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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something to show the ladies of your neighborhood, January 4, 2010
This review is from: Slayers Revolution: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
It's been over a decade since there was a new season of "Slayers," but better late than never.
And "Slayers Revolution" is a solid first half to the long-awaited fourth season, although it suffers from some wobbles in execution (a replica of the Sword of Light?). Not only is it fun to revisit Lina, Gourry and their colorful unruly world, but the writers introduce some clever twists and concepts along the way, while leaving the door open for the second half of the season.
Lina and Gourry have been busy nabbing pirates on the high seas, but they're unexpectedly interrupted by Amelia, Zelgadis, and the Ruvinagald Inspector Wizer, who promptly arrests Lina for "the crime of being Lina Inverse"... and for blowing up some magic tanks with the Dragonslave.
The actual culprit is actually a sort of... flying stuffed bunny thing called Pokota, who can cast almost every spell Lina knows AND has a Sword of Light replica. The gang ends up on the road again, pursuing Pokota and being dogged by Wizer. Of course, they come across new problems on the way -- kidnapped pets, a golem festival, assassins on a ship, and Wizer's attempts to trap Lina in a building full of booby-traps (such as "do not push" buttons).
Pokota also leads the gang into the presumed-lost Taforashia, a ruined city shrouded in mist whose inhabitants are locked in a magical suspended animation... courtesy of the infamous Red Priest Rezo. Unfortunately, a corrupt Ruvinagald marquess and her servants (a ninja, a clockwork robot, and a beastman) are using Taforashia's magical technology to gain power -- and when Lina and her friends try to stop the marquess, a devastating evil is unleashed that could destroy the entire world.
It's a pretty awesome feeling to see the "Slayers" cast in action again, like revisiting old friends whom you haven't seen for a long time. The first few episodes of "Slayers Revolution" are rather weak (seriously, a stuffed toy that can cast the Dragonslave?), only to gain their footing when the Taforashia storyline is woven in. You know what to expect: lots of explosions, arguments, Lina and Gourry gobbling down feasts, and Amelia attacking in the name of justice.
As usual, there's a string of standalone stories interwoven with a solid plot arc, which harkens back to the first season of "Slayers", involving a kingdom locked in a magical barrier, and an elaborate web of lies that lead to a monster being unleashed on the world. There's plenty of hilarious dialogue ("I think it might be edible!"), a hearty dose of comic relief (Gourry's special bond with a jellyfish chimera), and lots of explosive action. The finale is utterly thrilling -- a dramatic three-episode eruption of smashing stones, Dragonslaves, energy blasts, and a giant silver dragon-dog-thing that craves destruction.
Lina is still flat-chested, assertive, hypersensitive and wonderfully bombastic -- and in this one, she encounters someone as crazy and magically-skilled as she is. Gourry is struggling to fight bad guys without a sword that can withstand his strength, Zelgadis has mellowed out somewhat, and Amelia has to grapple with a shocking discovery about her kingdom. And Xellos.... is Xellos. As usual, he's got secrets.And it's worth noting that Funimation (bless 'em) is reuniting almost the entire cast -- Lisa Ortiz, Eric Stuart, Veronica Taylor, and Crispin Freeman. The one change is Michael Sinterklaas as Xellos.
Additionally, Pokota is kind of annoying but gradually becomes likable as we see what drives him, and the tragic past he's trying to correct, while Duclis is the figure of a noble man corrupted by hatred. Wizer seems like an idiot who constantly tries to arrest Lina and impress the ladies, but soon you find that he's almost scarily clever and manipulative. Flan and Zollan are pretty boring, though.
