Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken: Clayman Revenge
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Clayman's Revenge

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

One of the surprisingly better "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" spin-offs, might even be the best.

"Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken: Clayman Revenge" continues off of where Clayman was killed by Rimuru. However, Clayman awakes to find himself several decades before his death (70 years) and discovers that he's in a limited time-loop due to an ability (it is unclear if it's his or someone else's). So he quickly devises long-term plans to avoid incurring Rimuru's wrath and ultimately avoid his death.

Now this might sound like one of those many "Villainous Isekai" mangas out there right now (which it kind of is) but ... this came out before the trend and is far better paced with much better characters!

This spin-off, in my honest opinion, might be better than the main manga (and light novel) itself and is far more enjoyable.

Clayman already has his established entourage of characters both previously shown up in the main story and those who has not appeared yet. All of them are much more likeable, adorkable, and lighthearted compared to their appearance 70 years later during the main manga. Clayman himself is lot more relaxed and lighthearted compared to his more arrogant, scheming future self as well (there is a reason for that as it's very quickly hinted at early on in this manga and will later be revealed in the main story).

Clayman's main plan is to simply build up strength, not just his strength but his subordinates as well. During this time, he interacts with and recruits many characters some of which are characters that he would later associate with or even ancestors/parents of future characters. Potentially changing future events towards his favor.

And with that, this spin-off is already doing much better in 'building-up' Clayman's army and nation than Rimuru ever did in the main manga as it's spread out with minor time-skips and natural planning and interactions with other characters to work in Clayman's favor. Rimuru on the other hand gets handed victories, powers, & people left and right just through brute-force & unrealistic generosity and all of Rimuru's interactions are basically "I'm a nice guy, work with me!" (Clayman does this to some extent as well) and all of that happens in a very short span of time.

LN readers already know but it's a clear case of quality story-telling difference in writers as Fuse isn't writing this spin-off, it's Wataru Kajika.

As the main manga continues to falter and lose momentum, this spin-off continues to reel me back in and I hope it continues to keep me engaged with all the fun characters it keeps pulling in and the promise of a much better future for Clayman.

Fair warning to anyone even remotely curious about this manga; This is a side story to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and requires that readers have caught up to at least chapter 85 of the manga. If you haven't done that yet, get on it! It's one of the better isekai stories out there (but then again, if you're here you might have already known that). The story has barely gotten anywhere yet, but there is a possibility that other characters, events, or identities will be further spoiled as the manga progresses.

With that out of the way, let's get into it. The ... story focuses on Clayman, one of the antagonists from Reincarnated as a Slime, who discovers that he has obtained a reincarnation skill at some point prior to his first death. Thanks to this, he was able to 'reset' his life to exactly 70 years ago, before starting the vast majority of his sinister plans for world domination that would ultimately be thwarted by a "lowly" slime. This is no longer Rimuru's story, but Clayman's, as our new protagonist gives world domination another try with the power of caring and friendship.

I honestly don't know what to make of this story. Everything we were ever shown of Clayman (at least in the manga) showed him as an irredeemable, contemptable manipulator who saw his subordinates as nothing but throwaway pawns. He was practically made to be hated and I loved hating him. I've already seen a number of villain reincarnation stories (mostly otome game-based villainess stories like Tearmoon Empire Story, which bears the strongest resemblance to this btw). The difference with those stories is that they don't often go into the villains crimes as extensively as Clayman's. Normally that lack of context gives the reader some flexibility for forgiveness. I personally didn't want this guy to get a 2nd chance, and he got THREE thanks to his skill! (the second chance was wasted as he shrugged the first death off as a bad dream . . . 70 years btw). I don't know enough of Clayman's character to say he had any humanity in the first place. I can't sympathize with his motivations for revenge because I didn't know his master Kazalim. The strange thing is, even Clayman himself doesn't remember when he lost his humanity. If I didn't know any better, I'd say some other hero reincarnated into his body and merged memories to maintain some semblance of his old character. At least that would explain how goofy he acts in this spinoff. Clayman was always one of the weakest demon lords, relying on his superior strategist skills to conduct multiple operations at once. Now he acts a bit out of character, mostly making choices based on whether they won't piss off Rimuru in the future. The comedy comes mostly from Clayman's minions who, so far, do about as good a job of it as members of Rimuru's team. So I guess if you want to see more territory development and leveling up, but with a less OP protagonist, this might work for you.

Gripes aside, readers certainly need to set aside such dissections and misgivings if they are to have any enjoyment from this. It's easier on yourself if you just view this like the Grinch whose heart grew a size or two after going a few rounds with Bill Murry in Groundhog Day. So far though, the funniest thing about this is that it's a villainess reincarnation stuffed into a reincarnation isekai, and I honestly can't tell you what that combo meal tastes like. Will Clayman actually change his future? Will doing so change Rimuru's future making the main story utterly pointless? (probably not). But that's the main reason why you shouldn't take this too seriously and just enjoy team Clayman for all their antics. I'm tentatively recommending this for now because it has me curious.