Goblin Slayer! 1

ゴブリンスレイヤー [Goblin Slayer] Manga #1

by Kumo Kagyu, 黒瀬浩介 (Illustrator), Noboru Kannatuki (Character Design)

Eine junge Priesterin schließt sich ihrer Abenteurergruppe an, nur um kurz darauf in einen Goblin-Hinterhalt zu geraten. Ihre Gruppe hat keinerlei Chance gegen die hinterhältigen Attackierer und die Priesterin bangt bereits um ihr Leben. Da taucht wie aus dem nichts ein Ritter in schwerer Rüstung auf und macht Kleinholz aus den Goblins. Er ist der Goblin Slayer, ein Abenteurer mit keinem anderen Ziel als so viele Goblins wie möglich auszulöschen. Zum Dank für ihre Rettung beschließt die Priesterin, sich dem Goblin Slayer anzuschließen. Auf ihren gemeinsamen Abenteuern lernt sie nicht nur die Kunst der Goblin-Jagd, sondern auch, dass der Goblin Slayer eine dunkle Vergangenheit hat ...

Dark Fantasy vom Feinsten für Fans der härteren Gangart!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Seinen, Horror, Comics, Fiction

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2016

About the author

蝸牛くも.

Reviews

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This manga kind of reads like as if your ordinary, altogether unoriginal fantasy jRPG's goblins, the exact same brutish, stupid, green, stunted ugly things as in every jRPG everywhere, suddenly collectively went like, ”Hey guys, how about we started to wage war seriously?”

And the entire rest of the bright and shiny jRPG videogame land, with whom everything's always done in the proper way of levels and rankings and well-organized videogame challenges, completely missed the memo, and soon they were like ”Did you just stab me with a shiv smeared with your shit?! That's not proper!”

But one man, probably secretly half-goblin under his helmet (it really would explain everything), is quick on the uptake and swiftly begins his one-man slaughter crusade, mercilessly murdering every goblin he comes across. And mostly everyone else sees him as an obsessive psychopath, recoiling with horror at his methods... even though, given how the goblins in this setting maintain their one-note videogame Chaotic Evil personality from infancy, like programmed machines that can't even theoretically be redeemed, they should all cheer him on and instantly join in on his extermination quest. He only ever comes across as any kind of a badass, or remotely smart and ruthless, in comparison to his fellow men, who are pretty much all morons and wimps.

In short, the setting of Goblin Slayer doesn't make a lick of sense. It really feels like you took two entirely different worlds, polar opposites in terms of tone and history, neither one actually remotely developed or nuanced, and mashed them together in a haphazard and all-in-all very thoughtless manner. And you know, if it had done that, the story might actually have had something to go for: the ensuing chaos would have surely been entertaining to behold, and there would've been something interesting in seeing the happier and more generic jRPG world scramble and panic in their struggle to adapt. Have both worlds develop some nuance as they're so combined. But having everybody act like it always was this way, yet not following through with their attitudes and sensibilities, is just jarring and inane.

It wasn't the only opportunity the manga missed. I think the author was trying to bring a bit of the grit and brutality back to what's generally seen – in east and west alike – often as a fairly cheerful and lighthearted genre and game, wherein characters are bold and heroic pest contr warriors of justice, fighting evil goblins and dark lords and such. But it wasn't always so. Early in its history the game was about rather more amoral treasure hunters on careful dungeon crawls, playing it smart and never ever fighting fair. The goblins here have a lot in common with the idea of ”Tucker's Kobolds” of those early years – but the goblins also miss the point of that story, that the same sentiment should be added to the more powerful monsters as well. ”If kobolds can do this to a group of PCs from 6th to 12th level,” quoth the original tale, ”picture what a few orcs and some low-level NPCs could do to a 12th-16th level group, or a gang of mid-level NPCs and monsters to a group of up to 20th level.”

