Original Run: April 10, 2021 - June 26, 2021 Number of Episodes: 12 Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Slice of Life Based on the Series Created By: Kisetsu Morita
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Azusa Aizawa (voiced by Aoi Yuuki) was once beholden to the corporate grind. She threw all her time, energy, and, ultimately, life into her work. Sadly, her never-rest attitude led to an early death.
Frustrated by how she had wasted her time while alive, Azusa gets the chance to try again. Determined to live the easy life, she reincarnates as an immortal witch.
Settling on the outskirts of a peaceful village, Azusa readies herself to take it slow. But needing to earn money, she decides to go after the weakest prey available – slimes. For the next 300 years, Azusa’s stress-free existence goes unbroken.
Then one day, Azusa realizes her actions have had unforeseen consequences. She has defeated so many slimes that she has unwittingly become the most powerful person in the world. And once that news leaks out, Azusa sees nothing but a never-ending stream of would-be adventurers keen on testing their skills against the so-called Witch of the Highlands.
Series Positives
I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (Slime 300) was cute.
That’s it. That’s the whole review; we can go now.
To its core, Slime 300 was a low-energy isekai-fantasy. It had silly and adorable characters, a story without an all-encompassing plot, and an atmosphere of calm, laid-back serenity. This is not the type of series you watch for excitement; you watch it to wind down from the day. If that sounds appealing to you, then you’re probably going to enjoy this show.
For my part, I guess I had expected a little more narrative from Slime 300, but I am, by no means, disappointed.
Although this review lists Slime 300 as a comedy, fantasy, and isekai anime, those are merely extra adjectives. Above everything else, this was a slice-of-life series. Knowing that, there are certain elements you can assume this show doesn’t have.
- Is there a big, bad villain for our heroes to defeat? No.
- Does the story introduce a world-shattering cataclysm that needs resolving? No.
- Are there exciting fight scenes? Not really. I mean, yeah, there were fights, but nothing was ever on the line or at risk.
Thus, the next question is, what did Slime 300 have? Aside from a fun sense of humor and impressively pretty visuals, there was the cast, and it was they who made this show worth watching.
The members of the Witch of the Highlands household gave Slime 300 its personality. Essentially, if you don’t connect with them, then there is no possible way to get even an ounce of enjoyment out of this show.
Due to their make-or-break status, let’s do a quick rundown of five of the six most prominent Slime 300 characters. For the record; I consider the following traits to be positives, but please judge for yourself:
- Laika (voiced by Kaede Hondo) is a red dragon who can take the form of a human. Although she is mighty, she is also gentle and sweet. Of the family, Laika is one of its more level-headed members.
- Falfa and Shalsha (voiced respectively by Sayaka Senbongi and Minami Tanaka) are twin slime-girls. They are also the reincarnations of the many slimes killed by the main protagonist, Azusa. Despite that, they see Azusa as their mother and love her dearly.
- Halkara (voiced by Sayaka Harada) is an elf apothecary who joins the family after a misunderstanding. She is the ditziest of the bunch and is often the butt of jokes, as well as the harbinger of the group’s difficulties. She is also this series’ most fanservice-heavy character,
- Beelzebub (voiced by Manami Numakura) is a high-ranking demon lord who befriends and aids Azusa and her family. Though proud, Beelzebub can get easily flustered (she has a huge soft spot for Falfa and Shalsha). Besides Azusa, Beelzebub is the strongest character of the show.
These five and the rest of the non-Azusa members of the family allowed Slime 300 to break away from a typical isekai anime stereotype – there was never a reliance on the overpowered protagonist. Everyone had a role to play in this show, and they interacted well with one another. In other words, Azusa didn’t need to be on screen for this series to work.
But speaking of Azusa, she was the lynchpin that held Slime 300 together. There was quite a bit to Azusa that separated her from other isekai protagonists.
To start, Azusa, by the time this series began in earnest, was an in-name-only isekai lead. In most other isekai anime, the hero gradually gets used to their new world’s workings, culture, and way of life. In Slime 300, Azusa arrived, three centuries passed, and then the story picked up once she realized she had accidentally maxed out her stats.
