Baka Recommends: Slayers

This one comes about a bit late, as I intended to make this a weekly thing and the last one was posted on Friday. Alas, things don't always go like clockwork.

Anyhow, today I'm going to once again ramble on about a classic series that has been heavily impacted on myself (and my wallet). And just in case you hadn't yet read the title of this post and were still clueless, this time I'm talking about Slayers.

Slayers is an action comedy set in a fantastical world of monsters and magic. It's archetypal Dungeons and Dragons, Lord of the Rings, and heck, just about any roleplaying game. If I were to start rambling on about ways to mask a magical object from detection by projecting its physical presence into the ethereal plane from the astral and you not only just understood it, but it piqued your interest, chances are that Slayers is right up your alley. In short, Slayers is the epitome of traditional fantasy imagined in the Japanese art form. Others will disagree - many I'm sure supporting works such as Record of Lodoss War or Escaflowne - but at the purest level, nothing in my opinion has truly reached the level of depth Slayers has.

Hajime Kanzaka has crafted a world of vivid characters and fantastical locations, but the biggest draw I would say are the "Dark Lords", powerful beings of an evil nature whose influence is always felt, despite the fact that they are most often delegated to the backdrop. Their influence is more readily conceived and carried out by their followers, creatures of great negative energy, a race known as the Mazoku. The conflict of the dark lords against the virtues of the world (and against each other when opportunities arise to usurp more power) is almost always hinged on the heroic actions of the underestimated mortal humans. Fairly cliche, many times predictable, but enjoyable to see unraveled in excellent form.

For the casual viewer, Slayers is about the fiery, self-serving, but ultimately noble sorceress Lina Inverse. Powerful yet fallible, she is a charismatic antagonist that brims with energy and easily drives the story. In the original works, everything is told from Lina's first person perspective. Whether driven by riches, power, or simply saving her own skin, Lina isn't a clearcut case of pure white morals, but when the chips are down, she has the serious drive and perseverance to fight for what is right.

Depending on what era of her life you are following Lina is either teamed up with Naga, a buxom sorceress who sort of presents a mirrored foil of miss Inverse herself, or a ragtag group of adventurers that most notably includes Gourry, an incredible swordsman with the brains of a jellyfish, Zelgadis, a brooding human-golem-demon hybrid with shamanistic powers, and Amelia, a princess-priestess with an insatiable drive to promote justice wherever she treads.

Whichever time period you visit, you are bound to run into humor that runs on overbearing gags and slapstick routines. Some of the stuff presented is so off the wall, it's nigh impossible not to crack a giggle. Yet beyond the current gag is another involving storyline that forces the cast to buckle down and get serious.

If you dig fantasy and enjoy a light-hearted take on it without having to worry about any investment into a larger story scale, I recommend checking out the Slayers OVA one shots. Slayers Collection, Vol. 2: OVA Collection conveniently collects both releases for the price of one.

If you dig fantasy and enjoy a light-hearted take on it that also throws in an engaging story, I recommend the main branch of Slayers - that is, the television series. I find this to be the best overall basket of Slayers goodies.

If you want the complete epic as I personally recommend it, collect the following:
The Slayers - The Complete First Season
Slayers Next - The Complete Second Season
Slayers Collection, Vol. 2: OVA Collection

All the collections were recently re-released and are currently at amazing prices on venues such as Amazon.

If you're looking for the best bang for buck, I would recommend looking at The Slayers - The Complete First Season as your single purchase. It presents the most cohesive and enjoyable story arc in the animated form thus far. Slayers Next would also be a fine recommendation, but the original edges it out in terms of setting and story flow.

I can only recommend the movie collection and Slayers Try to the most dedicated of Slayers fans. The movies lack the overall charm of the series and just seem to drag on after the first half hour each (although Premium is the exception, likely due to its short length in comparison), and Try feels too much like filler that bridges the gap between Next, Kanzaka's other venture (Lost Universe), and the newly aired Slayers Revolution.

The available manga adaptations are decent, but you will find cover the same ground already presented in the anime.

The original novels, of which a number have been translated by Tokyopop, are worthwhile reads for fans of the series. They're not just entertaining, but fun to read pieces. Here's hoping the remaining volumes make it out of limbo and onto T-Pop's offerings - they stopped just as we were about to get to the new story portions that haven't been retold!

Swords, magic, demons, and a race of gigantic fish people. What are you waiting for?

 

Yay, I got one!
Heh, in all

Yay, I got one!

Heh, in all seriousness, Slayers is a classic. It has held my #2 anime spot for a very long time and shows little signs of giving up that position.