Now that I think about it, I would've loved to see some more old-school sensitibilities be brought in. Exploration, mapmaking, resource management, noticing sloping tunnels and secret doors, a bunch of weird puzzles and traps, light and dark and noise – and as for the monsters, sneaking past them where you can, negotiating where possible, taking sides with the various goblin factions to play them against one another, only getting into fights as a last resort and even then with a stacked deck. I would've been simply delighted if this bunch of moron adventurers at the beginning had immediately gotten lost in the dungeon, started to run out of food, stumbling into ancient traps, getting separated by trapdoors and secret doors, torchlight flickering and dying and shadows deepening... all of that without so much as a single goblin jumping at them. Then the Goblin Slayer could've entered the scene and schooled them about how they really should behave deep in the unknown dark. Alas.

I did stick with the manga for a couple more volumes, to see if it'd get any better, maybe actually bring up some of the stuff I myself brought up here. It wasn't a complete trainwreck, despite all I've said and all I hoped of it: the art is pretty good, for one, managing the right kind of atmosphere and making all the blood and death and molestation look about as awful as your generic anime style can manage. I also liked the characters, thought that they played off each other well for the most part, and the absolutely harrowing threats thrown at them every day did a lot to endear me to them and make me invested for their safety. I've gone on record saying that characters are what run the story, and Goblin Slayer has some of that at least, enough for a half-star all on its own.

But at the end of the day, it just didn't deliver. After the grimy and gruesome beginning, it largely devolves to the usual standards of manga and anime, the harems and fanservice and generic fantasy action, just with an above-average amount of horrible murder and rape thrown in-

Say, what is it with all the rape anyway? That seems to have gotten a fair amount of backlash at this story, people hating it and stuff, but I was mostly just weary of it. It's what always happens. If a story wants to establish itself a serious grimdark tone, it has to threaten its womenfolk with rape. It gets trite.

Why not have the goblins be like xenomorphs, implanting their eggs to everyone, woman and man alike? That would've been one original note at least.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dal vedere il primo episodio su Netflix a comprare cofanetto blu-ray dell'anime e successivo film d'animazione, il passo per me è stato decisamente breve.



Rintracciare tutti i volumi del manga in italiano è stato ben più difficile, ma una volta trovato per caso l'introvabile primo numero in una Feltrinelli romana, tempo due giorni di ricerche tra le fumetterie di zona e l'ardua impresa è stata portata a termine con successo.



Fan service, nudità, stupri ed ultra-violenza come se piovessero in questo seinen manga, anche se un'occhiata casuale può far pensare ad uno shonen, basato su di una serie di light novels dark fantasy giapponesi neanche troppo velatamente ispirate a Dungeons & Dragons.



Trama e personaggi possono sembrare la fiera del cliché, ed a volte la storia sembra quasi prendere una piega harem visto il numero di fanciulle che perdono la testa per il Mandaloriano l'enigmatico protagonista dal volto celato, o nel peggiore dei casi degenerare quasi in un hentai rape-porn, ma questo manga, pur non aspirando minimamente a diventare un nuovo Berserk, intrattiene e diverte, sempre se avete giocato almeno una volta al gioco di ruolo da tavolo fantasy più famoso al mondo, alternando quello che sembra il resoconto di una campagna del suddetto GDR a siparietti umoristici ed una serie di discreti colpi allo stomaco del lettore.



E se siete come me giocatori o Dungeon Master di lunga data, ritroverete tutta l'atmosfera di quelle splendide giornate passate a giocare tra amici con quell'indimenticato set base dalla scatola rossa acquistato quasi per caso tanti anni fa.



Sta infatti qui la genialità di questa serie: l'intrepido Goblin Slayer e tutto il variopinto cast di comprimari senza nome, qui chiamati con l'appellativo della loro classe, razza o professione, sono i personaggi di un gioco di ruolo vecchio stile, non ai livelli di un EUMATE (Entra - Uccidi Mostro -  Arraffa Tesoro - Esci), ma uno di quei primi gidierre in cui il senso di meraviglia dinanzi ad una nuova avventura, con i suoi mostri, combattimenti e tesori, prevaleva su interpretazione dei personaggi e tutto il resto, quando uno sfortunato lancio di dadi poteva porre fine, spesso e volentieri in maniera brutale, alla tua vita e carriera di avventuriero.



