Product Details

• Actors: Megumi Hayashibara, Maria Kawamura, Brad Atwell, David Bell, Bryan Bounds
• Directors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Kazuo Yamazaki
• Writers: Kazuo Yamazaki, Hajime Kanzaka
• Producers: Tomoko Kawasaki, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, Tôru Suzuki
• Format: Animated, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Section 23
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 63 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630502166X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,147 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This very silly feature centers on sorceress Lina Inverse and her greatest and closest rival, Nahga the Serpent, who use their magical powers to zap anyone who annoys them. Two discount tickets take the heroines to the mist-shrouded Island of Mipross, where they take on a mysterious jellyfish cult, a sinister hypnotist, and a pickpocket.

Lina's dreams lead her into the conflict between the ancient sage, Rowdy, and the demon Joyrock, who has one of the most grating laughs in recent anime. The battle escalates into a weird war that unsuccessfully blends slapstick comedy with grisly images that recall Night of the Living Dead. The plot grows even more convoluted when Lina travels back in time to battle Joyrock before he destroyed an elfin village and absorbed their power. The outcome of their struggle changes the future and the present.

Her hot temper and inordinate love of food mark Lina as a typical anime outrageous girl, although she serves as the butt of a lot of jokes about her height and "amazingly small breasts." The rather dim, overly endowed Nahga runs around in minuscule leather outfits borrowed from Boris Vallejo paintings. It's all extremely silly--and certainly not PC. (Ages 13 and older for violence, occasional profanity, and sexual humor) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "So we meet again for the first time", December 12, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Every reviewer is subject to certain embarrassing moments when they are solemnly reading or watching and suddenly a voice goes of in their heads that says "Yo!! This is funny!" I have spent so much time lately with the heavier anime films that it took me more than a few minutes to realize that 'Slayers' is a pure and joyous romp, full of sly and not so sly innuendoes, exaggerated action, and villains that are ridiculous rather than sublime. After puzzling over the dour messages of Akira or Evangelion this confection put together by Kazuo Yamazaki, based on the original work of Hazime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi, is the perfect heart's ease.

Lina Inverse is a mage endowed with considerable power, who is less fortunate elsewhere (I would not mention this if it were not for the fact that it is the film's longest running joke). Playing Cordelia to Lina's Willow is Nahga, another mage, but one whose blandishments are distracting. Nahga also has a bad habit of casting spells that create magical seafood salad. These two young ladies are off to Mipross Island to frolic in the hot springs and enjoy the scenery.

Of course, all is not as wonderful as it seems. Lina is bothered by an old man who keeps interfering in her dreams, Nahga discovers the natural hot springs are fakes, and the two must conquer a string of 'toughest guys on the island.' Lina proves easily that she is really the island's toughest guy. Or, she almost does, at least until they run into Michigan J. Joyrock, a frog who also happens to be the toughest demon on the island. Now the two women and Rowdy the Sage are locked in a deadly fight with an impervious demon who has an irritating habit of going 'bwahaha.' Their only hope is to reroute the river of time itself.

For a light-hearted farce with some burlesque dialogue, the film is very enjoyable. The plot never gets monotonous, the acting in both the English and Japanese versions is excellent, and the artwork is surprisingly good. The film may be silly, but it isn't trashy. By all means, track it down, and watch it a few times. Sometimes you just don't want to have to think.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slayers kick @$$, December 5, 2003

By 

anonomous (Laredo, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This was the very first Slayers DVD I ever bought, and I wasn't disappointed, it was funny and had lots of action, even a little drama and romance. I'm not going to bother and try and explain the characters, since practically every other review does that, so all I have to say is that if you are a fan of any of these attributes in an anime, pick it up, you won't be sorry. There was only one small gripe I had, but it was small, while listening to the Japanese language with English subtitles, on scene 2 when Lina is talking to a bandit she tied up, the subtitle sort of appears and disappears in a split nanosecond before it is even able to be read, the only way I was able to read it was by pausing and going frame by frame to catch the subtitle, same thing goes with the Spanish subtitle. But enough about the con/negative; this movie has lots of pros/positives, the Japanese and English voices are all good. Lina and Naga from both languages have voices that suit them both, the time travel plot is interesting, the villian is ugly and evil, the comments about Lina being short startured, feather-brained, and small breasted crack me up, and Naga is well...very grown up in all the right places! Buy this DVD, buy it, buy it, BUY IT!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Explosion what?, December 17, 2001

By 

Matthew Lafrance (VT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

As with most TV to movie features, Slayers the Motion Picture deviates significantly from the original TV series. The movie is a side story, of a younger Lina traveling with her friend and rival, Naga the Serpent. Through serendipitous events, the two end up vacationing on Mipross Island, a mysterious tourist spot famous for its hot springs. Here the two are beseeched to undertake a quest, to set right a wrong committed in the islands past, leading to the cliché high stakes conflict. Would it really be a movie without it? Despite the movie conventions, the comedy is outstanding and makes this a really enjoyable film. The stream of increasingly more powerful opponents succeed as memorable comic villains. The addition of Naga creates a quality, two-man comedy act. Though fans may be disappointed with the exclusion of the characters from the TV show, I think the humor works well, and fans will enjoy copious jabs at Lina's inadequacy complex. The DVD is not without it's merits. The menu is appealing and clear. The extras include a small cell gallery; music-video trailers for the movie and OAVs; and character-bios for the movie cast. The audio seems to be Dolby Digital 2 channel both English and Japanese. The dub, while not bad, just can't hold a candle to the Japanese dialog, especially Megumi Hayashibara's wonderful performance. The video seems too dark and may prompt you to adjust your monitor settings. My big gripe about the subtitle is the translation of magical spells from things like the phonetic "Dil-Brando" to the descriptive "Explosion Array". While understandable for the dub, the subtitle should have used a more literal interpretation. I really enjoyed this film but it may not be for everyone. As far as the DVD goes, I have to give it a three for the number of small gripes above, but I highly recommend watching this entertaining film.