It's not quite revolutionary, but after a bumpy first few episodes "Slayers Revolution" charges along like a runaway magical tank -- and of course, it leaves plot threads dangling for the next half of the season.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lina is back and better than ever!, February 2, 2010
This review is from: Slayers Revolution: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
It's been over a decade since Slayers ended and now its back with a new season! Things start up with a slam-bang entrance from Lina and Gourry harassing a group of pirates due to a significantly lowered bandit population. However during this attack, the Dynamic Duo re-encounter Amelia and Zelgadis, along with a government agent named Wizer who want to arrest Lina simply for being Lina! Also introduced is a strange creature with amazing power named Pakota who looks like a Pokemon created by Hot Topic. ANYWAY, Ignore all the nay-sayers who don't like this as much as the original 3 seasons. The writing is still great, the animation's better than ever, and the characters are intact with all their original voice actors in both languages (Minus Xellos for English)! No Slayers fan should pass this up, and if you aren't interested in the story then there's one reason that should be enough for any fan: Lina Inverse.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for all fans of the slayers, April 24, 2010
This review is from: Slayers Revolution: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
They're back after eleven years, and all slayers fans should be totally stoaked to watch this new season. The same cast (english and japanese) is back. Everyone except for David Moo. Many will applaud this, but I for one miss the voice of Xellos. Michael Sinterniklaas does a pretty good job as Xellos, but gives him sort of a generic "mysterious and Quiet" - type voice that isn't nearly as memorable as David Moo's unique voice that grated on your nerves.
It was fun to see the gang back together. Gourry is still borderline retarded. Amelia still seeks justice. Zelgadis is still ruthless and calculating. And Lina is still an angry hair-trigger sorceress who will blow you up just as soon as look at you. The characters haven't changed at all, which actually seems a little unbelievable. I think Lina should have matured a little bit. Sometimes the characters feel more like caricatures of their former selves rather than the quirky adventurers we know and love, but more on that later. The new character Pokota is annoying as crap. Some say he grows on you, but I disagree. The story tries to develop his personality, but in my opinion, they fail to make me care about him, and so any character development spent on him just feels like a boring waste of time. Had they given a more satisfactory reason for why the Slayers (and I) should care about what happens to him, then I might've liked his personality better. As it is, he turned out the be just what he looks like, a superfluous, annoying puppet.
The other new character, Wizer, actually does grow on you in my opinion. At first, like Pokota, he seems very annoying. But the show does a good job of slowly developing his character, and showing that he isn't just a complete moron, but is actually worthy of his self-appointed title of "Special Investigator" (or whatever it was). Wizer is crafty and can even match wits with Xellos. I think the reason why he was so likeable to me was that, unlike Pokota, the story was not forcing you to like him. Pokota's backstory and the way the Slayers are suddenly helping him out seemed very forced and unbeleivable. But nothing seems forced with Wizer. He's just there. The story simply develops his personality, and gives you the choice of whether you want to like him or not.
The bad guys for this season were a bit of a disappointment. (sorry I feel like I'm being really negative, I really did love this season, but I have a few complaints). To me it was a little incredible that Lina and the Gang would be having trouble with a 50-yr-old hag of marquess, a silly doll, a beast-man with a boring back-story, and a "dangerous" assassin. Compared to badguys of previous seasons (Saygram, Rezo, Gaav, Hellmaster, Valgaav) these guys should have been push-overs. The difficulty level felt very forced. In Slayers Try, when they had trouble with a little dude like Jillas, that was credible, because Jillas was crafty and knew how to turn the slayers against each other. But there was really no satisfactory reason for why Zel and Amelia couldn't just wipe the floor with the doll and help Lina with Zuuma. Zuuma was the worst of all. He felt like a character that was added for the sole purpose of being cool. And his coolness was just a little too forced onto the audience. But he did have some cool fight scenes, so he's forgiven.
For the most part, this series just picks up where Slayers Next left off. I say Slayers Next, because I believe this season largely tries to clone the charm of Slayers Next (the season that most people agree was the best). Unlike Slayers Try, which tried to be something a little different from the previous season, and even tried to have some character development for the main characters, Slayers Revolution does not make any effort to be unique or develop the characters at all. Instead, Revolution falls back hard on the slayers' original personality, and tries to dutifully copy it, rather than developing it. There's nothing wrong with this, but it seems like this season lacks a lot of the uniqueness that the other 3 seasons had. Most Hardcore slayers fans will not care... and they shouldn't care cuz, come on, it's the slayers and they're back!
The season does have some flaws, but I give it a perfect score simply because it is the perfect addition to any Slayers Fan's collection. No Slayers Fan should be without the comeback season. So you should buy this, and not just watch it off youtube. I think it is worth every penny.
For people who haven't seen slayers, what are you thinking? Shame on you! Go watch it now! But I suggest you start with Slayers Next or maybe the original season. Work your way up to Revolution.
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