Unsurprisingly, the ambushers are goblins. I kind of wish it was something else but this show is called GOBLIN SLAYER for a reason and to be fair, the show does tease a new enemy at the end of this episode. I do enjoy how disadvantaged the gang is here. Their enemies have the high ground, they have almost no cover to work with outside of Priestess’s Protection spell, and they have to keep Guild Girl and Cow Girl safe. All things considered, routing the goblins is too impractical so the next best thing is to get out of the river alive.
Towards the end of the encounter, the raft gets stuck in a blockade the goblins made out of the ships they sunk. Priestess comes in clutch by using her new Purify spell to “clean” the river and remove all the wreckage. See, it’s moments like this that show that Priestess is hardly being carried by her teammates. If anything, she’s sometimes the MVP of the adventure. I really hope the guild gives her an easier time with her next rank up, especially since one of its employees has now witnessed one of her feats.
Once out of the goblins’ reach, the gang sets up camp. The girls all don bikinis while their regular clothes dry and they catch fish in the river. So yeah, GOBLIN SLAYER has actually given us an obligatory swimsuit episode. I guess even this show has to check that off the list (and I say this in spite of the show’s track record). Still, it’s a fun scene that makes up for the lack of bantering between the girls last episode. I also chuckle at the lack of a reaction from Goblin Slayer. He still compliments them but with the same stoic tone that you’ve come to expect from him. That’s hardly surprising but I can’t blame Cow Girl for being a little annoyed.
The following morning, the gang is found by High Elf Archer’s cousin/future brother-in-law, whom the show simply refers to as Elder Brother. Elder Brother’s men has apparently taken care of the goblins, which is a pretty anticlimactic follow-up to the ambush earlier but I guess Goblin Slayer coming back to destroy the rest would kill the narrative’s momentum. The elves seem to treat goblins as a low-level threat but for once, this notion actually makes sense. Elves live long lives and they’ve seen all sorts of things so their disinterest in goblins is understandable. Something that is on their radar is “The One That Stops the Water”, an ancient monster that’s suspected to be closing in on the village. I’m sure that won’t come into play later…
At the elven village, the gang recuperates and Goblin Slayer is introduced to High Elf Archer’s older sister, Forest Princess. Goblin Slayer also encounters the elf girl he rescued from goblins, back in Season 1 Episode 4. It took me a second to realize the deep cut as the elf girl’s face was obscured the last time she appeared and even putting that aside, she has a different hairstyle for her second appearance. I wasn’t expecting a follow-up for this character but it’s nevertheless neat that Goblin Slayer gets to reunite with one of his rescuees and inform her that he fulfilled his promise of slaying all of the goblins that tortured and raped her.
We get some drama between High Elf Archer and Forest Princess. The older sister apparently doesn’t approve of her younger sister going on adventures, especially with Goblin Slayer (who isn’t like the hero described in the songs about him). High Elf Archer refuses to quit adventuring however, leaving the two sisters at an impasse. I’m curious as to how this disagreement will be resolved. Will the two come to some sort of understanding or will the wedding end on a very awkward note? At the very least, it’s nice to learn more about High Elf Archer and her personal life. I’ve always liked the character but up until now, it’s been table scraps when it comes to her background.
At the end of the episode, a dinosaur looking creature appears, terrorizing the village. Based on the worldbuilding from earlier, I’m guessing this is “The One That Stops the Water”. I lost it when Goblin Slayer asks if the creature is an elephant. That’s a nod to some dialogue in the last episode, where High Elf Archer mentioned elephants to Goblin Slayer. I’m sure it’s a regional thing but it’s really funny that in world of goblins, ogres, dragons, and whatnot, Goblin Slayer has no idea what an elephant is. Also great is the modicum of excitement in Goblin Slayer’s voice when he asks the question. Not only does he actually want to see an elephant, he couldn’t help but ask if the monster happens to be one of them.
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