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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not exactly "Premium" material..., August 22, 2004
This review is from: Slayers - Premium (DVD)
Let's break out the checklist, shall we?
People quarreling over edibles? Check!
Gratuitous use of the Dragon Slave? Check!
Wisecracks about Lina's chest and her reputation as a "Dragon Spooker"? Check and double-check!
Amelia pontificating about justice? Check!
Xellos saying "Sore wa himitsu desu"? Check!
Naga laughing annoyingly? Check!
Zelgadis being anti-social? Check!
Well, I think we've covered everything. What we've got here is a random mishmash of all the Slayers standbys, thrown together as if it were their goal to try to display them all in as short a time as possible. Sometimes it works, but other times, it comes off as forced. Lina magnanimously agreeing to forgive the loss of a dried sardine in exchange for her blowing up a restaurant is comparatively in-character. Amelia getting all teary-eyed because Zelgadis doesn't feel like walking fast just felt silly. As for Xellos, the dialogue was obviously constructed just so he could say his trademark line, because the only thing he does in the whole movie is HAND OUT INFORMATION. If that's not un-Xellos-like, I don't know what is.
Don't get me wrong - this isn't a bad watch, and rather more entertaining than some of the other OAVs. (For example, it's definitely not as annoying as the one where someone makes ten clones of Naga and lets them laugh for minutes on end.) However, if this had been my first introduction to the Slayers universe, I would have left wondering what all the fuss was about. There were some nice flourishes here and there, but on the whole, it fails to rise up to the standards of the original TV show. Watch it if you're a hardcore Slayers fan and dying to see the whole gang one more time. Watch it if you're in the mood for some silliness and swashbuckling. Just don't expect too much out of it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dissappointing ending to a great series., June 3, 2004
This review is from: Slayers - Premium (DVD)
I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this one. The old tv gang meets Naga? Sweet! Unfortunately, the result instead of a full-length epic adventure incorporating everything there is to love about Slayers into one huge production we get one television episodes worth of what amounts to little more than a series of cameos. Shame, shame, shame. It's an entertaining episode, but it feels as though it's missing the 25 other episodes of a great Slayers season. It's nuthin' but a freakin' teaser! A bad way to end an all-time great anime series. I was going to give this DVD 2 stars before I decided to watch it again with commentary by the legendary Crispin Freeman and the delightful Cynthia Martinez. Their commentary was so hilarious (more entertaining than the actual feature, in fact) that I had to bump up the rating a star for the inclusion of such a great special feature. Between voicing Lina Inverse and Puni Puni Poemy, Cynthia Martinez has become a truly great voice actress. Unfortunately, this is her last turn as Lina for now. This DVD is only for the Slayers completist as it features very little of what made it such an enjoyable series to begin with. If you are unfamiliar with Slayers, go get a season of the tv series or one of the OVA's (Slayers Great, Excellent, or the Motion Picture are highly recommended) first.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, but could have been great, May 23, 2004
This review is from: Slayers - Premium (DVD)
I had very mixed feelings about the DVD. While the mini-movie was cute and clever, and it was good to see the TV gang back together, it was also far too short in my opinion. Just as we really start to enjoy the story and the characters, it's winding down. The VA work is great, I didn't even mind the fact that some of the voices changed from the series (Although I think I would have if Crispin Freeman had not done Zel, and if they had not used Cynthia Martinez from the OVA's as Lina..I liked her as much as Lisa Ortiez) But because of its length, and the speed the story had to take, normally I would have given it only 3 stars. However, both the interview with Crispin Freeman and the Actors commentary saved the DVD for me. Mr. Freeman is a fantastic interview subject, and his insight on the series and on Zel's character was thoughtful, interesting, and terribly funny. Also, his commentary with Miss Martinez was hilarious, I dare say even funnier than the movie itself, and had me laughing so hard I was tearing up. These factors elevate it to four stars.
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