English Dub Review: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime “The Gears Spin Out of Control”

Game of Thrones: lizard edition.

Overview (Spoilers Below!)

Treyni confirms that the Orc Lord is real. Rimuru declares that they need more time to decide if they want to fight him. Souei reveals that he went back to the ogre village and found no corpses; Rimuru deduces that the orcs army survives by eating the dead. Using a skill called “starved,” the orcs gain the abilities of those they consume, much like Rimuru’s predator skill. Thus, the army’s only motivation is to devour more monsters and gain more power. Treyni also explains that a majin controls the orc lord, and he in turn is the subordinate of a demon lord. While Rimuru deliberates, Shion accepts Treyni’s request for them.

Despite their distaste for Gabiru, Rimuru decides that their clan should form an alliance with the lizard-men. Souei offers to talk to him. Meanwhile, Gabiru wakes up in the forest. Recalling his defeat, Gabiru believes that Gobuta is secretly the ruler of the goblin village, and that Rimuru lied so that Gabiru would let down his guard. Out of nowhere, the clown Laplace appears, bringing a message from Gelmud: the orcs are led by an orc lord. He plants doubt in Gabiru’s mind that his father can handle the threat.

As Gabiru heads home to overthrow his father Abil, Souei meets with the lizard chieftain himself. Abil agrees to the alliance, so long as he is granted a chance to meet Rimuru. Abil wants to resist engaging the orcs in combat for the next week, until Rimuru arrives, but Gabiru believes dividing up their forces to defend various caves means that the lizardmen won’t be able to meet the orcs at full strength. With his army behind him, Gabiru overthrows his father and promises to defeat the orc lord himself.

At Gabiru’s command, the lizard-men attack the orcs in the marshes. But Gabiru doesn’t know about the “starving” skill, and he watches in horror as the orcs eat their fallen comrades—and fight back.

Our Take

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is slowly turning into That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Lizardman, and I don’t like it. I’m watching this show for Rimuru’s silly antics, not for lizard political parties fighting for dominance. The lizard scenes are all so uninventive; they don’t do this show’s quirky premise justice at all.

The main new idea introduced in this episode—the “starving” skill—is pretty messed up, but Treyni also explicitly draws a parallel between this horrifying practice and Rimuru’s favorite ability. I’m not sure what the significance of this is, and I’m not getting a lot out of the orc army other than “ew, cannibalism is gross.” They’re animated using CGI that makes their movements clunky and awkward, and their character design—they’re all just pigs—is extremely uncreative. Ah, just what our diet-obsessed society needs—another condemnation of fat pig characters that are greedy, violent, and obsessed with eating. Perfect. My absolute favorite. At least Treyni explains this accompanied by some chill dryad music.

Otherwise, this episode is just one piece of exposition after another. Last episode, Rimuru and their crew discussed the possibility of an orc lord controlling the orc army. This episode, Treyni confirms that there is indeed an orc lord, and then we watch Gabiru learn that exact same information. Souei promises to secure an alliance with Abil, and then we watch him secure an alliance with Abil. Gabiru talks about overthrowing his father, and then he overthrows his father. Do you get why I’m not super jazzed about this this oh-so-thrilling episode?

Honestly, Slime is extremely slow-moving, and this episode is the perfect example. I was shocked today to discover that there are currently thirteen That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime light novels out in Japan, but the anime hasn’t even finished covering the second one, and we’re already halfway through! With so much material at their disposal, this show’s writers have no excuse for moving the plot along so slowly.

Also… the clown. Why is there a clown. Who is this clown. I both love and hate this clown. On the one hand, Laplace’s voice is delightfully affected and playful. When he intones, “Well, we have quite the crazy situation on our hands,” he’s practically singing, and I love the fun his voice actor is having with the role. It’s entertaining to watch Laplace strike dramatic poses and form peace signs in front of his face. On the other hand… he’s a clown. He just seems so wildly out-of-place in this DND-esque fantasy world, and I don’t know what to make of him.

In general, the writing on this show vacillates wildly between something genuinely original, clever, and hilarious—and a bland, formulaic, faux-serious fantasy that’s trying to be Tolkein and miserably failing. Unfortunately, this episode leans towards the latter.