The idea of leveling up in a fantasy world is hard to pull off outside the isekai genre, so I understand why this series included the whole re-birth element. But other than the initial reincarnation and a few references to her old life in Japan, Azusa was the main character of a fantasy story. She knew her home, its people, and their histories. Therefore, this series – thankfully – skipped much of the if-you’ve-seen-one-isekai-you’ve-seen-every-isekai tropes.
Plus, it helped that Azusa, even if only technically accurate, had to earn her great power. As any isekai anime veteran will tell you, most protagonists in these stories are usually the strongest by default. But Azusa had to “work” her way up to her status. Sure, she pulled this off in a ridiculous manner, but after seeing so many of these shows do it the other way, this was a breath of fresh air.
And apart from Azusa being a refreshing isekai protagonist, she was also just an excellent character. She was:
- Confident but not cocky.
- Friendly but stern when necessary.
- Grounded but could be silly.
- Knowledgeable but not full of herself.
Much of Azusa’s charm came from her as a character. And yet, what brought her to life was the phenomenal performance of Ms. Aoi Yuuki.
Now, I have never hidden my fandom for Ms. Yuuki; although, admittedly, it did surprise me that she had the lead role in another 2021 isekai, the other being So I’m a Spider, So What?. And to nerd out for a second; she was also the voice for Madoka Kaname (Madoka Magica), Tanya Degurechaff (Youjo Senki – another isekai), and Tatsumaki (One Punch Man).
It might seem as if I am praising Ms. Yuuki’s performance because I like her as an actress. Well, in response to that, listen to her in Slime 300, and you’ll see precisely why I like her. She has outstanding comedic timing, wide emotional range, and her ability to convey sarcasm is fantastic.
To bring everything together, Slime 300 has many things going for it.
If you only want to relax and watch something that doesn’t require much thinking, this is the perfect show. It’s fun, goofy, and as I said at the top, cute.
Believe me, when Slime 300 was in its stride, it was a blast. Unfortunately, there is a warning I must give about this show:
Don’t marathon it because Slime 300’s stride was only in the beginning.
Series Negatives
Some shows work well if watched one episode a week, and some work well if watched all at once. Slime 300 is firmly in the former category, and that is not a negative. Instead, it is the lead-in to my point.
Slime 300 is a novel idea. Speaking as an RPG player who tends to rack up as many experience points as possible before a boss fight, the thought of reaching max level from killing slimes is an interesting one. No way in hell am I ever going to do that, and I think this series took this notion as far as it could go.
I’ll say it here; I do not think Slime 300 will get a second season. Or, at least, I hope that is the case.
Although this show got all it could get out of its premise, by the time it did so, there was still about half a series to go.
Once the novelty wore off, there wasn’t much else to Slime 300. Rather than this show being a run-of-the-mill isekai anime, it became a run-of-the-mill slice-of-life comedy.
Don’t get me wrong. Ms. Yuuki and all the voice actors in this series took Slime 300 much further than it probably should have gone. Hence why this show’s characters were its best feature. However, even they couldn’t keep things going indefinitely.
When you get right down to it, Slime 300 had no business being a full-length, twelve-episode anime. This show was ideal for a short-form series. Had that been the case, then yeah, a continuation could have been possible.
As it stands, though, Slime 300 just barely crossed the finish line. When episode twelve finally came around, my attention was hanging on by the tiniest thread.
Then again, had I watched this series gradually and not in one massive go, I bet things would have been different. So learn from my mistakes.
Slime 300 is good; that much is certain. Nevertheless, this show’s staying power is all but nill. But as a nice little curiosity, that’s fine.
Final Thoughts
It bears repeating. This series was cute. If that is what you are looking for, you can end your search here.
Aside from that, this show, at the end of the day, works well. When it is at its peak, it is a ton of fun and highly enjoyable. But much like a firework, its impressiveness does not last forever.
But thanks to strong characters and an even stronger voice cast, this series manages to power through just long enough.
I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level has earned a recommendation.
But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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