Anime Hajime Review: The Slime Diaries

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More from the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime series:

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Original Run: April 6, 2021 - June 22, 2021
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Slice of Life
Based on the Series Created By: Fuse and Shiba

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Slime Diaries. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Building a nation is not easy, and that remains true even for the world’s most powerful slime.

Rimuru Tempest (voiced by Miho Okasaki) has a lot of work to do. From building homes and shops to planting crops to forming diplomatic relations, there is hardly any time to rest. But Rimuru loves this kind of work, for it helps the people the little slime cares for the most.

However, despite enjoying a job, not everything will go to plan. Adapting to the unexpected is part of being a leader, and we will have to see if Rimuru is up to the task.

Series Positives

The Slime Diaries was one thing and one thing only – supplementary content. This series did not add to the overall That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Reincarnated) narrative. Although it is technically a sequel – its setting fell between seasons 1 and 2 – it is not required viewing. You can go through the entirety of the main storyline and enjoy it without knowing of this show’s existence.

To take a more cynical view, The Slime Diaries was, by definition, pointless.

Be that as it may, this series was a lot of fun.

If you’ll allow me to use some gamer logic, The Slime Diaries was the side quest of its parent story. And to build on the metaphor, any RPG gamer will tell you the same thing; you spend more time side-questing than you do on the actual campaign. Why is that the case?

Well, if the main storyline is the heart, the side quests are the personality. Here is where a game can flesh out its lore, details, characters, and world. In theory, you can play through an entire game without deviating from the main plot. But if you do that, you risk missing out on better weapons, more experience points, and more enriching content.

Now, did The Slime Diaries really do all that? No, and it didn’t need to either. The actual series – which at the time of this review’s release, Anime Hajime has only covered season 1 and season 2-1 – had more than enough substance to hold itself up high.

Again, you do not need to watch Slime Diaries.

However, should you choose to do so, it won’t be a waste of your time.

While this franchise does have comedic elements, it has never been afraid to be dark, dramatic, and brutal. Yeah, none of that was in The Slime Diaries, and Reincarnated’s characters and setting fit within the slice-of-life anime format.

In this series, there was no war, no strife, no world-changing challenges to overcome. No, this show was more about building and running Rimuru Tempest’s kingdom of monsters. If that sounds dull to you, then it might very well prove to be. But, speaking as someone who is a long-time fan of the Civilization games, it was right up my alley.

I am sure you’ve noticed by now; this review is sparse. Unfortunately, that was always going to be the case. After all, The Slime Diaries added nothing new.

Every character we meet in this show – or, at least, the ones that matter – we’ve already got to know in the actual plot. We already have a pretty good idea of their personalities and how they interact with one another. There were never going to be any surprises, and that’s a good thing. Whatever inherent interest this series had to its name relied on fans wondering what their favorite characters were doing when the main story said, “one thing led to another.”

And speaking of the story, it wasn’t that The Slime Diaries didn’t add anything to the narrative; it COULDN’T have added anything. This show aired following season 2-1, and this review went live as season 2-2 was airing. To toss any curveballs here would have been incredibly underhanded.

If there was anything The Slime Diaries did to elevate the Reincarnated series, it was this:

It added a ton of weight to the events of season 2-1.

I won’t spoil anything about a show I am not currently reviewing, but needless to say, things got real. Keep in mind; season 2-1 was already engaging on its own; it didn’t need any help. All The Slime Diaries did was change your perspective. Instead of being an onlooker, you might as well have been a villager living in Rimuru’s town.

So, if I may make a suggestion, watch the Reincarnated in the following order:

• Season 1
• The Slime Diaries
• Season 2-1
• Season 2-2 (Reminder, I have not seen this installment as of the writing of this review)

The Slime Diaries is well worth a look, especially if you have enjoyed everything this franchise has delivered thus far.

Would I recommend watching this series before jumping into the main storyline? No, watch season 1 first. This side-content cannot function on its own, but that’s okay.

It’s not every day we get what should have been a separate, you-need-to-pay-extra OVA as a proper televised release. Not only that, The Slime Diaries had all the care and attention the primary narrative has gotten. Thus, while this show might be supplementary fluff, it was well-made supplementary fluff.

Series Negatives

If you thought the Series Positives section was bare-bones, wait until you see what happens here.

To be honest with you, what can I write here that I didn’t already say? At its fundamental core, The Slime Diaries was not a necessary part of the Reincarnated franchise. While this show focused its attention on the more comedic elements, it did so by ignoring everything else that makes the actual seasons so good.

Assuming season 2-2 continues the trend of its predecessor set, I doubt there could ever be The Slime Diaries 2. This show existed in the one place it could and did everything you could expect from it.

As long as this series was watchable, it was always going to do right by its fans. To that extent, I believe it was a mission accomplished.

If the main plot didn’t sell you on the tale of an overpowered slime, The Slime Diaries sure as hell won’t.

Therefore, the most significant thing against this show was that it never had the room or the need to be anything truly worthwhile.

Final Thoughts

Let me put it this way:

If the idea of a slice-of-life anime with the characters of Reincarnated doesn’t immediately pique your interest, nothing I could have said would have done so.

Nevertheless, if you want to spend as much time as you can with this series, well, then the answer is easy.

This show had all the charm, humor, and fun of its parent story without any of the darker bits. This extra content had only one goal, and it achieved said goal with flying colors.

The Slime Diaries has earned a recommendation.

But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise The Slime Diaries? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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