Decisamente non un capolavoro, ma i disegni sono ottimi, il protagonista è un tipo intrigante, ed i suoi alleati e compagni senza nome, anche se all'apparenza possono sembrare privi di personalità, non sono da meno.



E quando più avanti nella saga si intravede una scheda della terza edizione di D&D, spacciata per modulo della gilda da compilare, oppure quando le divinità del mondo in cui si svolgono le avventure dei nostri eroi si rivelano per quello che sono, ossia un gruppo di persone che lanciano dadi attorno ad un tavolo ricoperto di dadi e miniature, non può che scattare l'ovazione.



Lettura altamente consigliata se avete mai lanciato in vita vostra un D20 e conservate ancora da qualche parte la miniatura del vostro Guerriero, Elfo, Mago o Chierico, insieme al vostro set personale di dadi portafortuna.

[Pauline Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark fantasy seinen manga. It should be noted that this series is intended for a mature audience despite the artwork that is almost shonen-like. Contains scenes of rape, nudity and violence.
That being said, I rather enjoyed this first volume. Nothing really innovative, but the artwork is nice and the main character is strangely enigmatic.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some dubbing this the "Rape" manga or anime. So with that, some people staying far away. However, once get past the factor these Goblin creatures do terrible things to humans it's actually pretty entertaining manga.

So the story starts off simple enough. If ever played a JRPG or any RPG really you'll get the idea. A Band of warriors get together to go on a quest. Their mission? To kill some goblins. Seems simple enough. They have a healer, warrior, rogue, and one other and they are ready to kill some baddies! However, the series takes a dark turn as these goblins quickly start slaughtering the fighters. Once doing so they don't stop there, poising, raping, and hunting them down. It's only when the Goblin Slayer, a man (or maybe woman) dressed in complete armor starts taking those goblins out.

Good: The viciousness of the series is kind of refreshing. They don't really spend time giving you reasons to why to hate the goblins, no big backstory, it's that they're evil little shits hellbent on murder and raping. That's what they do. I also enjoy the fact the warriors all get wrecked so quick as it gives us actual stakes. The last chapter in this collection is pretty great, giving us a sneak peek into how the Goblin Slayer handles the goblins in a tactical way.

Bad: It is very over the top and bloody so it's not for everyone. I also thought the slower backstory of how warriors get their quest and such gave a huge halt to the pacing. Some cliche characters too get annoying.

Overall it's a very interesting series that's worth checking out for the brutal nature of it. Haven't read one this fucked up since Wolfsmund. I wonder how it'll continue to progress. A 3.5 out of 5.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book (and possibly any other story in the series) you should know it is rated M as in Mature so only 18 or older should be reading this unless a younger reader has mental maturity to handle dark things like monster rape, urinating in fear, and ever changing violence from both goblins and the main protagonist. As an important note the priestess that eventually joins Goblin Slayer is a 15 year old fledgling adventurer and she is not only almost violated by goblins but like wise ranked (and possibly similar aged) females that quested with her are actually violated and either murdered or become broken victims so if that bothers you then be aware because this journey is going to get brutal.

Priestess (yes names seem to be a rarity in this story) wants to become an adventurer so she can help other adventurers who are in turn doing quests to save the world from monsters. Her first group comes quickly and its hot headed warrior leader decides to help attack some goblins that have abducted maidens. Needless to say even though we get quick flashbacks of her party members past I assure you it is not ideal to get attached to them because short for Priestess they each meet a bad end before Goblin Slayer even shows up (because characters need something to humanize them before you see how evil goblins are.)

