While slimes in isekai fantasy anime these days aren't unique or special, there's something really fascinating about following the adventure of Rimuru. You know, the guy who got killed and reincarnated as a slime and now leads his group with his alluring charisma. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season really needs no introduction because this is essentially continuing the adventure of Rimuru reincarnated as a slime. I don't want to be the deliverer of bad news but if you plan to watch this season, be sure to have patience. I really mean it, lots of patience. The reason is that the first 7episodes of this season revolves alot of talking. By lots, I do mean lots that stretches across several episodes. Most of this deals with boardroom meetings while throwing in some snarky sarcasm and balance of cheeky humor in between. Rimuru's leadership has influence on his group so the anime wanted to flesh out his personality as much as possible. But sometimes, we should ask ourselves if that many episodes is necessary for story development. To make matters more peculiar, many segments in those episodes talks about the same topics while looping around back and forth. It's like intentionally stretching a Youtube video to make it 10 minutes while talking about the same topics over and over.
Thankfully, Slime Season 3 does remind us what makes the franchise entertaining in the first place. After 7 grudging episodes of endless chatter, we are faced with the rivalry between Rimuru and Hinata. Their conflicting ideals and differences makes them opponents and of course, they end up exchanging fists on the battlefield. Rimuru's charisma and Hinata's determination both are shown throughout that battle, and for what's worth, it awards the audience's patience. While it may not be the grand battle of the entire season, it's still among the most important to see two opposite sides clash for what they believe in.
However, this season also suffers a consequence of having questionable antagonists. Even Hinata is branded as a somewhat antagonist if we see her side of the story. The Seven Days Clergy does represent a more mysterious side of this season, however. Given their motivations, it does add more time to invest into their roles. Given its large colorful cast, we shouldn't expect too much focus on Rimuru's companions. Yes, I say these are more of his companions because it appears Rimuru may not have a true friend throughout this season. Nonetheless, returning characters such as Shion, Albis, Benimaru, Diablo, Gobta, Shuna, among others are a welcoming sight. Their chemistry still brings together a charm this show had retained even after all these years. For Rimuru's group, they treat each other like family and accepts the blue slime as a leader. It's also no surprise that the show occasionally throws in some comedic character rivalries between certain segments.
Admittedly, this season has a strange direction in pacing. Season 3's obsession with boardroom meetings reaches its apex in the first half of the show. Never have we had 7 straight episodes in the history of this franchise with a group of characters doing nothing but talking. It does rebound itself through an exciting battle and character chemistry as more episodes progressed. Furthermore, this season adds some more flavor of entertainment through the employement of a tournament. Yes, fantasy anime these days love to use it as a plot device to give additional characters screen time. Gobta is one such example when see how much he's improved. Still, we really do need to question ourselves if 24 episodes were necessary or enough to adapt the season. The first half dragged us down while it's led by a much exciting second half. Overall, it's a balanced series that takes patience to get through.
Retaining the art style of the previous seasons, Tensei Slime delivers on the entertainment front when it doesn't have the cast running their mouths in boardroom meetings. From day one, the cast had chemistry and Rimuru serves as the poster child of the show. He earned it through hard work, charisma, and the charm of his personality. Nonetheless, Tensei Slime sets what the show has been doing this whole season and we should appreciate what we get.