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Studio : SoftX
Also involved: J.C. STAFF
Licenced by : Central Park Media
Also involved : FUNimation
Length : 26 Episodes
Year : 1995
Genre : Fantasy - Comedy - Adventure
Synopsis :
Where monsters rampage, she's there to take them down! Where treasure glitters, she's there to claim it! Where an enemy rises to face her, victory is hers!
Who is she? None other than Lina Inverse, the strongest magician around. Driven by food and gold, Lina travels the world with Gourry Gabriev, a top notch swordsman, dealing out justice whenever it's worthwhile.
When Lina attacks, then loots a band of thieves and comes out with a handful of priceless items, she quickly heads toward the nearest town to pawn her treasures. Unfortunately for her, the surviving members of Dragon Fangs have other plans. After Lina rejects their offer to join the gang, they demand the return of their treasures. Enter Gourry, come to save a beautiful woman only to find that Lina's merely a little girl. While he's disappointed, Gourry offers to take Lina home.
Things turn bad for the pair when strange men start following Lina for the items she's unable to sell. Most of the items are normal enough. All of them, that is, save two. So is it the orichalcum statue what they're after or is it the cursed blade? Whatever it is, the problem's serious enough to draw Rezo, the legendary Red Priest, to Lina. There's even talk about the item awakening Shabranigdo, the Darklord.
Additioal Notes: FUNimation obtained the license for Slayers after the expiration of Central Park Media's license.
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : Egeria
Last update : 2007-11-22
Last update details : Seiyuu added
Score : 7.63
Number of reviews : 8
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Megumi Hayashibara - Get Along
Ending #1 : Megumi Hayashibara - Kujikenai Kara
Release(s) :
There are no release available for this anime.
Hits : 6111
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Posted by : MoogleWarrior
Posted on : 2007-04-01 
After every anime I've seen, Slayers is still my favorite.
Story:
This first season is based primarily off of the first and third volumes in the original series of novels. It sticks close to the original story, but takes licenses to flesh it out into a full season, adding in new characters and plot twists. The filler episodes are incredibly well done, and put new twists on fantasy clichés. Despite all the comedy, there is an actual serious storyline that makes you want to keep watching even if you've already seen the series 97,000 times.
Animation:
The animation quality is nothing compared to today's standards, but gorgeous for the early 90's. There are the minor distortions and footage reuses that come with hand-drawn animation, but it's barely noticeable and doesn't detract from the visual quality. The animators did a good job with sticking to the original art style, something many anime series have difficulty with, though one character design has changed for the better.
Characters:
The characters are all awesome, even the annoying ones. Lina, our heroine, is a merchant's daughter turned sorceress with a tendency to attack bandit gangs, and rob 'em blind. Gourry, the sidekick, is an unparalleled swordsman with deadly instincts and zero common sense. Dark Lord Shabranigdu (great name, isn't it?) is pure evil and thrives off pain and anger and despair *shudder*. The list goes on.
Music:
The opening and ending are done by the duet of Megumi Hayashibara and Okui Masami. Anime theme songs are awesome with just one of them singing, and Slayers has both at once. The regular background music fits the series quite well, and my only complaint is that I have yet to find the OST.
Overall:
Slayers has a little bit of everything, without overdosing on anything. The sheer entertainment value is worth at least a 20/10.
Posted by : lazyazz
Posted on : 2005-07-12  
To be honest, I didn't find this series too great. Maybe it's just me but I found the characters amazingly annoying... especially Amelia. I found myself skipping through the parts of the anime where Amelia and her father were around... /shudder @ Prince Philionel.
On the other hand, I found the plot involving enough to keep me motivated in wanting to finish the series. Lina and Gourry were funny enough to make me laugh out loud at times (Lina's obsession with her breast size reminded me of Ed's obsession with his height in FMA). However, I found it quite odd that they killed the big baddie right in the middle of the series... and then had to go about finding another baddie to try to end the series with.
Anyway, all-in-all it was a decent series, though I do like the second part of the trilogy better (Slayers Next).
Posted by : Caireen 
Posted on : 2005-07-11
Slayers is the ultimate "fantasy" anime! You can't ask for much more, comedy, wonderful characters, pretty decent and intriguing storyline, wonderful voice acting, great theme tunes, great ending, and that all adds up to 26 episodes of pure enjoyment pleasure!
Animation: I'm a big fan of mid 1990's anime. I love the character designs from that time and although for modern day standards, some might see Slayers as very dated, in my opinion, this was the period in anime history where animation excelled! and you can date an anime from this time, just by looking at the animation style and character design!
Being a fantasy anime based in a fictional world, allows for more interesting character design and nothing is too ridiculous.
Zelgadis' design is wonderful, as are the other strange beings in the world (except maybe the fish men, they're just a little too odd *lol*).
The colours used are bright and vivid and very fluid, with just the odd "ugly" moment, where the characters look a little distorted. There is of course reuse of action scenes (I mean, how many times should one spell shot be redone! Once is enough). The backgrounds, however, are extremely well detailed, as are the action scenes and numerous explosions from the magic spells!
