Anime Hajime Review: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 Part 1

Original Run: January 12, 2021 - March 30, 2021
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Based on the Series Created By: Mitz Vah and Fuse

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Having been reincarnated as the most powerful slime that has ever existed, Rimuru Tempest (voiced by Miho Okasaki) has proven to be a capable leader and fierce warrior. As the ruler of the new monster nation of Tempest, Rimuru’s ingenuity and compassion has put his country on the path to greatness.

However, Rimuru might have brought along progress a bit too quickly.

Other kingdoms scoff at the idea of a country ruled by a mere slime. Not only that, they are offended that said slime also as the gall to actually succeed.

Unbeknownst to Rimuru and their comrades, prosperity has brought them to the gates of war.

Series Positives

It wasn’t until I started watching That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 (Slime 2) that I realized how much content was in its predecessor. Perhaps your memory is much better than mine, but it is hard for me to remember names and details from a story I sat through two years prior to this review. It is fortunate this series stars Anime Hajime’s fifth-ranked character of 2019, has an unmistakable look, and boasts a premise that is nearly impossible to forget. Still, much got lost in the meantime.

That is why I am thankful Slime 2 had a brief recap of the most critical bits of information right at the start. It is a small courtesy, but one that helps in the long run. If you’re marathoning the entire Slime series, naturally, such an overview is unnecessary. However, I’ve noticed a trend where sequels to stories with intricate plot points have not been including any reminders (Attack on Titan, for example, being one of the worst offenders).

Thus, Slime 2 immediately fell into my good graces. Granted, this season’s quick summary was precisely that, quick. Nothing short of rewatching season one would have gotten me back up to speed. Nevertheless, what little was provided was a crucial help since this installment made it a point to push the tale of Rimuru Tempest forward.

So that there are no doubts, Slime 2 is a well and true chapter two; no rehashing here. Season one, in retrospect, focused much of its efforts on establishment. In particular, we had it drilled into us how powerful a character Rimuru was. It was in the last installment where we saw most of Rimuru’s more flashy exploits.

Aside from a single instance, which we’ll get to in a bit, Rimuru wasn’t the overwhelming presence they were before. Instead, it was Rimuru’s lieutenants and allies who stole the most scenes. And frankly, that made a lot of sense.

Remember, Rimuru had built an entire nation. Although at the head of said nation, Rimuru couldn’t be in two places at once. There needed to be systems in place to run the country when the leader was off doing something else.

This infrastructure was something Slime 2 did well. I can’t tell you how many isekai anime, with an all-powerful protagonist, rely on one person to solve everything. In this series, instead of such a quality being implied and ignored, it proved to be a massive oversight on the part of our characters.

The country of Tempest grew far too dependent on Rimuru’s power. Everyone, including Rimuru, assumed they were untouchable. This false sense of security came to bite them hard when an enemy successfully prevented Rimuru from coming to save the day. As a result, the young nation was nearly brought to its knees.

In the subsequent counterattack, it was Rimuru’s friends who took back control of their land. Therefore, most of this season’s more epic moments were not Rimuru’s doing. Many of the later fights were only as satisfying as they were because Rimuru was not a participant.

But don’t go thinking Rimuru contributed nothing.

It’s easy to fall for the Slime series’ charm. On the surface, everything appears light-hearted and easy-going. Yes, there is humor and silliness throughout this show. There is also, especially in season two, darkness.

Following the attack on Tempest, there was death. At first, I was worried because the story introduced the possibility of reviving all those who had died. I didn’t like this since I feared it would take away the power of the moment. Then the show revealed what needed to happen to bring everyone back to life – Rimuru would need to become a demon lord.

Sure, once a demon lord, Rimuru would most likely be benevolent and caring like always, except way more powerful. To earn that title, though, the price was high, and Rimuru did not hesitate to pay it.

Although Rimuru wasn’t a part of many of Slime 2’s more memorable moments, Rimuru was responsible for this season’s most memorable moment.

Please note that Slime 2 is a split-cour release. Part 2 (as of this post going live) is scheduled for a summer 2021 release (expect its review in October 2021). This installment does not have a conclusion; if anything, the story just stops. But aside from an unforeseen delay, we should be getting the wrap-up to this chapter soon.

Thus, the fundamental goal of Slime 2 (Part 1) was to leave behind something worth looking forward to. In that sense, it was mission accomplished.

As of writing this review, it is impossible to say if season two was a success; we can only wait and see. What I can tell you is, if Part 2 continues the trajection this series is on, we have nothing to worry about.

Series Negatives

As I said, we can’t consider Slime 2 to be a success or a flop until we get Part 2. At the moment, this installment is heavily leaning toward the former possibility.

Be that as it may, there was one element to Slime 2 Part 1 that wasn’t as strong as the rest of the series – this season’s three primary villains Kyouya Tachibana, Shougo Taguchi, and Kirara Mizutani (voiced respectively by Shou Nogami, Chiaki Kobayashi, and Hiyori Kouno). Perhaps Part 2 will find a way to utilize these three characters better, but after what happened in this installment, I don’t think that is likely.

Regardless, this trio felt underutilized.

Essentially, Kyouya, Shougo, and Kirara’s personality was “asshole.” There were just in this story to serve as the generic “bad guys.” To be fair, they played their roles well; it was satisfying when our heroes triumphed over them. But considering where these three came from, it was a missed opportunity.

Like Rimuru, this trio of thugs came from Japan; they had been brought to this parallel world. Unlike Rimuru, though, they were extraordinarily bloodthirsty and cruel. If someone were to annoy them even slightly, they would have no qualms about committing cold-blooded murder.

The problem was, Kyouya, Shougo, and Kirara being from Japan had no bearing on anything. If we were to take that quality away, nothing about the three would change. They would still be arrogant, vile, and full of themselves.

Ultimately, this trio was just a minor hiccup in a much more significant obstacle for our protagonist to overcome. That might have been fine, but to have them be from the same place as Rimuru and not do anything with that fact, what was even the point?

Fortunately, this season did not rely on Kyouya, Shougo, and Kirara being outstanding villains. They saw their parts through, and we will move on to the next thing.

Here’s hoping Part 2 gives us an antagonist worth remembering.

Final Thoughts

It was great to return to this series, and it’s even better knowing there is more to come.

Aside from all the positive things I did mention (the side characters and story progression), I didn’t even talk about how cool the fights were and how excellent the animation was.

This installment had to get the narrative moving again and get us feeling excited for what there is to come. On both counts, it was a resounding win.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 has earned a recommendation.

But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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