Score: B

Nothing quite says that Goblin Slayer is back like a quick montage of the tragedy involved in the first episode of the last season! That episode was certainly an experience and this one is mercifully less extreme by comparison. That could be setting up for a difficult episode 2 though. The visuals feel like a bit of a step back compared to the previous season. But the characters still look like themselves and I don’t think it was such a step back that it hurt the show a lot. I kind of hope the rest of the show will step up a bit more on that front, but that seems like a lot to ask since the first episode tends to set the tone in a series like this.

Truly a punch worthy face

Of course, they have to drop an annoying kid on us in the first episode. And I don’t foresee him suffering as cruel a fate as the last rookies the Priestess has teamed up with. Not that anyone deserves that…but this guy is still pretty annoying. I’m sure there’s some tragic backstory and someone he knows got killed (or worse) by goblins. But that doesn’t excuse him being so utterly frustrating. And he’s not doing himself any favours with lashing out at others as a defensive tactic. This is a rookie who doesn’t have great people skills.

I did enjoy him getting a stern warning about how bad an idea it is to insult an entire group of people. Truly it doesn’t need to be said how badly he’s underestimating the value of the Priest class. How valuable is it to have someone that can heal, create protective barriers, and a variety of other supportive talents? It’s not always about the person delivering the actual damage. If they aren’t alive to do any damage…well that’s it. I would have been fine with seeing him left to his own devices, but in the end the Goblin Slayer is too good a guy for that.

Seems like a good girl

I’m curious if he’s only helping this kid out because he really wants to kill goblins or if there’s more to it than that. I guess it could also be that he knows very well how terrifying goblins can be and he doesn’t want to throw anyone to those wolves. My favourite moment for him and that kid though was that he didn’t want him taking notes. It is fair to say that goblins getting their hands on notes about how to effectively slay them…would be disastrous. No one is as aware of the intelligence and danger of goblins as the Goblin Slayer.

My fingers are crossed though that he doesn’t go too far in mentoring this guy. I’m sure there are reasons he’s such a brat, but I’d be fine with seeing little of him moving forward. Maybe we’ll get lucky and that kid will join the other rookie party we saw in this first episode with the Rhea girl. Have to think her party was noted in the first episode for some reason. And I hope the reason isn’t because something terrible will happen to them…

I get her frustrations

The Priestess’ situation was a bit interesting. She seems eager to move up in rank. I kind of get that. People want some more respect and getting a higher rank makes it feel like she’s maturing. But she’s having a tough time getting anywhere because she’s in a party which such an elite group. That’s a bit unfair though since we saw her be extremely useful in the previous season and movie. But I guess bureaucracy doesn’t care about things like that. It is a fair point that she could do a quest or two with a different party to show that she’s not simply being carried. And mentoring a rookie adventurer would be a good option.

But that kid? Seriously? I sure hope it isn’t going to just be her and him. Even if that kid listens and does exactly what she says it’s a tough situation to walk into. Goblins aren’t any kind of joke! I don’t love the idea of basically recreating her past trauma by dropping her into a goblin den with a rookie who I don’t really care much for. But I guess that is putting the Priestess down. She’s a smart girl and has gained a ton of experience. She’s not the same rookie that stumbled blindly into that horrible situation before. If she’s sensible then it’s manageable.

Glad to see her again

It was nice to see the familiar cast again. High Elf Archer remains an utterly cute character and I was smiling when she made her appearance. She’s really become a good friend for the Priestess at this point. And her banter with the Dwarf and other party members is loose and friendly. She’s used to even the quirks of the Goblin Slayer and will go along with his obsession more. But it’s also nice to see that he’s paying attention to her and the other party members in terms of their thoughts. It shows that time really has brought this group together and they seem far more prepared for what they might face than before. The only downside here is that they won’t be adventuring as much in the next episode since that is focusing on the Priestess’ little mission.

Welcome back Goblin Slayer

This was just a solid return to the show. It continued to keep the details in order. No surprise Goblin Slayer is all for having more than enough potions for his missions. And I kind of like the touch of marking each bottle so he and his allies know exactly what potion they have their hands on at any given time. I’m sure that sort of thing will come in handy soon enough in the show.

It was just nice to have this group back. Obviously, I wasn’t missing the goblins themselves. Those evil little monsters can stay in whatever hell awaits them. But it was good to see the familiar faces once more. I’m curious to see where this season will go for the whole group. I’m sure they’ll get into some terrible situations, but they already faced off against a Goblin King last season. Anything is probably on the table here.