Enter Goblin Slayer as Priestess is the only member of the party left and imminent violation and death seemed sure. Luckily Goblin Slayer is a good name because when you need a specialist he is the one you should call and Priestess is saved bringing her a new life goal to help the man that saved her fight against the vile creatures she experienced first hand (and possibly help him keep his humanity.) The est of the volume has more goblin slaying action as well as snobby adventurers, grateful citizens, and how Goblin Slayer affects those around him (he also has a history leading him to his specialized field of expertise.)

My favorite part would have to be Goblin Slayer going through his story to the Guild Lady saying he is to goblins what they are to others and the guild lady saying well if you are a goblin then what does that make us dark gods? We can't very well have that kind of reputation as she teases him with not giving him any more quests even though she is grateful for his help.

[Pinkerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forte della propria peculiarità questo manga lascia superficialmente il fianco scoperto alle banalità.
Il genere è ormai da anni abbastanza abusato, di titoli in questo settore ce ne sono davvero tanti, ad emergere e raggiungere un successo tale da approdare sin qui da noi sono solo quelli in grado di offrire qualcosa in più, di diverso, dagli altri: può essere il protagonista nei panni di un cattivo (più o meno) come un negromante, un eroe dotato di un’arma anticonvenzionale tipo lo scudo, ecc…, in questo caso specifico si tratta di un tizio che sventra goblin!

Per quanto ho avuto modo di leggere in questo primo numero devo fare diverse considerazioni di carattere generale, ahimè, sfavorevoli. In primis, il modo speditivo con cui veniamo introdotti in questo mondo in quanto lettori, con molte informazioni tranquillamente bypassate - ok, chi compra questo manga probabilmente già mastica di classi, gilde e quant’altro ma l’autore non può dare questi elementi come acquisiti, bramoso di passare alla mattanza. Per non parlare di un background dell’ambientazione che definire appena abbozzato è un eufemismo. Altra cosa i disegni, nulla di eccezionale e fin qui ci sta, ma gli sfondi li ho trovati parecchio trascurati persino per delle caverne; la bizzarra conformazione di alcune vignette durante gli scontri poi è stata più confusa che performante. Quasi tutti i personaggi hanno un aspetto estremamente giovanile, una cosa non nuova, ma già che stiamo parlando di un seinen qualche annetto in più qui e là si poteva azzardare, avrebbe conferito un’aria più matura nel complesso anche a vantaggio dell’atmosfera. Dulcis in fundo, la cover standard più bella della variant!

Addentriamoci però ora nella storia vera e propria raccontata in questo titolo… “we’re not in Kansas anymore”. Come per via di un brutale schiaffo, la nostra sacerdotessa viene strappata dalla sua idea di gitarella fra gli unicorni rosa e riportata con i piedi per terra, questa è l’avventura. Poi, beh, c’è lui, che non ha certo mezze misure :P

”Gli unici goblin buoni sono quelli che restano nel loro fottuto buco”

Una violenza dichiarata, ampiamente sponsorizzata e mantenuta senza lesinare. Questo ci era stato promesso, questo ci è stato dato, e mai sottovalutare un titolo solo perché dotato di una devastante componente splatter (Berserk docet).
Purtroppo anche qui i difetti non mancano, il nostro Goblin Slayer è dotato di una ferrea determinazione, eppure lascia trapelare buona parte delle proprie origini così, come niente fosse. A mio avviso, fumettisticamente parlando, ciò è gravissimo. Con le origini dell’eroe, pardon antieroe, non si scaxxa. Messe lì subito, a questo modo poi, perdono gran parte della valenza che avrebbero potuto avere. Fortuna se la cava nei combattimenti, grazie alla sua furia selvaggia e qualche trucchetto forse ovvio ma che amanti di gdr e prodotti limitrofi sicuramente apprezzeranno.

