That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Scarlet Bond
Movie Review
Story
8/10
Sound
8/10
Animation
8/10
Characters
8/10
pacing
8/10
8/10
Overall
Overview
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime is a show that follows our main protagonist, Rimuru Tempest, being reincarnated as a slime in a fantasy world after dying from being stabbed in our world. He works to develop his own nation of monsters, though not intentionally at first, that is safe and at peace from the outside world. Scarlet Bond follows the story's narrative after the anime's second season. In this story, we get to see a member of the ogre clan, Hiiro, traverse a new life after failing to save the ogre clan from being whipped out by orcs. Hiiro unacceptably meets up with our gang from Tempest and requests aid from Rimuru to help save the Queen of Raja. This story acts as a side story transition into the eventual third season to help introduce future characters that will play a larger part of the story soon to come.
Story
8/10
Overall the story of the movie is fairly straightforward and well-conceived. As mentioned before the movie’s story acts as a transition side quest to the main story. It is best to see this story as a way to flush out more of the supporting cast’s story. As we watch Benimaru and Hiiro both rekindle their brotherhood we also get to see a bit more into the events that led up to the ogres going to Tempest. We then watch as our main cast help to save the kingdom Hiiro is serving by saving the Queen of Raja in numerous ways. While the story is well written, as with many anime films from existing properties it does feel a bit short compared to the greater narrative. But It is still enthralling enough to keep you engaged with what is happening at all times.
Animation
8/10
For those who know, you know that while Eightbit may not be the largest studio name they don’t slack when it comes to animation. The animation is solid with great special effects added when needed. There is never a moment where it feels like the quality drops, whether it is an action scene or during the more standard affair walking around the town. If anything is to be said about the animation it is that it really never tries to push the limit and really utilizes a movie budget to go all out to make some memorable scenes.
Pacing
8/10
The pacing for the most part was a smooth ride. At the same time, there were moments where it felt like it lingered too long without adding to the story. This movie acted as a character builder for the sub-members of the cast but it could have managed its time better by narrowing down which characters joined in. The movie's main villain comes in seemingly very late without much lead-in or direct connection but should have been introduced earlier and tied in better to the narrative. Of course, people who enjoy the Tensura series will be able to enjoy the series without feeling the pacing issue. If people are not into the series quite yet it may feel odd where and why things are happening as they are.
Sound
8/10
As far as audio production goes for this movie I will say that just like the movie’s animation, the sound/ audio production was good. There was nothing that particularly stood out above other movies. It was just generally very solid at keeping you in the narrative of the story. The audio production for sound effects and everything were on par and helped to really ground the movie. Again my only complaint is just like the animation. There could have been more prominent moments where sound production was utilized more liberally to help really wow the audience.
Conclusion
So should what does this all mean? What this means is that overall with eights across the board, this movie is a solid watch. If you have never watched the series before you may be missing some slight context but you won’t feel like it is detracting from the experience. For those who have watched the series and the spin-off, this is just more good slimy goodness that is mostly safe for work! While there is no stand-out elements to the movie as you have read before, there is also nothing that is taken away from the movie either. It is a movie you can come back to again and again each time you watch the series and enjoy it as an extension to the overall narrative.
