Before we discuss the story, the characters, and how the movie adds/subtracts from the Slime franchise, we need to point out the obvious. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond is a testament to how incredible studio 8bit’s animation can really be. From the opening ten minutes to the later battles, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond is beyond what we’ve seen the series do and equally proves that anime movies can go further than what we’d expect.

The character models are extremely detailed, the special effects will no doubt give you goosebumps and the settings are incredibly detailed to the point we sometimes just gawked at the various locations and how deep they looked. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond is visually superb and you won’t want to blink even once while watching this nearly 2-hour movie.

Pretty early on you’ll learn that Hiiro isn’t some random ogre thrown into That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime storyline but actually has connections with the more popular characters of the show, Benimaru, and his ogre pals! Remember in the first season Benimaru, Shion, Hakurou, Shuna, and Souei’s village was obliterated by the orcs being controlled? Well, Hiiro was apparently one of the ogres from that village and there is a deeper connection than what you’d expect. It is important to note they aren’t OBVIOUSLY brothers—as the entire group calls him that—but they were friends and have known each other for quite a while.

There are further story bits to their relationship and why Hiiro originally left but that would be spoiling a big element of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond. Just note that Hiiro’s story—and those around him—will be occasionally shocking and quite intriguing.

Hiiro doesn’t waste much time showing he is no slouch in combat even before he was granted his name. Fighting against Geld, which we didn’t expect Geld to still be able to fight as he does, and battling in his altered state were some of the highlights of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond, without a doubt! Towa doesn’t get a lot of air time—for reasons we can’t say but become apparent early on—but we found ourselves falling for her nevertheless.

We did feel the new enemy, Lacua, was a bit underwhelming as he is almost comically evil and is almost laughably obvious as the villain, but most of the baddies of the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime are rarely ever deep with their motives/intentions of evil. There is a “true” mastermind that will be revealed near the film’s last section but you’ll have to see for yourself. All you need to really know is we loved the addition of Hiiro/Towa as they fit in the franchise without feeling foreign to the narrative.

If you’re worried that the new introductions in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond would take center stage let us ease your minds. The various favorites like Diablo and even Ragna get their moments of glory whether it’s in a giant battle or when various chase sequences occur. Almost every major character in Slime gets some time to really let loose in Scarlet Bond and that is always a smart move in any anime movie!

We knew that That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond would have a soundtrack to die for as we got to witness some of the talent behind it such as MindaRyn and Stereo Dive Foundation, both of whom we got to hear play during Anime NYC 2022, but wow…hearing this OST still left us shocked. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has never delivered bad songs—the openings and closings are still on repeat for us quite often—which definitely set the bar quite high for Scarlet Bond.

Thankfully, with the wonderful talent of MindaRyn and Stereo Dive Foundation, plus plenty of other talented folks, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond has an OST we need, ASAP. We still don’t know which song is our favorite from the film but we can say there wasn’t a single song in this movie that didn’t have us clapping or singing along with the words!

Yes, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond is a movie which is obvious from what we’ve mentioned a few moments ago—and the title—but we can’t help but think this movie feels less like a film, and more like a really long episode. The way Rimuru saves the day, the new enemy and the “mystery” behind Towa’s illness, and the problems her kingdom faced all are handled in an almost episodic way. That might turn off some viewers but we feel it doesn’t devalue Scarlet Bond in the slightest. A longer episode is just that, a longer episode and while it might make the entire tale a bit too predictable, there are still plenty of surprises in store for Rimuru, Hiiro, and Towa.

It isn’t uncommon to have anime fans or otaku go into an anime movie despite knowing very little about the source material. While That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie - Scarlet Bond isn’t going to be completely foreign to those not caught up with the series, it will be a bit of a head-scratcher as this movie does make mention of plenty of characters that span the first two seasons. Plus, you’ll miss out on the inset jokes from the show like how bad Shion’s cooking is despite her Master Chef title and why Gabiru has his own cheering squad/loyal subjects despite being under Rimuru’s leadership. Again, Scarlet Bond does try to keep the story in an original setting but we doubt you’ll get the full enjoyment of the movie if you aren’t at least semi-caught up with the series/light novels.