E poi, questo è palesemente un manga ‘d’impatto’, fa molto affidamento sull’essere crudo, diretto… allora perché sminuire il tutto con due cose come: 1 Frequenti sketch non particolarmente divertenti; 2 Le procaci misure delle maghette che si adattano all’immaginario tipico del maschio nipponico, ovvero sfidando le leggi della fisica, con bruti goblin che non perdono occasione di strappar loro i vestiti ogni volta (sino all’ultimo pezzetto di stoffa) per abbassarsi i calzoni. Oltre all’accoppiata di protagonisti infatti, finora abbiam visto all’opera solo carne da cannone, gettata in pasto ai pelleverde a secchiate, come pastura agli squali. Altri personaggi ci sono pure, ma fuori dal campo di battaglia questo titolo non brilla certo di luce propria, pur considerando che è un derivato delle novel.

Nonostante le tante cattiverie che ho detto, e andando contro il buon senso, proverò anche il secondo volume di questa serie che a primo acchito non mi ha convinto. Non perché siamo solo agli inizi ed è troppo presto per giudicare, e nemmeno per via del merita una seconda possibilità blablabla… ma perché sono un grande amante del fantasy e qui si preannuncia una bella retrospettiva sui goblinoidi (+ amici e parenti) che va oltre il semplice excursus, non posso certo lasciarmela sfuggire. Potrò entrare nelle tane di una delle razze più interessanti e bistrattate (in senso positivo) dell’intero panorama, che qui rivestono il ruolo di protagonisti-antagonisti. Voglio godermi ogni loro singola sfaccettatura, già con l’hobgoblin e lo sciamano ne abbiamo avuto un assaggio, la mia speranza è che questi aspetti vengano approfonditi. È l’unico motivo che mi spinge all’acquisto :D

Scusate, ho parlato un sacco, ma credo fosse un po’ che non commentavo un manga e mi son lasciato trasportare ^^’

[F.D. Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rampage into the darkest corners of the earth. Goblin Slayer hits hard with visual view points right out of the gate. Boredom is not an option with this action-packed manga. Ensnaring and compelling, this manga will leave you turning back the pages to confirm the carnage that just happened on the previous page. Lots of double takes and a page turner for sure! Continuing this series is a MUST.

5 out of 5 stars

F. D. Gross

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume throws us straight in to the blood and gore, and there's a good amount of action to offset the backstory segues for the main characters that we meet in this volume. While we get a nice amount of backstory on some of them, there's still more that we want/need to know and will find out over the course of the series I assume! The world is set up nicely too as we get all the relevant information on how everything works and so on.

The art is oddly cute for Priestess and Goblin Slayer and everyone else, and then in contrast the goblins are pretty gross, I'm not going to lie! There's a nice amount of detail to the backgrounds and settings and buildings that I really appreciated and the art was all around pleasing!

Goblin Slayer has a nice pace to it, and a good amount of action. This is a good first volume that lays the foundations for the series, setting up the world and bringing in a couple of the main characters as well as a little bit of mystery.

[N.E.C.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to play D&D now.

This was really fun, i love the whole D&D vibe of the story and how dark it is. I know there's a lot of people that complains about the rape scenes but for me is not a problem. It makes sense, it's not something they just put there, is part of a daily thing of this world. The pace wasn't the best, sometimes it felt like it slow a lot, but it didn't take me away from the story.

Goblin Slayer is a super cool character, i love characters that look sinple as hell but at the same time, amazing. The way he behaves towars people and goblins goes from una pole to the other, and the fact that you don't see his faces, adds more to the mystery of the character.

Overall, very dark and bloody and awesome. It was not a mistake to start reading this.

[Ulises Estrada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin duda en el anime se explica y disfruta todo mucho mejor en especial las peleas; Aun asi planeo seguir leyendo el manga para adentrarme nuevamente a esta historia que tanto me gusta.

[Pflanzis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. Too much rape and violence and no character depth.

Besonders widerlich fand ich, dass die jungen Frauen und Mädchen in den Rape-Szenen auch noch beabsichtigt „sexy“ dargestellt wurden. Die Protagonistin hat noch einen normalen Körperbau, aber die Opfer der Goblins alle extra große Brüste und körperbetonte Posen. Einfach bah. 🤮

[Libros Algo más · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno!!

