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(More customer reviews)"Slayers" is one of my all-time favorite animated series and the best of the sizeable anime fantasy/comedy genre. It's packed with action, adventure, bizarre characters, magic, monsters, and all the goofy humor one could ever want. Lina Inverse is the ultimate anime anti-heroine: a greedy, bad-tempered yet adorable genius sorceress who has made a career out of stealing from bandits.
The series' opening salvo is an absolute classic and will tell you right away whether or not this show is for you. The first episode has Lina-chan up to her usual business when she meets up with a dumb-as-a-box-of-hammers swordsman named Gourry. The two wind up "saving" a village from a dragon (if blowing half of the town apart can qualify as saving it) who insults our heroine and new companion by stepping over them "like two pieces of..." rather than squashing them. As many Slayers adventures do, the episode ends with Lina being run out of town by angry villagers. Is it really poor Lina-chan's fault that her spells are a bit overpowered and discretion is not in her vocabulary? Okay yes, but you've gotta love her anyways. One of my favorite episodes of any television show ever.
"Slayers" is a show with several arcs in a given season. The pacing is usual spot-on with each story building up to a climax, but not taking too long to do so. A few comedic standalone episodes are thrown in and then the next story begins. After some misunderstandings Lina finds herself tutoring a good-two-shoes princess, Amelia, who wishes to use Lina's ultimate technique, the atom-bombish Dragon Slave, to enforce her kooky idea of justice. Amelia's bizzare behavior proves to be a comedic centerpiece of the series and her magical abilites come in handy as well. The primary cast is completed once the first villain, Zelgadis, enters the fray. Zel is a chimera with rock hard skin, wicked combat skills both magical and as a swordsman, and a big chip on his shoulder. He's also a fan favorite. The supporting cast is also strong, but work best in small doses. White magician Sylphiel proves to be one of the series' stronger characters and her interest in Gourry and soft-spoken demeanor make her an interesting fit with Lina's rowdy band of stooges.
As Lina and her band move further and further up the villain ladder, the series really begins to excel at combining it's elements. The show can switch effortlessly from slapstick comedy to serious plot-driven drama and back again without the two detracting from one another. Can you feel the tension in the epic confrontations aganst impossible odds as Lina pushes herself to the limit for the sake of all humanity? Yes. Will you still laugh yourself silly at the chicken-toting henchman dressed up as Col. Sanders luring our starving heroes into a trap using 11 herbs and spices? God, yes. Are Gourry's overly dramatic cries of "SYLPHIEEEEELLLL!!!!" both ridiculous and somehow touching? Mmm hmmm.
I can honestly say there is nothing else quite like this show. It knows it's niche and it rarely stretches beyond it's comfort zone, relying on recurring gags and goofy character-driven humor along with epic confrontations and storylines that should keep fantasy fans interested throughout. The English dub has a lot of personality and jokes added into it and, as expected, the Japanese language track is a hoot as well. There are two more 5-star seasons of this wonderful television series available ("Slayers Next" and "Slayers Try") as well as a feature film and several OVA's which chronicle Lina's days before meeting Gourry. Those are fun as well and feature better quality animation, but the three seasons of the television series are the absolute must-owns. Personally, I own all of the original, pricier "Slayers" releases and THAT, my friends, is a whole lot of my time and money I've spent on this series. These new releases are remastered, the price is magnificent, the show is awesome, I love it. Fantasy fans must not go without; buy it.
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