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Rimuru is sort of like the Blob, except this sentient slime fights for a safer, more just society. Once a quietly desperate salaryman, Satoru Mikami was indeed resurrected into a fantasy world as goey goop. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Able to absorb the power and essence of other beings, the genderless slime now has a spare human body for social occasions, having emerged as the forest nation of Tempest’s sage-like leader.
His power and wisdom are so renowned, Rimuru receives a request for help from a neighboring kingdom, through an unlikely ogre emissary in Yasuhito Kikuchi’s That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond, based on Fuse’s light novels and manga, which Crunchyroll will re-release in theaters April 20th, to build excitement for the franchise’s new movie, Tears of the Azure Sea, opening a few weeks later.
In this fantasy world, being an ogre isn’t so bad either. Hiiro and his fellow mercenaries were really just working to support their ogre village when Clayman’s forces attacked them. That villain’s name means a lot to established fans, but for newcomers, he is a sadistic creep Rimuru eventually kills. Alas, not soon enough for Hiiro’s comrades. He was the sole survivor—just barely.
©Courtesy of Crunchyroll
Queen Towa of Raja nurses him back to health, even bestowing his Hiiro name, an act that entails the sharing of the namer’s life spirit, to aid his recovery. Understandably, Hiiro feels honor-bound to serve the selfless queen, who could truly use the help. Queen Towa must employ her kingdom’s magic tiara to purify Raja’s water supply, which has been contaminated by evil magic. To make matters worse, presumably the same sinister party also cursed the tiara. Consequently, every time Towa uses it, her life force unnaturally depletes.
Towa needs all the assistance the slime and the ogre can offer, because her domestic advisors are a suspicious lot. Yet, this nasty spell exhibits unusual persistence.
To some extent, That Time Etc., Etc. shares thematic similarities with the Overlord franchise, because both explore a fantastical realm from the perspective of an average workaday person, who has been mysteriously transformed into a powerful, otherworldly entity. However, Scarlet Bond periodically incorporates interludes of goofy slapstick humor, before returning to the deadly serious intrigue in Raja.
©Courtesy of Crunchyroll
Indeed, the tonal shifts might annoy some viewers, while charming others. Honestly, Fuse’s original conception of slime undeniably sets Rimuru’s adventures apart from the rest of the anime field. Scarlet Bond stands alone relatively easily for newcomers. Some references will require intimate familiarity with the franchise mythology, but they have little bearing on the main narrative. In fact, rather ironically, Hiiro and Towa, two characters original to the film, emerge as more compelling figures than the series regulars.
Arguably, Hiiro might possibly represent the most memorable movie ogre since the Shrek films. Through him and Towa, the anime film address themes of duty and sacrifice in interesting, pleasantly mature ways.
Kikuchi maintains a healthy pace, despite some convoluted detours, while the animation produced by the Eight Bit studio is clean and colorful. The mix between grand tragedy and low comedy sometimes feels slightly out of balance, but the high points should definitely impress experienced anime audiences. Recommended for fans of the franchise and slime in general, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond screens again nationwide this Monday (4/20)–and it is available on the Crunchyroll app.
©Courtesy of Crunchyroll
Grade: B-
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Here’s the trailer of the film.