9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slayers Trifecta!, December 15, 2007
This review is from: Slayers TRY - Season Three Set (DVD)
Well, I reviewed seasons 1 & 2 so here goes. "Slayers Try" is typically viewed as the weakest of the three seasons. This is almost certainly true, but it's still Slayers, which is to say it's awesome. If you're a huge Lina Inverse fan then consider this yet another must-buy. If you're not; well, this season won't change your mind. The story is one that spans the entire season rather than being broken up into smaller arcs as previous seasons were and many supporting characters are left in the dust as our primary heroes travel to parts unknown for this adventure, but the goofy character-driven humor and epic world-in-the-balance confrontations that are the series' calling card are here with bells on. It's slightly flawed, but it's still a must in my book.
The storyline this time out begins with the usual fateful meetings of our four heroes; Lina, Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis. They are quickly swept up in battle as a dragon attacks the city and wind up stranded at sea. The dragon in question turns out to be the newest member of team Inverse: the dragon priestess Filia, sent to fetch Lina for a task of grave importance. This storyline, while occasionally poorly paced, turns out to be quite deep as Lina and company become pawns in a massive, multi-faction feud that spans dimensions and seems to have no right or wrong side. The primary villain is a demon dragon named Gaav who turns out to be quite the tragic figure out to avenge the genocide of his people. This is some pretty deep fare for an anime that prides itself on characters who behave like savages around food and like to blow stuff up. Xellos makes his return with aplomb, but this time he's no friend to Lina's cause. His status as a demon puts him in direct conflict with Filia as dragons and monsters are natural enemies. The show uses this device amusingly to instigate a potential romance (methinks the lady doth protest too much) between the two mutual antagonists.
"Slayers Try" suffers from a definitive lack of the adorable Sylphiel, but Filia really filled the gap for me. Her prim and proper ways make for comedy gold as she hasn't quite mastered her human form and often sprouts a tail when surprised, thus lifting up her robe and well...you get the picture. This awkwardness is milked for further amusement by giving Lina's newest team member an oversized mace and an equally oversized temper with which to use it. Plus, she can turn into a dragon (the bow on her tail is adorable); just not when anyone's looking because, naturally, she loses her clothes in the process and she's a very shy girl.
As I stated before, there are some pacing problems as will happen with series that don't divide the larger stories into smaller ones. This season is broken up only by a flurry of episodes where the team is fragmented and each have a series of moronic standalone adventures. There is some great stuff there, but the one-offs were spread out more evenly and didn't interfere with the larger plots in past seasons while these just don't fit. Even Lina -always the self-referencing type- at one point observes that maybe it's time to quit with the silly stuff and get down to business. The climax impresses, but is again broken up with some inappropriately-timed and redundant humor which causes Filia this time to admonish the writers..err characters to stop screwing around. This self-aware humor helps save for me what brought "Slayers Try" down a notch for some.
All-in-all, chalk this one up as another winner. This new set, like the others, is priced right and is remastered for your viewing pleasure. That doesn't mean you should double-dip because, personally, I wish they'd just put out a higher quality product to begin with and stop torturing we diehard fans with this re-release nonsense. But this review is for the new Slayers fan and if you don't have this series yet, now is the time. This is among my favorite animated comedy series of all time and I can't recommend all three seasons enough to fantasy anime fans.
4 1/2 stars rounded up to escape the wrath of the great Lina Inverse!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slayers Tri, June 25, 2009
This review is from: Slayers TRY - Season Three Set (DVD)
Yup, they're back -- hot-tempered sorceress Lina, sword-swinging dunce Gourry, stone-skinned chimera Zelgadis, and justice-obsessed princess Amelia.
And while it's not quite the brilliant ride that the previous seasons were, the third season "Slayers Try" is still a solid piece of work, filled with ancient feuds, otherworldly weapons, revenge, a tea-drinking dragon, and a devastating threat from another universe.
With the Monster race's barrier removed from the places we know, the gang reunites at a harbor where a coalition of kings -- led by Prince Phil -- are sending off an expedition into the Outer World. Lina and Gourry are there to meet Filia, a strange young woman who claims to have a mission for them. Then a Golden Dragon attacks, and Lina inadvertantly devastates the fleet and the harbor with her Dragonslave.
