[.ca] The Slayers Next DVD Collection

Model middlebrow anime series w/ great cast. Amelia rules.:
Slayers is a proven crowd-pleaser with a worldwide fan base. The franchise has extended to three full seasons of TV plus several films and OVA releases. By popular consensus, this second season is Slayers at its best. The show wins because of its enjoyable group of four central characters: Lina the mercurial and mercenary teenaged sorceress, Gourry her good-natured but thick-headed protector, Zelgadis the reserved and melancholic stone-skinned "chimera", and little Amelia the hyper-earnest and idealistic magic-using princess, who is my favorite character. Some interesting relationships criss-cross the group. There's an awkward but acknowledged romantic attraction between Lina and Gourry (he's too good for her, in my view), and a quieter, but not entirely one-sided thing between Amelia and Zelgadis (cute couple; he'll come around sooner or later). To this mix, add Xelloss the enigmatic "priest" who follows the group around. A great character: amusing, yet the writers never let you forget his dangerous side. And Martina, the addled former princess who has a vendetta against Lina for blowing up her kingdom. This is one tightly written season. Not everything the writers do is great (I'm not a fan of anime slapstick) but they always keep things moving, even in the comic "filler" episodes. The dramatic arc of the last seven episodes leading to the final showdown is compelling. The voice cast is awesome! I mean the original Japanese cast; the English dub here is weak and not worth your time. What a difference good actors make. If you really squint and just pay attention to the character of Lina as scripted, she isn't all that likeable, though I admit she can be counted on to do the right thing in a crisis. The real reason so many fans love Lina, I think, is because of the exuberant portrayal given by Megumi Hayashibara, the most famous anime voice actress in Japan. (Hayashibara-san is the bomb. If you ever doubt just how versatile her talent is, reflect on this: Rei Ayanami from _Evangelion_ and Lina Inverse are the same person! And she sings. Just the other day I was enjoying her clever, limber-tongued single "Koibumi" from a recent anime series. If you hate Hollywood as I do, it's a comfort to be reminded that there are full-fledged stars out there in the world like M.H. who owe nothing to the U.S. media cabal.) Speaking of singing, the Slayers Next opening song, "Give a Reason," ranks among the most rousing anime themes ever. I almost gave the series five stars purely based on the lift you get from hearing it before each episode. Hayashibara-san sings it and wrote the lyrics. This series has some faults. The animation isn't any better than it needs to be, except for the last two episodes. It's very consistent, though, and the big-eyed "romantic comedy" style fits the series well. I already mentioned I'm no fan of the slapstick: maybe it's a cultural thing, but I don't think it's funny to watch people smack around their friends. But there's plenty of fun visual and verbal wackiness to make up for it, like the exaggerated "action sequences" that Amelia runs through when declaiming her latest imprecations against the enemies of righteousness! Some of the dialogue and reactions are also a little broad for my tastes; this is a middlebrow anime pitched at a wide audience. Lina, finally, is just not quite as cool as the series and the Slayers fan base make her out to be, and occasionally gets on my nerves. But she's still pretty cool. And her three companions are great. Well worth buying.

Top of the Line Swords & Sorcery:
The whole of the Slayers series is built to be more fun and funny than any other anime series that actually involves a plot. Slayers Next (season 2) is the fulfillment of that goal, with infinitely more character development than the original series (season 1) and a far more even storytelling keel than Slayers Try (season 3). The end of the Next storyline is powerful and beautiful without disrupting the flow of the world-building. Their silly "we need to take a break from the drama" episodes in the middle of the series are, as mentioned, fairly even-keeled and continue to flesh out the characters (unlike those in Slayers Try, which were fun and silly, but little else). This isn't to say that the rest of the Slayers stock is bad -- it's not, they're a whole lot of fun -- it's just that Slayers Next is the best what the Slayers universe has to offer. Of course, I'm also of the opinion that Slayers Next is the overall single best season of anime available on DVD, perfectly blending character consistency, Camus-style existentialism (which is quite intense in Slayers Try), comedy and action -- even beating out the also-fantastic but not-quite-as-satisfying Trigun. (I also enjoyed Cowboy Bebop and Love Hina; Lain defies comparisons to any type of comprehensible anime, but it's still quite respectable.)

