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Lynn Sheridan has sponsored reviews of I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level.
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I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level is charming and yet fairly unremarkable.

For the Spring 2021 anime season Lynn Sheridan sponsored me to review I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed out My Level. It is an isekai fantasy which is well within my usual comfort zone however it is also a slice of life and a comedy which puts it into the realm of stories that are more miss than hit for me. Which did leave me wondering how Slime would go.

Fortunately, episode one was mostly charming even as it went through some fairly standard motions and largely this was thanks to the protagonist Azusa. While the whole season wasn’t all smooth sailing, I will say a huge thank-you to Lynn for choosing this anime because I may not have stuck with it by my own choice and then I would have missed out on something that could definitely be described as comfort food.

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Azusa with her two 'daughters.
Image from: I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. — *^{Just that image makes me feel so calm.}*

Anyway, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (or Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shranai Uchi ni Lvel Max ni Nattemashita, or just plain Slime 300) is an isekai anime based on a light novel that features an overworked female protagonist from Japan who dies and finds herself before a goddess who essential grants her a wish for her next life.

300 Years later and Azusa is the most powerful witch even having spent the time inbetween just kind of killing the slimes around her home.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense but this isn’t the kind of power-fantasy isekai where Azusa is ultimately going on a quest to save anything. Largely, it is a slice of life about Azusa, and the characters she meets, just kind of dealing with the day to day and enjoying cups of tea, good meals, and helping out their friends.

I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed out My Level - Happy family. — *^{Slow life doesn’t mean lonely.}*

The strengths of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years definitely come through from knowing that it isn’t trying to be serious and so rather than trying to provide explanations that ultimately won’t really work things just kind of happen in the story. Azusa is the most powerful witch because she is. Characters just kind of show up at her house on cue and for whatever reason a lot of them end up just moving in and staying.

All of these characters are of course cute anime girls and most of them bring something to the table and depending on your viewing preferences you’ll love them or find them annoying. But it really doesn’t matter because there are so many characters by the end surely one of them will hit the spot for you. The only problem then is how little screen time they’ll get as the story tries to find uses for all of these characters.

Episode 12, the final of the season of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years, particularly suffers from this as it brings back every single character who had interacted with Azusa. While the episode itself is pleasant and charming, not one character can really distinguish themselves because they all get like a two line beat before the episode whisks the audience away to catch up with whatever the next girl is doing.

The main girls from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years — *^{They are all very cute, and the demon girls haven’t even shown up yet.}*

Part of me kind of wishes the story had a little more focus on just Azusa, Laika (the first dragon girl) and the twin slime spirits with a few drop ins from Beelzebub (perhaps the coolest demon girl ever). The bloated cast made it harder to really care about anyone in particular and episodes where the focus was on Halkara or Flatorte didn’t really sit well with me.

Of course, other viewers probably disagree and found the episodes that were just super cute with the twin girls were a little too saccharine and probably wished they had less time.

This is kind of the problem with anime that try to cater to all tastes because it is a real scatter-gun approach and leads to hits and misses throughout the season for every viewer. I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years may have ended up being more solid if it had just decided it wanted to be super adorable (such as How To Keep A Mummy) or if it had decided to focus more on the dragon conflict.

Then again, by taking a more scattered approach the end result is something that everyone can kind of find something to like in it so they’ll keep watching so maybe I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years is fine with being just kind of okay for everyone and not really amazing for anyone.

Beelzebub - Best anime girl from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level — *^{Beelzebub is the cutest demon girl ever – and just a lot of fun.}*

You may have noticed I’m talking a lot about the girls and haven’t really gotten into the plot. And that’s largely because I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level doesn’t really have one.

Azusa’s driving focus is a slow life. If left alone she’d simply go out, kill some slimes, and then relax the day away. Though she does have a hat to rival Elaina’s from Wandering Witch so she’s definitely got credibility as a witch.

It is only through the arrival of other characters with a specific problem that Azusa is driven to any kind of action and then it is kind of a simple solve the problem and then have yet another girl kind of move into her house to join the ‘family’.

Ultimately it means there’s no real story here. The demon lord isn’t trying to take over the kingdom. In fact, she’s just another of the many characters who end up hanging around Azusa. There’s no real threat or conflict. Each week I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years simply has someone or something show up to introduce a minor drama that the cast then try to fix by the end of the episode.

End with a party - I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. — *^{Hanging out with the girls from I’ve Benn Killing Slimes for 300 Years.}*

It is low stakes and largely the problems exist only to give the girls a reason to do something other than drink tea.

This is definitely an anime trying to get by on the charm of its cast and fortunately it largely succeeds.

That said, some of the girls are very much used for fan-service with varying degrees of success. Halkara is the used for many jokes but her bouncing breasts come into focus quite a bit and Flatorte has more than one moment of stripping her human clothing off. There’s the usual interesting camera choices that make it clear that this anime is aware of how it is positioning its female characters to be viewed and at times it feels a little jarring in contrast to the overall relaxing tone of the story.

