Now, I’ve kind of figured out that this anime isn’t actually trying to be particularly tense or serious. It really is just kind of rolling along with the daily life of a slime with a human mind. It cares more about feeling good, being a little bit off the wall from the standard isekai even as it follows the same basic tropes, and landing the occasional comedic moment than about building drama into its story. And for some people, this is definitely going to be a major draw. It doesn’t take itself overly seriously; nor does it ask the audience to take the central conceit of the show overly seriously. So kind of pleasantly amusing watching.
Unfortunately, what that means for me is that while I appreciate what That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is doing and that it is doing it relatively well, I’m never going to be more than casually enjoying this. And that’s mostly because every time I start getting seriously into the story because of some development that might potentially be really interesting or dramatic, the story cuts it off at the knees and kind of does a ‘ta-da’ kind of moment where everything just kind of resolves and we return to the status quo of Rimuru bouncing around and goblins progressing.
Gobta being left in the prison is a good example of this. Firstly, it was a pretty cheap move by Rimuru as a character to just abandon him there.
Side note: That’s part of why I’m struggling to connect with him as a character given episode one he gets stabbed to save a coworker and then he’s just happily abandoning someone in a dungeon.
Back to Gobta though, while strung up and trapped he just wills and prays and somehow develops the ability to summon his wolf to him and escapes. Poof, problem solved and tension drained and no real need to worry.
We get this again during the scene with the ants chasing the humans this week as first Shizu turns and goes to town on them, making you wonder why she didn’t try that first, and then Rimuru just turns up and poof, problem solved. There’s never an ongoing threat or a sense of a problem that might be insurmountable. There’s always just here’s a problem and ‘ta-da’.
However, even outside of danger, the story can’t help itself as it trips over itself to jump to reveals. Last week we have a fortune teller show Rimuru the girl he’s going to meet and this week he meets her. Just like that. The character himself commenting that it happened fast doesn’t excuse the fact that any build up, anticipation, or dramatic tension just kind of withered in an instant. And while it is clear she’s got some baggage that might bring future fun developments, it kind of feels like the show will bounce through those as well.
So far, the only on-going plot thread that hasn’t been instantly solved is Veldora who I think is still inside Rimuru(?).
Now, none of this as criticism stops the show being fun. It really is good fun. However, what it isn’t, at least for me, is memorable. It doesn’t give me something to ponder or think about or anticipate in future episodes. It just kind of is.
- Episode 1 – Strictly Set Up
- Episode 2 – So I Ate A Dragon and A Snake And A Bat Thing…
- Episode 3 – Submissive Wolves and Buff Goblins
- Episode 4 – Dwarven Blacksmiths and Giggling Elves
- Episode 5 – Past Wrongs and Future Destinies
- Episode 6 – The Importance of Pacing To Build Tension
- Episode 7 – Miraculous Survival of the Slime
- Episode 8 – 3 Ways Slime Is Exploring Endings and Beginnings
- Episode 9 – Watch The Slime Playing with Powers and Defeating Ogres
- Episode 10 – Slime, Ogres and Lizardmen; The Coming Conflict Looks Colourful
- Episode 11 – The Worst Way To Learn the Skill of Diplomacy
- Episode 12 – How Even The Best Laid Plans Can Be Derailed by Idiots
- Episode 13 – War: Crushing March of the Overpowered Monsters
- Episode 14 – The Fitting End of the Orc Lord Courtesy of the Slime
- Episode 15 – The Accidental Creation of a Slime Nation
- Episode 16 – Can You Catch More Demon Lords with Honey?
- Episode 17 – That Time The Powerful Slime Decided To Dabble in Diplomacy
- Episode 18 – The Slime, The Demon Lord and The Flying Sharks?
- Episode 19 – That Time We Defeated a Catastrophe Without Really Trying
- Episode 20 – Well It’s Been Fun, But Now We’ll Count Down Until The End
- Episode 21 – Who Would Have Thought That All You Need Is A Dog And Unlimited Power?
- Episode 22 – That Time We Found a Fairy Who is a Demon Lord?
- Episode 23 – That Time The Show Ended And The Audience Wondered Why?
- Episode 24 (Extra) – And Then Shizue Stole the Anime Right Out From Under Rimuru
- Episode 24.5 (Padding) – Now Worth The Slime
- Images from:
Yeah. The plot is kinda slow in the WN too. Mangas are always more fast-paced than almost any type of N cuz they don’t need to explain the scenery with a bunch of words.
This show reminds me most of a light novel series called Only Sense Online… which is just another fun to have fun kind of show.
Still hoping that it will be at least a little somber when he decides to just eat a girl. *predator skill intensifies*
I was glad to see the plot finally starting to kick in, and I thought Shizu’s past was actually really cool and original for an Isekai. The last episode I was very much starting to get impatient, but it looks like things are going to be starting to kick into high gear.
I can see where you are coming from that it doesn’t feel like Rimiru will ever be in “danger,” but as long as the story remains the fun and well-paced romp that it is, I think I can forgive it gladly.
Yes, I will admit this one is fun to watch. Still, I will honestly probably forget this anime almost as soon as it finishes because I have so little emotional response to watching it and everything just kind of happens. Makes for fun in the moment but doesn’t leave a lasting impression, at least not for me.
Agreed. I much as I am loving Slime, I don’t think it will have much staying power in my mind compared to other shows.
But? That’s ok. Not everything has to be a deep and meaniful and impactful work that remains a focal point of discussion for years afterward. Sometimes entertainment can just entertain, even for a short while. Slime seems to be doing that, and I think that’s enough.