REVIEW | "The Slime Diaries" | B3 - Boston Bastard Brigade
When I think of an isekai series that gets practically everything right, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is usually the one that tops my list. The story of Rimuru’s (Miho Okasaki) rise from meager slime monster to king of a multicultural land is filled with fantastic character development, memorable action, deep drama, and side-splitting comedy. But what happens on the days when Rimuru’s not busy leveling up or making deals with neighboring kingdoms? That’s where the spinoff series The Slime Diaries comes into play.
Unlike That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, The Slime Diaries takes a more laid-back approach to the narrative. Viewers follow Rimuru, Gobta (Asuna Tomari), Shion (M.A.O), Benimaru (Makoto Furukawa), Milim (Rina Hidaka), and the rest of the citizens of Tempest as they do their daily routines. From planting vegetables and having fun beach activities to trying to get Rimuru in more feminine clothes, the series puts a bigger focus on the more fun things in the fantasy world life rather than the more serious elements. And in a sense, the characters are added more depth and growth because of it.
The Slime Diaries is what would happen if you took the main series and placed the soul of Flying Witch into its heart. Watching as Rimuru bonds with his citizens and having fun with them is a delightful breath of fresh air in a series that — during its second season — was filled with a lot of heartache. While the main series has a good chunk of comedic moments, it’s here in this spinoff where we can see these characters go buck wild with their wackier sides. And yes, that does include some of the more serious characters in the series.
What makes this spinoff great is how these characters interact with one another. We get that everyone in Tempest has bonded together in a harmonious way, as evident by what viewers saw in Season One of the main series. However, with there being a bigger focus on comedy in this series, those bonds are clasped together in the most hilarious of ways. The best example of this is when we see Rimuru and Gobta together, as the goblin kid becomes something like a big brother to the slime king. Be it through shopping, training, and indulging in perverted antics, these two feel more akin to being blood siblings than anything else.
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