English Dub Review: The Slime Diaries: “The Air in Spring and…”

Overview: Rimuru (Brittany Karbowski) tries to do some much needed relaxing and does some farming later with Gobta (Ryan Reynolds), Benimaru (Ricco Fajardo), Geld (Cris George) and the rest of the monster gang. 

Our Take: Slime Diaries is like a relaxing lazy day anime, it’s laying on a hammock with a nice breeze to pleasantly enjoy. Nothing earth-shattering happens and that’s the best part of it in being able to casually watch and zen out. Unlike Rimuru, restlessness never found its way to me. 

Rimuru is always on that grind, so it’s therapeutic in watching him try to take a load off and learn to enjoy the little things like food stalls with Gobta and combat his antsy nature. It is also neat to learn about how Geld and Rimuru are similar yet different in the latter enjoying working while the orc can become consumed by it with children being a good cleanser.

Working the crop fields makes for hilarious jokes in Rimuru trying to get payback on Shion in wanting her to eat rotten beans made better by how it backfires and her taking notes on them. Brittney Karbowksi shines in hamming up the maniacal laughter. 

The spinoff also has moments of exaggerated and stylistic visuals that give it a unique flair from that of the central series, like the dwarfs’ intense clothes crafting or Gobta’s exaggerated reactions to his faulty scarecrow. Some other moments of levity nicely round out the episode like Benimaru’s childish hypocrisy in not wanting carrots in his soup after teaching children not to be picky. Eight Bit’s scenic CG works well in a montage format, coupled with striking 2D stills, giving scope to the serene aspect of Tempest’s nature. Trayni’s lack of presence in the episode is quickly remedied with her absence hilariously and ironically touched on in being bitter about being left out of farming, as a Dryad and lover of nature. Trayni’s explanation of rain’s importance being upended by Gobta commenting on her added weight was chef’s kiss to end the cute little romp.