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goblin Slayer is an odd case. Not in terms of its content, or narrative structure, or art, but in terms of its approach to its theme. It's a revenge story, but it's the most impersonal revenge story I've ever read, so far. Case in point: can you tell an effective tale of vengeance, when the characters don't even have names?

I'm not just talking about the side characters, like the guild quest-givers, or even the parade of porcelain-level adventurers that serve only as cannon fodder--I mean the main characters. The priestess, who is the only survivor of the first group of disposable heroes, but later joins the Goblin Slayer in his quests, remains forever just that: "the priestess." Same with our hero. We get a little of his past, and motivations (goblins attacked his village and slaughtered his parents, and he only survived by hiding), but he's just "the Goblin Slayer."

It may be a callback to what many tabletop gaming groups default to, when one character in the party is addressing another (e.g. "Hey, dwarf!" "Where's our rogue?" etc.). There's even some background evidence supporting this idea, as the guild applications are very clearly D&D character sheets, and at one point a minstrel works in a lyric about a critical hit, but I'm not 100% sure. But it does create distance, which makes it a little more difficult to care about who these people are.

That said, on a positive note, the art is pretty good, and does a nice job of capturing the darker tone of this book (previous roleplaying in-jokes, notwithstanding). Though I can't talk about the art, without addressing the cave troll in the room: the rape scenes. They exist, but they're not egregious, lasting only for a panel or two. And thematically, if you're portraying a race of monsters that are truly loathsome, that doesn't seem outside the realm of what they'd do. I know it's difficult subject matter for some, but invading forces of humans have done that to the people they've conquered throughout our actual history, and those were thinking people making conscious decisions to do what they did. Goblins in this story are just a step up from being completely animalistic, so it doesn't feel unrealistic in this context.

Now that the major sticking point of this series is out of the way, the question arises of whether Goblin Slayer is more than the sum of its nudity and ultra violence. In all honesty, it's a little too early to say. The potential for a deeper plot exists, with the moral crisis The Priestess is having, over helping a "hero" who's so brutal in his tactics, or the hints at elitism in the adventurer's guild, or even in the Goblin Slayer becoming wholly consumed by his quest for vengeance...but we're not there, yet. And, given the lack of proper names for any of these characters, I'm not sure that there won't always be some level of distance between the reader, and how much impact the author wanted the events on page to have. I'm willing to give it another volume or two to find out, so we'll see.

[MythologyGirl (Kim) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunting goblins has become a bloody and disturbing quest in this dungeon crawling type manga.

Goblin Slayer is not generally a series I would reach for on a regular basis, but the summary is what helped me put my reservations aside and pick this one up. While the premise is not that different from other manga with a video game type themed story, it has the draw of the main character solely taking quests involving the extermination of goblins.He has his reasons, which I won't go into, for doing this and I feel it is his singular, possibly unhealthy focus that sets this manga apart from other manga that have a similar premise. For some reason, it is this that makes me want to know more about his character in particular. (Also, his armor is awesome!) At the very start of this volume he teams up with a priestess whom is his total opposite. She certainly has a lighter view on the world than the Goblin Slayer and I look forward to seeing how these two conflicting personalities may start influencing the other.

While there was plenty in here that made me feel uncomfortable, I found myself still really enjoying the story and characters. Volume 1, as most first volumes, starts to set up the type of world these characters live in and the horrors it contains as well as how said world affected and shaped the main characters - at least to an extent. I really hope the next volumes delve even deeper into the characters, their pasts, and their connections to those around them, especially sense it seems like a lot can be done with adventurers and supporting/NPC type characters that are only given a glimpse of in this volume.

There is also a lot of moral questioning going on in here. The whole time I felt a lot like Priestess, a new adventure suddenly being introduced to the absolute brutality of the world around her. Having to put aside your own beliefs in order to achieve what you set at to do and the lingering feelings of despair that is left behind. Was it right to do what you did or are you just being as bad as your enemy? This is where I felt this volume held the most weight for me.