Sound: There is nothing sung by Megumi Hayashibara that I haven't enjoyed listening to and Slayers is no exception! Both the op & ed themes are wonderful, upbeat and catchy (but even after 26 episodes, I still didn't have the lyrics down to pat *sob*). I just have to sing along, you can't help it!
The BGM is rather nice as well, there's a particular little piece of music used when the characters are entering somewhere new, it's got a medieval feel to it and it's very haunting.
The voice acting is way above par! I love listening to Hikaru Midorikawa in any role, and he plays Zelgadis perfectly. The only complaint I have is the "evil laugh" of Eris, it sounded to fake and not the least bit convincing! but I guess that's one little fault that can be overlooked!
Story: Not bad at all!
It's a tale of Lina Inverse and her never ending quest for money! The whole plot unfolds after she has robbed some bandits of their loot and mixed in with that loot is something rather special, that a whole ton of different people seem to want to get their hands on!
Even for it's time, Slayers is infact a reasonably original story. It could be the fact it's based in a fictional land, so anything goes! but the intrigue behind the stolen loot will have you engrossed in the tale straight away.
The story is broken down into 3 parts. The first deals with the problems Lina and Gourry have in fighting off the "nasties" that come after them, trying to get hold of the treasure they have. The middle section is a little more light hearted and has some very comical moments in it, including the appearance of Amelia and her not so princely father! The final chapter covers the rebirth of a second demon lord, even more evil than the first.
The comedy eliments of the show will have you grinning from ear to ear and there are some more serious moments, that infact are very sad and emotional, but above all, the storyline is very entertaining and engrossing.
Characters: You can't really fault any of the characters, they're all so wonderful!
Lina: She's wacky, hot headed, short tempered and actually a little shy! Her passion for food and money are her only driving forces! She's very funny and sweet and really doesn't know how to deal with her feelings for Gourry, which makes her all the more endearing.
Gourry: Jellyfish brains and Yoghurt head (Lina's terms of endearment for him!). He really is very simpleminded, with a memory span of a goldfish, he's also very sweet and pretty naive. He comes into his own though, as soon as a sword is in his hands. I don't actually think he's even aware he has feelings for Lina, which is very sweet!
Zelgadis: I adore him - he's yummy ^_^ Can't say exactly why I like him so much, I mean he's 1/3rd human, 1/3rd golem and 1/3rd demon, but it all adds up to one extremely gorgeous character!! His driving force is finding a way to change himself back to being all human and while he is fond of all his friends, you know he would betray them in an instant, if the opposing side offered him a cure. Even so, I think he's wonderful.
Amelia: she's sweet, but a little annoying at times! She's very clumsy and her acts of "Justice" can be quite amusing (especially when she decides to climb a tree before announcing her presence!).
Rezo: the Red Priest. I felt quite sorry for him throughout the whole show. Being able to cure everyone but yourself, that must have been an awful thing to live with and I felt even more sorry for the "copy" Rezo, and even shed a tear for him.
The rest of the characters are just as wonderul and interesting from Zolf "the Mummy Man" to Sylphiel, the sweet young girl who fell in love with Gourry (her flame arrow attack has got to be the lamest move in anime *lol*).
Overall Enjoyment: This is the first time I have reviewed Slayers but the 4th time I have watched it! It's still just as enjoyable as at any other time I have watched it.
The English language version is also very enjoyable and a really good job was done of finding appropriate voice actors (the VAs you might recognise from Pokemon, Brock, Misty etc, actually did Slayers first, and I'm not sure which is more amusing, Brock sounding like Gourry or Gourry sounding like Brock!).
Overall, Slayers is very entertaining, has a very conclusive ending, (you could stop there, but I would suggest you watch Next and Try as well!) and is totally rewatchable.
It should have a wide appeal, as there are numerous aspects to it that many people should enjoy.
Posted by : glidedream
Posted on : 2005-06-20
I actually like the original series the least out of the three seasons, but of course you have to watch it to understand the rest. I just feel that the progression of the story is a little out of order. They beat the main boss halfway through, and from there I think it just goes downhill. The show tinkers with romance, but doesn't go anywhere on that front, and ends up being a big action fest with a lot of humor thrown in. I do admit that I get a kick out of the fight scenes with Amelia and her dad talking about justice, but those are in the other series' as well.
The characters are definitely a strong point of this anime. It's easy to really like any of the main four characters, and a lot of the side characters are really interesting as well. Gourry's stupidity, Lina's lack of tact and brashness, Zelgadis' stone cold character to match his image, and Amelia's hyperactive personality form a cast that has a lot of chemistry. The villains seem pretty shallow and standard, but there is some good introspection on some of their themes like Rezo's blindness.
The voice acting is very high quality, the animation is good if not great, and the sound effects are really quite good. Slayers is pretty cool, despite being kind of shallow. Megumi Hayashibara's singing sure doesn't hurt though.