That said, it isn’t intrusive to the point of actually making this a strictly fan-service only show. If anything, it is rather reserved when compared with many isekai anime.

She tripped - Image from I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years — ^Example

Adding to the overall charm of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years is well chosen music that suitably fits the overall relaxing calm the story seems to be striving for and some great visuals with some of the landscapes as the characters stare out at starry skies or fly along on dragon or even leviathan back.

It is a brightly coloured and vibrant affair with a clear focus on colour over movement at times. And it works. Because it is charming to watch even when little is going on.

Finding money in I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level — *^{Azusa learning about the world.}*

While I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level isn’t going to top any of my lists for best anime any time soon, it was a really enjoyable experience. It is the kind of anime that is perfect to watch at the end of a long day at work and it just helps tension and stress melt away.

While those looking for something a little more plot driven probably won’t be thrilled, there’s certainly fun to be had in this series and it certainly hits the right notes for cute characters being cute.

As always I’d love to know what my readers thought of the anime so be sure to leave a comment below.

Images used for review from: I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Dir. N Kimura. Revoroot. 2021.

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Karandi James

As someone who writes fourteen episode reviews a week most weeks and also throws in whole series reviews and book reviews, the question of how and when to schedule is one I come to over and over again.

When I first started blogging I would literally just watch an episode write something, do a bit of an edit and post. But then a whole bunch of shows would come out on the same day and I ended up starting to schedule posts for following days or else I’d have some days with heaps of posts and then nothing for the next. Eventually that evolved into the process I have now where at the start of each season I work out a rough schedule of each day so I know which posts are going to go out and when. My schedule notebook has every post I’ve scheduled and then published written in it since the 7th of July 2016 and it has served me well with only a few hiccups in the schedule when I’ve miscalculated a time zone or the like.

The Morose Mononokean Episode 4 Kinoko — Careful scheduling ensures time saved – so more time to play (or work, but let’s not talk about that).

But that doesn’t stop me wondering if there is a best time to post an anime review. Whether we are talking episode review or a full season review you are left with a fairly big decision. Do you get your post out as soon as it is finished airing to be the start of the conversation? Do you wait a little bit to work through your thoughts and to give yourself and other viewers some time before posting? Or do you distance yourself entirely and let all the fuss die down so that your post isn’t coming out at the same time as about a dozen others on the same anime?

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I don’t actually know which approach is best. I know I take the second one. With everything except Sword Art Online Alicization this season I’ve given myself at least a day if not more between when it airs and when I’ve scheduled my post of the episode review. For full series I schedule one a week so it takes me nearly two and a bit months to get through the previous season’s shows and then I review some older anime until the most recent season ends and I start the cycle over again. Is this the best option? Again, I don’t really know.

Sword Art online Alicization Episode 4 — I remember how fun this seemed back then – it was only three months ago.

It works for me because I don’t like feeling rushed. The only reason I review SAO on the same day as I watch it is because I was excited for its return and didn’t want to wait longer to discuss it when it first started airing. A lot of the excitement has kind of fizzled for me since, but given it comes out Sunday morning I usually have plenty of time to watch it, write a draft post and come back to it later in the evening and edit before publishing. So I’m not really inclined to move it at this point. For my other posts I can watch the shows the day they come out, if I have the time, but if I don’t, I’m not worried. I’ve got space in the schedule. And my posts go out on time fairly reliably.

As a reader, I know that there are posts I actively avoid. Given time zone differences, a lot of anime comes out late at night or early morning so it isn’t until I wake up that I can possibly watch it, but I usually do a read through posts and comments first. Anything reviewing an episode I’m about to watch of a show I’m really invested in (such as The Promised Neverland), I don’t open. I’m not paranoid about spoilers but I’d rather not read someone’s full take on the show before I watch it. If I remember I try to go back after to find those posts I skipped in the reader but sometimes I just don’t get back to them.

The Promised Neverland Episode 1 Conny — Avoid looking at it – you don’t want to know.

Being first out for a review is good in that people who are wondering about it or waiting for news will appreciate the timeliness of the post. However, a lot of viewers don’t want to read a post until after they’ve seen it themselves so sometimes being first means your post gets lost.

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Haikyu Kotaro Bokuto (Re-Run)

In terms of posting later, timeliness is something that needs to be considered. Episode reviews lose relevance quickly unless you are talking about something super popular that people will pick up outside of seasonal viewing. That said, you’ve got people who subscribe and watch things the week of release, people who get access the week after release, people who wait for the dubbed version which is sometimes a couple of weeks behind, and people who wait until the whole show is finished before starting it. So you’ve got a few windows to hit in terms of relevance for an episode review.

Tokyo 3Meiji Renka Episode — If readers want what you are writing you hopefully won’t have to force feed them.

As I said before, I don’t actually know the answer to the question of whether there is a best time to post an anime review. All I know is that each blogger is going to find what works for them in terms of being able to watch, write, edit, and post, and readers are going to find what works for them in terms of content they want to read.

However, for other reviewers, I’d love to know how you decide when to post your reviews and what you consider when making those decisions. So please, share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James