SLAYERS NEXT
Having already destroyed half the towns in the world, Lina returns to complete the job.
Review by: Craig "Black Dragon" Norris
Length: 26 episodes
Genre: Fantasy, comedy
Watched: 1-26, subbed
Almost immediately after watching and enjoying the first Slayers series, I moved on to the sequel. Knowing from past experience the tendency of sequels to fail miserably in comparison to their predecessors, I was only hoping for something to amuse me to a moderate degree. Instead, I found myself launched headlong into a sequel that holds every bit of magic and majesty as the original.
Plot synopsis: In her never-ending quest for more power, Lina Inverse begins her search for the Clair Bible, a text that contains the most powerful magical spells ever devised. With Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadiss joining her once again, the four travel from place to place in search of these manuscripts. But a mysterious priest named Xelloss is also looking for the texts, and soon the quests erupts into a battle against powerful demons to prevent the destruction of the world.
Artwork: No discernible improvement from the first series, which was a bit disappointing. During the first series I thought it was good enough, but during Slayers Next I thought that so much more could have been done with it. After all, the animators all had a year to practice and get better, right? But in the end, it’s not about the animation, as the gags and drama would have worked just as well with stick figures. Despite being a bit harsh for discerning eyes, the animation gets the job done just fine.
Music: J-pop is the rule with the Slayers franchise. But it’s well done j-pop, so it’s all good. The music all fits and never does any more or less than it’s supposed to. Once again, Megumi Hayashibara demonstrates her vocal diversity by providing Lina’s nasal, claws-on-a-chalkboard voice, then turning around and belting out a theme song that makes the best American Idol contenders sound like they all had tracheotomies. With her on board, it puzzles me as to why the producers would feel the need to hire any other voice actresses; she could voice everybody! Even for someone like me who gets easily jaded by j-pop, I couldn’t help but appreciate the soundtrack quite a bit.
Characters: You can’t have a great anime without great characters, and Slayers Next brought back all our old favorites, plus a few new faces. Lina is just as energetic and cranky as ever, Gourry’s skull may be even thicker than before, Amelia still overzealously crusades for justice, and Zelgadiss’ sense of humor is still a no-show. But the new faces are every bit as entertaining. Xelloss is a mysterious character, whose alliances and agenda are known only to him. His countenance can change in the blink of an eye, and prefers not to get on anyone’s bad side just so he can keep his option’s open. He’s so enigmatic and hard to figure out that it’s impossible not to like him. You think you know him, then WHAM, he throws you another curveball. Martina is a spoiled sorceress wannabe who wants to get her revenge on Lina for destroying her castle. She’s totally inept, and worships a demon that she just made up one day. She also has a bad habit of getting crushes on almost all the male characters. There are other characters, old and new, but have fairly limited screen time. But keep your eyes open; you might just see someone you know.
Plot: The plot for Slayers Next has an even more epic feel than the first one. And it’s also got plenty of the same humor that made its predecessor so successful. The format is semi-episodic, with the main story line interspersed with lots of entertaining filler. As far as actual plot content, it far outdistances Slayers, and it all gets pulled off using the same successful formula. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
CHICKS!: Lina and Amelia return for the show’s entire run, and Sylphiel shows up for a few episodes at the end. They still hold the same appeal they did before. Lina is still the kind of girl who grabs life by the balls and doesn’t let go until she gets what she wants. If anything, she’s even more power- and money-hungry than she was before. Her body has developed a tiny bit, but unfortunately, so has Amelia’s, and she can’t compete with the younger sorceress’ breast size. Amelia appears to have matured a little since the end of Slayers, but she still exhibits much youthful exuberance and naivete. Sylphiel is still demure but noble, and very nubile. Plus, she seems to have conceded to the fact that she can’t compete with Lina to win Gourry. Meaning... she’s available! Happy happy, joy joy! As for Martina, well, being a match for her means that you’d better have a lot of patience. Otherwise, her screwball antics will undoubtedly wear on you after a short while. Unless watching someone try her hardest and repeatedly fall flat on her face amuses you. But she’s got a very nice figure, so it’s not a total loss. Overall I’d have to place the total chick quality as mediocre, as the personalities are so over-the-top that it’s impossible to relate to anyone. Still nice to look at, though.
Overall: A sequel far exceeded my expectations! I think that just about says it all, don’t you? For anyone who was enamored with Slayers, Slayers Next is sure not to disappoint. It still packs the same energy and dynamics, while presenting more in the way of both comedy and drama. I find it hard to believe that anyone would not be highly entertained by it. Even if all you like are big explosions and breast jokes, you owe it to yourself to watch Slayers Next.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Great plot
+ Great characters
+ High energy
- No improvement in animation
Rating: 9/10
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