Goblin Slayer (anime! light novel!)

That's even worse, because having consensual sex scenes does a lot to make characters feel human and the setting feel less one-sided in its depiction of sexual acts. While I think some of the female character designs in Goblin Slayer look really out of place next to the point of someone with Goblin Slayer's design, I have never been against him getting into a relationship with another person for the reason I gave in my first sentence.

Edited by VeryMelon on Jan 3rd 2019 at 10:09:03 AM

People do criticize the use of rape in ASOIAF, which does handle it far, far better than Berserk or GS. I mean, what's the argument of Berserk's?

On here where the discussion isn't nearly as toxic as other sites I've been. I've watched people condemning the series turn around and defend a series having female orcs attempting to rape men as comedy, between defending Berserk as it's just so good that it's fine. (While largely ignoring that it didn't only happen during the Eclipse)

It's a problem that shows up in certain fan time and time again, the inability to like something AND be critical about it.

I posted a video on page 68 of this thread, where the youtuber made his case about why Goblin Slayer's use of rape was tonally out of place compares to Berserk and Game of Thrones. I think it's a pretty good video that makes its points well, but this time the subject is a tad different from tonal shifts. When discussing what you like about something, its just as important to point out its faults as well as its strengths, because it can also be used to show how something you like can be even better.

Not everyone who likes Berserk is a fan Guts having sex with a demon in the first chapter, as Rynnec pointed out himself on page 66. On this same token, not everyone thinks every rape was well handled. Same for fans of Games of Thrones, especially since some of these same fans are right to point out when a rape is added just to have rape.

The weird thing about a lot of Goblin Slayer fans is that they treat liking the series as an all or nothing commitment; Your criticisms aren't going to be treated with respect by them because they think a Goblin Slayer fan literally likes every element about it, even the more questionable elements like the worldbuilding. It's the reason they tend to be very toxic and abrasive to anyone who dislikes any aspect of Goblin Slayer that could be improved with more work put into it.

And that's a shame too, because they also drown out the more reasonable fans with their behavior.

Edited by VeryMelon on Jan 3rd 2019 at 2:06:21 PM

My favorite thing about the series is how well it captures the feeling of an tabletop rpg. The characters concepts and their motivations feel like taken straight out of someone's character sheet, and the way their adventures are structured greatly resembles how adventures look in rpg sessions. I never seen any story to resemble the feel pacing and structure of and tabletop adventure as well as the Water City arc. It has everything - a questgiver with hidden motives, escalating encounters culminating in a big climax, and of course unconventional resolutions to the problems by "players". As an avid D&D player, that arc really spoke to me.

I'm surprised it took you this long to get into Goblin Slayer. It seemed right up your alley.

I've read the first chapter of the manga when it first got translated and assumed that it's going to be just an edgefest. It's only recently that I've learned that the tone shifts after that and decided to check it out.

Admittedly, I fell off the series. Was never much of a Dn D fan, and too many common harem elements for my liking

this I'd agree with, solidly. I think the biggest issue is Goblin Slayer starts this way so you "know it ain't just another DND series!" only to become just that. As Shlugo said, the Water City arc? Now, that's when it's better. Goblin Slayer is at its best when it's not engaging in the stuff the first episode did. It's better written and more interesting.

The issue with Berserk...I don't think it's all or nothing. There are elements of sexual violence I think Berserk handles pretty decently (namely Guts's rape, as it's about Guts, his pain, how he copes and so forth)...and then there are others which are absolutely gratuitous, like the troll rape, the attempted horse rape and others.

I think a similar critique can apply to ASOIAF and there's some....fetish-y stuff in there that can be eye-rolling (The Daenerys and Khal Drogo stuff? Is kinda creepy, 'consensual' or no)

I never said the works were all or nothing. I was talking about certain fans who act like you need to like everything about a work, who then become hostile or belittling of any kind of critique.