Set adrift on an abandoned ship, Lina and her pals end up floating to the Outer World, where they encounter Filia (who is the Golden Dragon) once again. Eventually Filia reveals why she has done all this -- a prophecy foretelling a terrible disaster that may destroy the world, which only Lina's sister (or, if she's not available, Lina) can stop. Unfortunately the gang also have a new enemy -- the vengeance-maddened Monster Valgaav, and a mysterious shadowy creature who wants Gourry's Sword of Light.
But after some nasty obstacles, Lina discovers the true intent of Valgaav's new master -- to destroy the Dark Lord Darkstar (yeah, silly name), using five weapons including the Sword of Light. When a clash with Valgaav goes horribly wrong, Lina and her friends end up scattered across the continent, with only a short time to stop the insane Dark Lord from invading their world. And finding the last of the weapons to kill Darkstar will take them deep into the bloody past of the Golden Dragons...
"Slayers Try" doesn't quite acquire the spectacular heights of the previous two seasons, just because the Big Bad Threat To The Universe is a bit cheesier. But otherwise it's a solid adventure for Lina and her little gang, with two overarcing storylines -- the first half is all about finding out Valgaav's plot and the reason his master wants the Sword of Light, while the second is about dealing with the horror that is trying to come into the Linaverse.
In the meantime, it has a complex and twisting storyline, full of odd quests for luminous weapons and some Romeo-and-Juliet sidetrips. But this season also has a heavy dose of tragedy, mostly centering on the bloody genocide of the extinct Ancient Dragons, and the horror Filia feels when she finds out what happened. Their trip takes them through sun-baked villages, magic libraries, ancient snow-covered citadels, a mountain that looks like a pile of something nasty, a pair of eternally warring cities, and a series of islands with very strange inhabitants.
And of course, there's humor. Lots of it. Aside from Xellos and Filia bickering like pros ("Ohhhh, I meant DRAGON, not person"), it has the usual bizarre scenarios and hilarious dialogue ("BIRD! ROAST CHICKEN!" a starving Lina shrieks as she tries to pluck a seagull). And in the middle of the season, we get a string of episodes that are pure hilarity -- haunted jars, a forbidden romance between a man and a fish, and Amelia and Gourry temporary becoming "Warriors of Justice" alongside some decayed old heroes in silly costumes.
The absolute highlight? A surreal Lewis-Carroll-style episode in which a befuddled Lina stumbles through a strange world of fiestas, hostile penguins ("Don't interrupt our funeral!"), marionettes and a smarmy talking pig.
The "Slayers" characters feel like a foursome of old, comfortable shoes -- Lina is short-tempered and inclined to Dragonslave whenever possible, but turns out to be deadly afraid of her sister (to the point of constructing a pyramid to hide inside). Gourry is a lovable clunkhead, but Amelia and Zelgaids have both loosened up a little -- he's mellowed and more friendly, and while Amelia still poses and talks about Justice, she's also willing to poke a little fun at it (the whole "warriors of Justice" episode).
And Xellos provides plenty of fun when he's bickering with Filia, even as he reminds us that he's an amoral Monster who wouldn't have a qualm about betraying Lina and Co. Filia herself is a likable character -- an anxiety-ridden priestess with a love of tea parties and antique jars, and a deep hatred of Monsters. But her character becomes much deeper when she discovers the terrible past actions of the Golden Dragons.
"Slayers Try" is a solid third season for the Slayers gang, with a slam-bang Threat To The Universe and plenty of outrageous comic relief. Not quite the brilliance of seasons past, but still excellent.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great series, June 24, 2009
This review is from: Slayers TRY - Season Three Set (DVD)
Deeper than the other series. This one really builds on a them of good vs. evil being more a point of view than an absolute.
Slayers NEXT (season 2) is my favorite and I personally find that ending more "conclusive", but this one still very good. All three are unique, much like the movies and OVAs.
Don't start watching Slayers at this season, make sure you start with the first season. But once you've made it through seasons 1 & 2, it's worth buying this one for more Slayers-goodness.
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