Goblin Slayer Vol. 1 Manga
Publisher: Yen Press
Story: Kumo Kagyu
Art: Kousuke Kurose
Character Design: Noburo Kannatuki
A young priestess ventures out of her temple to find her way as an adventurer. Entering the Adventurers Guild for the first time she is awarded the lowest rank possible and advised to take on less dangerous tasks to learn and bolster here power. She meets some ambitious and fresh faced recruits and is convinced to join their seemingly easy task to hunt a goblin. Inexperienced and unprepared the group ventures into the goblins lair where they are quickly confronted with the harsh reality of just how dangerous being an adventurer can be. As her party lay decimated by the goblins, the young priestess is saved at the last possible moment by the adventurer known only as Goblin Slayer. It is here where her real education In adventuring begins.
Kumo Kagyu’s Goblin Slayer takes the fantasy role playing world and pulls it into into the realm of darkness. The story begins with its cute and bright eyed protagonists looking forward to a fun quest before quickly abandoning the notion that a happy ending is possible. Goblin Slayer Vol 1 spends most of it’s pages informing the reader in one way or another about how the world works without ruining it’s pacing or overloading on exposition. Monsters and horrors roam the land while the people attempt to live fairly quiet lives, entrusting their protection to the Adventurers. While The Priestess isn’t given much backstory in this volume (she is not even given a name in this volume), Goblin Slayer himself is shown to be a quiet character with a personal vendetta against Goblins. After watching goblins destroy his village and defile his mother and sister as a child he has made it his life’s mission to return the horrors they visited upon his family by any means necessary. He has extensively studied goblins in his quest toward their destruction and has grown as ruthless as he is skilled at their extermination. He routinely ignores requests by the Adventurers Guild to tackle missions unless they involve goblins. It will be interesting to see what kind of influence the rookie priestess has on him as she manages to maintain fairly bright eyed and innocent outlook, contrasting his dark and brooding demeanor.
Kousuke Kurose’s art in Goblin Slayer changes dramatically depending on the situations in the book. The Adventurers Guild is bright and open, with characters done in a clean and bright eyed style. It’s here where the first impressions of Goblin Slayer would have readers believe it is a cute adventurers tale. However, a stark shift in art style takes place once adventurers enter the dark caves of the goblins lair. Here the ominous feeling of the tight spaces, dark corridors take center stage with jagged line work and heavy shadows. Goblins, at first depicted with a dimwitted demeanor reveal their jagged sharp teeth and sinister eyes. As swords flash, blood is shed and splashed across the panels, female adventurers are stripped and assaulted by goblins and dread seeps into the artwork. Goblin Slayer, though the hero of the story is depicted more like a red-eyed mad demon as he revels in the slaughter of the goblins leading the priestess to wonder whether he is her savior or an even greater threat.
Potential readers need to understand before going in that this book deserves the “Explicit Content” sticker on it’s cover. While most manga doesn’t shy away from idea of extreme stylized violence, it’s the fact that Goblin Slayer isn’t shy about it’s depiction of what happens to young women when captured by the goblins. Goblins within the world of Goblin Slayer seem incredibly driven by lustful tendencies and routinely and graphically rape their captives. With the increasingly charged social climate regarding sexual assault and depiction of women in such situations it may be best left unread if you find that kind of content triggering. For those who don’t, Goblin Slayer is a great addition to the fantasy genre in its ability to turn the typically cutesy world of role playing in a darker grittier direction. I particularly enjoyed the world building and the near seamless way things were introduced by the writer. As a fan of fantasy and role playing games I look forward to the release of Goblin Slayer Vol 2. I’ll just have to remember not to attempt my first read through on a crowded train during rush hour again. 5/5
Eric Snell
esnell@comicattack.net
