I was wondering if the Season 2 finale would be a half-hour epilogue to the rescue mission but that sounded uncharacteristic for GOBLIN SLAYER. Sure enough, there some more action left to be had in this adventure. The goblin priest manages to use its own blood to complete the ritual and summon the hand of a greater demon. I’m kind of impressed at the restraint here. Maybe the light novels reveal what it looks like in its entirety but for now, the anime only gets to the show hand and that’s a creepy enough appearance for the monster of the week.
The demon’s hand gives the team some trouble with its magical abilities and physical strength. At first, I wondered if the team would even put up a fight. They have the Princess so really, all they need to do is escape the dungeon and get her to safety. Someone else could maybe take the hand down. Fortunately, Goblin Slayer comes up with a plan to defeat it. He lures the hand towards a lift that can be controlled by Sword Maiden’s ribbon (oh, so that’s what it’s for). Once the hand falls down the shaft, Priestess crushes it with the lift and her Protection spell. It’s a really good plan, given the circumstances. Also, this again proves that Priestess is the MVP of the party. At this point, the guild owes her another rank up.
Fighting isn’t over yet as the gang slowly makes their way out of the dungeon, only to be greeted by a large horde of goblins. At this point, barely anyone in the party can continue fighting so they need a miracle to get out of this alive. I figured Hero would come to the rescue since she’s probably on her way back from killing the alien. That would be a fun way to cross her story over with Goblin Slayer’s. I’m not opposed to what happens instead, however. Thanks to some research Goblin Slayer did on the goblins’ tattoo, Sword Maiden is able to put a quest to defeat a cult. In doing so, she gathers an army of adventurers and they all arrive to assist Goblin Slayer’s party and fight all of the goblins. It’s funny; I speculated in the last post if there’d ever be a time where Sword Maiden fights some goblins and it ends up happening in the very next episode. The show justifies it pretty well too. She’s paralyzed with fear but she had to take charge in order for her quest to work. Plus, Goblin Slayer has helped her deal with her fear on multiple occasions. She was bound to return the favor.
Having Princess and Sword Maiden in the same “room” as Priestess creates an interesting comparison. Princess is naive and shaken to the core, much like Priestess was in the beginning of the series. I don’t think Priestess is as traumatized by her experiences as Sword Maiden but the latter demonstrates with her power and influence that she can support Goblin Slayer in a way the former can’t. If Princess is who Priestess used to be, then Sword Maiden is who Priestess aspires to be. I’ll admit that this comparison is on the nose, what with all three ladies being blonde and (by the end of the episode) priestesses of some kind, but whatever.
The episode then wraps up a few loose ends. We see a meeting between a noble and a cultist, revealing themselves as the masterminds behind Princess’s capture. The two then receive a surprise visit from a vigilante known as the Knight of Diamonds, who is heavily implied to be the King in disguise. I don’t know if it’s necessary to know who was leading the goblins, especially when it’s a couple of nobodies anyway. The King having a vigilante double life is kind of funny but I can’t imagine it getting explored in great detail. Back in the main town, Guild Girl informs Priestess that Princess has decided to become a follower of the Earth Mother and train to be a mage just like her. That’s cute though it would’ve been better to actually see Princess do all of that. You know what also would be nice? If the guild promoted Priestess again. Finally, we see Goblin Slayer return home to Cow Girl and ponder internally about his future, which is fitting given the show’s future right now.
So yeah, there wasn’t an announcement for a third season or anything. GOBLIN SLAYER still remains pretty popular so I say a continuation is likely but we’re only guaranteed with an announcement so who knows. For now, this is where the anime ends. I’ll admit that after two seasons and a movie, GOBLIN SLAYER has waned a bit on me. It’s clear to me at this point that the show is very aimless. I don’t think the goblin slaying has gotten stale but it is getting there. That said, I still enjoy the show and with this season, it proves that it can still take the characters in some pretty interesting places, be it physically or figuratively. I’m down to watch some more if the anime ever gets to continue.
Watch GOBLIN SLAYER II on Crunchyroll
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