This is great but the sound is kinda bad.:
I love Slayers!!! The story is great, the fighting is great, but i have one problem and that's the sound. For example their's a guy walking down a hall right while the foot steps sounds get their before the guy's feet touch the ground!!!! That's a bad thing people!!! And another thing is when Lina is talking her mouth this moving and she isn't talking!!!! But other than a few sound problems this's a fun box set.

The very best of the Slayers. A must-see!:
Slayers rules! This 26-episode DVD gift set is the pinacle of the series, and anime fans have to see this series which is pure gold! Even if you haven't seen the first season(like me), the current one is pretty easy to follow. This season also introduces Xellos, mysterious priest(mysterious ally is more like it), who comes in at different times to aid Lina and the group. Martina, an annoying rival for Lina, also shows up. She's a pain, but you can get used to her. This series is mostly episodic with a few fillers in between. It has a great blend of comedy, fantasy, action, romance, drama, and even has a muscial number or two thrown in for good measure. This is a great TV series, and fans have to see it to see the best adventures of Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia.

The Slayers are back!:
Slayers Next is the second of three Slayers series, and is the best in the eyes of most fans. It has something for nearly everyone: comedy, action, romance, mystery, suspense... the list goes on. I won't go on forever as to why I like the series or what it is about, as most of the other reviewers have also done so. I'm reviewing (for the most part) the DVDs themselves. Audio: -Japanese: This time around, Software Sculptors did not make any sound errors, like they did with the first Slayers boxset. The audio is in stereo and it sounds as it's supposed to. The voice acting is magnificent, with some very well known seiyuu such as Megumi Hayashibara and Hikaru Midorikawa lending their voices to main characters. -English: Slayers has been known for being one of the few anime that actually has a tolerable dub. This holds true for Next, as the voice acting is more polished than in the first series. A lot of fans are turned away by David Moo's interpretation of Xelloss, as well as the voice given to Hellmaster Phibrizzo. In my case, I saw the dub before I saw the original, and as a result I'm used to the strange voices. Video: The transfer quality is not as good as the remastered first boxset. On many episodes, the animation looks blurry and washed-out. Slayers is not a big-budget series to begin with, but I think Software Sculptors could have done a better job here. Menus: The menus are simple and easy to navigate. There is no music playing in the background. Extras: Of all the extras listed, the best feature is the video interview with a few of the dub voice actors (Lisa Ortiz, Crispin Freeman, and Veronica Taylor). It's interesting to hear their interpretations of the series and the characters that they play. The sketch gallery is nothing special, and the graphic novel page is basically an advertisment for the Medieval Mayhem manga. You can't even read the words. I don't have a DVD-ROM, so I don't know about those features. Content: In my opinion, this is the most well-rounded series of Slayers. It has a good amount of both comedy and drama to satisfy anyone. The relationship between Lina and Gourry progresses and becomes a recurring subplot that kind of has the effect of creeping up on you as the series progresses. The ending is definitely one of the best and most memorable finales in all of anime. Here's how the series goes, plot-wise. Episodes 1 and 2 introduce the new main characters of Martina and Xelloss. These characters are important and their roles change dramatically as the series progresses. Episodes 3-5 involve a conspiracy in Atlas City where a deranged man is killing people for immortality research. The ending to this subplot is rather tragic, when we find out what his motive was. Episodes 6 and 7 are "filler episodes," and they are, of course, hilarious. Episodes 8-13 involve a plot in Saillune to assasinate Prince Phil and capture the throne. This is the only part in the series that seems to drag on. There are a couple episodes that, while still entertaining, tend to have a little too much battle action (a la Dragonball Z). Episodes 14-17 are more filler episodes. Again, Slayers continues to see how far it can go with outrageous parodies and stunts. Episode 17 is, of course, a crossdressing episode. Episodes 18-26 are when all the subplots of the series get woven together so that everything begins to make sense. Phibrizzo wants Lina for a certain task, and Gaav wants to destroy her so that the task isn't performed. This is, in my opinion, the best of Slayers. A few old characters from the first series even make cameos. The climax of the story is absolutely magnificent. It can make you go from sad to happy to sad again in a matter of minutes. I cannot recommend this series enough. This boxset is a must-have for not just anime fans, but anyone who has a sense of humor and likes an epic storyline. This is entertainment that can appeal to people of all ages and cultures. You don't even need to see any of the other Slayers anime to enjoy this wonderful series. Despite the mediocre DVD quality, I have to give Slayers Next five stars. If I could, I would give it more.