Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Well, I reviewed seasons 1 & 2 so here goes. "Slayers Try" is typically viewed as the weakest of the three seasons. This is almost certainly true, but it's still Slayers, which is to say it's awesome. If you're a huge Lina Inverse fan then consider this yet another must-buy. If you're not; well, this season won't change your mind. The story is one that spans the entire season rather than being broken up into smaller arcs as previous seasons were and many supporting characters are left in the dust as our primary heroes travel to parts unknown for this adventure, but the goofy character-driven humor and epic world-in-the-balance confrontations that are the series' calling card are here with bells on. It's slightly flawed, but it's still a must in my book.
The storyline this time out begins with the usual fateful meetings of our four heroes; Lina, Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis. They are quickly swept up in battle as a dragon attacks the city and wind up stranded at sea. The dragon in question turns out to be the newest member of team Inverse: the dragon priestess Filia, sent to fetch Lina for a task of grave importance. This storyline, while occasionally poorly paced, turns out to be quite deep as Lina and company become pawns in a massive, multi-faction feud that spans dimensions and seems to have no right or wrong side. The primary villain is a demon dragon named Gaav who turns out to be quite the tragic figure out to avenge the genocide of his people. This is some pretty deep fare for an anime that prides itself on characters who behave like savages around food and like to blow stuff up. Xellos makes his return with aplomb, but this time he's no friend to Lina's cause. His status as a demon puts him in direct conflict with Filia as dragons and monsters are natural enemies. The show uses this device amusingly to instigate a potential romance (methinks the lady doth protest too much) between the two mutual antagonists.
"Slayers Try" suffers from a definitive lack of the adorable Sylphiel, but Filia really filled the gap for me. Her prim and proper ways make for comedy gold as she hasn't quite mastered her human form and often sprouts a tail when surprised, thus lifting up her robe and well...you get the picture. This awkwardness is milked for further amusement by giving Lina's newest team member an oversized mace and an equally oversized temper with which to use it. Plus, she can turn into a dragon (the bow on her tail is adorable); just not when anyone's looking because, naturally, she loses her clothes in the process and she's a very shy girl.
As I stated before, there are some pacing problems as will happen with series that don't divide the larger stories into smaller ones. This season is broken up only by a flurry of episodes where the team is fragmented and each have a series of moronic standalone adventures. There is some great stuff there, but the one-offs were spread out more evenly and didn't interfere with the larger plots in past seasons while these just don't fit. Even Lina -always the self-referencing type- at one point observes that maybe it's time to quit with the silly stuff and get down to business. The climax impresses, but is again broken up with some inappropriately-timed and redundant humor which causes Filia this time to admonish the writers..err characters to stop screwing around. This self-aware humor helps save for me what brought "Slayers Try" down a notch for some.
All-in-all, chalk this one up as another winner. This new set, like the others, is priced right and is remastered for your viewing pleasure. That doesn't mean you should double-dip because, personally, I wish they'd just put out a higher quality product to begin with and stop torturing we diehard fans with this re-release nonsense. But this review is for the new Slayers fan and if you don't have this series yet, now is the time. This is among my favorite animated comedy series of all time and I can't recommend all three seasons enough to fantasy anime fans.
4 1/2 stars rounded up to escape the wrath of the great Lina Inverse!
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"Slayers is a slice of old school that's worth every penny" -- Play MagazineIn a land far from their own, a band of adventurers stumble into a prophecy and must once again save the world… but at what price? Meet Lina Inverse, a spunky sorceress with a penchant for fire, who enjoys nothing more than liberating the unearned from those less deserving. Teamed up with her not-so-heroic group of friends, this seeker of fame and fortune finds herself the unlikely savior of a story long foretold. To defeat the coming darkness, sacrifice will be asked of them all… And how does one balance the worth of two worlds, when one must be saved at the cost of the other?26 Beautifully Remastered Episodes magically priced for only $39.98!
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