Not 100% sure I will be continuing this in manga form or not, but I think I will try giving the light novels a read at some point as I did end up enjoying this first volume of the manga way more than I thought I would.

Trigger Warnings:This manga does contain triggers for rape (Several women were shown raped/sexually assaulted by the goblins within this volume alone.) and, as I mentioned above, is grotesquely violent.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Jade Ratley · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely not.

[Emily Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

well that was different

[Kaitlin Lorelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foray into Manga was actually really enjoyable! The illustrations were breathtaking and the story was really cool and set up a lot for future adventures to come. I've been eying this one for a while, and seeing as it's one of my boyfriend's favorite series, I'm so glad I enjoyed it. I'm eager to check out more!

[Rose Camara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeaaa based on V1 this series is worth its salt and will definitely continue reading! ^__^ However, the combination of fan service and (trigger warning) blatant rape is disconcerting…

[Bree Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing premise, but ultimately was too confusing and contained too much nudity for me to truly love.

Content warnings: Blood, death, death of a child, death of a parent, gore, injury/injury detail, murder, nudity (frontal female nudity, but only the upper half is detailed), and violence.

[Eskil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Det eneste jeg visste om mangaen før jeg kjøpte første bind var at hovedpersonen bare kalles Goblin Slayer av alle og dreper goblins. Hadde jeg hatt muligheten til å se inni boka hadde jeg nok ikke kjøpt den, for den har noen veldig fæle tegninger av mennesker som blir torturert, mishandlet og drept på grusomme måter. Og for å være helt ærlig surna disse tegningene opplevelsen for meg. Goblinsa og flere av de andre D&D-aktige karakterene som dukker opp er veldig godt tegnet med uttrykksfulle ansikt og god mise en scène (er det det det er?).

Hovedpersonen, Gobslay-san, er mer eller mindre en WoW- eller D&D-karakter som er så sterk og talentfull at neste steg er å løse problemer på nasjonalt nivå, men på grunn av et barndomstraume er det eneste han vil å drepe goblins, som ingen andre vil drepe fordi de ikke får nok penger for det. Det er jo greit, for forfatteren gjør ingen forsøk på å problematisere forestillingene til karakterene om at goblins er ekle skapninger som bare lever for å gjøre livet surt for andre, og det eneste de gjør er å angripe forsvarsløse bønder for å stjele, drepe og voldta. Så da heier vi jo på Gobslay-san, selv om han er litt creepy.

Hadde jeg vært femten hadde jeg nok rangert mangaen en del høyere. Jeg hadde ledd meg klukk i hjel av at Gobslay-san spiser suppe og drikker vann uten å ta av hjelmen sin, og jeg hadde syntes han var en ordentlig kul fyr som drepte gobbos. Men nå som jeg har litt høyere standard merker jeg at mangaen framstår som litt triviell og litt barnslig. Veldig mange kvinnelige karakterer seksualiseres uten grunn, og du ser bare to faktisk utrette noe. I f.eks. KonoSuba, som er en komiserie, er det litt mer ok at mange av karakterene ser ut som de ble designa av noen som ikke har snakka med ei jente siden videregående. Men i denne, som til tider tar seg selv så seriøst, er det rett og slett litt ekkelt, særlig når jeg mistenker at det kanskje bare kommer til å være én eller to kvinnelige karakterer som faktisk gjør noe for å påvirke historien innen mangaen er ferdig.

Siden den første lettromanen kom ut relativt nylig (to og et halvt år siden) hadde jeg kanskje håpa på litt mer dybde enn f.eks. Sword Art Online, som kom ut for seksten år siden, men det er jo mye trashy litteratur i Japan, så jeg burde kanskje ikke hatt fullt så høye forventninger. Heldigvis har vi alltids Naoki Urasawa, en mann som både kan tegne OG skrive bra, så alt er ikke så ille likevel.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing the first 12 volumes all here.

