they don't know or understand. I'd argue that even if you understand this and look at it from the perspective I am explaining, it would still influence your thinking a little.
How you take my review will depend on whether you've already drank the Kool-aid.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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