Edited by VeryMelon on Jan 3rd 2019 at 1:26:40 PM

Isn't all of the stuff from the first episode severely downplayed later in for standard Dn D stuff.

x8 I'm not sure how your post relates to what doineedaname was saying. His post was about how some critics seem to be hypocritical about their dislike for GS. Your post was all about how unreasonable some of the fans are. It almost feels like you're shifting the blame there.

I think the real problem is that some of the critics seem to criticize GS for no real reason other than to come off as some social paragon. Some fans see this, and start to assume all critics are just mindless haters, and write off any criticism. Critics see this, and assume all the fans are mindless fanboys, and the cycle continues.

TL;DR You got fans and critics who adopt an all or nothing view. Either you hate everything about GS or you're a mindless fanboy. Either you like everything about GS or you're a mindless hater.

Edited by RedRob on Jan 3rd 2019 at 1:31:18 PM

I don't agree that I've done such a thing, especially since I ended that post with an acknowledgement that not all Goblin Slayer fans are like that. In fact, the assumption that early criticism of Goblin Slayer was only social posturing, which apparently started this cycle you mention, is nigh-unprovable and not a viewpoint I can personally take seriously.

Edited by VeryMelon on Jan 3rd 2019 at 1:41:08 PM

You didn't mention anything about the critics's behavior though. Really, my main issue with your post is that it feels like an abrupt change of topic from doineedaname's post.

I never said all the critics were like that. I said some of the critics. Either way, I think the main issue here is that that you have both sides seeing a loud vocal faction on the other side, and generalizing that side to be the same as that faction.

Edited by RedRob on Jan 3rd 2019 at 1:49:16 PM

I don't really need to when for the most part any critique of Goblin Slayer is usually far less popular to do that either praising it or mocking said criticism. The truth is not a single thing I or any potentially hypocritical person has said stopped this work from becoming a smash hit, and for a questionable work with enough likable elements regardless? Sometimes that's all that matters.

And implying anyone only wanted to make themselves look better by punching down on Goblin Slayer is still not something you can expect anyone besides fans like yourself to take seriously, which I why I contested it. It doesn't matter if you didn't mean literally every critic was like that, it helps no one by saying that point of view seriously had any merit.

Edited by VeryMelon on Jan 3rd 2019 at 7:20:15 AM

Surprised we never saw the Rhea Scout again to tease his future antagonism.

I'm not sure how your post relates to what doineedaname was saying.

Well, amusingly enough this current discussion warped around to saying the opposite of one of the things that made it so toxic there at the end . Namely that one thing critics of it there was seriously pushing was that people only "like" Goblin Slayer because they're bigots trying to stick it to the people they hate by supporting a show they hate. And that if a thread about Goblin Slayer has fans in it and the moderators aren't needed constantly to deal with them people aren't being critical enough of the series.

The funny thing is I didn't even dislike the series overall.Most of it is pretty inoffensive fun, with some caveats.

I don't hate Goblin Slayer, but I think it averages out to mediocrity.

I won't have such negative opinions about GS if its fans are like M84, namely recognizing that the use of rape is going to offend a lot of people and enjoys it despite the rape rather than go to lengths to defend it. Not to say I wouldn't be critical about the rape, but would probably be less into long arguments because we're mostly on the same page. I'm pretty sure I would have been on the side of people defending it if it just have violence, gore and GS slaughtering goblins, maybe even enjoying it depending on how badass the way he kills them.

Gore and brutality is indeed a beautiful thing.

Why else is Baki popular?

I think that's because it's about a grown World's Strongest Man beating his only son to a bloody pulp, and said son's quest to return the favor.

I only watched a brief summary video of it, but I really want to watch that now.

Edited by Soble on Jan 3rd 2019 at 7:26:46 AM

Sadly he doesn’t or still hasn’t as of the 5th seiries currently running & their big climactic fight was in the third seiries

Edited by slimcoder on Jan 3rd 2019 at 7:09:57 AM

@Cortez

He's going to be an antagonist in the next season during the Harvest Festival arc.

I think what Cortez is saying is that he's surprised there wasn't any foreshadowing of that appearance.

TBF there didn't seem to be any of that foreshadowing in the original LN either.