I actually came to this series from the anime, but the manga follows a pretty similar plotline in this case. The main hook to this series is that it provides a "realistic" (in as much as this is a fantasy setting) depiction of how super low rank monsters might behave. They are easy to kill alone, but they swarm in large numbers and and set ambushes for cocky greenhorn adventurers that don't take them seriously - the series opens with a pretty gruesome depiction of a party of new adventurers taken apart by goblins to pitch this world as a high lethality setting. Things dial back to more normal fantasy escapist levels for most of the series, mostly because it follows the experienced and skilled Goblin Slayer who mitigates the danger with preparation, skill and experience and the main hook is while most experienced adventurers move onto other monsters (the setting appears to be loosely D&D based), Goblin Slayer is fixated single-mindedly on hunting goblins. Its a little stingy in terms of letting out the backstory as it is pretty tightly focused on Goblin Slayer's slowly expanding circle of relationships, but it knows to dribble out lots of content around the goblins - despite his fixation he still accidentally into encounters with other monsters and dispatches them with the same efficiency so he can get back to his passion - killing goblins - but this injects plenty of variety for us readers.

Slow burn/slice of life goblin slaying documentary with lots of random sprinkles of fantasy setting on top.

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goblin Slayer Volume 1 is a brutal yet compelling introduction to a fantasy world that treats danger realistically and refuses to romanticize adventuring. The story shocks early with its harsh portrayal of goblins, setting a grim tone that immediately separates it from typical light novels. At the center is Goblin Slayer himself - a quiet, obsessive, methodical fighter whose trauma-driven focus on exterminating goblins gives the book a unique intensity.
What makes the volume work is its grounded approach: adventuring feels like a risky job, the world is built around ordinary people rather than legendary heroes, and the action relies on tactics, preparation, and grit instead of flashy power-ups. Priestess serves as the emotional anchor, and her growth gives a human edge to the otherwise cold, practical storytelling.
The writing does have rough spots - uneven pacing, graphic early scenes, and a blunt style - but these flaws don’t overshadow the book’s strengths. Volume 1 stands out as a raw, honest, and surprisingly thoughtful take on dark fantasy, and it sets a strong foundation for the rest of the series.

[Ale-Hoku · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña hasta el capitulo 28


Pues, la gente exagera un poco al decir que es unan cosa asombrosa, para empezar los primeros dos capítulos empieza regular y mientras avanzan empieza a tener cierto gusto por los personajes y eso, pero el problema esta en que son Goblin, si el manga t los pone como cosas difíciles de enfrentar en horda y blablabla ¡PERO CHINGADOS EL AUTOR A DICHO QUE HAY MAS CRIATURAS Y ESO!

EL manga es entretenido y te terminas encariñando con los personajes por como se comportan o como son, el mundo simple de entender la historia aunque por ahora no ha mostrado tener algún punto al que llegar se desarrolla bien porque lo que busca es que conozcas a los personas, de ahí en más no hay nada especial en esta.

Me parece algo muy lindo el que el autor/ dibujante, no muestre la cara de Goblin Slayer. Y mantiene el misterio en el personaje.

Calificación: 3 / 5 estrellas.

Me gusto y seguire leyendolo. Punto y final de la conversación.

[Vendea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nemůžu jinak než dát plný počet. Goblin Slayer je perla mezi mangami a anime - temné fantasy, které se nebojí do příběhu nacpat gobliny, kteří znásilňují lidské ženy (a je to tam i pěkně ukázané). Yup, I like this one.

4.5/5*

[Darjeeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good art, good story, gory, some snuggle struggles, not for the squeamish.

[Madalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leitura de apagão ✌️

[Monobella · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️ The only nice thing I can say about this that I liked the art style

[Javiera Jara Baracatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ta foerte

[Bogdan · Rating 2 out of 5]

And to think that this one was compared to Kentaro Miura`s, Berserk!!!

Anyway, RIP Kentaro!!