Posted by : baboonbutte
Posted on : 2005-05-02
aah~ slayers is lovely^.^
just finished watching it, I remembered when I watched it when I was very small and I liked it. Now that I have re-watched it, I understand the story! hehe~
Well, it is an old anime, but it has funny bits in every single episode! Lina is very bossy and loves to eat and Gourry is an air-head but excellent swordsman.. and again, loves to eat. It's funny how they fight and how other randomly characters like King Phil are used! hahah~
The story basically starts when they had 'wanted' posters up... and bounty-hunters start chasing after them... the story ends alright, it's not a cliff-hanger (which I hate) and I LOVE THE OPENING SONG!! hahah~
Never listened to the ending song.. but I liked the drawings of the characters as well.. hehe
Posted by : Tevesh
Posted on : 2005-04-16
I really liked Slayers, because it walked the fine line of having a plot and being a repeating Saturday Morning Cartoon. The repetitiveness of Slayers is good for watching without thinking, but is what inevitably drags the series to mediocre. The plot itself is also repetitive, but all these circular actions allow the comedy to shine.
You won't be watching Slayers for drama or action, but comedy. They take the stereotypes of fantasy, and parody them to the extreme.
The fighter is more than all brawn but no brains, because he seems to lack any intelligence. He'll forget people who he has fought before, and does not even know basic things like what "that time of the month" means to a woman.
Lina Inverse is the prodigal sorcereress, who can't help fling fireballs the size of nukes. She'll do anything for money, because money buys food. She's lean and mean, with an appetite that rivals a dragon, and the series makes fun of her small breasts.
The laughs are what makes Slayers better than average, but the series is otherwise too shallow to be awarded anything higher than above average.
Posted by : PolyGuru
Posted on : 2005-04-06
This anime very much reminds me of the afternoon cartoons that I used to watch at home once I got back from school. They were funny, light, had loads of action and the villain was never really scary. Great stuff if you wish to unwind and relax.
At times I felt this anime played like an RPG. It has sorceress, wizards, priest, clerics, warriors, knights and heroes. If that was not enough there is a prince thrown in for good measure! The main characters are Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev who are aptly supported by Zelgadis, Amelia and Sylpheel.
Lina is a teenage genius sorceress with an eye for treasure and an able warrior with the most misunderstood, infamous, and notorious image of a bandit killer there is! She really should try hiring public relations representatives to improve her image but then again, with her knack for getting into trouble, I guess that would be of no help at all.
Gourry Gabriev is your typical warrior of all brawn and no brain. He is a master swordsman and the direct descendant of the original owner and current bearer of the powerful Sword of Light.
They meet conveniently as the knight in shining armor trying to rescue his damsel in distress. The relationship between the two then progress to that of a big strong brother looking out for his younger more intelligent sister. However, things start to develop between the two as there are hints of romantic interest, though it is never fully developed or explored.
The biggest asset of this series is its humor. It always had me laughing at each episode.
The story is very simple and for the most part can be divided into two arcs. The first is against Rezo the Priest and the second against Copy Rezo the Priest.
The music, animation and fight sequences are average. They neither annoy nor make you go "Wow!"
I enjoyed watching this for what it was. It never once took itself seriously and hence neither did I. Recommended if you have some spare time or simply want to laugh after a hard day.
Posted by : Egeria
Posted on : 2004-08-13
Story
*******
Where monsters rampage, she's there to take them down! Where treasure glitters, she's there to claim it! Where an enemy rises to face her, victory is hers!
Who is she? None other than Lina Inverse, the strongest magician around. Driven by food and gold, Lina travels the world with Gourry Gabriev, a top notch swordsman, dealing out justice whenever it's worthwhile.
When Lina attacks, then loots a band of thieves and comes out with a handful of priceless items, she quickly heads toward the nearest town to pawn her treasures. Unfortunately for her, the surviving members of Dragon Fangs have other plans. After Lina rejects their offer to join the gang, they demand the return of their treasures. Enter Gourry, come to save a beautiful woman only to find that Lina's merely a little girl. While he's disappointed, Gourry offers to take Lina home.
Things turn bad for the pair when strange men start following Lina for the items she's unable to sell. Most of the items are normal enough. All of them, that is, save two. So is it the orichalcum statue what they're after or is it the cursed blade? Whatever it is, the problem's serious enough to draw Rezo, the legendary Red Priest, to Lina. There's even talk about the item awakening Shabranigdo, the Darklord.
Sights
*******
Graphics were pretty typical. As a cleaned up version of the older anime, the character design is a bit strange when compared with current standards.
Sounds
*******
The music was okay, nothing really special. There weren't any songs that were especially memorable.
Opinion
*******
The Slayers is a very funny show. Character development was done very thoroughly as each and every character have their own distinct personality. The other characters who join Lina's little party from time to time include Zelgadis, the quiet, cool character who develops a tolerance for Lina and Gourry's primitive nature; Amelia the very vocal princess fighting for justice, or at least her version of it; and Sylphiel, the soft spoken priestess who needs some serious magic training. Finally, there's the golden pair. Lina is violent and gutsy but she's also strong and clever while her partner Gourry, serves as a sharp contrast. Gourry, my favorite character, is innocent and plays the absolute extreme role of a basher. From short term memory to turtle speed learning, Gourry, the blond swordsman, is one ditzy character. As for the ending, everything is neatly wrapped up with just enough space for sequels.
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