When I was watching the last episode of Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (TenSura) Season 3 two years ago, I couldn’t believe my eyes: not only did they confirm a new season, but they also announced a new movie. My first thought was that they were betting on the franchise’s success and continuation, thanks to the growing fandom of TenSura video games, anime, manga, light novels, and the original web novel.
The wide range of adaptations and spin-offs can only be credited to a huge fantasy world (even by isekai standards) and a charismatic cast. That’s why TenSura Movie 2: Tears of the Azure Sea makes sense: there’s simply too many stories to tell, canon or not, as I discuss throughout this review.
Yet as a Spain resident, one of my concerns regarding Tears of the Azure Sea was the movie’s rollout countries. Luckily for us, my worries were unfounded: Crunchyroll delivered the movie to Spanish theaters only two months after the Japanese premiere, and I had the opportunity to be part of an early screening organized by their team.
Before I share my takes on Tears of the Azure Sea, please be advised that the following review assumes that the reader has watched the first three seasons of the anime. Nonetheless, the main focus of this article is to explain why even as a non-canon work, the film showcases the best of TenSura.
Without further ado, let’s deep dive into the main factors that make me recommend Tears of the Azure Sea.
This review contains minor spoilers for TenSura Movie 2: Tears of the Azure Sea and other TenSura anime adaptations. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Anime Corner.
The Gobta Factor
The biggest surprise for me—and I’m supposing for everyone who watched the movie—was the shift from Rimuru-sama to Gobta as a main protagonist. Period. It turned out to be a good surprise, which is saying a lot in a franchise whose protagonist is highly beloved by both the anime fans and the characters.
Gobta has been stepping into the spotlight in the main series for a long time now. Despite starting as comic relief, he has been working in the background for a while. Tears of the Azure Sea‘s staff understood how much advantage they could gain by placing Gobta in the front row.
On the one hand, Rimuru-sama is now too overpowered so it would be weird to build a non-canon plot around him without him just forcing his way out. True, the main storyline already accomplishes that every season. Yet the change of perspective was refreshing and caught my interest as soon as the shift occurred in the first half.
On the other hand, season 4 aired almost at the same time as the movie—around one month after the Japanese release. It wouldn’t make sense to overcomplicate the narrative when TenSura has an amazing cast, who were included in various minor roles for the film.
That said, Rimuru-sama and the gang still got a lot of action and enough screen time, participating in the main fighting sequence at the end. The positive contrast with the main series is that Gobta led the team to find a resolution to the conflict, in one of the coolest fights of the franchise, as I comment in the music section of this review.
The Slice-of-Isekai Factor
The reason why the TenSura franchise works with an overpowered protagonist is quite simple: the focus is not on the fights, but rather on the lives of endearing characters that we love to watch having laid-back moments while strengthening their bonds.
Action has been present from the start, which is only natural considering Rimuru-sama met the also overpowered Veldora in Episode 1. However, the anime was clear in stating the importance of the peaceful, lighthearted moments, instead of pure adrenaline-packed episodes. The sum of these aspects is what I label as the “slice-of-isekai” subgenre.
During the first half of the movie, there’s a whole sequence of the cast taking a deserved vacation at a private resort in their own way. My first thought when I watched it was that the film could have given us two full hours of the gang playing on the beach and I’d have smiled from start to finish.
That’s what TenSura and the slice-of-isekai subgenre is all about: enjoying the ride without any worries. Tears of the Azure Sea is the best example of the franchise’s potential to be a production machine of non-canon movies. We can never have enough of Rimuru-sama, Milim, Benimaru, Shion, Shuna, and the rest of the cast having a blast.
Even if there’s already a bunch of isekai anime mixed with slice-of-life narratives, with TenSura you have a blend hard to replicate. When the main cast travels to the resort, the movie combines plot development, silly gags, more screen time for side characters, and minor lore drops regarding dragons.
Overall, Tears of the Azure Sea envelops you in fantastical settings without being overly dependent on action sequences—not that we are short of them.
The Music Factor
It’s difficult for me to separate anime’s climax from its music. Every great anime moment I remember was accompanied by a solid soundtrack or anisong. And as expected, Tears of the Azure Sea was no exception.
When an artist is linked with an anime, the series gains a clear voice to be attached to. That’s the case with STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION (the musical project of composer and producer RON), who has been part of the franchise since Season 2. For Tears of the Azure Sea, he collaborated with singer ASH in “Harmonics”, the insert song featured in the final fight scene.
I heard the song way before the movie screening in Madrid, but I didn’t know when it was going to be placed. That’s why Gobta saving the day with “Harmonics” in the background left me speechless. The song’s rock sound supported by ASH and RON’s vocals conveys the emotional burden Gobta was facing, making the scene the highlight of the film.
But STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION is not the only one returning. TRUE, who performed TenSura‘s first ending, Season 2 opening, and first movie theme, is also back as a performer and lyricist with “Eutopia.” On the whole, TRUE reinforces the audience’s sense of coziness, as if you were returning home after a long trip.
I can’t say much about the movie’s soundtrack because my attention was drawn by these two great artists. Both songs back up TenSura‘s message: the characters are growing with each installment (canon or not), and we are growing with them. STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION and TRUE are growing with us too.
If I could make a request for future productions, it would be to have both artists collaborate on a song for TenSura.
Of course, I can’t end this section without including the contributions of ARCANA PROJECT and Saori Onishi (who voices the princess Yura). The former provided a playful song well-suited for a movie set on a beach environment, while the latter is charged with sweet yet emotional intensity, as Yura’s story deserves.
The Downside: Lack of Antagonists?
We had a new protagonist, a fantastical atmosphere, and even memorable songs. Yet we lack a crucial element: a good antagonist.
I won’t even bother looking up the antagonist’s name. The plot doesn’t really invite us to take him seriously. It’s already hard to be invested in the main storyline knowing it isn’t canon, let alone getting invested in a generic character.
In my case, I couldn’t feel disappointment because the reason I watch TenSura movies is not for an epic final fight or an overcomplicated plot. We already have many thrilling antagonists in the main series, so I approach the movies as amusing OVAs.
Yet a question arises: What would a TenSura movie look like with a proper antagonist? Tears of the Azure Sea could have set a new bar, but they missed this chance. This is no trifling matter: there were moments when I was thinking “please don’t give this NPC more screen time.” I could even make a case for how the movie would have improved if it didn’t have any antagonist at all.
Why Do We Need More TenSura Movies?
All in all, Tears of the Azure Sea is a must-watch movie for every TenSura fan. You can consider it as canon material with how well it fits the story between Season 3 and Season 4. And when the movie finished, my main thought was “I need more of this.”
The anime’s current pacing doesn’t leave much room for side characters to get screen time. Even now that the light novels concluded, there’s simply too much material to adapt. Tears of the Azure Sea demonstrated that we can still get excited by the carefree adventures of Rimuru-sama and the rest of the family.
Is this the beginning of a new era of TenSura productions? I hope that’s the case.
We want to extend our thanks to Crunchyroll for giving us the chance to be part of this early screening in Madrid. It was refreshing to watch an anime movie so close to its Japanese release (which has been increasingly more common lately), and to meet up with other TenSura fans.
TenSura Season 4 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
© Taiki Kawakami, Fuse, KODANSHA/ “Ten-Sura” Project
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