Satoru Mikami, a 37 year old office worker's, life is cut short when he is stabbed in the street... he is then reincarnated in a fantasy world. Here he is a slime, the lowest creature alive, however he has the ability to learn the skill of any creature he devours. He befriends the powerful dragon Veldora, who has been magically sealed away and gives him the name Rimuru Tempest. When Rimuru leaves the cave he meets various beings who he gradually befriends. As the series progresses his status quickly rises, as does that of the creatures he befriends.
There are numerous anime series that feature ordinary people who for one reason or another find themselves in fantasy worlds; most are fairly interchangeable but a few have that something different that makes them stand out... this is one of the latter. The story starts well and Rimuru is a fine central character; he may be very powerful, after gaining many new skills, but he is keen to make friends and forge alliances rather than the usual more confrontational stories. That doesn't mean there is no excitement though; many enemies need to see just how strong he is before they become friends. The series also provides some good laughs and has a general feel-good quality. The animation is impressive as are the character designs. Overall a really fun anime that I'd definitely recommend to fans of the genre; I'm looking forward to season two which is due to air in 2020.
